Quote me

You're a "know-it-all" when you realize you know nothing.

Writing

" There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges." ~Ernest Hemingway

This is so true. It is the same way with life. Sometimes it comes easily and sometimes it's just tough. And sometimes you just wish you could rewrite it.

Drive like a Gentleman

Drive like a Gentleman: Part 1 - Speed

These days, with gas prices through the roof, you would think that people would calm down with their driving methods. Now, I'm not against driving FAST. However, I am against driving UNSAFELY.
Don't get me wrong, I've done some stupid things when I was younger, but now that I'm a grown man striving to be a better gentleman than the next, 90% of the time, I hit cruise at 65mph.
So let's talk about speed. There are studies that show slowing down can substantially save on gas. Okay, that's great and all, but what about those of you who could really care less about how much it costs to put gas in your Aston Martin?
Think about this for a moment. When you see a Ferrari, Aston Martin or Lamborghini rolling down the highway, how often do you see them doing a buck twenty? I cannot remember ever seeing any of these high performance cars flying down the freeway at these speeds. So why are you trying to hot rod in your Honda Civic swerving through traffic?
Most of the time I chuckle to myself at the horrible skill level of many people on our freeways. Why on earth do you continue doing 90 in the fast lane allll the way up to the car that clearly is doing 75 and so is everyone else in front of them? You do realize you CAN'T go anywhere, so why are you rushing to hit your brakes?
This goes for the person flying up to a red light or stop sign. Huh? You baffle me good sir or madame.

So let me reiterate my point by asking you to do this with me. Drive tomorrow to work like you normally do if you don't already cruise at 65mph or whatever the limit may be. So if you do 75 or 80, go ahead and do that. Both to and from work. While you are doing this, count the number of times you become frustrated when you roll up on someone going slower than you AND the times you have to change lanes.
This will take some self control and discipline, but it will be worth it. Just do it and keep track of those two things. Now, the next morning on your way to work, get on the freeway and once you hit 65, set your cruise. I suggest leaving at least one lane to your left for people to pass. Do not be that guy and cruise in the fast lane at 65. You should be pulled over if you do this. So hit 65, cruise, at least one passing lane to your left, and turn on the tunes. Now, once again, keep track of all the times you come up on slower traffic, become frustrated, and also how many times you have to change lanes to move around that slower traffic.
Many of you will read this and realize just what point im making but some still may be saying, 'But I need to get to work on time!' That is one last thing I will ask you to do on both of these days of experimentation. We will get to that in just a second.
Let's break it down simply:

Day 1:
Drive to work like normal.
Time yourself
Count the number of times you must slow or change lanes for slower traffic.
Count the number of times you become frustrated because of slower traffic.

Day 2:
Drive 65mph (or 70, whatever the posted speed limit is)
Time yourself

Count the number of times you must slow or change lanes for slower traffic.
Count the number of times you become frustrated because of slower traffic.

What I hope that you find is this:
1) Your drive to work is less stressful and more enjoyable.
2) Your drive to work is less frustrating and safer.
3) You realize that going faster really doesn't get you there that much faster at all.
4) You will get more MPG out of your car by doing nothing but slow down.

Sausage & Grapes

It's an amazing dish that has quickly become one of my favorites. 

Here's how you make it:

Courtesy of Art of Manliness

Sausage and Grapes (an utterly simple and delicious meal)

Submitted by Alex Charlton

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage

• 3 cups seedless grapes (red or green)

• balsamic vinegar - to taste

Directions:

1. Brown sausages in skillet on medium heat, turning periodically about 15 minutes.

2. Poke sausages with paring knife or carving fork to release fat and oils.

3. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Remove sausages, and keep warm.

5. Drain fat and oils from pan leaving about a tablespoon or so.

6. Add grapes to pan bring heat up to medium-high.

7. Cook, stirring periodically, until grapes begin to collapse.

8. Add balsamic vinegar, stir, turn off heat.

9. Place bed of grapes on plates.

10. Add sausage on top of grapes.

I would like to add one suggestion...

Before placing the sausages on top of the grapes, cut them into bite sized portions.

It makes eating the dish easier and you won't have to fool around with cutting them in a bowl. 

That is another suggestion, use a bowl to put them in, not a plate. The grapes can't roll out and onto your carpet or pants that way. 

You may be asking, where on the Art of Manliness site can I get this? 

You actually just need to sign up for their email newsletter and they will email you this great Cookbook in PDF format as well as another great resource. 

Enjoy!

-Sir Buxton Fogg

Chef Buxton Fogg

Good evening to you all,

I wanted to write about something many men aren't very good at. That is COOKING. Every man should know how to cook well. You don't need to be a Gourmet to check this off the list of things every man should know how to do. But let's be honest fellows, boxed mac n' cheese isn't going to cut it after college. Honestly, it shouldn't even cut it IN college after sophomore year unless you are strapped for cash and time.

It will always be cheaper to go to the grocery, pick up some ingredients and make it yourself. Rather than hit up BK or McD's for a $6 value meal that will kill you softly. Some of the better memories of my college days are with my buddy grilling out, drinking some beer and getting ready to watch a movie or the football game. Also, even as grown men with homes of our own, nothing is better than having a great night out with friends and the next morning, heading to the store to purchase some goodness to help heal your overindulgence.

So what do I do, Mr. Fogg?

1) Start cooking.

• Yes, It might seem silly, but how do you DO anything? You start, that's what. So get online, get a cookbook, and head to your local grocery and treat yourself to a home cooked meal like your Mother used to make for you ( I hope ). 

2) Get the right tools.

• Knives: With all that is good, spend the money here. If you've ever prepared a meal at someone else's home who has dull knives, you will understand exactly what I'm talking about. When you have a nice set of knives and keep them sharp, you WILL enjoy cooking so much more. 
• Cutting board: Just go get one. Stop using your counter top or a plate. 
• Pot and pan set. I'm not saying go drop $400 on a stainless steel set here people. Look for deals at Target or Walmart. Many of them come bundled with many useful utensils that you will need...
• Utensils:  Again, look for a bundle. You will figure out what you don't use much or what you're missing and can pick one thing up at a time until you have a lovely collection of TOOLS. Yes, TOOLS. We are men and we use tools. Cooking is no exception to this rule. 
• Flour, Sugar, Brown sugar storage canisters: If you want to do some baking (this also is manly) then you will love having these on hand. You will use these three staples religiously in baking and cooking as well. Just go do it. 
• Pyrex mixing bowl and baking dishes. 13" x 9" for the oven and casserole. Make sure the mixing bowls range from small to large and fit inside each other for easy storage. 

3) Make it your own.

• Find out what you like to eat and what you don't. Try new things! You will be amazed that if you can just follow directions how well even your FIRST dish turns out. Sometimes, there is just no helping things and you will come up with junk and THEN it's ok to hit up Taco Bell for a Grilled Stuffed Burrito. 
• Realize what you like to cook. Is it Pasta or Bread? Maybe you like to make desserts or dips or soups. When you start to enjoy cooking, you will enjoy cooking for OTHERS. That is when it really gets fun and your "hard work" pays dividends. It is so good to hear people tell you how good your dish is and how much they love it. 

In closing, I strongly encourage you to dig in and enjoy the experience that is cooking. Your Mom will still make you something here or there. Your wife may love to cook for you and you have to force her to let you or your significant other may just be a horrible cook. Step up, Men. Turn on some tunes, read those directions, grab your tools, and create something you will be proud of.
If you don't like to cook the normal way, grab some wood and a match, or some charcoal. Nothing is manlier than a man, some fire, and some food to cook over it. Grab a stick, a beer, some meat, and your buddies and show em how it's done.

Until next time,

Sir Buxton Fogg

Some Dirty South Love...

Yo Fogg,

Down here in the dirty dirty we got mad love for the Fogg. That’s how we roll, or as we say down here, steady Foggin. What I want to know is, what tracks do you roll with when you’re out Foggin, maybe Foggin in the car or at the club.

One Love,

Jeremiah “White T” Bronson 

Valdosta GA

Mr. Bronson, 

It is a pleasure to hear from you. This may be a short and sweet answer, but I will have to stick to music genre since an actual track list would take quite some time and not even closely depict my musical tastes. Firstly, I love anything with a beat. Since a youngster, rap and hip-hop have been a love of mine. Nothing compares to the lyrical genius of a hip-hop artitst. 

Closely following the beginning of my college experience, a close friend of mine turned me on to dance music. Be it House, Deep House, Trance, Vocal Trance, Electro-House, and so forth, I love the high energy beats these styles of music can bring. I greatly enjoy to be emotionally upbeat when listening to music most of the time and this style of music does just that. 

For those times of darker variety, I enjoy Metal and Hardstyle. These I normally use for heavy weightlifting or things that require a high amount of intensity. Do not mix Metal with Alcohol as bad things may happen. However, since we are all gentlemen, we do not drink to the point of becoming an uncontrollable man. 

Classical is also a love as it is truly some of the original works of art and calms me down in almost any situation. I always try to keep some in the car in case an unfortunately skilled automobile driver has a lack of courtesy in my vicinity. 

Last but not least, Blues speaks to my soul as much as dance music, but live Blues will make me feel connected to life like no other music can. I truly love the experience live Blues music brings to my world and encourage any with even a slight love for jazz or blues to go find a small venue and grab a drink to sit back and take it all in to the core. 

Mr. Bronson, I hope that this has helped with your musical selections. As you say, one love.

~Sir Buxton Fogg

So you want to attract ladies like Mr. Fogg. . .

Yet another fan writes:
The Fogg,

I am trying to attract a young lady, but my friends tell me I smell worse than the sweatband under my tophat. What sort of scents does The Fogg wear and recommend for a young gentleman such as myself.

Sincerely,

Ralph, Boulder CO

Well Ralph, let's dig in. 

We all want to smell good for the ladies, but let's be honest, no one likes to hang out with someone that smells like they don't know what soap is. For those two reasons alone, every gentleman should own at least one bottle of cologne. 

Ideally, you would have multiple options. Sometimes you need that airy fragrance that works for the day out or while at the workplace. Something that will allow you to smell pleasant, but not overwhelming. For this, I would recommend the one and only, Acqua Di Gio, by Giorgio Armani. 

This scent will make even men jealous of how good you smell. And perhaps that is what some of you are even going for. If so, I say good luck! This is worth every cent you spend on it and will get you compliments for months to come. 

Now, I understand not everyone has $60+ to spend on cologne and for that, comes Bath & Body Works. Yes, I said it. I personally have been using their Woodland cologne for years. Unfortunately, they no longer offer this fragrance. Fortunately, they have MANY more options for you to choose from. Bath & Body Works?! You may be asking. Yes, gentlemen, this store is NOT just for ladies. Although, you may earn some brownie points for picking up a thing or two for the special someone in your life while you are there. Currently, they are running a buy 3, get 2 free deal. With that amount of cologne, you may easily be set for YEARS. I'm very tempted to take part myself. 

Last, but not least there is Floris No.89 from London. Said to be worn by James Bond and Ian Fleming himself, this is the cream of the crop when it comes to fragrance. Fairly hard to find in the States, it is still attainable if you take a little extra time Fortunately for Sir Buxton Fogg, the great people at Floris sent a sampler of No. 89 from London to the states just so I would be able to test it for myself. Truly a rich and deep scent, it is unlike any other I have had the pleasure of smelling. If you are an upscale gentleman such as myself, the price will mean nothing, the prestige, worth may times the cost to attain this top shelf scent. 

Of course there are MANY more options available everywhere. Good places to discover and smell these unknown scents are men's magazines, which tend to have multiple pages with ads and scents attached. I suggest taking the time to put together a multiple assortment of fragrance. Just like suits or shoes, a man feels even more like a man when he has the option to pick a scent that portrays his mood and appearance at any point in the day or night. Two would cut it, but three may just be the magic number. One other side note would be to stop at two sprays. Hold the bottle at arms length and spray towards you. 

Thank you for writing and as always, like what you see when you look in the mirror. 

~Sir Buxton Fogg