Out and About: Another #TieDayFriday, Fall Colours Edition

Although, strictly speaking, it is not Friday. Still, I felt I wanted to get this one out there, late or no. I was busy on Friday, with a new contract, and then the weekend, and finally, poetry on Canadian Thanksgiving. So, here then is the new #TieDayFriday:

I tried to smile in this one, I swear.

My colleague remarked that this is a hard colour to pull off. He thought I did it well. It was nice of him to say that. It can be tough, and truth be told, this is about as late as you can pull it off. Any later, and you risk looking a tad Hallowe'en-y. 

A closer, more focused look.

Out and About: The Return of #tiedayfriday

Yesterday—Friday—I woke up too early and went to sleep too late. Thus, I am a day late with this post, ostensibly about Friday.
But what a post! What had been an idle promise on facebook has now become real, Gentle Reader.
Some years ago, once again influenced by the wonder of the menswear internet, pressured by over thrifting of a few too many very nice ties, and suffering from the graduate student's general lack of occasions to wear said ties, I decided to take action.
Attempting to institute Tie Day Friday was a moderate success. My recent return to the selfie has inspired me to reinstitute the hallowed tradition starting here and now.
Therefore, I give you #tiedayfriday:

Still no smiles. I'm smiling in one after the jump, inside the Hall. I swear.

Out and About, Monday Edition

I have for the large part followed the advice of many, many menswear blogs out there and simplified my wardrobe, buying for quality or wearability. Therefore, I often take a selfie and realize it looks exactly like all my other selfies. Like this one, this one, or this one.

I just love that damn leather jacket. It was my uncle's, and is older than I am.

So the other day, feeling good and wearing clothes I have since purchased so as not to look repetitive, I re-claimed the selfie:

I still don't smile much, I guess.

When a young man's thoughts...

My mother is mad for portraits. She has always wanted one of me, one time (just one, gentle reader, just one) I actually visited a portrait studio, to look into the state of affairs that is portrait photography.
Long story short: my mother did not get a portrait.
However, I'll always remember something the photographer told me. He said, "Son, back in the day, men would have a portrait taken anytime they felt good about themselves. Buy a new hat, get a portrait. Haircut? Portrait". Something to that effect, in any case. To sum up: Feel good? Portrait.
I'll go out on a limb here, and suggest that maybe digital photography has changed this axiom somewhat. It's spring, here. I read somewhere that Canadians own more summer clothes than winter clothes, despite winter being the harsher, longer season. Something about denial, if I remember correctly. Could be, gentle reader. Could be. It's spring here though, and I don't care about the particulars.
And spring makes me feel good. So, armed with a digital camera, I took some self-portraits. I sure as sugar didn't do much of that during the winter.

Sunny day. Not Friday, though

 More pics inside.

Out and about... Red Touque Edition

Radio silence from the Hall there for a while... Busy, busy, busy...

Nevertheless, as I was walking from the metro the other day, the weather forced me in to my red touque (watchcap to the rest of the world, but hey, nobody is perfect). It was cold. Sunny, but cold. In any case, I rolled it once more than was my custom, and to see how it looked, I snapped a few self pics. Happy with the results, I thought I'd share.

Out and about...

This was quite some time ago, but I was happy with the look, so I thought I'd try to capture it. It's damn hard to keep my chin out of these shot, and apparently, just as difficult to smile.

Of note: Merino wool cardigan vest, cord blazer

Out and about... Spring

I couldn't resist somehow. Maybe it was the new brogued boots, or the spring cotton trench, or possibly the sunshine, on a perfect Saturday afternoon with someone special. For whatever reason, I snapped some shots and felt I might share.

It was probably that last reason more than anything else, come to think of it.

Out and about... Freight edition

Went skiing with my mother, saw a train. I love trains, on some visceral level. We can hear the whistle of one, twice a day, from my mother's house, and depending on how loud it is, she can predict (and I am learning to predict) the weather. Some thing to do with barometric pressure, it seems. Or relative humidity.
In any case, a train...