Badger

Yesterday at work I started feeling really crappy. After lunch I started feeling a bit dizzy and ill. My energy level dropped to practically nothing and I felt cold. It was supposed to be leg day at the gym today but when I got home I ate a couple of carrots, a Nashi, a glass of yoghurt and went to bed. I woke up at around 8, got up, cooked some pasta and watched some tv. I was feeling better at that point but still not back to normal so I decided to just stay home and rest.

I wonder if it’s my body’s way of saying I need more rest. I do four weight training sessions a week and the past couple of months I’ve added three cardio workouts per week as well. I also know I get too little sleep. I should probably bump that up to 7-8 hours (from 5).

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On monday as I was about to shave my shaving brush broke. The bristles are glued into the handle (at least on the cheaper models) and I guess when moisture gets in there, which is pretty much inevitable, it ruins the bonding capability of the glue. This brush actually lasted a long time compared to the crappy 5 buck-ones I had in the past. Those fuckers fell apart a week after you got them.

So yesterday I figured I’d go out and get a new one but I couldn’t find any! So I had to get some glue and glue the thing back together. I’m now considering ordering one, a quality one with real badger hair. But I think I’ll wait until after Christmas...if my brush holds up that long that is.
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I am going to get my pinstripe suit taylored a bit. I want it taken in a bit in the sides, for a more tapered look and the sleeves shortened about two inches to show a bit of shirt cuff. I actually thought I had bought a suit jacket that was too big since a lot of suit jackets in magazines are a lot shorter than mine. After doing a bit of research, however, I found out that the current style is that of a shorter length jacket.
The length of my jacket, albeit a more classic cut, was just right, as was the shoulder (the most critical part of the fit). The alterations I have in mind are actually quite common. I’m hoping I’ll get them done before the 15th, as there is an office christmas party then.

Cleaning party

I’ve come to the conclusion that I should probably try to go to bed earlier, because I sleep way too little. Maybe that’s why I keep failing; because I “should probably try” instead of “I *will*”. Well, actually, I’ve managed to go to bed a bit earlier now a couple of nights. On Tuesday I went to bed 45 minutes earlier and yesterday almost an hour and a half.

However, me going to bed earlier doesn’t translate into me coming into work any earlier. I pretty much get there at 8:10, like clockwork. And no matter how early I have gone to bed I always take a nap in the afternoon when I get home so basically all I get from going to bed earlier is less time to do stuff during the day. But they do say that sleeping more will make you better looking, and that’s probably the only reason I actually would go to bed earlier.
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Yesterday I cleaned my apartment. I even vacuumed the place. It took me two and a half hours. I threw away a bunch of junk mail and a bag of papers from school (figured I don’t need those anymore). Nowadays I keep the place pretty tidy but in the past there have been times when the place looked like a dump, literally. In a way, cleaning was more satisfying back then because the results were more dramatic. Now it’s more like, what that’s it?

Sartorial pursuits

Yesterday I went for a bit of shopping with my darling sister. I was kind of on the lookout for shoes but unfortunately I didn’t find any. I did, however, find a waistcoat I’ll match with my beige, striped shirt. I also got a couple of pairs of underwear. I thought about being cheap and only buying two pairs but I figured since I have cash and really need new underwear I got three.

I also happened to come across something I haven’t seen live before; a knit silk tie. I didn’t buy it though but I’m seriously considering it. When I got home I tested if any of my ties would go with the shirt-waistcoat combo. The closest I got was a narrow black one. Black looked good but the tie knot was overpowered by the collar of the shirt, even with a double windsor knot.

The knit silk was a bit wider so there would be more fabric there. I’ve read that knit ties are a bit difficult to tie though and it’s not something you see a lot around here. However, the latter is actually a reason for me to get one. The thing is though, that the waistcoat is plaid, the shirt is striped, and that’s already two patterns. The texture of the tie suggests a third pattern and that’s a bit tricky to pull off but the dark color would probably ground it a bit. Plus, the texture would match the cufflinks on the shirt pretty well. I’m still undecided though. I might go with just a necklace or something.

I am also considering getting a pair of dark grey pants, a bit like suit pants but a bit heavier. I could combine that with a shirt and sweater for a preppy look, or dress it up with a shirt and tie but they’d also go well with just a sweater. If they have my size I’ll get those today.

However, then I’ll also have to get a new belt. I was thinking I’d pair the pants with the waistcoat and shirt this weekend. I’d then wear my black dress shoes but I’m not completely sure the belt I have would fit. I’m thinking I’d get a belt that bridges the gap between a wide casual belt and a narrow dress belt.

Stain removal

Well, I got the stains out of Martins tie. It wasn’t really that hard. I got the idea of searching the internet for tips on stain removal. Apparently, a great way of getting grease and/or oil stains stains out is to get some baby powder, sprinkle it on the stain, cover with a paper towel and heat with a hot ironing iron. Then you just brush off the powder and the stain should be gone.

I actually tried that on the tie too, since the face paint was grease based, or so I assumed. It didn’t work that well so it wasn’t exactly the same. However, I also got a commercial stain remover, which worked like a charm. I was a bit hesitant of using it though since I thought the chemicals in it would ruin a silk tie. However, when I looked a bit closer I noticed that it was 100% polyester.
It looked almost like silk though. Silk may have a bit more shine too it and is just a bit softer to the touch.

I’m starting to think that I’m turning into a chick.
Yesterday I saw a leather messenger bag I am thinking about getting. The thing is though, I don’t really need it. I just think it looks a bit better than the one I have. It’s not insanely expensive, but I *should* save the money.
Since it’s my birthday next weekend I’m thinking I’d dress a bit nicer than usual. I was thinking a new white shirt, green silk tie, my black waist coat with faint pinstripe pattern and pinstripe pants. However, the pinstripe patterns on the pants and the waist coat doesn’t match up. The stripes on the pants are wider apart so I am not sure about the whole idea. I’ll try it and see what I think but I’d really prefer that the stripes match perfectly. A pair of cufflinks with green in them would be the detail that brings it all together (and sets it apart from the rest of the losers).

Moneymoneymoneymooooneeeeyyy

I had the strangest dream a few nights ago. This time I even remembered to write it down. Last time I had a weird dream I didn't write it down 'cause I thought I'd remember it but I fell asleep and forgot all about it. Later I remember it being something about me and Martin drowning some chick in a gigantic tub of ice cream.Anyway, to my latest dream.
I actually didn't remember this one either but I found the note where I had written the "plot" down. I dreamt that Martin was living in this old, run down wooden building (partly true I guess). But the thing about it was that the building was divided into two apartments, with only a door seperating the two. An old lady was living next door. She was like...102 years old or something and apparently was very fond of Martin.
Anyway, Martin was moving out so he was having a party to commemorate the day. After the party was over, me and Martin were sitting there chatting, about to go to sleep (I had brought a sleeping bag since the place was somewhere out in the sticks). All of a sudden the door to the other apartment opens. It's the old lady. She just opens it and goes back to her bed, which is right there in the next room. She then says: "Since this is your last night here I think we should spend the night together".
At the moment I had the dream I didn't think it had any sexual implications but I suppose it would seem that way.
-------------Since I’ll be getting my first paycheck soon I have been planning what kind of stuff I’m going to get. It’s exciting, strange and a bit scary to start getting this kind of cash. Exciting because now I’ll be able to afford a bit of luxury in my life, like a new pair of jeans even though I have two whole pairs. It will also mean that I won’t have to figure out how much my food costs when doing grocery shopping and if I can afford it. That’ll be very cool..and strange at the same time.

It’s also a bit scary because in the past I have always lived basically from paycheck to paycheck, spending pretty much every cent I earn. Even though I have planned to save up some cash I have never really been able to. I hope I’ll be able to save up some beans for a rainy day this time. It’ll be a test of self discipline for sure.

Anyway, I’ve come up with a few things I want to get.
New shoes. I really want a pair of dark brown casual shoes.
New jeans. Three pairs of jeans, what a concept!
A nice watch. I don’t have one and I think it would be a cool accessory. I only need to decide what color armband I want.
A couple of new button up shirts. Some of my old ones are getting a bit worn.
Underwear. Old ones are worn and smelly...well..at least worn.
Plain white t-shirts. Old ones are stained and old.
New gym pants. I’ve had the same pair for years and they’ve got some holes in them. Besides, I spend so much time at the gym I should probably look my best.
A quality white dress shirt. One I can wear cufflinks with. Preferably 100% cotton since it gets hot enough wearing a suit. Cotton breathes more than the cotton-polyester blend you usually see in cheap white dress shirts. I’d also like it if it had a faint pattern, like a diamond pattern or herringbone or something. If I decide to wear it only with a tie sometimes it would look more interesting.
Cufflinks with some green in them, like a stripe or some kind of other pattern. I’m thinking in terms of outfits here. I could wear my new white shirt with my black waist coat I bought about a year ago. Usually I wear that with my pink striped shirt but I’d like to wear my fabulous green tie sometime as well. The cufflinks would then match my tie, not that anyone would notice.

Speaking of ties, I managed to stain Martin’s tie on Halloween. He couldn’t tie it himself so I tied it for him. Unfortunately, I tied it around my own neck and when taking it off I got some makeup on it. I will get the stains out for him though. If I can’t get ’em out myself I’ll have it dry cleaned and if that doesn’t work I’ll just pay for the damn thing. Hell, I can afford that now.

I doubt it’ll come to that though. I went to work on it last night and got one of the stains out with just a bit of soap and hot water so there should be no problems. I’ll be damned if I’ll be like Ove who borrowed my black jacket the year before and got red paint on it and left it there. ----------

Insano the clown

Yesterday was the big halloween party. Surprisingly enough, pretty much everyone had really put some effort into it and actually dressed up. Of course there were a few exceptions...like Jens, and a few other people I don't know, but otherwise it was costumes all around. I was dresed as some sort of psychotic clown. Unfortunately, my fangs fell out pretty early. You can't really eat anything with them I noticed. But that was a small detail actually.

It took 45 minutes to apply the clown make up to my face and I wasn't completely satisfied with the results. I noticed that the paint smeared very easily and the white didn't cover up all that well. But the effect was okay since I wasn't supposed to be a "clean" clown but rather a crazy one so smeared make up was actually pretty good. I was voted top three best dressed though. The winner was a chick dressed as a big black cat.

The hosts had thought up this "funny" game where each guest was given a card and through the evening was obliged to do what it said on the card. But you couldn't tell anyone what you was supposed to be doing. I was supposed to start talking to imaginary guests. At one point I closed the bathroom door and stood outside talking, like there was someone inside. Marres boyfriend wanted to go take a slash but thought someone was there so he nearly pissed his pants.

martin was supposed to act really drunk but no one really gave that a second thought. When he came into a room he went "WOOOHOOOOO!!!" and held up his arms...and no one even flinched. It was more like "hey martin".

Then we headed out to the club. Surprisingly there were a few people there too that were dressed up. A giant duck, an enormous guy dressed like a woman with the biggest ever seen, a circus manager, a few devils etc were seen.

Unfortunately, the one night I'm decked out like a psycho it was chick-central. The place was packed with hot chicks and lots of other people. Funny enough, very few people recognised me. I saw classmates that had no idea who I was and this one dude from the gym I usually talk to and no one knew me. I also came to the conclusion that chicks really don't harbour a secret fantasy to have sex with a clown.

All in all a ...different evening.

Publicity stunt

Yesterday I was interviewed by a local newspaper. It was supposed to become a “personal portrait” type of article, one in a series soon to be published. The series was being done by a group of students and one of my friends’ girlfriend had apparently thought that I’d be a prime candidate for that kind of thing. I asked why but apparently she had refused to say. I’ll ask her about it this weekend though.

The interview was pretty much what I expected. A lot of the questions focused on my views on the importance of physical appearences, what I do to look good, why etc. Then there were some other personal questions like “what do you find important?” and “what do you love/hate?”. The hardest question to answer was “what makes you special?”.

There was one surprising twist though. There is a movie called Boogie Nights, which is about a kid going into the 70’s porn game as Dirk Diggler. When he meets the producer for the first time, the producer says “…they also tell me you have a great big cock…May I see it?”. It was a bit like that for me too. Except that she said “I also hear that you have great abs…may we see them?”. That was a bit of a curve ball but I figured what the hell. She claimed that chicks will be all over me when the article is published but from previous experience I pretty much doubt that.
Anyway, it’ll be interesting to read it later. I hope she got interesting material for the article and that it won’t make me out to be a complete moron. But hey, “any publicity is great publicity”.