"The precise negative environmental impact of the fashion industry remains unknown, but it is sizeable," former Timberland COO Kenneth P. Pucker wrote for Harvard Business Review in 2022. There are, of course, estimates — the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, for example, alleges that the clothing and textile industry is responsible for an estimated 2-8% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions — but its global nature and "multitiered supply chain," as Pucker described it, make a decisive number difficult to pin down.
"Unlike any other industry, fashion is integrated into the global economy," George Harding-Rolls, a campaign manager at Changing Markets Foundation, told Harper's Bazaar in the fall of 2022. "So trying to find accurate data on any single one of those things is difficult."
At its core, fashion is a system "premised on growth," Pucker explained. Combine that "with accelerating product drops, long lead times, and global supply chains, and the result is inevitable overproduction." But many of the common steps fast fashion brands are taking to reconcile with both this and an increased consumer focus on green products "are not having their intended effect."
Recycling, for example, "is oversold" and "does little to limit environmental damage while exacerbating inequality," Pucker noted. And corporate social responsibility reports, now a mainstay for all public fashion companies, "do not accurately quantify the full carbon emissions profile of fashion brands and remain unaudited by external parties." Indeed, in a 2023 analysis from Stand.earth that ranked 43 "of the most influential fashion companies on their efforts to phase out fossil fuels," 51% received an overall grade within the D range, while six companies received Fs. No company received an A, and just one — H&M — got a B-. This is all despite previous climate commitments from many of the brands ranked.
At its core, even the term "sustainable fashion" is an oxymoron, Vanessa Friedman, the chief fashion critic at The New York Times, wrote last spring. How does one square a business built on overconsumption and constant change with longevity? A better framing for the conversation moving forward would be "responsible fashion," wherein "all players … take responsibility for their part in the supply chain and the creative process."
Let's say a statistic was found to have overblown the fashion industry's effects on the environment, but only after brands pledged positive action. Wouldn't that ultimately be a good thing? Not necessarily, Alden Wicker, founder of Ecocult, told Harper's Bazaar, citing one such now-debunked stat — that the fashion industry was the second most polluting in the world — in his explanation. "There has been a lot of discussion about how the 'second most polluting industry' stat galvanized action so maybe it was okay, but it didn't," he said. "It galvanized promises and greenwashing. It was an amorphous figure that … allowed the industry to make these similarly vague, unmeasurable climate promises that they're not going to reach."
Certain sustainability "solutions" could also promote outcomes worse than the status quo, Beth Esponnette, co-founder of unspun, a fashion tech startup, exclaimed in Business of Fashion. Things like in-store take-back programs, which offer consumers a convenient (and morally satisfying) place to drop off old clothes while shopping for new ones, "can be worse than taking no action at all." Even recycled polyester made from water bottles, allegedly utilized by companies like H&M and Everlane, is a no-no, per Muhannad Malas, then-senior climate campaigner at Stand.earth. "They are promoting the use of wasteful single-use plastic bottles, which are the feedstock for these fabrics," he told Fast Company in 2021.
Retiring the word "sustainability" would be a good start, Pucker suggested, because "less unsustainable is not sustainable." Fashion brands should also not be allowed "to simultaneously profess their commitment to sustainability, while opposing regulatory proposals that deliver the same end," he added, citing Nike as a purportedly climate-committed brand that lobbied against the Build Back Better bill and its climate provisions.
"The first step companies must make is to commit to phasing out fossil fuels by 2030," Malas added in 2021. This will "spur" the necessary kind of market innovation, like the development of new materials, and offer a "way for consumers and investors to hold companies accountable for the goal they've set."
Better data should also help un-muddy the waters, Changing Markets Foundation's Nusa Urbancic told Harper's Bazaar last year. "Basic information is difficult to dig out, but once we have mandatory legislation, this will change."
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So look, there’s something everyone and their dog knows they need to do to help secure the partner of their dreams. It’s something you, your BFF, Angela from Human Resources, and even your husky puppy Jasper know too.
There we go. It wasn’t earth-shattering information, was it? If there’s one thing that would massively boost your prospects in the dating marketplace, this is it.
But, it’s also something most people try their hardest to avoid, and why?
Because of the electrical jolt of resistance, you felt when you read that. You didn’t like it, did you? Something about being told having a sexier body will help to meet someone scares and intimidates you, and you want to resist it.
Maybe you want to close this article, and if so, I get it. I do, but a sad reality of life is that facts don’t care about your feelings. And another and more pleasant truth is that our feelings aren’t always based on reality.
So here’s what I’m going to do today.
I’m going to break down exactly:
Let’s get started.
You ever see a stinking homeless person lying in their own waste on the street and thought to yourself that they’d lost all self-respect? Firstly you’d be right for thinking that, but secondly, refusing to look after your body shows a similar lack of self-regard. Why?
Well, look at it like this, do you care about the condition of your clothes, car, home or career? Of course, you do, but why? Why is it essential to have a nice, clean, and well-designed home?
Why?
Because doing so implies that you care about yourself and take yourself seriously. That’s why you get angry when people rock up at your place and make it dirty. They’re disrespecting your home and, by definition, you.
But guess what?
When you treat your body like a sewer and pollute it with chemicals and junk food that don’t just make it look terrible and feel hideous to inhabit but prematurely age it so it can’t function at its peak, it’s no different than choosing to wipe fresh dog shit all over the interior of your living room.
I mean that.
Your body is the home your soul has chosen for its current incarnation into this reality, and you’re stuck with it until your heart stops beating. It’s the only possession you have.
It’s literally you, and that means its condition is far more important than your Tesla Model S or velvet upholstery.
So this means that if you care more about your said Tesla than your body, you’re tacitly admitting you don’t care about yourself.
This leads me to my next point:
…
It’s so true. Some people act like getting in shape is this elementary endeavour reserved only for mindless grunts for whom sophisticated intelligence is an abstract concept, but that’s bs. Those are merely the utterances of insecure souls who want to make themselves feel better about something they feel guilty for not addressing.
The fact is that transforming your body means sticking to an exercise regimen over time whether you want to or not. It means forgoing Dominoes pizzas, Pepsi, Skittles, Budweisers, and nights spent bingeing the Diplomat on Netflix in favour of lean meats, green vegetables, blueberries, mineral water, and evenings at the gymnasium.
It’s intellectually simple, but in terms of its demands on your character, it’s one of the most taxing things you’ll ever do, and deep down, we all know that. Also, if you get yourself in shape, you’ll notice people suddenly become friendly, listen to your opinion, and defer to you in conversation. They’ll also be eager to be your friends in a way they weren’t before. And I’m talking about everybody, mind you, not just a select shallow-minded few.
There’s nothing shallow about being attracted to the dedication it takes to consistently delay gratification in search of an important goal. It’s a trait every successful person shares.
Finally, on a personal note, when I started working out as a teenager, I noticed that within 6 months, all the kids who used to try to fight me for being black suddenly became very, very respectful.
There’s a reason for that.
…
If there are two significant traits necessary to be dynamite in the bedroom, it’s stamina and the ability to be in the moment. Working out helps with both.
You’ll be able to pick your partner up and hold them against a wall, pin them down to the cold tiled kitchen floor, flip them over onto all fours, nail them hard from behind, and whatever else your wild heart desires, all without having a coronary.
Also, the extra confidence you’ll have from loving how you look will make insecurity a thing of the past. You won’t give a fuck about having sex with the lights on, and you won’t be ashamed to be naked. You’ll just throw yourself into it wildly, and guess what? Your partner will love it.
…
If you’re getting value from this, give it a clap to tell Medium’s algorithm you promote it to more people. Also, follow me here to access my daily posts, and join my newsletter.
…
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have an extra decade or two of healthy and vital years if possible. Maybe you’re about that Hector Salamanca life, but that ain’t the way I get down. Yours truly wants to be able to run after and wrestle his grandkids and pop an Ollie on a skateboard when he’s 80. And you know what? Working out will help that happen.
…
Do I need to elaborate on this further? Exercising consistently will have you looking 30 when you’re 40, 40 when you’re 50 and 55 when you’re 70.
…
Despite whatever crap some well-intentioned fool wants to brainwash you with, there’s a direct correlation between how attractive a person is and the number of options they have in the dating marketplace.
It’s why Instagram models’ DMs are overrun with date requests and marriage proposals and why hideously disfigured people have next to none.
Now, am I saying that your physical appearance is the only factor in meeting someone? No. Not by a long shot. But let’s call a spade a spade and deal with the reality in which we live.
What I am telling you to do is address the fact that given how competitive the dating marketplace is, you need to do everything you can to stand out and give yourself the best chance of success. People date in leagues, and just as in sports like football, the best prospects tend to be found in the highest leagues.
…
This is why you felt that electrical jolt of ‘fuck that guy’ resistance at the start of this post, and you know what? I get it. You think you can’t do it. You feel like whoever you are right now is you you’re doomed to be until, as my Dad would say, thy kingdom come.
But that’s not true.
What is true is that you’ve been one way for so long that you’ve become programmed to see yourself as incapable of change, but that’s nothing more than a fantasy you’ve concocted. A quick Google search for ‘fitness transformations’ will present endless pictures of people who were obese but managed to achieve ungodly levels of sexicocity (I just made that word up) through hard work and determination.
It can be done. You just need to stomp your foot down and make a firm decision to change. Just decide that the person you were yesterday isn’t the one you’ll be tomorrow and work towards manifesting your new reality.
It’s really that simple.
And on that topic, read the following article if you need inspiration. Granted it’s talking about writing but everything written is just as applicable to fitness.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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The post The Secret Sauce to Finding Love That Everyone’s Desperate to Ignore appeared first on The Good Men Project.
]]>Over the past year, searches for sustainable fashion have grown in popularity on Pinterest. We round up 10 projects from our sustainable fashion board which feature items made from more environmentally friendly materials.
The fashion industry generates an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste every year. With the aim of reducing their textile footprint, many designers are now using eco-friendly biomaterials and processes.
Designers such as Valdís Steinarsdóttir and Phillip Lim have used gelatin and plant matter in their work, amongst other materials.
Scroll down to see 10 sustainable fashion designs and browse our popular sustainable fashion board to see more.
Tokyo advertising agency TBWA/Hakuhodo and plastics manufacturer Koushi Chemical Industry CO collaborated to design the Shellmet.
The helmet, which was made from discarded scallop shells and recycled plastic, was developed to be used as protective headgear for fishermen in Japan. The Shellmet can also be used as a cycling helmet or a hard hat.
Find out more about the Shellmet ›
Bioplastic sequins dress by Phillip Lim and Charlotte McCurdy
Algae bioplastic fronds cover this petroleum-free dress created by fashion designer Phillip Lim and industrial designer Charlotte McCurdy.
The dress has a biodegradable base made of plant fibres, making it free of crude-oil by-products such as synthetic fibres, dyes and plastic sequins.
Find out more about the bioplastic sequin dress ›
Sonnet166 by Lobke Beckfeld and Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten
Sonnet155 is a bag that was made from fruit skins left over from juice production and short cellulose fibres. The product dissolves in water and can be used to fertilise plants.
The bag has a lifespan similar to a disposable paper bag and was designed to break down naturally before it can be composted or recycled.
Find out more about Sonnet166 ›
The Soil Project is a clothing collection made with a soil-based leather alternative and vintage garments dyed with soil.
After conducting research into the fashion industry's reliance on cotton, Royal College of Art fashion student Yuhan Bai devised the concept.
Find out more about The Soil Project ›
Jelly clothing by Valdís Steinarsdóttir
Designer Valdís Steinarsdóttir designed a collection of vest tops made from gelatin or agar. The tops are created by being cast in a mould and then left to solidify.
The garments require no seams or stitches and can be melted to create new clothes if they are damaged or no longer needed.
Find out more about Jelly clothing ›
Jumpsuit made with iridescent BioSequins by Stella McCartney
Earlier this year, fashion brand Stella McCartney revealed a sleeveless bodysuit, which was embellished with bi0plastic sequins that are made from tree cellulose.
Biomaterials firm Radiant Matter created the sequins called BioSequins as a substitute for the petroleum-based plastic options which are commonly used.
Find out more about iridescent BioSequins jumpsuit ›
Fluff Stuff by Aalto University students
Students at Aalto University created Fluff Stuff, a textile filling created from plants cultivated on re-wetted peatlands in Finland.
The students designed a collection of soft homeware and clothing, which include cushions, duvets, jackets, bags and a hooded hat which were filled with typha latifolia, a plant known as broadleaf cattail.
Find out more about Fluff Stuff ›
Fungal Integrated by Helena Elston
Fungal Integrated is an upcycled clothing collection made from mycelium and London-sourced textile waste.
Pieces, which include a seamless dress, a navy trouser suit, chunky heeled boots and a jacket, were all made by designer Helena Elston from a combination of local waste products such as discarded textiles, coffee sacks and fungi.
Find out more about Fungal Integrated ›
Shrimp and mushroom food waste garments by TômTex and Peter Do
Fashion designer Peter Do joined forces with biobased material developer TômTex to create garments for Do's Spring Summer 2023 collection at New York Fashion Week.
The pair created glossy wide-leg trousers and rounded-neck tank tops in two colours, which were constructed from TômTex's non-woven biofabric. The 100-per-cent biodegradable material was made from shrimp and mushroom food waste to have the look and feel of leather.
Find out more about the collection ›
Kajola is a series of shoes made from biomaterials by architect Yussef Agbo-Ola of environmental design practice Olaniyi Studio.
Agbo-Ola created nine experimental shoes made out of natural materials including clay, volcanic dust and cocoa. The shoes were created as artwork and curl up like plants when they decay.
Follow Dezeen on Pinterest
Pinterest is one of Dezeen's fastest-growing social media networks with over 1.4 million followers and more than ten million monthly views. Follow our Pinterest to see the latest architecture, interiors and design projects – there are more than four hundred boards to browser and pin from.
Currently, our most popular boards are retail interiors and installations.
The post Ten sustainable fashion designs that use biomaterials from Dezeen's Pinterest appeared first on Dezeen.
]]>One thing to note, if you go back and forth on an item be sure to check the cart prior to checking out on the amounts of an item. I inadvertently had 2 of the same items in my cart, when I checked out. ha, ha my bad.
Affiliate links may be included in the post. By clicking the links for qualifying purchases we earn a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.
I do have an Old Navy card and earn rewards. And recently I signed up to Ibotta to get additional money back on my online purchases. Have you tried using Ibotta? I’ll keep you posted on how I’m liking that app. later.
From the previous purchase I earned points equal to $50, plus items were on sale making this purchase one big deal! $107 plus I earned almost $8 back on Ibotta.
Don’t miss out on this big summer sale!
New, must-haves…
Tag me @DearCreatives on Instagram and Twitter with what you got at the Old Navy sale! I’d love to see your haul!
The post Old Navy Haul And Sale Alert – Hot Buys & Big Deals! appeared first on Dear Creatives.
]]>Ugh. I know…lice, yuck. My 13-year-old daughter had lice a couple of months ago. And as you can probably guess, it didn’t end there. I found lice in my hair and two of my boys. Yep, I wanted to cry!
Thankfully, I was able to come up with a natural lice treatment at home that worked really well with no chemicals. All we used was common household supplies and essential oils.
There are a ton of natural lice treatment ideas out there. Some people say they work while others don’t have good luck. The option I’m sharing today is what worked well for us.
I’m not saying this is the ONLY option or even the best option, but this is what worked for my family. It was simple, inexpensive, and less scary than dousing my child’s head full of chemicals!
First, let’s address some common misconceptions and questions about lice. I learned a lot about these little critters and am only happy to pass along any info I have in hopes that it’s helpful and enlightening.
The best way I can describe what lice look like is to show you a picture (sorry!). This is an adult louse:
Nits, aka baby lice eggs, are smaller, oval, and generally a tannish-brown color. Like this:
The most common way lice are spread is through head-to-head contact. If your child is a hugger (like mine is), that is probably how they ended up with lice in the first place.
While it is possible to spread lice by sharing hats, hairbrushes, hair accessories, etc., they’re actually far less likely to spread that way than through head-to-head contact, despite popular belief.
That’s not to say that you don’t have to worry at all about inanimate objects spreading lice, but it’s not as common as most people think.
This is because lice MUST stay on a head to survive. They only lay eggs ON a head and cannot survive elsewhere.
Additionally, lice also do not jump or fly like other pests (fleas, bedbugs, etc). Instead, they move by using their claws to crawl into another piece of hair. Yes, it’s gross! But so much less gross than the thought of them jumping freely all over!
Think about how much your child loves to cuddle, snuggle, hug you, lay their head on you, put his/her head together with a friend or sibling while looking at a device, etc. All those are opportunities to share lice.
No, lice won’t detach from one child’s head in water and float to your child’s head. There is a slight risk of spreading lice from rubbing heads with the same towel though, so if you think someone has lice, don’t share towels at the pool.
Lice can live for up to 30 days on someone’s head but no more than 24-48 hours OFF their host’s head. See the cleaning tips below for more info!
No, lice are human-only pests; they cannot survive on dogs, cats, or other pets.
Think you might have an infestation? Don’t panic! First things first – before you do a lice treatment at home, confirm that you are actually dealing with lice.
Doing this is fairly simple. Make sure you do this in an area with good lighting – I recommend a bright bathroom or next to a bright sunny window.
You will also need a good lice comb – this is the one we use and recommend. It’s inexpensive and works really well. I personally bought this comb about 3 years ago and never needed it other than for occasional checks up until a couple of months ago when my daughter DID have lice.
I was thankful to have it in the house already and didn’t have to run out and buy one!
You will also want to have white paper towels.
Lice are VERY good at hiding, so you will want to take some time to carefully comb through your child’s hair.
The most important thing in a natural lice treatment is to comb your child’s head carefully and then comb it again – you do not want to rush through “nit picking.” (This brings a whole new meaning to the term nit-picking!)
Unfortunately, this does take time, and you cannot skip or rush this step.
My daughter was pretty sure she had lice (she said she had one fall onto her book – YUCK!), and it still took me about 20 minutes of combing before I had a definite louse on the comb.
Comb carefully, starting at the scalp, and comb all the way down the hair shaft. Wipe the comb on the paper towel. Lice are tricky to see in hair, and it can be even trickier to spot eggs (also called nits).
If your child has long hair, use hair clips or ties to section off the hair as you slowly go through section by section.
The most common places to find nits are near and above the ears and at the base of the neck. So be sure to pay extra attention to those areas.
If your child has dandruff, it can be even trickier. (Yep, my daughter has dandruff too.) How do you tell what’s dandruff and what’s the icky bugs?
This is where the paper towel comes in handy.
Dandruff is white, and lice and eggs are a more tan color. They may look white in the hair, but when you wipe them onto a paper towel, you can see them if you look closely, while any dandruff flakes will blend right into the paper towel.
Dandruff will also flake off the scalp and hair easily. Lice eggs will be firmly stuck onto the hair shaft, usually just above the scalp.
Here are some photos to help you compare:
If you’re not sure, use a magnifying glass to look more closely, or take a picture with your phone and zoom in.
When we were first getting started with our natural lice treatment at home in our family, I relied on the picture method to help me confirm lice many times as they are really small to see by eye.
You hope it’s not lice, and sometimes it’s so nice to see that that little piece of something was actually just a tiny bit of fuzz… but once you magnify or zoom in, you will see little feet, and you can’t miss that it is definitely lice. GROSS!
This process does take time.
For my boys, who have very short buzzed hair, it took me about 45-60 minutes to comb through each boy’s head.
My daughter, again with long, very, very thick hair, took me about 4 hours to comb through every section.
And when I found lice in my own hair, my husband helped me painstakingly comb through my hair the first time (now that’s love!), and I think it took 4-5 hours.
I wish there was a magic way to make this process go faster, but there isn’t.
As I said, it brings new meaning to the term nit-picking!
There are many MANY opinions for getting rid of lice. I’ve had some friends share that the traditional chemicals did a ‘decent’ job (though maybe not getting all the lice), while others had good luck with other natural ways of doing a lice treatment at home.
The truth is I don’t think there is ANY lice treatment that will kill 100% of all lice and eggs in one go.
The best way to get rid of lice is to spend the time nitpicking and combing through with a good lice comb.
But it does help make your life easier to do a couple of at-home ways to kill as many lice as you can.
We used the mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar method.
You will need:
I have heard some people reporting that regular white distilled vinegar worked well too. We had apple cider vinegar in the house already, so I used that. You can try either and see what works.
Yup, mayonnaise is a welcome alley in the battle against lice. Here’s how to use it as part of your natural lice treatment.
How much depends on how much hair your child has. My daughter has very thick, medium-length hair, and we used a good 2 cups of mayo or more for each mayo treatment.
I added 5 drops each of tea tree oil, rosemary, and peppermint essential oils and stirred them in.
You’ll need to make sure to cover every bit of the scalp.
Two hours is better, but one seemed to work well for us too. Do not leave it on overnight, as the mayo will begin to melt and would probably make a terrible, smelly mess!
Wash out the mayo mixture, then allow your child’s hair to dry a little bit before going on to the next step.
The reason this step is important is that vinegar helps to soak in and kill the eggs. On the other hand, mayonnaise helps to smother and kill young and adult lice.
Neither will kill all stages of lice, which is why both are important.
The vinegar is acidic, and from what I’ve read, the acidity is what can help dissolve the shell of the egg. As an added bonus, it helps loosen the eggs and makes combing through easier and less painful all around.
Pour apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle and spray over your child’s hair at the roots. You want it to saturate your child’s scalp as much as possible, paying extra attention to make sure you soak hair at the base of the neck and near the ears (the most common places for nits.)
You may want to lay a towel over your child’s shoulder to prevent them from getting all wet.
I will say my daughter did complain a couple of times that it ‘stung’ a little, but it wasn’t so terrible we had to stop. I’m not sure if it was the vinegar itself or more that her scalp was sore from the combing I did while I was first checking for lice.
If your child complains, you can try diluting the apple cider vinegar to a more tolerable level.
DO NOT get the vinegar in your child’s eyes, as it WILL STING! So BE careful! I had my kids hold a washcloth over their eyes.
Allow the vinegar to sit on their head for 30-60 minutes under the shower cap. Do NOT rinse yet.
Again, take your time. Section off the hair and comb small 1” sections so you don’t miss anything.
It’s best to go over each section multiple times as part of your natural lice treatment. If you find an egg or a louse, keep combing that section until you can comb it several times without finding anything. Use a paper towel to wipe off anything you find from the comb.
Make sure you comb extra in areas where nits are most likely to be found – near the ears and at the neck.
If you run into tangles, use a conditioner to help work through them.
When you are finally done, wash the hair again well.
You might need to go through the whole mayonnaise and vinegar process a couple more times.
For my daughter, I found 0 live lice after the mayonnaise and vinegar treatment the first time. We did a second treatment the second day to be safe (it was thankfully the weekend.)
I combed out her hair again a few days later and found 1 live lice. We went through the mayo and vinegar treatment again.
A few days later and she was clean. The next week she was still clean.
For myself and my boys, I managed to kill everything with 2 treatments in 2 days. We checked every few days for several weeks and, thankfully, were clear.
The key is taking the time – as difficult and frustrating as it is – to comb through every strand of hair carefully. It is the cornerstone to this (or any) natural lice treatment! Put on your child’s favorite TV show and watch it together, or watch a movie to help pass the time.
I have read that some people try to use flat irons or hair dryers to kill lice. I personally do not think hair dryers are a safe or effective way to kill lice and nits. It would need to be too hot for far too long in order to completely kill lice and their eggs. The same for flat irons.
I do use a flat iron for my hair, but I can’t say that it helped kill any eggs or nits. Hopefully, we had already gotten everything out of my hair by combing, and I think we did.
Because I had 3 kids with lice, I tried a couple of different methods. For my youngest son, I coated his hair in olive oil for several hours, then combed it out.
I do not think it works as well as mayonnaise because I picked out 2 LIVE lice after the olive oil treatment, whereas we found 0 lice the 3 times we used mayonnaise.
I suspect it’s because olive oil is thinner and runs more easily, making it less likely to fully coat and stick to each lice. Mayonnaise is thicker and stays in place better.
So your child has lice. It’s not fun, but don’t panic. You will get through it with this simple lice treatment at home!
First, let’s address cleaning:
You may have heard horror stories about people throwing away their children’s belongings, including favorite stuffed animals, because of lice.
Let me calm your fears. You do not have to throw everything away or sterilize your home from top to bottom.
Remember: lice cannot survive for more than 2 days off a human head. It’s actually in their best interest to stay ON the head as much as possible, so they will not be burrowing into your child’s pillow and infesting his/her bed, your couch, etc.
You can actually do fairly minimal cleaning. It is far more important that you spend time nitpicking lice and eggs from your child’s head than cleaning. Many people spend more time cleaning their house/vacuuming/washing bedding etc., and not as much on their child’s head, only to have continued lice issues for long periods of time.
For my family, 4 of the 6 of us had lice (yes, including myself.) We did very minimal cleaning while I spent HOURS combing hair and applying our lice treatment at home. We were 100% clear of lice within 2 weeks.
Here is what I recommend you focus on for cleaning with lice:
What about hair brushes and combs? First, remove as many hairs as you can from the brush. Then you can do one of these options:
Personally, I put my daughter’s brush in a bag for a few days and used simple combs only for a few days.
For combs and cleaning the lice comb, I would put not-quite-boiling water in our 2-cup measuring glass and soak the combs in that for a few minutes to kill any possible nits or lice. Same for some of the hair clips.
I threw away a few hair ties I knew my daughter had used while her hair was ‘contaminated,’ but most hair ties, I didn’t worry about because they were unused for long enough that any possible live lice would have long since died.
If you feel more comfortable doing more thorough cleaning, go for it. Just know that you really don’t HAVE to.
Again, for a natural lice treatment, it is more important that you spend time combing out your child’s hair.
The best way to deal with lice is to prevent them in the first place. Lice dislike certain smells and that’s where a simple lice prevention spray can come in handy.
If your child’s hair smells bad to lice, they are much less likely to want to crawl on over in the first place. Try my simple lice prevention spray here.
And there you have it – the natural way to get rid of lice at home. You’ve got this!
Pin it below to find the instructions later!
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]]>Born free in 1791, Thomas Jennings is widely regarded as the first African American to hold a patent. He invented a dry scouring process, a precursor to modern dry-cleaning. Jennings established his own tailor and dry-cleaning business and gained a reputation as a respected local community member. Using the profits from his business, Jennings could purchase the freedom of his wife and children.
Judy Reed invented a dough kneader and roller that revolutionized the baking industry, making preparing dough more efficient. She was the first African American woman to receive a U.S. patent for her invention. Reed’s invention significantly impacted commercial baking, and her patent paved the way for more women and minorities to obtain patents and contribute to the field of innovation. By improving the efficiency of dough preparation, her invention made baking easier and enabled the production of more baked goods. Judy Reed’s legacy as an inventor and pioneer in the baking industry has inspired generations of inventors and entrepreneurs.
As a self-taught mathematician, Benjamin Banneker demonstrated a natural talent for inventing from a young age. In his early twenties, he became fascinated with a pocket watch and borrowed it to study its mechanism. A year later, he created an early version of a chiming wall clock that struck a gong on the hour instead of playing the Westminster chime melody. Banneker’s clock kept time for over 40 years. Born free in 1731, Banneker never experienced slavery. At 61, he completed the first edition of Banneker’s Almanac and gave it to Thomas Jefferson and then the United States Secretary of State. In the 18th century, almanacs were essential household items.
They provided information about the timing of sunrise, sunset, lunar and solar eclipses, moon phases, and holidays. Farmers in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia relied on Banneker’s Almanac as a guide. When Banneker asked Jefferson to advocate for equal rights for African Americans and fight against racial prejudice, the Secretary of State acknowledged that Black people had talents equal to those of other races. Banneker passed away in 1806, 59 years before slavery was abolished.
James Forten was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1766. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Revolutionary War and was captured by the British. Despite being offered freedom if he agreed to live in England, Forten refused, choosing to remain a prisoner for liberty rather than betray his country. After the war, he became an apprentice sailmaker and developed equipment to help handle ship sails, significantly improving efficiency. His invention made him wealthy, and he used his wealth to support the abolition of slavery. Forten passed away in 1842.
George Peake, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, invented the conventional hand mill used for grinding corn. He was part of the first settlement in what would become modern-day Cleveland, Ohio, which was largely unsettled until the early 19th century.
Peake’s hand mill consisted of two round stones, each approximately 19 inches wide. At the time, the only tools available for grinding were the traditional mortar and pestle, making the hand mill a more efficient and convenient option. Although Peake did not file for a patent, he received credit for his invention thanks to a publication by the Cleveland Leader newspaper.
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Andrew Beard was born into slavery but became one of the country’s most brilliant inventors. Even before working for various rail companies, he invented a flour mill, several plows, and a rotary steam engine. However, while working for the railroads, he developed his most famous invention: the Jenny coupler.
The Jenny coupler automatically linked and locked two train cars as they bumped into each other, eliminating the need for workers to manually insert a metal pin and significantly reducing the risk of accidents and deaths. Before Beard’s invention, connecting train cars was dangerous work, and the Jenny coupler revolutionized transportation efficiency and safety.
Although Henry Blair is often credited as the first Black person to hold a U.S. patent, that honor belongs to Thomas Jennings, who was awarded a patent in 1821. While the U.S. Patent Office did not typically identify patent holders by race, Jennings’ achievement was remarkable, given the racial prejudice and discrimination of the time.
Little is known about Blair, except that he was likely not enslaved, as enslaved individuals were considered property and unable to hold patents. Blair’s inventions included a corn planter that combined plowing, seeding, and soil coverage, which he patented in 1834. He was later awarded a second patent for a cotton seed planter in 1836.
High Browne was committed to improving people’s living conditions as an educator with a practical mindset. He worked alongside prominent figures like Charles Chesnutt, W. E. B. DuBois, and Booker T. Washington to advance education. In addition to his work in education, Browne also invented a device to trap sewer water and prevent it from flowing back into homes. He was awarded a patent for his invention in 1890, and his device helped people maintain a civilized living environment.
All three patents awarded to George Washington Carver were for cosmetics, paints, and stains. None of them were commercially successful. Carver’s discoveries were much more important than his inventions. He discovered that continuous cotton crops in the same piece of land depleted the soil’s natural nutrients. To avoid the damage, he experimented with crop rotation. Using peanut and sweet potato plants as the intermediates, he figured out that the system helped restore nitrogen in the soil, making the land healthy again.
Now that the market had more peanuts than anybody could ever need, Carver found other product uses. Among the products were metal polish, glue, shampoo, soap, and face powder. As mentioned above, none of the inventions made him a wealthy man.
Just because someone works in a post office doesn’t mean the person has to deliver mail. Shelby Davidson worked for the United States Postal Service, specifically in the auditing department, where he kept track of schedules and numbers. Perhaps necessity is, after all, the mother of all inventions. Davidson invented a paper rewinding device for adding-machine in 1908 and an automatic fee device in 1911. Both inventions made his job much easier and more efficient.
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Born in 1848 to formerly enslaved parents, Lewis Latimer was fortunate enough to land a job at a patent law firm after the Civil War, where he fought on the Union’s side. At the firm, he was a draftsman whose drawings of machinery, mechanisms, and various inventions determined whether any patent application would be approved or denied. A skillful draftsman of his time, Latimer was employed by Alexander Graham Bell to draw the draft for the telephone design for which Bell received the patent in 1876.
While working as a draftsman and assistant manager for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company, he improved the process of making carbon filament for light bulbs so that it might last longer and be cheaper to produce. The filament was even more effective than Edison’s design, and in 1884, he was invited to work with Thomas Edison himself. He was the first person of color to be included in the exclusive Edison Pioneers organization. Latimer also invented a precursor to the modern air conditioner known as “an apparatus for cooling and disinfecting,” locking umbrellas, improved train bathroom design, a lamp fixture, and a device called “book supporter.”
Jan Ernst Matzeliger spent a considerable amount of time designing numerous prototypes until he succeeded in building his first shoe-lasting machine. This machine was designed to make the leather uppers fit flawlessly with the mold, ultimately revolutionizing the shoemaking industry. With his invention, shoemaking efficiency drastically improved, increasing production output from 50 pairs a day by hand to anywhere between 150 and 700 pairs daily. Introducing easier manufacturing processes and larger production quantities led to a 50% reduction in shoe prices nationwide. Additionally, Matzeliger is credited with inventing the nailing machine.
George Washington Murray’s inventions were all born from his experience as a farmer and his determination to make labor less arduous. Having been born into slavery, Murray grew up on a Rembert cotton plantation until the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. His first three patents – a furrow opener, a marker, and a stalk-knocker-cultivator – were granted in April 1984. Two months later, the U.S. Patent Office awarded him four more patents, including for cotton chopper and fertilizer distributor devices. Murray was also distantly related to Jim Clyburn, a U.S. House of Representatives member from South Carolina.
John Parker, a conductor in the Underground Railroad network and an American abolitionist, dedicated his life to freeing over a thousand enslaved individuals. In addition to his heroic efforts, Parker was also a successful businessman and inventor. He is credited with the early designs of the tobacco press and harrow, for which he received patents in 1884 and 1885. Moreover, Parker established the Phoenix Foundry in 1890, the largest between Cincinnati and Portsmouth. Parker’s contributions to society were not limited to his activism; he also became one of only fifty-five Americans to be awarded multiple U.S. patents by 1900.
Norbert Rillieux’s father was the owner of a vast sugar plantation. After studying in Paris, Rillieux returned to the United States and began inventing sugar production devices, focusing on the evaporating process. His first patented invention was a vacuum evaporator for the refining process, which produced whiter and more refined sugar. Over time, this invention was widely used in other industries, including whiskey, gelatin, condensed milk, glue, and soap.
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Samuel Scottron, the inventor of the dual-adjustable mirror on a pole commonly seen in traditional barbershops, named his invention the “Scottron Mirror.” This mirror is positioned so clients can observe their haircut from every angle. Scottron patented this practical invention in 1868. Following his success in the barbershop industry, Scottron created several commonplace household items, including curtain rods, adjustable window cornices, a pole tip, and a supporting bracket. He spent approximately 15 years traveling between the United States and Canada to sell these products. In addition to his successful career in inventing, Scottron was also a co-founder of the Cuban Anti-Slavery Society.
Lewis Temple, a highly skilled blacksmith, is credited with inventing an improved harpoon that revolutionized whaling in 1845. Unlike conventional harpoons, Temple’s harpoon resembled a fish hook in shape. Once the hook penetrated the whale, it would latch onto the flesh, making it exceedingly difficult for the animal to escape. This improved design, called Temple’s Iron, became the standard harpoon in the whaling industry throughout the 19th century. Despite his invention’s success, Lewis Temple was not a whaler himself.
Sarah Breedlove Walker, popularly known as Madame C. J. Walker, is arguably the most well-known African American woman inventor. She revolutionized haircare by designing the first hot comb and inventing the idea of pomade. Before the hot comb, most African American women straightened their hair with clothing irons, resulting in scalp and facial burns and damaged hair. Walker sold her inventions and helped transform the marketing strategy for cosmetic products.
She established a large group of saleswomen known as the “Walker Clubs,” a system later adopted by Mary Kay. In 1908, Walker founded Lelia College in Pittsburgh to teach women how to sell cosmetic products. Her innovative marketing tactics made her the first African American woman millionaire in the United States. Despite her wealth, Walker remained philanthropic and contributed significantly to various nonprofit groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP). She even funded a scholarship to help women enroll in college-level education.
Granville T. Woods was awarded the patent for the steam boiler in 1884. Leveraging the communication technology of the late 1800s, he invented an apparatus that combined the functions of the telephone and the telegraph, called telegraphony. This groundbreaking system allowed telegraph stations to send both voice and text messages over the same line. Alexander Graham Bell’s company later purchased the technology’s patent.
Woods also invented the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, a communication system that enabled railroad workers to determine the precise locations of trains on any given railway. This technology not only improved scheduling but also helped prevent railway accidents. Throughout his life, Woods received over 50 patents in various industries. Between 1900 and 1907, he was granted 20 patents for electronic devices that controlled trains. His numerous inventions earned him the nickname “The Black Edison.”
Elijah McCoy never had to endure life in slavery thanks to the Underground Railroad, which helped his parents escape to Canada after being enslaved. At 15, McCoy enrolled in a boarding school in Edinburgh, Scotland, to study mechanical engineering. Despite his education, McCoy encountered difficulty finding respectable work in the United States, mainly due to racial discrimination.
He eventually secured a position as a fireman for a railroad company, where he was responsible for oiling the moving parts of the trains. The need for greater efficiency inspired McCoy to invent an automatic lubrication mechanism that reduced the need for labor and kept the train running smoothly. Some attribute the phrase “the real McCoy” to the success and efficiency of this mechanism, making it an expression of superior performance and quality.
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William Henry Barnes, an ENT doctor at the Frederick Douglas Hospital in Philadelphia, is credited with inventing the hypophyscope, a medical instrument designed to reach the pituitary gland on the brain’s underside. This gland secretes hormones into the bloodstream, and Barnes’ invention made it easier for doctors to access it. Although reaching the gland without any specialized medical device was possible, Barnes’ instrument greatly facilitated the procedure. In addition to inventing the hypophyscope, Barnes improved upon a method to remove tonsils without bleeding, refining the process for greater efficiency.
In 1953, the Eder Instrument Company manufactured the Eder-Palmer biopsy gastroscope. Two years later, Leonidas Berry invented an attachment for the device that allowed doctors to collect tissue from a patient’s stomach without resorting to surgical procedures. The modified device, the Eder-Berry biopsy attachment, represented a significant advancement in medical technology.
In 1960, after conducting extensive studies of the stomachs of alcoholics, Dr. Berry made a groundbreaking discovery: excessive alcohol consumption caused more damage to the liver than to the stomach. This discovery revolutionized the treatment of alcoholism, shifting the focus to the liver as the primary organ affected by alcohol abuse. Berry’s discovery marked a significant milestone in the medical community’s understanding of the harmful effects of alcohol on the body.
Tae Bo is a total body fitness program that combines several disciplines, including martial arts and aerobics. The name is a portmanteau of “tae kwon do” and “boxing.” Developed in 1976 by tae kwon do practitioner Billy Banks, the program only gained widespread popularity in the United States during the 1990s. One hour of Tae Bo routine is believed to burn up to 800 calories, twice as many as a conventional aerobic session. This intensive calorie-burning program has made it a popular choice among fitness enthusiasts looking to achieve rapid weight loss and muscle toning.
After World War II, many soldiers returned home with permanent injuries. At the veteran’s hospital in Chicago, physical therapist Bessie Blount Griffin treated amputees and patients who had lost the use of their limbs. Determined to improve their quality of life, Griffin invented the “portable receptacle support,” a device that enabled patients to eat without assistance. The device consisted of a tube attached to a bowl and connected to a brace around the patient’s neck.
Though it may seem crude, the invention provided greater independence to those who needed it most. Griffin, born in Chesapeake, Virginia, was the first African American woman to work at Scotland Yard in London, England. Her innovative spirit and dedication to helping others continue to inspire new generations of inventors and medical professionals alike.
Otis Boykin was a brilliant inventor who made significant contributions across various fields. Throughout his life, he patented 26 devices, including the electronic resistors used in guided missiles, pacemakers, and IBM computers. Boykin’s electronic resistors were widely adopted due to their durability, which made them resistant to temperature changes, extreme acceleration, and shocks. In addition to these inventions, he held patents for an electronic air filter and a locking mechanism for cash registers. Boykin’s numerous innovations continue to shape and advance fields ranging from aerospace to healthcare and technology.
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In 1969, George Carruthers invented the far ultraviolet camera and spectrograph that accompanied the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. The camera, plated in gold, could capture high-quality images of Earth from the moon’s surface. The device provided stunning photographs and helped scientists discover the presence of hydrogen in space and understand the mechanisms of air pollution. Carruthers’ invention has since led to new theories about the birth of stars and has influenced global efforts to control air pollution. The far ultraviolet camera and spectrograph remain remarkable in space exploration and scientific innovation.
Michael Croslin’s invention, the Medtek 410, revolutionized blood monitoring with its computerized technology. Before its development, medical professionals had to rely on their instincts and the patient’s vital signs for diagnosis. The Medtek 410 eliminated the guesswork, providing doctors with accurate and reliable data for making informed treatment decisions. Croslin also developed a similar device, the Medtek 420, which automatically adjusts for surrounding noise and air pressure while monitoring a patient’s pulse. Together, these inventions have improved the accuracy and efficacy of medical treatments, demonstrating the power of technological innovation in medicine.
Meredith Charles Gourdine was a pioneering inventor who applied the principles of electrogasdynamics (EGD) to create groundbreaking devices. Among his most notable innovations were the Electradyne Spray Gun, which simplified painting on challenging surfaces like metal frames, and the Incineraid, which reduced air pollution from incinerators.
Gourdine was the first to apply electrogasdynamics to practical inventions, and his contributions extend beyond these devices. He also invented an electric car battery, a method for repairing potholes using old car tires, a system for extracting oil from shale rock, and a way to remove fog from airport runways. Throughout his career, Gourdine earned 25 patents between 1969 and 1996. His innovative spirit and commitment to improving the world around him continue to inspire inventors and scientists today.
Walter Lincoln Hawkins, born in 1911 in Washington D.C., was the grandson of a slave. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute after high school and was one of only two African American students. Hawkins earned his doctorate from McGill University in 1938, becoming the first black person to hold a technical staff position at Bell Laboratories.
While at Bell Labs, Hawkins developed his most famous invention: a weather-resistant polymer coating for telephone wires. This plastic sheath could withstand extreme temperature changes and last for decades, replacing the lead materials previously used to protect telephone cables. Hawkins’ invention revolutionized the telecommunications industry and significantly impacted everyday life.
In 1976, Hawkins retired from Bell Labs and was appointed research director by the Plastics Institute of America. His groundbreaking work as a scientist and inventor opened doors for future generations of black scientists and helped shape the world we live in today.
George Carruthers invented the far ultraviolet light camera and spectrograph, which captured high-quality images of Earth from the moon. In contrast, Elmer Samuel Imes was an astrophysicist who improved spectrometers to measure the amount of infrared in the atmosphere. His invention was subsequently used in various applications, including chemical lasers and rocket engines. Imes’ work helped pave the way for significant advancements in atmospheric and environmental monitoring and space exploration.
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Lonnie Johnson’s passion for scientific experimentation began during childhood when he would conduct experiments in his kitchen, building robots and making batches of rocket fuel. After working at NASA from 1979 to 1991, Johnson founded the Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., creating three other development companies in Atlanta, Georgia.
While Johnson’s work at NASA focused on high-tech research programs such as a nuclear power source for the Galileo mission to Jupiter and a stealth bomber, his passion for inventing toys and everyday tools never faded. With around 80 patents to his name, Johnson has created a wide range of inventions, including compressed air guns, digital distance-measuring instruments, an automatic sprinkler controller, and even a wet diaper detector. However, his most famous invention remains the Super Soaker, a pressurized water gun that revolutionized the toy industry.
Returning to Hallock, Minnesota, after World War I, Frederick McKinley Jones found work as a movie projectionist and a mechanic. Jones’ natural gift for machines and mechanics led him to invent the first sound synchronization device for motion pictures. His innovation made it possible for films to incorporate synchronized soundtracks, and it quickly revolutionized the movie industry. While sound synchronization was a great invention, Jones held no patent.
His first patent was for a ticket dispensing machine. Jones held more than 60 patents, but his most famous and significant invention was the refrigerated truck or, more specifically, the roof-mounted cooling system used on trucks. He was awarded the patent for it in 1940. During World War II, his invention played an important role in preserving food, supplies, and blood for the wounded. Jones’s other inventions include a control device for internal combustion engines, a temperature control system, and a rotary compressor.
Marjorie Stewart Joyner was an African American businesswoman and community leader who significantly contributed to the beauty industry. She was the supervisor of more than 200 beauty schools under Madame C. J. Walker’s network, and her clients included prominent figures such as Ethel Waters, Marian Anderson, and Billie Holiday. Joyner held the patent for a permanent hair-waving machine, revolutionizing the hair care industry. The machine used a combination of chemicals and heat to curl hair, replacing the traditional curling iron and reducing the time and effort required to achieve long-lasting curls. Joyner was also an advocate for civil rights and an active member of the National Council of Negro Women.
Percy Lavon Julian was a renowned chemist who made many significant inventions. One of his creations was a soy protein coating paper that was a cheaper alternative to milk protein. This paper was used in a product called Aero-Foam, which was used to smother fires from burning gasoline and oil. During World War II, the U.S. Navy also used Aero-Foam. Although Aero-Foam had slow knockdown characteristics, it was safe to use as long as it was applied above the burning liquid.
Julian’s most famous inventions were synthetic hormones, including physostigmine and cortisone, also derived from soybean plants. Physostigmine is still used to treat glaucoma, while the cortisone is used for rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to his scientific achievements, Julian was a prominent civil rights activist and raised money for the NAACP’s legal and education divisions.
A sonic transducer uses sound waves to determine an object’s speed, distance, and other units of measurement. John King invented an early warning sonic transducer in 1972, which could detect potential problems with aircraft engines before takeoff. A professional in the aerospace and safety industries, he also invented an alarm system in 1999; it was not just any other alarm system for home uses but a NASA-approved one.
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Garret Morgan invented the first hair straightening cream, albeit by accident. However, his other two inventions, the traffic signal and gas mask, resulted from deliberate research and development. His gas mask, known as the Morgan helmet, was identified in the patent application as a breathing device and was adopted by firefighters to help them put out fires without inhaling poisonous air. Morgan was awarded the patent in 1912, and soldiers used the gas mask during World War I.
With the money earned from his inventions, Morgan could buy a car. While driving near an intersection in Cleveland, Ohio, he witnessed a terrible accident, which inspired him to invent a “yield” component as an addition to the existing traffic signal. The signal was intended to warn drivers about an upcoming stop. The yield component became one of the world’s first three-light systems, and Morgan was awarded the patent for it in 1924. Morgan’s other inventions include the round belt fastener, hat fastener, and friction drive clutch.
James Parsons held several patents related to metal fabrication methods. In 1929, he was awarded a patent for an iron alloy, followed by a fabrication method for a silicon-iron compound in 1931. In 1934, he developed a treatment process for silicon alloy casting, and in 1940, he invented a corrosion-resistant ferrous alloy. These inventions paved the way for the development of stainless steel.
During World War II, Edwin Roberts Russell was one of the chemists working on the Manhattan Project at the Metallurgical Laboratory of the University of Chicago, a secret government-funded research to develop the atomic bomb. The project eventually led to the development of two types of atomic bombs, known to history as the Little Boy and Fat Man, used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Russel held eleven patents for nuclear energy, including a method for separating plutonium from uranium and ion exchange absorption for plutonium separation. His works contributed significantly to the advancement of nuclear technology.
Earl Shaw invented the spin-flip Raman tunable laser during his tenure as a research scientist at Bell Laboratories. This device is used to adjust the strength of a laser beam, which is particularly helpful when performing delicate precision-required operations.
Working as a print maker during the Great Depression, Dox Thrash invented a new technique for etching copper in 1937. His discovery, known as the carborundum process, became a standard practice among printers and print makers. This process involves using silicon carbide grit, which is sprinkled onto the plate before it is printed, creating a texture and tone that mimics the look of charcoal or pencil drawings. Thrash wanted to name the process “Opheliagraph” after his mother, Ophelia.
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Until Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Moses Fleetwood Walker was among the first black people to play Major League Baseball in the 1880s. Walker was also an inventor. In 1891, he was granted his first patent for a detachable shirt collar. He also held three more patents related to methods for loading and changing movie reels.
In the 19th century, Sarah Boone improved the ironing board, which had been around for years but often overlooked. Boone built a curved ironing board with a narrower width than the original, making ironing women’s clothing easier. Her design was patented in 1892 and became the most widely-copied iteration of the ironing board. It’s worth noting that Boone was born into slavery.
An African American nurse named Mary Van Britta Brown spent many nights alone at her home in Queens, New York, in the 1960s. The crime rate was high in the neighborhood, making her feel unsafe each time her husband was away. In addition, the police were largely unresponsive and could sometimes be unreliable. In 1966, out of necessity, she built a homemade security system comprised of cameras connected to a monitor.
The camera could mechanically slide into several peepholes in the front door and broadcast the image to the screen. The design allowed her to survey the neighborhood from the indoor comfort of her home and avoid having unwanted guests around. Van Brittan Brown continued improving the system by adding a microphone to speak to the person at the door, a button to call the police, and an unlock mechanism. She and her husband were awarded the patent for the system in 1969. Modern home security systems feature various elements based on their design.
In the past, riding elevators was complicated and dangerous. Passengers had to manually shut both the elevator and shaft doors before riding. Forgetting to shut the doors properly, or ignoring them, posed a real risk of falling down the shaft. When Alexander Miles’ daughter was almost involved in a catastrophic accident, he decided to develop a system to make elevators safer. In 1887, he was granted a patent for an automatic opening and closing mechanism for elevator and shaft doors. Miles’ design is still used in modern elevators today.
The vast majority of modern microphones, including those in phones and other communication devices, are based on the technology invented by James E. West in 1960. However, he was not the only person credited with the invention, and West was working alongside Gerhard Sessler at the Bell Laboratories, tasked with creating a compact and sensitive microphone.
Their invention, the foil electret microphone, was cheaper to produce than the conventional condenser variant. It was not until 1964 that they perfected the design and were awarded the patent. About four years later, the technology had already been adopted by manufacturers of telephones, tape recorders, hearing aids, and baby monitors.
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Among the 12 people working at IBM to develop the first PC, Mark Dean was one of them. Back then, the P.C. was connected to a monochrome monitor, and the computer had very limited processing power. Dean began working for IBM in the 1980s as Chief Engineer. In addition to helping develop the IBM PC, he was also involved in creating the first color monitor. Furthermore, he led the team that created the first gigahertz chip around 1999-2000.
It’s hard to believe that it was only about 20 years ago. Now we have supercomputers and artificial intelligence with blazing processing speeds to handle even the most complicated algorithms in split seconds. As a co-creator of the personal computer, Mark Dean holds three out of nine patents for the invention. In 1995, he became the first African American IBM Fellow.
Patricia Bath was an academic and ophthalmologist who invented the process of removing cataracts using a laser beam device known as the Laserphaco Probe. She was born in Harlem in 1942 to an immigrant father from Trinidad and a mother who was a descendant of enslaved Africans and Cherokee Native Americans.
Bath achieved many impressive milestones in her career. She was the first woman appointed to the ophthalmology faculty at UCLA and the first African American woman to serve as a surgeon staff at the UCLA Medical Center. Additionally, she was the first African American to be a Jules Stein Eye Institute member, lead a post-graduate ophthalmology training program, and complete a residency in ophthalmology at New York University. Finally, she was the first African American woman to hold a patent for a medical invention.
Benjamin Boardley was born into slavery around 1830 and taught himself to read and write with the help of his master’s children. He showed an early talent for invention, which led his master to recommend him to the United States Naval Academy in Maryland. Boardley’s first job at the academy was as an assistant in the Department of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, making him the first African American to hold a non-menial position there.
While working in the department, Boardley developed the first steam engine on a ship. Unfortunately, due to his status as an enslaved person, he could not legally apply for or be granted a patent for his invention. As a result, Boardley sold the rights to his invention and used the proceeds to purchase his freedom from slavery.
The safe deposit box, initially designed as a receptacle for storing and preserving papers, was invented by Henry Brown, who was awarded the patent in 1886. The metal receptacle came equipped with a locking mechanism, making it a simple and effective design that revolutionized safekeeping for centuries.
Ladles and spoons were never meant to be the right tools for serving ice cream. Alfred L. Cralle, who had only received basic education as a child, noticed this while working at a hotel in Pittsburgh. He went on to develop a purpose-built tool for the job known today as the ice cream scoop. His invention spread so quickly that nobody knew the creative mind behind the design. Unfortunately, Cralle never profited from his idea.
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Mary Jones DeLeon was among the first black women to be awarded U.S. patents for their inventions, receiving her patent in 1896. Her invention was referred to simply as a “cooking apparatus” in the patent. Still, it was an innovative device that would become the precursor to the modern steam table commonly seen in food buffets today. Before DeLeon’s invention, hot food was often kept warm using chafing dishes, which required frequent refueling and could be dangerous.
DeLeon’s invention utilized steam to keep food at a consistent temperature without an open flame. Her invention featured several compartments, each with its own heating element, allowing different dishes to be kept at different temperatures. This invention was an important step forward in food service technology, making it easier and safer to keep food warm and ready to serve. While her name may not be as well-known as other inventors of her time, her contributions to the food service industry have undoubtedly had a lasting impact.
Ellen Eglin, born in 1849, was an African American woman who made significant contributions to the field of laundry and cleaning. While working as a housekeeper, Eglin developed an early mechanical clothes wringer that made it easier for people to wring out clothes after washing them, saving time and effort. Despite the practicality of her invention, Eglin faced significant barriers due to her race and gender. She was concerned that her invention would not be taken seriously because of her skin color.
As a result, she sold the patent to a white man named O. Wheeler for a small amount of money, which made him the official patent holder for the device in 1888. Unfortunately, Eglin did not receive the recognition she deserved for her invention during her lifetime. She died in 1890, never knowing the true impact of her contribution to the field of laundry and cleaning. It was not until years later that her name was finally recognized, and she was acknowledged as a pioneer in the field of laundry technology.
Sarah E. Goode was born into slavery in 1855 as the second of seven children. After the Civil War ended, she and her family were finally freed. Goode later moved to Chicago, where she met and married a carpenter and stair builder. Together, they opened a furniture store, where Goode noticed that many of their clients lived in small apartments with limited space for furniture.
To address this problem, Goode designed a folding cabinet bed that could be used at night and as a roll-top desk during the day. This innovative design was a precursor to the modern-day wall bed and was particularly useful for small apartments. The bed could be easily folded and stored away, allowing the space to be used for other activities during the day.
Goode’s folding cabinet bed was a huge success and helped establish her reputation as an innovative and talented furniture designer. Despite facing discrimination as a black woman in a male-dominated industry, Goode continued to innovate and create new designs, including an improved version of the folding cabinet bed. Her legacy as a pioneering furniture designer and inventor continues to this day.
George Franklin Grant, Harvard’s first African American faculty member, was born to formerly enslaved people in 1846. He began his career as an errand boy for local dentist Dr. Albert Smith, but thanks to his hard work and performance, Dr. Smith promoted Grant to laboratory assistant. Grant pursued a career in dentistry and enrolled in Harvard Dental School, where he was one of only two black students at the time.
While he did not invent any dental care devices or products, Grant’s invention significantly impacted the sport of golf. He was an avid golfer and developed an early version of the golf tee using wood and latex resin. Before this invention, golfers would build a small mound of sand to place the ball before hitting it. Grant’s invention revolutionized the game, allowing for more consistent and stable ball placement, and his design is still used in modern golf today.
Lloyd Hall, an African American chemist, was born in Illinois in June 1894. His grandmother was a formerly enslaved person who came to the city with the assistance of the Underground Railroad. Hall earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1916 and worked at Griffith’s Laboratories.
Hall was a brilliant inventor, holding 59 U.S. patents and several others in different countries. His most significant inventions include a vitamin concentrate, an antioxidant salt, nitrogen-fortified whey concentrate, a method for preserving frozen pork, a gelatin-based coating for food products, and an asphalt emulsion. His contributions to food preservation and safety have significantly impacted the industry, making food safer and more accessible worldwide.
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Betty Harris was born in July 1940 in Louisiana and raised in a large family of twelve children. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry, then a Master’s, and finally a Ph.D. in 1973 from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Throughout her career, Harris became a leading expert in hazardous water treatment, explosives, and environmental remediation.
Harris’s most notable invention was the TATB Spot Test, a method for identifying explosives. She was awarded the patent for this invention in 1984. Her test allowed for rapidly detecting explosives in the field, greatly improving safety in various industries. Harris was also recognized for her work in environmental protection, receiving multiple awards for her contributions to the area.
Benjamin Montgomery’s story is similar to that of Benjamin Boardley, as both were born into slavery and taught to read and write by their owners’ children. Later on, they became inventors in the field of ship propulsion systems. While Boardley invented a steam engine for ships, Montgomery developed an adjustable propeller that could be operated at different angles, allowing boats to navigate shallow waters.
Montgomery was a skilled laborer who his master entrusted with the shipping operation of the plantation. He also had the opportunity to learn about drafting and land surveying. Despite being unable to file a patent for his propeller design due to his “slave” status, Montgomery was determined to commercialize it. His master, Joseph Davis, attempted to file the patent but was denied as he was not the inventor. Davis, however, allowed his slaves to keep the money they earned commercially from the operations.
Montgomery eventually accumulated enough wealth to purchase his master’s plantation as part of a long-term loan deal. He became the first African American to own and operate a plantation in Mississippi, where he implemented progressive agricultural practices, including crop rotation and diversification. Montgomery’s innovative spirit and entrepreneurialism inspired many, and he left a lasting legacy in the fields of agriculture and invention.
Lyda Newman, a hairdresser from Manhattan, New York City, revolutionized the hairbrush industry in the late 1800s. Hairbrushes of that time were made from animal hair, which was too soft to manage the typically thick African American hair. Newman proposed using synthetic fibers to replace animal hair. Her design closely resembled the modern-day hairbrush, with evenly spaced rows of bristles and open slots for cleaning. Additionally, she included a compartment at the back for easy removal of collected debris. In 1898, Newman was awarded a patent for her innovative invention. Despite her groundbreaking contribution to the beauty industry, very little is known about Lyda Newman beyond her invention.
Valerie Thomas was an African American scientist and inventor who worked for NASA. She is known for inventing the illusion transmitter, which uses two concave mirrors to create three-dimensional images that appear outside the mirrors. Thomas was granted the patent for her invention in 1980, which has been used for various applications (i.e., surgery and television).
Thomas joined NASA in 1964 and worked there for over 30 years. She was involved in developing the Landsat program, which uses satellite imagery to study the Earth’s surface. She was also part of the team that developed the first satellite to provide images of the polar ice caps. Thomas was a trailblazer for women and minorities in science and engineering, and her contributions have impacted the field. She retired from NASA in 1995, but her legacy inspires future scientists and inventors.
Joseph Winter was a prominent African American abolitionist who lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts, during the mid-1800s. Alongside his activism, he was also an inventor and developed a fire escape ladder mounted on a vehicle. This invention resulted from observing a firefighter struggling to unload a traditional ladder from a wagon during a fire emergency. Winter’s fire escape ladder invention was more efficient and safer, as it could be deployed quickly and did not require the firefighter to carry it to the building.
In addition to his work as an inventor, Joseph Winter was an active member of the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape to freedom in the North. He assisted many enslaved people in their escape, providing them with food, shelter, and directions on their journey. Winter’s fire escape ladder invention and his contributions to the Underground Railroad helped save countless lives and made him a significant figure in African American history.
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In the summer of 1883, George Crum, a chef, encountered a customer at his restaurant who complained about his plate of French fries, saying they were neither crunchy nor thin enough. In response, Crum sliced a potato into extremely thin pieces, fried them until they were crispy, and then heavily salted them to make them palatable. The customer was delighted with the new dish, and the potato chip was born.
The popularity of the snack was so overwhelming that Crum opened his restaurant and began serving a basket of potato chips on every table. The invention of potato chips created countless jobs worldwide and remains a favorite snack today. While Crum did not patent the invention, the snack has become a multi-billion dollar industry, with most potato chips now mass-produced and sold in bags.
George Alcorn is an impressive inventor who had an equally remarkable academic career. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in physics from Occidental College, then earned a Master’s Degree in Nuclear Physics from Howard University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Physics from Howard University. Alcorn worked for various prestigious companies and agencies throughout his career, including IBM, NASA, and Perkin-Elmer.
Throughout his career, Alcorn was granted eight patents, but undoubtedly, the most popular and groundbreaking of these was the X-ray Spectrometer. His invention is used for determining the materials of an object that cannot be broken down for closer analysis. The X-ray Spectrometer earned Alcorn the patent in 1984, earning him the NASA Inventor of the Year Award.
Alcorn’s work has had a significant impact on science and technology, particularly in the fields of space exploration and materials science. His contributions have not gone unnoticed. He has been recognized with many awards, including the NASA Langley Research Center Scientist/Engineer of the Year award and the Black Engineer of the Year President’s Award.
Charles Drew’s research on blood plasma and the invention of blood banks revolutionized the field of medicine. By separating plasma from blood, Drew created a way to store and transport blood more efficiently, which became critical during World War II. Drew’s innovative approach to blood transfusion was instrumental in saving countless lives on the battlefield and beyond. In addition to his work with blood plasma, Drew played a significant role in the desegregation of blood donation centers in the United States.
He fought against discriminatory practices that prevented African Americans from donating blood, insisting that race should not be a factor in determining a person’s eligibility to donate. Tragically, Drew died in a car accident in 1950, but his legacy continues to live on. His contributions to the field of medicine have profoundly impacted how we approach blood transfusion and blood banking. His advocacy for racial equality in healthcare has helped pave the way for future generations of healthcare professionals.
Jane C. Wright’s contributions to cancer research were groundbreaking. She transformed chemotherapy from an experimental method to a proven cancer treatment. Her work developing methotrexate for treating skin and breast cancer further cemented her reputation as a leading figure in cancer treatment. Wright was the first African American woman to become a medical college dean, serving as the head of the New York Medical College’s Department of Cancer Research. She was also the first woman elected the New York Cancer Society president. Her contributions to cancer treatment have saved countless lives and continue to inspire future generations of scientists and medical professionals.
Janet Emerson Bashen pioneered Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) management. While at an insurance company, she proposed an external team to investigate EEO, but the idea was rejected. Undeterred, she founded her own EEO management company, which became a huge success. To make the task of retrieving and storing EEO information easier, Bashen and her cousin Donny Moore developed the LinkLine software. This led to her being awarded a U.S. patent for software, making her the first African American woman to receive this honor. Bashen’s innovative spirit and commitment to EEO continue to inspire many today.
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Leonard C. Bailey’s career began in banking, where he helped establish the Capitol Savings Bank in 1888 and served as its president for a few years. However, he was also a prolific inventor with several patents. Bailey invented a truss-and-bandage for people with lower-body hernias in 1883, which the U.S. Army adopted. He also created a folding bed in 1899, designed for easy storage. Additionally, his speed stamper invention was used by the U.S. Postal Service. Despite not having a background in healthcare, Bailey’s inventions helped improve many people’s lives, and his legacy as an inventor continues to inspire today.
Alice Augusta Ball was the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Hawaii with a Degree in Chemistry in 1915. She subsequently secured a teaching position at the university. Ball researched the effects of chaulmoogra oil on patients suffering from leprosy, which led to the creation of the first leprosy treatment injection. She discovered a method to isolate the fatty acid components and created a water-soluble compound from the oil. The injection was widely used for over 30 years to alleviate leprosy symptoms until the introduction of sulfone drugs. Ball’s groundbreaking work helped advance medical research and relieved countless individuals suffering from leprosy.
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner invented the sanitary belt, patented it in 1957, and revolutionized menstrual hygiene. Before her invention, most women were still using cloth pads for menstruation. The sanitary belt had a moisture-proof pocket and was adjustable to fit any user comfortably. Kenner also invented a toilet tissue holder, a back washer mounted on the shower wall, and a serving tray attached to a walking frame. Despite her many useful ideas now still widely used, Kenner was perhaps one of the most forgotten African American inventors.
Marian Croak is a renowned computer scientist and inventor who has significantly contributed to modern communication technology. In 2013, she was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame for her achievements. With over 200 patents to her name, Croak is best known for her work in developing Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. She has held several high-profile positions throughout her career, including Senior Vice President of Research and Development at AT&T, and currently serves as the Vice President of Engineering at Google. Croak’s innovations have helped shape modern communication technology and continue to impact the industry profoundly.
Henry T. Sampson became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering in the United States. In 1963, he was awarded a patent for a gamma-electric cell, which converts radiation into electricity. The device is used for capturing the radiation in the shielding of a nuclear reactor and transforming it into auxiliary power. This technology is used to generate additional power in nuclear reactors. Sampson’s invention has been significant for the nuclear power industry and has contributed to developing innovative power sources.
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David N. Crosthwait was an accomplished inventor with air conditioning and heat transfer expertise. Throughout his career, Crosthwait secured an impressive 119 patents, with 39 of them in the United States. He gained a reputation by the 1930s because of his numerous inventions, including a boiler, vacuum pump, and thermostat control. His most highly-respected accomplishments include his heating system design for New York’s iconic Radio City Music Hall and the Rockefeller Center. Crosthwait’s contributions to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) continue to inspire and inform new generations of inventors and engineers.
The invention of the street sweeper by Charles Brooks in 1896 revolutionized road cleaning. Before his invention, workers had to rely on rudimentary brooms or manually collect trash, making it a difficult and laborious task. The street sweeper was essentially a standard road truck equipped with brushes to push dirt and debris off to the side of the road. Initially, people were skeptical of the idea, as it did not meet their expectations. However, as cities grew larger and technology improved, street sweepers became indispensable road maintenance tools. Brooks’ innovation remains an integral part of road-cleaning technology today.
Jack Johnson was a professional boxer born in Galveston, Texas, in 1878. In 1908, he became the first African American World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Tommy Burns in Australia. However, Johnson lived in the United States when black men were not allowed by law to openly date white women. He was later charged with violating the Mann Act for transporting his white girlfriend, Lucille Cameron, across state lines for “immoral purposes” and sentenced to one year in prison.
During his time in prison, Johnson invented a wrench that could loosen and tighten fasteners, and he was granted a patent for it in 1922. Although not his primary claim to fame, Johnson’s invention of the wrench was significant and contributed to the development of modern tools.
Joseph Lee, born into slavery in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1848, was an entrepreneur, chef, and inventor. He served as a blacksmith during the Civil War and later worked as a steward in the U.S. Coastal Survey for eleven years. Lee then established restaurants and a successful upscale catering company. Lee was bothered by the idea of throwing away day-old bread, so he invented the machine to automate tearing and grinding the bread into crumbs. This invention was awarded a patent in 1895, and Lee sold the rights to the Royal Worcester Bread Crumb Company. Lee’s invention revolutionized the food industry by providing a way to repurpose what was once considered waste. His innovation still influences the food industry today.
Lloyd Ray’s patent for the dustpan, granted on August 3, 1897, revolutionized cleaning. Before Ray’s invention, dust and debris on the floor had to be swept up by hand using a broom or a brush. The introduction of the dustpan made the process of cleaning more efficient and less labor-intensive. Ray’s design was simple but effective, with a metal collection plate attached to a wooden handle. It remains largely unchanged to this day, a testament to the timelessness and functionality of the original invention. The dustpan has become an essential household tool in homes, offices, and commercial establishments worldwide. Ray’s invention simplified cleaning and paved the way for future innovations in cleaning technology.
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Joseph Dickinson began his career at the Clough & Warren Organ Company in Detroit when he was just 17 years old. The company was known as one of the largest organ makers in the world at that time. Dickinson designed an organ that impressed critics at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. Despite his success in building organs for prestigious customers, such as the Royal Family of Portugal, Dickinson is most remembered for inventing the roller mechanism for sheet music.
The roller mechanism enabled pianos to play sheet music in forward and reverse modes, revolutionizing how people played music. This invention made it easier for people to learn new songs and easily switch between different pieces of music while playing. Dickinson’s roller mechanism became popular and is still used in player pianos.
In the late 1800s, collisions between streetcars and other objects on the road were commonplace. Matthew Cherry, who had witnessed numerous incidents, decided to develop a protective device that could be fitted onto streetcars. He invented the “fender,” a metal plate attached to the front of the car, designed to absorb shock in the event of a collision. Cherry was granted a patent for the fender in 1895, and it soon became a standard safety feature on streetcars.
Miriam E. Benjamin was awarded a patent in 1888 for her invention, the “Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels.” The chair featured a button that signaled a light when pressed, allowing the servers to quickly identify which guest required assistance. This invention eliminated the need for guests to use hand-clapping or verbal cues to call for help, making it easier for guests and servers. The United States House of Representatives later adopted the design.
Richard Bowie Spikes, who was almost blind then, invented and patented an automatic safety braking system for buses and trucks in 1962. This innovative system was designed to help prevent accidents by automatically stopping the vehicle if it sensed an obstacle ahead. The invention was quickly adopted by school buses across the United States, making them much safer for children. Spikes also held several other patents during his lifetime, including ones for an improved beer tap, an automatic gear shift device, and directional signals for vehicles.
While working at the United States Census Bureau, Robert Pelham invented the pasting apparatus in 1905 and the new tallying machine in 1913. The pasting device was used to attach paper strips containing census data onto large sheets, making the task quicker and more efficient. The new tallying machine Pelham invented in 1913 automated counting census data, resulting in significant time and resource savings. Both inventions revolutionized the census-taking process and helped ensure more accurate and comprehensive data collection.
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A series of innovations in the manufacturing process of fiber optics led Thomas Mensah to develop a new technique that could deliver 20 meters per second output in 1985. Previously the fibers were produced at a rate of only 2 – 3 meters per second. Such a massive jump in production efficiency allowed the manufacturers to sell optical fibers at prices comparable to copper cables. Based on his work, further improvements in manufacturing methods eventually reached a peak speed of 50 meters per second.
In 1986, Mensah moved from Corning Glass Works to Bell Laboratories and led a weapon development team for the U.S. Department of Defense. His team built the first laser-guided missile system. Mensah’s innovative spirit and technological contributions have had a significant impact, making fiber optic communication a reality and advancing weapon technology.
Thomas Stewart, an African American inventor from Kalamazoo, Michigan, invented the precursor of the modern mop in 1893. Before the invention, cleaning floors was a strenuous process that involved manually scrubbing the surface with rags or brushes. Stewart’s invention included a clamping device that held the rag attached to a lever, allowing the user to wring the water out of the mop after several strokes. Although manual labor was still required, the invention made the job easier and more dignified. Stewart also co-invented an improved version of the station indicator for railways. The indicator was designed to activate automatically as the train hit a small lever on the side of the track, allowing the station to determine the train’s position and track.
Thomas Elkin revolutionized the food preservation industry with his groundbreaking invention in the late 1800s. Before his discovery, perishable goods were only preserved using large ice blocks, often insufficient during a hot summer. However, Elkin’s invention of the metal cooling coils was a game-changer, and it effectively preserved food without ice blocks, making it a more efficient and cost-effective solution. Thanks to his innovation, the modern refrigeration industry was born, forever transforming how we store and preserve food. Elkin’s significant contribution was recognized when he was awarded a U.S. patent for his revolutionary invention in 1879.
When Willis Johnson invented his mixing apparatus in 1884, he had no idea how it would revolutionize the world of cooking. By transforming the slow rotation of a crank into a high-speed whisking motion, the machine could easily beat eggs and other ingredients, saving valuable time and effort in the kitchen. Despite being small and easy to use, Johnson’s invention was powerful enough to impact food preparation significantly. His innovation was so influential that modern rotary egg beaters and electric mixers still use the same basic principle today. Johnson’s invention was a game-changer for home cooks and professional chefs, earning him a patent and a place in culinary history.
John Lee Love, who passed away in December 1931, is best known for inventing two simple yet practical products: the plasterer’s hawk and the portable pencil sharpener. Although not technologically advanced, his ideas aimed to make everyday tasks easier. Before the pencil sharpener, people commonly used a knife to sharpen their pencils, but Love’s invention offered a more straightforward, affordable, and practical solution.
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In 1890, Henry Falkener was granted a U.S. patent for his invention of the ventilated shoe, a breakthrough in footwear technology at that time. Unlike modern shoes made with breathable materials, Falkener’s design featured an air passage between the material and lining, which ensured proper airflow in and out of the shoe. To achieve this, he fitted perforated inner soles to allow fresh air to enter the shoe without obstruction. Falkener’s design included a rubber bubble under the heel connected to an upward-facing open tube, creating an air passage. Whenever the wearer took a step and pressed the bubble, foul air would be forced out, allowing fresh air to enter the shoe.
Albert C. Richardson from Frankfort, Michigan, invented a casket-lowering device that was granted U.S. patent No. 529311. The device was a simple, cost-effective solution that could be easily attached to a trench or ditch to receive the deceased’s casket. The device was mechanically operated, offering safe and stable support to prevent the casket from falling or dirt from spilling off the trench’s edge. It was constructed using a series of pulleys, cloths, and ropes, providing a secure and balanced descent for the casket.
In the 1800s, fire escapes were primarily available for commercial and multi-story buildings, leaving homeowners with few options. Daniel McCree solved the problem by designing a lightweight fire escape made of wood that could be easily attached to windowsills, allowing occupants on the second or third floor to escape in case of fire. His invention was awarded a patent in 1890, and modern residential fire escapes are still based on his design.
In 1931, Benjamin Thornton was awarded a patent for his “Apparatus for Automatically Recording Telephonic Messages,” an early version of today’s answering machine. While some sources credit Thornton with inventing the answering machine in 1935, his device was an attachment for telephones that could record messages from callers and timestamp them. It also allowed the telephone owner to record messages on the device.
David A. Fisher, an inventor, designed two tools that revolutionized carpentry and cabinetry work: an improved joiner clamp and a furniture caster. The clamp eliminated the need for workers to pause multiple times to hold two pieces of wood together while applying glue or other fasteners. Instead, the clamp could mechanically and securely hold pieces of wood together, saving time and increasing efficiency. Fisher patented the invention in April 1875. A year later, in March 1876, Fisher received a patent for a furniture caster, which featured free-turning wheels (rollers) that allowed cabinetmakers to move large pieces of furniture effortlessly.
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There is debate about who invented the spring gun to scare away trespassers. While some sources attribute its invention to Edward R. Lewis, the patent he was granted in 1887 pertained to a toy. The toy consisted of a metal tube on a wooden support with a wire trigger mechanism that required only a simple motion to activate the trigger release. The wire was attached to a holder, and the trigger would release when the holder was disturbed, causing the toy to shoot a projectile. While Lewis did not mention using the toy as a booby trap, some people may have repurposed it for that use.
Joseph Hawkins received a patent in 1845 for his invention, the gridiron. The gridiron was a cooking apparatus with a metal rack attached to a wooden handle. It was designed for heating or cooking meals, particularly meat, and could be placed inside a fireplace or on a campfire. However, during the early 19th century, the gridiron was not widely used as most people had already switched to using more convenient kitchen stoves.
Alexander Ashbourne was born into slavery around 1820 in Philadelphia, and little is known about his early life. However, he later gained recognition for his inventions and was awarded several patents, including one in 1875 for a spring-loaded biscuit cutter. About five years later, Ashbourne also received a patent for his techniques for refining and treating coconut oil. Despite his success as an inventor, Ashbourne’s life story remains largely unknown today.
n 1879, William Binga was awarded a patent for an apparatus constructed from perforated pipes connected to water mains and attached to sidewalks, streets, and roads. The invention allowed the existing sprinkler system to reach all surface areas of a street, including gutters, with excellent efficiency.
James A. Sweeting’s invention, described in the U.S. patent file 549501, issued in 1897, was a device for easily rolling cigarettes. The device comprised a cylindrical rod holding the tobacco and a mechanism to hold the cigarette paper. When used correctly, the device would create a perfectly formed cigarette. The paper might require dampening along the roller line to prevent the cigarette from unraveling. Sweeting’s goal was to make it easy for regular cigarette smokers to roll their cigarettes rather than only being accessible to cigarette manufacturers.
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Robert Reynolds was granted a patent in 1899 for inventing the non-refillable bottle. It was designed with valve stoppers permanently attached to the bottle to prevent unauthorized or misinterpreted use. The invention benefited products that needed to maintain their original quality, such as medication and food. This innovation prevented consumers from accidentally or intentionally refilling the bottles with other substances that could cause contamination or harm. As a result, the non-refillable bottle became a standard packaging choice for products requiring high safety and hygiene.
William Purvis patented an improvement to the early design of fountain pens in 1890. Before his invention, fountain pens did not have an onboard ink reservoir and required a separate ink bottle. Purvis’ design included a small ink storage inside the pen, allowing for even ink distribution onto the writing medium. Purvis’s invention of the fountain pen with onboard ink storage made handwriting work cleaner and more efficient than the previous method.
Kerrie Holley is a renowned inventor and technology consultant who has significantly contributed to analytics and systems engineering. During his time at IBM, Holley has been awarded several patents for his groundbreaking inventions, including a system to locate lost mobile devices and a process for maintaining functionality in the face of component failure. However, his most notable invention is the IBM Service-oriented architecture (SOA) reference architecture, revolutionizing how businesses approached software development and integration. Holley was named Black Engineer of the Year in 2003 for his numerous contributions to the technology industry and continues to be a prominent figure in the field.
John White’s invention of the lemon squeezer was simple yet practical, and the tool is now a household staple used by many worldwide. Unlike Kerrie Holley, who was awarded patents for complex technologies, White’s invention was much more straightforward. The lemon squeezer described in his patent application closely resembles the familiar modern design, and it also included a container attachment to collect the juice.
Martin’s lock design was revolutionary for its time and eventually led to the creation of many other improved locks. Martin himself went on to patent several other inventions, including an electric motor and an electrical switch. His lock design was significant not only for its security improvements but also for its impact on the field of locksmithing. Locksmiths no longer had to rely solely on the ancient bolt design but now had access to new and improved lock designs, eventually leading to more advanced security systems. Today, Martin’s lock design is still used as the foundation for many modern lock systems.
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Henrietta Bradberry’s two inventions, the bed rack and torpedo discharge mechanism, showcase her range as an inventor. The bed rack, patented in 1943, was a simple yet practical design that allowed people to expose their worn bedclothes to fresh air. In contrast, her second invention, the torpedo discharge mechanism, was a highly technical device requiring extensive submarine operations knowledge.
Her improvements to the mechanism ensured that water could not enter the submarine chamber upon missile release, making it more efficient and effective. Bradberry’s diverse portfolio of inventions highlights her ingenuity and adaptability as an inventor, as she could design both practical and highly technical inventions.
The Top 101 Black Inventors and African Americans’ Best Invention Ideas that Changed the World highlight some of the most significant contributions of Black inventors to society. The list includes inventors from various fields, including science, medicine, transportation, etc. Among the inventions are traffic signals, the super soaker water gun, the ironing board, the refrigerator, and the carbon filament for the lightbulb. These inventions have had a significant impact on our daily lives and have helped shape modern society. The list serves as a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of Black inventors and their vital contributions to technology and innovation.
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Few articles in your wardrobe capture the essence of elegant clothing as well as a double-breasted suit. This style of suit silhouette reached its peak at the Golden Age of menswear in the 1930s, but also through the 1940s. As the years went on, it became less popular. Think about Wall Street in 1980s or Giorgio Armani suits of the 1990s, they often wore double-breasted suits, and were left in that era.
Double-breasted suit jackets have a somewhat dated appearance that, to some people, may even seem costume-y. Given that the double-breasted suit was so popular during the 30s and 40s, we often associate its look with that era. Prominent historical figures, such as Winston Churchill or Al Capone, famously wore double-breasted suits, but they have been dead for quite a while.
Later, Batman villains, like The Joker or Max Shreck, were inspired by the double-breasted suit in that Gotham vintage-style movie by Tim Burton. Think about the purple double-breasted suit The Joker wore. This further cemented the double-breasted suit more in the cosplay arena, and it wasn’t associated with elegant men who wanted to wear a suit about town.
Another reason double-breasted suits started to fall out of favor, even in the 40s, was the cloth rationing. Because the war effort, cloth was rationed. So, for example, turnups or cuffs on your pants were not encouraged, sometimes, disallowed.
The full-cut pants from the 30s were slimmed down and if you think about it, a double-breasted jacket has two layers of fabric versus a single-breasted uses less fabric, so it was also encouraged to wear a single-breasted rather than a double-breasted suit.
Of course, just like with many things in fashion, things come and they go; and fashion designers typically pick up on a traditional style; change a few things, sometimes exaggerate; and there you have the latest fashion. That’s exactly what happened in the 1980s and 90s. Armani took the traditional 30s and 40s double-breasted silhouette, added a lot of shoulder padding and more drape, and voila, a new style was born. Think less Humphrey Bogart, more 90s football player.
Also, the buttoning point changed; where in the 30s, the buttoning point was close to natural waist, which is typically around your belly button.
In the 90s, that shifted quite a bit down. Just think about “Miami Vice” and their double-breasted suits, definitely became part of the Yuppie culture. “Wall Street” was a bit better because it was styled by Alan Flosser. So, Michael Douglas wore a quite nice, double-breasted suit. Nevertheless, the association of double-breasted suits with “Miami Vice” created this association with Yuppie culture, and not with an elegant man. Of course, there were other movies – just look at Patrick Bateman from American Psycho.
Even with more modern movie iterations like “The Kingsman” series, the double breasted suit has now slightly more positive connotations, but it’s still tied to more of an old spy look. All these associations have helped to perpetuate the stereotype that the double-breasted suit is not something you wear in your normal life, which brings us to our next point.
In a culture as youth-obsessed as ours today, who wants to look old? If you go through your grandma and grandpa’s family photo album, chances are you’ll see double-breasted suits; but if you never see them around you today, you automatically associate it with something worn in an era gone by.
The same can be said for pleated pants or high-waisted pants. A lot of people associate it with grandpa or great-grandpa clothes, but now, there are also a few fashion brands who embrace the wider, fuller cut again and like pleats. We, the Gentleman’s Gazette, believe that style shouldn’t be so dictated by the fashion of the day, but more by your personal physique and what’s flattering for you.
Fort Belvedere
Ancient Madder Silk Bow Tie in Red and Buff Macclesfield Neats – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Cashmere Wool Grenadine Tie in Dark Blue, Burgundy, Light Grey Stripe – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Wool Challis Bow Tie in Burgundy Red with Yellow Polka Dots and Pointed Ends – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Dark Magenta Purple Lotus Flower Silk Boutonniere Lapel Pin Flower – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Brick Red Pocket Square Art Deco Egyptian Scarab pattern in green, orange, yellow, blue with green contrast edge by Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Soft-washed Dark Denim Jeans Blue Pocket Square with sunflower yellow handrolled X-stitch edges – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Charcoal, Purple and Blue Silk-Wool Pocket Square with Paisley Motifs – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Monkey Fist Knot Cufflinks – 925 Sterling Silver Platinum Plated – Fort Belvedere
Also, if you think about it, in the last 20, 25 years, the slim fit suit has been all the rage. Double-breasted suits were often cut a little bit of roomier with a bit more drape so, automatically, it was kind of a misfit. On top of that, many older men who just recently retired still wear their slacks and blazers, their double-breasted from a time in the 90s when everything was oversized. It was never a flattering look, to begin with, but with every physique change, it’s even worse.
So, a lot of young men don’t want to be associated with the almost “stigmatized” old man look. On the flip side, there has also been somewhat of a resurgence of the double-breasted sport coat – not necessarily the suit – so people like Lino Ieluzzi, who’s also isn’t the youngest guy anymore, started wearing them kind of very casually, in bold fabrics, with patch pockets; and younger people picked up that style.
So, if you go to Pitti Uomo, you see a lot more casual, double-breasted jackets, but also suits. Obviously, the double-breasted look is not something that is just associated with old age. It can also be owned by young people and quite well so, too.
Double-breasted suits have fallen somewhat out of favor is that they create, naturally, a much broader silhouette, which is at odds with a slim fit suits trend that was experienced for the last two decades. By the sheer design of the double-breasted jacket, with peak lapels, you automatically get a broader shoulder. This is owed to the military influences, where you also had peak lapels, and typically, the double row of buttons.
It creates a certain sense of formality and presence. If you compare that to the skinny, single-breasted lapels that were popular in recent years, you can easily see how just the nature of the double-breasted jacket is at odds with that style.
That being said, you can definitely find very skinny lapelled, double-breasted jackets these days from fashion-forward brands, but that’s not a mainstream look that’s available to a lot of people – nor should it be. Why, you might ask? Well, if you take a double-breasted suit and you change the button stance, you slim everything down, it can very quickly look quite weird. If not weird, then definitely “hyper-trendy.”
In line with the lapel shape and paired with the fact the double-breasted jackets are, by design, meant to be buttoned, you automatically get this V-shape, which a lot of people associate with muscular men who work out a lot, so if you don’t do that, you can’t wear that suit.
Some might also argue that a double-breasted suit, more so than a single-breasted one, will hide your gut or your belly or your “dad bod.” Others will say that especially thinner men will look buried in the layers of fabric, which will make them look shrimpy. Just think of Niles Crane from Fraiser.
Though it’s worth noting that the costume designers put Niles in an oversized suit for a comedic effect, it was supposed to highlight and emphasize the Yuppie culture of the pretentious, pompous person who was wearing that suit. Again, in movies and series, clothes are often used to emphasize or stylize a message that is supposed to be portrayed in. That being said, all clothes, to some extent, have the purpose to hide certain defects or imperfections and highlight other things.
So, for example, think of shoulder pads: the only reason you have shoulder pads is not a practical one, but simply to make you look in a certain way. If you have a lot of shoulder pad, it’s supposed to look bigger, more impressive. If you have no shoulder pads, it is different. But, clothing, in general, will always help to highlight certain areas and detract from others.
The fourth reason double-breasted suits have fallen out of favor is that they’re associated with a very formal style, and, in general, society has gravitated toward something much more casual. It’s true that double-breasted suits are generally more formal than their single-breasted counterparts, especially when they come in darker colors or stripes. It’s often associated with a uniform worn by investment bankers, regular bankers, or maybe attorneys.
Even if you take two suits in the same fabric, the double-breasted would have, historically, always been considered to be more formal. But, why is that? They have a military background. But, a peak lapel is considered to be always more formal than in notched lapel. That’s why, for example, on a tuxedo, you typically have peaked lapels because it’s a more formal garment than a regular suit.
Also, on a White Tie tailcoat, you typically have peaked lapels for the exact same reason. By the way, if you want to learn more about Black Tie, we have the world’s most comprehensive Black Tie guide.
The other reason why a double-breasted suit is more formal is its pocket shape. Typically, a double-breasted suit will have a jetted pocket, which is the most formal, or maybe a flat pocket, which is slightly less formal. Only in recent years have you seen double-breasted suits or jackets with patch pockets, which are distinctly less formal. But, a way to learn more about formality and clothes and what influences what and how you can adjust your outfit to the formality scale you want, check out our formality scale guide.
The Formality Scale: How Clothes Rank From Formal To Informal
Another drawback of the double-breasted jacket is that you typically have to wear it buttoned if you want to avoid “bat wings.” What do I mean by that? Well, if you unbutton the double-breasted suit, you have these massive flaps of cloth there that almost look like bat wings.
Heightened Formality
Bat Wings
Unbuttoned double-breasted suits have these massive flaps of cloth that we call “bat wings”.
Now, with a single-breasted jacket, on the other hand, you can leave it unbuttoned, and it still looks fine, especially compared to an unbuttoned double-breasted jacket.
Of course, if you wear a three-piece suit or a waistcoat underneath, oftentimes, men intentionally leave their jacket unbuttoned; though, double-breasted three-piece suits are quite rare and were something that was popular during a time when central heating was very prevalent, and having that extra layer of fabric underneath was more of a necessity than a style statement.
Plus, if you wear a three-piece suit, that’s typically always more formal than the equivalent two-piece suit.
The double-breasted suit is also much more symmetrical and much more clearly resembles formal military uniforms of the past. Yes, if you look closely, it’s not truly symmetrical; but from afar, the shape of the lapels, the double row of buttons, it’s all very clean and symmetrical. As we explain in detail in our post “The History of the Suit,” first, it was the so-called lounge suit, and it was meant to be a casual alternative to otherwise a morning coat ensemble or a frockcoat ensemble.
History of the Suit: The Evolution of Menswear from 1800 to Today
So, to that extent, a suit as we know it today used to be the equivalent of, what is today, joggers, tracksuits, and trainers.
Even today, if you see people who want to look particularly formal, they most often gravitated towards a double-breasted suit. Think about King Charles III – he definitely wears a lot of double-breasted suits and so too his brothers. His sons, on the other hand, are more often seen with single-breasted jackets, even though they also have double-breasted ones.
Even though suits, in general, in this day and age, are considered to be a very formal garment, I’d argue that dressing down and casualizing a double-breasted suit is a bit more tricky than a single-breasted suit. Why is that? First of all, a double-breasted suit often looks odd without some form of neckwear. Whether it’s a bow tie or a tie, but having that, makes your ensemble more formal. Of course, there are many ways to dress down a double-breasted suit. One of them is, for example, accessories.
So, rather than a print tie, you take a tie in shantung silk or a knit tie for example. You could also have maybe a brushed cotton shirt or a linen shirt or something that makes it less formal.
The fifth reason double-breasted suits have fallen out of favor is that they confuse a lot of men these days. Especially if you’re new to classic men’s clothing and you’re learning the ropes, you may be intimidated by it. Maybe it feels like this is not something you can quite yet wear. I think the rules around double-breasted jackets are particularly intimidating.
Confusing “Rules”
Peaked Lapels
Double-breasted jackets should always have a peak lapel, but why? Again, it has to do with historic associations with military clothing. If you have a tuxedo or a dinner jacket, you could have a double-breasted silhouette with a shawl collar, for example.
Another area of confusion and intimidation are button configurations and buttoning rules. Most commonly, double-breasted jackets come in a six-by-two button configuration. That means there’s an overall of six buttons in the front, two of which are actually buttoned. But, there can also be a four-by-two button configuration, meaning four buttons, two of which are buttoned; or a four-by-one or an eight-by-three or a six-by-one, and the list goes on. But, honestly, there’s even a two-by-one. So, how exactly should you button a jacket? First of all, we got a whole post on that topic.
How To Button Your Suits, Jackets, Vests, Overcoats, & Tuxedo
But, ultimately, it comes down to your personal preference. Some jackets are meant to be buttoned on the higher button, which is typically closer to the waistline. Sometimes, people also leave the bottom button unbuttoned to make it a bit more casual.
If you take the same jacket and you start buttoning the lower button, you also have to make sure that the inside button is also buttoned lower; otherwise, your lapels will look asymmetrical. But, if you button both of the lower buttons, you can see how your lapels visually appear bigger than before.
The point is: all these rules can be intimidating, thus making double-breaster jackets harder to wear because it’s yet another reason to not wear them, because you may do something wrong; and the good thing about rules is: truly, they’re more like guidelines. And someone, at some point in time, thought about them and came up with that rule, but especially, if you know the rule, you can definitely break it if it works better with your style.
Another reason why double-breasted suits have fallen out of favor is the innovation in the fabric sector. Over the last 100 years, fabrics have undergone quite an innovation. Especially the finishing, it has gotten so much better. The fibers are finer, and when you touch the wool of today, it can be super smooth and just marvelous to the touch.
At the same time, along with climate change, the demand of male customers has gone towards lighter-weight fabric. Because a lot of people associate lightweight fabrics with less overheating, they don’t think about the shoddy interlining or the openness of the weave, all of which are factors that impact the way you feel when wearing a suit. That being said, lighter-weight fabrics, in general, drape less well than heavier-weight fabrics.
Fabric Guides
Double-breasted suits traditionally had more of a drape cut, and so, they benefited from heavier fabrics. Back in the day, when your grandpa’s suits were probably made in the USA, he would wear them much more frequently, and he’d have much fewer suits. So, today, you can afford more suits, and you wear them less frequently. So, fabrics don’t have to withstand or hold anymore, and so they’re not designed to be hard-wearing really anymore.
This trend towards lighter weights is especially troublesome for double-breasted suits as a lighter-weight fabric will not create the same drape effect and just lead to more wrinkles, which is not desirable in most beholder’s eyes – or at least, that’s the stereotype.
The suit I’m wearing here right now, for example, is made of extremely fine wool. It’s super soft, it’s lightweight, and it’s the equivalent of probably a Super 250s.
Frankly, in general, I personally favor heavier fabrics because they drape better, but this length was given to me by Vitale Barberis Canonico, who made it for a specific anniversary; and frankly, it changed my mind a bit about these high-twist, super fine fabrics because it is really nice to wear them, even though you see a lot more wrinkles.
After all, I don’t want to look like a wrinkly paper bag. Although, if we talk linen suits, I actually appreciate the wrinkles, but that’s stuff for another post.
The seventh reason men stopped wearing double-breasted suits is that they are harder to fit off-the-rack. Obviously, 200 years ago, clothes were custom-made and expensive, but these days, the vast majority of men buy suits off-the-rack. Now, with double-breasted suits and the fact that you have to wear it buttoned, potential fit issues become much more obvious, and the general consumer today lacks the knowledge of what can and cannot be tailored at an alterations tailor without a lot of investment.
For all the reasons mentioned earlier, if you’re new to suits, and you have a choice between single-breasted and double-breasted, you probably will gravitate towards a single-breasted, especially if you see some more material bulging up and you don’t know why that is, and you may not feel comfortable wearing this double-breasted suit.
Also, the nature of the double-breasted suit is that of symmetry, and human bodies are simply not symmetrical. I mean, just look at me. My right shoulder is a lot lower than my left one, for example. And that’s the case for most people: they just don’t know it yet.
So, yes, making a double-breasted suit look good on you and doing all the proper alterations takes more effort and more money; and of course, if you buy an off-the-rack suit, ideally, you want to buy something that fits like a glove. If that’s your expectation, I think you’ll always be disappointed because there is no such thing as a perfect fit from a suit off-the-rack. And if you think it is, probably your standards for a proper fit are just too low.
In other words, I’ve never seen an off-the-rack suit that fit anyone perfectly according to my standards. That being said, in this day and age, you can wear literally whatever you want, whenever you want, so take it with a grain of salt. Of course, you can remedy all these issues by getting a double-breasted suit made custom, bespoke, or made-to-measure. But, that of course puts you in a very different price category, and a lot of people can’t afford that.
Ready-to-Wear, Made-to-Measure & Bespoke – Terminology Explained
Last but not least, the eighth reason men stopped wearing double-breasted suits is that of “perceived discomfort.” In a world that values nothing more but comfort, if you ask ten men on our street if a suit is comfortable or uncomfortable, chances are they will say “uncomfortable.” Why is that? Well, chances are they only have a suit that is made with a stiff interlining that makes them sweat, that limits their range of movement.
They probably have never experienced a suit with a soft interlining and nicely, tightly cut armhole; something that fits well, and it’s designed to move around freely. Because of the military tradition of a double-breasted suit, it was traditionally made with stiffer interlinings because it was all about the looks.
It was supposed to make the wearer look very majestic and impressive, and strong. It wasn’t really designed for comfort and, because of that, people will often associate double-breasted suits with discomfort. The suit I’m wearing here right now, for example, has an extremely soft interlining, and I intentionally went for that because I appreciate that.
There’s nothing wrong with going for a more military-inspired, structured look, but yes, that won’t be as comfortable as a soft interlining in a jacket. Off-the-rack, typically, it’s hard to find soft interlinings in a double-breasted jacket or suit. So, that’s why people think, “Oh, it’s a bit more uncomfortable. It’s too formal. I don’t like that,” especially if they’re the only person wearing a suit in the first place. On top of that, most men that I know are more prone to run hot than to run cold.
So, if you always run hot and you have the choice between two suits, one of which has a double layer of overlapping fabric in the front and the other doesn’t, you probably gravitate towards the one that keeps you cooler and more comfortable.
Of course, on the flip side, you could argue the double-breasted suits are particularly well-suited for winter because it gives you that extra layer of cloth that keeps you warmer. By the way, for the same reason, I appreciate double-breasted overcoats. Not only do they look much nicer than their single-breasted cousins, but they also keep you warmer.
Of course, I could go on about the misconceptions of why suits, in general, are uncomfortable, and it really comes down to the material, the interlining, and how breathable it is – because there’s a difference between a glute interlining and a full-layered canvas, which is much more breathable – and then on top of that, often, cheaper suits have actual lining made out of polyester, which makes you sweat a lot more than, let’s say, Bamberg or cupro, which is naturally anti-static and much more breathable and can also absorb things just to make you feel more comfortable.
First of all, if a lot of people don’t wear them, it gives you a chance to stand out from the crowd in a positive way. It can almost be like a hallmark for you to wear double-breasted suits and people will notice. “Oh! You’re so well-dressed!” Even though they may not be able to put their finger on it right away.
Wearing a double-breasted suit can be a massive confidence boost if you wear the suit and the suit doesn’t wear you. Let’s say, if you give a presentation or you’re in a position where people look at you, or if you substitute for The Godfather.
Men’s Style Expert Reacts to “The Godfather” – Menswear Review
Even if you rarely wear a suit, nothing else can give you quite that elegance and captured personality that a double-breasted suit does; and frankly, even if you aren’t in the best shape, a double-breasted suit can help create that illusion of a broad shoulder with an attractive V-shape. This clean silhouette is incredibly masculine, timeless, and elegant. And yes, if you look at all the heroes, they typically have that V-shape, and that’s what a double-breasted suit will give you.
It also shows that you pay attention to details and don’t just grab the first best suit that comes across your way. Of course, if you’re a fan of the Golden Era of Menswear, you must wear a double-breasted suit because just the feeling of it, especially paired with the fabric, puts you in a certain mindset. And yes, while it’s true that, generally, double-breasted jackets are more formal, there’s certainly ways to deformalize your double-breasted suit or jacket.
Suit Jackets, Sport Coats, and Blazers: What’s the Difference?
For example, you can add mother-of-pearl buttons. In a bright white, it’s more casual; there’s also brown or gray for example; or if you don’t want mother-of-pearl, you can use horn buttons, but like a blonde horn button on a navy jacket. It’s definitely more casual than the tone-in-tone dark blue or dark brown. Plus, if you do that, the jacket can easily function as a standalone blazer, but also work in a suit outfit, which means matching pair and pants made from the same fabric.
Last but not least, there is a certain cachet that comes with double-breasted suits. What did Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Carter Gable have in common? Well, they all loved wearing double-breasted suits.
So, in conclusion, while double-breasted suits have certainly fallen out of favor in the mainstream clothing world, there’s still a place for them, especially for people who appreciate clothes. Few articles of clothing can give you that much personality without being flashy or over-the-top. Despite the fact that some might consider it difficult to wear, if you follow the Gentleman’s Gazette, we’ll help you look your best in a double-breasted suit.
Fort Belvedere
Cashmere Wool Grenadine Tie in Dark Blue, Burgundy, Light Grey Stripe – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
White Linen Pocket Square with Blue Hand Embroidered Polka Dots Spots – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Madder Silk Tie in Bottle Green Macclesfield Neats Blue Orange Pattern – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Light Blue Linen Pocket Square with Blue Handrolled Cross X Stitch – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Wool Challis Tie in Dark Green with Blue, Yellow and Orange Pattern – Fort Belvedere
So, no matter if you make double-breasted suits your signature style or just have a one-off suit or anything in between, they’ll help you stand out from the crowd.
What’s your favorite double-breasted suit? Please share with us in the comments below.
Today, I had to choose which double-breasted suit I wanted to wear because I have quite a few ones in all different ranges of formality. I have one in a gray, windowpane flannel, which is awesome; I have one in a brown, Prince-of-Wales check; or a petrol blue Fresco; or a double-breasted, kind of 1930s, gangster-style suit from Ralph Lauren; but I opted for this very classic, solid navy, double-breasted suit. Why? Well, I wanted you to look at the silhouette of the double-breasted suit and not be distracted by the fabric.
As I mentioned, this was a very fine fabric that almost feels like cashmere from Vitale Barberis Canonico. And it’s custom-made for me, but it was on one of the earlier suits with the tailor, so I have a little bit of a gapping when I move my arm, which I’m not quite fond of; but I could have it fixed at the alterations tailor. You can see the buttoning point is rather high. It’s a six-by-two silhouette, and I like the wider lapels with nice Milanese, large buttonholes.
Fort Belvedere
Orange, Green, Blue, Yellow, Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Monkey Fist Knot Cufflinks – 925 Sterling Silver Platinum Plated – Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere
Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Dark Navy Blue and Royal Blue Fil d'Ecosse Cotton – Fort Belvedere
I’m combining it with a blue-and-white-striped shirt made from an Albini fabric and a orange, mottled silk, knit tie by Fort Belvedere, which you might find in our shop – just like the handmade silk boutonniere and the silk-wool pocket square.
For the pants, I had two, forward-facing pleats that gave me more room in my thigh; I had a turnup or a cuff; and I paired it with shadow-stripe socks in navy and royal blue, likewise by Fort Belvedere; and the shoes are from Alton. They had a custom patina in brown, and they’re an unusual monk with some broguing.
In terms of timepiece, I went with an almost Tangente blue gold in a 39-millimeter width. It’s a very elegant watch and the dial really goes perfectly with this type of a navy suit. I’m wearing it with the default black Horween leather watch strap, even though I think that could be a different one. My other metal accessories are a pinky ring with a star sapphire that looks like diamonds, as well as cufflinks, which are the monkey fist knot cufflinks in silver-platinum plating from Fort Belvedere.
Because my dress shirt is blue and white, I grabbed a pair of suspenders in blue box cloth with white leather from Edward Maya in Munich. And along with that blue color scheme, the scent of the day is the Roberto Ugolini Blue Suede Shoes scent. As you might know, Roberto Ugolini makes high-end, bespoke shoes in Florence, but he’s also a connoisseur of fragrances, which is why he lent his name to a line of scents.
]]>As much as I love traveling, I believe that at one point or another, you can be faced with your biggest fear. And though this post is not meant to discourage you from traveling, I am really curious to know the story that made you stop to think before taking your next trip.
If you’re a keen traveler or digital nomad looking for a fun and budget-friendly way to explore the world, give house sitting and pet sitting a try.
House sitting is when you stay and look after someone’s home while they’re away, whereas pet sitting also involves caring for their pets. Some house sitting duties include checking for mail, watering the plants, cleaning the house, and maintaining the pool. Pet sitting duties also involve feeding, playing, cuddling, walking, and bathing.
I absolutely love house and pet sitting; it’s allowed me to travel all around the world, from Tokyo to Brussels, Vancouver, and Edinburgh. Not only is it an amazing way to connect with locals, experience different cultures, and spend quality time with animals, but it also saves you tons of money on travel accommodations.
In this article, I’m going to cover the 41 most important questions to ask pet owners before taking a pet sitting job.
First, let’s focus on the most important aspect of pet sitting: the animals. Here is my list of the 20 essential pet-related questions to ask before dog or cat sitting:
Asking this question will provide you with a snapshot of how your pet sit is likely to be; is the pet energetic? Lazy? Affectionate? Playful? Reserved? By finding out, you know what to expect. Furthermore, any differences in their personalities or behavior can indicate possible discomfort whilst the owners are away.
This is one of the most important questions to ask pet owners, as it will give you the best idea of what your day-to-day life would look like during the pet sit. It’s also important for the pet’s sake, as most thrive on consistency.
As I said before, pets love consistency, especially when it comes to something as important to them as food. Needless to say, this is an essential question to ask.
In my experience, the answer to this question always varies; some owners give their pets treats often as a training method, while others are concerned about obesity and very rarely give their animals treats. It’s very important to clarify the pet owner’s views and instructions where treats are concerned.
One of the most anticipated and vital parts of a dog’s day is their walks. So, it’s important to check how many walks they go on and how long their walks are, in order to ensure that the dogs get enough exercise.
Since animals love regularity, knowing their usual walking routes is important for them to feel comfortable on their daily walks. However, some dogs also need some variability; you can always double-check what the dogs prefer by asking the owners.
This is without a doubt one of the most important questions to ask cat owners. You should only let the cat go outside if they’re allowed to; if not, you can risk losing the cat, which is one of the worst things that could happen on a pet sit.
Another essential question to ask cat owners is how they manage their litter boxes. In my experience, every cat owner does it differently, from having their cats do their business in the garden to changing the cat litter daily.
When pets aren’t given the amount of attention or affection that they need, they can start developing unwanted and destructive behaviors. So, it’s always important to ask pet owners how much playtime their pets need in a day.
In order to take good care of the pets, you need to groom, brush, or bathe them. However, the amount of grooming needed differs per breed and per individual, so it’s always essential to ask the pet owners.
Asking this question is vital for determining if the pet sit is right for you (i.e., if you’re comfortable with taking care of a pet with certain medical problems), and for the pet sit itself. In other words, knowing the medical issues that the pets have allows you to better prepare for problems that may arise.
Similar to the last question, prior to a pet sit, you should always be aware of whether you need to give the pets any medications. Furthermore, you should ask how to give the pets their medications (do they mix it in with their food, for example, or wrap it up in meat?).
Regardless of how healthy the pets are, emergencies can arise. In those situations, it’s vital that you know where the closest vet is, and their phone number. Thankfully, I’ve never had to bring a pet to the vet, but it’s always important to know this information, just in case.
Another one of the best questions to ask when house sitting is if the pets are allowed on the furniture. Knowing this will ensure that neither you nor the pets will get into trouble when the homeowners return.
Similar to the last question, asking this will ensure that the animal-free zones of the house are kept that way; animal-free.
This is another question that receives different answers all the time. While most of the dog owners that I know allow their dogs on their beds, some keep their pets in particular areas overnight.
Asking this question is especially important when dog sitting, as you’ll frequently encounter other dogs on your walks. So, if you know that the dogs don’t get along well with other animals, you can prevent challenging encounters by moving to the other side of the road.
In a similar vein, if you know that the dogs don’t get along well with other people, you can ensure that you both have plenty of space away from others when walking on the sidewalk.
If you’re hoping to sight-see during your house sit, then this is one of the most important questions to ask pet owners. By knowing how many hours the pets can be left alone, you can plan your outings accordingly.
Finally, the last important question to ask the pet owners is if there’s anything else that you need to know. This can include any quirks of the pets, activities they like doing, or friends they have in the neighborhood.
Now that we’ve gone over what to ask pet owners before taking a pet sitting job, let’s focus on the home. These are the 15 most important house-related questions to ask before house sitting:
Before starting your house sit, one of the most important things to know is if there’s a security code needed to enter or exit the home. This will ensure that you don’t trigger the alarm accidentally and that you leave the house safe and secure when you’re out.
This is a question that I frequently forget to ask homeowners, even though it’s super important. By asking if there are any security cameras on the property, you get to know what areas are private, and what security measures are in place.
Another essential question you have to ask before the homeowners leave is what the Wifi password is. And don’t forget to ask about the modem as well; I once spent over an hour looking for it on a house sit (and I couldn’t ask the homeowners because of the time difference). Needless to say, it was super frustrating and could have easily been avoided.
Every city tends to have a different garbage, recycling, and compost disposal system, so you always have to ask the homeowners about it before a house sit.
Knowing the answer to this question lets you know what kinds of food you can make during the house sit and allows homeowners to advise you of anything they’d prefer you not to use.
I always like to ask this question as it informs me of whether I’ll need to use a laundromat or not. Furthermore, it’s best to ask the homeowners of how they hang-dry their clothes, or if they use a dryer.
During the house sit (and when the homeowners return), you’ll need to clean up after yourself. So, it’s always essential to ask the homeowners where they can find their cleaning products.
Similarly, you’ll also need to know the location of the vacuum and the broom to clean up after yourself and keep unwanted pet hairs under control if you’re pet sitting.
If you’re interested in watching TV or movies on the big screen during your house sit, it’s best to ask the homeowners about their set-up (especially since TVs are typically different in every house). You can also ask about the streaming services they have; if you can use them, and if so, what profile you can use.
Before homeowners leave, it’s important to ask if they’re expecting any deliveries during the house sit. Knowing this will ensure that you’re ready to accept the packages on their behalf.
A common house sitting duty is watering and caring for the indoor plants. Consequently, it’s important to always ask which plants need watering and how often; this ensures that they stay healthy and alive until the owners return.
Similarly, you’ll occasionally have to care for and maintain the outdoor plants and garden as well, so it’s always vital to ask the homeowners what you need to do.
If you accidentally lock yourself out of the house or lose your key during the house sit, you must know who to contact in order to get back inside. Hopefully, this doesn’t happen, but it’s best to be prepared.
Similar to the deliveries, knowing if the homeowners are expecting any visitors ensures that you’re ready to receive them. This is also important for knowing who to allow inside the house, as your number one job is to keep the place safe and secure.
Finally, an important question to ask homeowners prior to the house sit is if you’re allowed to have any guests. The answers vary a lot per homeowner; some are okay with it, while others are absolutely against invites.
Last but not least, for those wondering what to ask home owners before taking a house sitting job, you need to ask questions about the city and the area of the house sit. These are the six most important questions to ask homeowners about their neighborhood:
One of the best parts of house sitting is that you get to experience a destination from a local perspective. By asking the homeowners about their favorite local attractions, you can easily take advantage of this amazing perk.
If you’re house sitting in an area with reliable public transportation, it is essential to ask about the closest bus stops and train stations. This will ensure that you know how to get around the city (and back) during the house sit.
While you can always find nearby grocery stores on Google Maps, I like to ask the homeowners about their favorite nearby supermarkets. Which ones have the best selection, which ones are the most expensive, and which ones are the cheapest? It’s best to ask the locals these questions.
Similar to the question above, I like to ask homeowners about their favorite nearby restaurants (especially restaurants that serve local cuisine).
Finally, our 40th question to ask pet owners is “How do I get around town from your house?” Knowing the answer to this question is tremendously helpful during the pet sit, as it ensures that you know how to get to and from the local attractions.
This is a very important question to ask pet owners. If there’s any kind of medical emergency with their beloved pet, you’ll want to be able to get to a vet ASAP. Plus, if the dogs go for walks in places other than walkable distances from the house, having a car is a must. As a bonus, having a vehicle for your use will allow you to easily get groceries, and explore a bit further afield.
Now that we’ve gone over the 40 most important questions to ask before pet sitting, you may be wondering where and how you can find a house sitting job in the first place.
So, to help you out, I have compiled a list of the 5 best house sitting and pet sitting websites:
First and foremost, Trusted Housesitters is the largest house sitting platform on the internet. Filled with an abundance of house sitting jobs around the world, it’s one of the best options for new and experienced pet sitters.
While its membership fee usually costs $129 per year, Goats On The Road readers receive 20% off using promo code GOATS20. Click here to search for great sits!
The site offers a lot of perks, including a 24/7 vet hotline and a convenient mobile app. Trusted Housesitters was the only site I joined when I first started pet sitting, and I had no problems finding gigs. Needless to say, if you’re interested in becoming a house sitter, you have to try Trusted Housesitters.
Next, Nomador is one of the best house and pet sitting websites around. Perfect for both travelers and digital nomads, it’s filled with house sitting opportunities worldwide.
It also only costs $85 per year, and it offers quarterly membership options as well as annual. So, if you’re on a stricter budget, I recommend trying Nomador.
Akin to both Trusted Housesitters and Nomador, MindMyHouse is a house and pet sitting website filled with luxury and non-luxury house sitting jobs around the world.
It’s also the cheapest house sitting website on this list, and costs just $29 per year.
For one of the oldest house sitting platforms on the web, you have to check out House Carers.
With an annual membership fee of $50 per year and an easy-to-use interface, House Carers is a great website to check out. However, the job listings can occasionally be scarce, especially compared to websites like Trusted Housesitters.
Last but not least, House Sitters America is the perfect house sitting platform if you’re primarily interested in pet sitting in the US.
Its membership fee is $49 per year. However, you’re also given the option to charge homeowners a fee for your house sitting services. This makes House Sitters America one of the best platforms to find paid house sitting jobs in America.
House sitting is one of the best ways to travel the world on a low budget. It’s by far my favorite way to travel, and I’ve been able to save heaps of money while visiting a ton of countries. But, before you secure your first house sitting job, you have to ask the right questions.
Not only will these questions ensure that both you and the homeowners are on the same page about expectations, duties, and what to do in emergencies, but these questions will also help you get a deeper understanding of how your day-to-day life will be like during the house sit. Overall, this will help you determine if you want to take the gig or not.
So, I hope my list of the 41 most crucial questions to ask homeowners before taking a house sitting job was helpful! And remember, you can always add or take away questions based on the specific pet sitting job you’re applying for.
Good luck, and happy house sitting.
The post 41 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Pet Sitting and House Sitting Job appeared first on Goats On The Road.
]]>The online community does exactly what it says on the tin—it celebrates cats who yell with all their souls, meow gently, and make a lot of cute and silly noises. We’ve collected some of the most expressive pics, as shared by members of the group, to bring a bit of warmth into your day, Pandas. Scroll down and MEOW meOW MEow.
The founder of r/Catswhoyell, redditor u/boxster_, was happy to tell Bored Panda all about the sub’s history, how the community evolved, and share their thoughts on cat commeownication and their purrsonalities. You’ll find our full interview with them below, as you read on.
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Moderator u/boxster_ walked us through the story behind r/Catswhoyell (or CWY). They told Bored Panda that the idea to create the community started after a conversation on a post where they realized there “was no place for talkative kitties like my own to be posted.”
“There were many chatty cats on other subs, but no ‘home’ for them. It started out small, and somewhere in the first year, I started adding new moderators. One of the goals we decided on at the beginning was that we always wanted CWY to be a welcoming community that felt like it was a small place,” the founder shared with us.
“This meant being active about removing rude messages towards other users. I don't think any of us expected it to reach 650k members!” they were incredibly happy about the success that the sub has seen over the years.
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However, that’s not to say that there weren’t some tough challenges to face along the way. “We've had a few periods of time where moderating got tough due to issues with users. One funny incident was when a user repeatedly mod-mailed rude messages about ‘everyone hating’ our flairs, all of which are jokes or puns. Our mod team checks in occasionally about adding new mods when traffic increases, and that's been very helpful. The only time we've done it on short notice was March 2020,” u/boxster_ said.
“As time went on, we decided we also wanted to focus on adoptable cats posted by rescues. We pin rescue cat posts as they come in, and add location flairs. At this time we know of about 3 cats who have been adopted by a subreddit member if I recall correctly,” the founder of r/Catswhoyell shared the great news.
“Many of our mods are involved in foster and rescue, or have been in the past, so this is my favorite thing about our sub. I'm also proud because I've seen the stereotype of the quiet and aloof cat shift in the past few years, at least on Reddit. It's been an unintentional campaign for cats with big purrsonalities.”
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The founder shared a bit about their own cat whom they adopted. “I never expected the scraggly rescue cat I took home to be so talkative, despite growing up around cats, and even studying cat behavior,” they told Bored Panda.
“One thing about my sweet boy, and also something that makes my mother think I'm nuts, is that I believe he has a little name for me. He has a little two-part meow that he screeches when I come home. He has a way of telling me it's dinner, or that I've stayed up too late (and once recently, gone to bed too early). Sometimes, it can be a little annoying, but at the end of the day, I always have someone to talk to.”
The mod said that it’s best to think of cats meowing as a bit like languages and accents. “While there's a general mood you can hear in a cat's meow, there are also kitties who meow by the beat of their own paws,” they said that there’s some overlap between how cats communicate by meows, but there’s also a lot of room for individual self-expression among felines.
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“One of my best friends had a cat named Bella. We also called him German Cat. Bella earned his nickname by having the angriest and loudest voice a kitty could have. Bella was also the sweetest and cuddliest boy you could meet, he was just speaking the kitty version of German,” u/boxster_ said.
“At the end of the day knowing your cat and looking for context clues is the best way to understand what they mean. I know that if my cat yells at me at 8:15 pm, that means he wants dinner a few minutes early. I know that if my lights are on and it's past midnight, he would like me to get myself in bed already so he can lay on my head and lick my hair,” they said.
“Every cat is unique. Some cats may only make sounds when angry or hurt, some cats will only be quiet if asleep, and others will be something else entirely.”
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The r/Catswhoyell subreddit recently celebrated its fifth birthday. Since being founded in 2018, the sub has grown to house over 684k members and counting. The group allows photos and videos of cats yelling, however, it frowns upon pics of yawning felines.
“No full-on yawns allowed without shame. No yell-shaming. All yells no matter their shape, size or volume are good and valid. Silent yells too. Yawn pictures will be removed, but video yawns with sound are permitted,” the group’s team of dedicated moderators explains.
Meanwhile, redditors are encouraged to post original photos. Nobody should claim that a cat is theirs if it isn’t. It’s unethical! If you are posting about someone else’s cat, make sure that you share the source, otherwise, your post may get removed. What’s more, the subreddit supports rescuing cats from shelters, so anyone who bought a cat from a breeder shouldn’t share photos.
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In the meantime, if you’re planning on posting photos of cats who yell that are adoptable, feel free to post the organization’s info in the comments. However, the online community does not allow internet users to advertise private adoptions, breeders, Craigslist, or disreputable sources.
Many subreddits have their quirks, and r/Catswhoyell is no different. It has a very amusing (or is that ameowsing?) guide to using flairs for its numerous feline-loving members. For instance, you should add the ‘Human Conversationalist’ flair to your post if it’s about a human talking to a cat and the pet meowing back. However, that’s not to be confused with the ‘Human Conmeowsationalist’ tag which is meant for humans meowing at cats who, in turn, meow back.
Some other interesting flairs include ‘Baby Cat’ (“Mew mew mewmew mewmewmew: all things baby cats!”), ‘Ol’ Yeller’ (everything related to senior cats), ‘Scream Team’ (two or more cats yelling), and ‘Aw Lawd They Yellin’’ (“Cat is rather rotund. And yelling. Always yelling,” the mods explain).
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Among the other creative flairs, you’ll find ‘Scraggly Yell’ (“Git me mah smokes!”), angry cattos get the ‘Calm down, dear kitty! Tag’, yawns that are also yells are assigned ‘A yawn and a yell!’, and ‘Certified Yell’ flairs are meant for the most distinguished, epic, and worthy of yells.
As it turns out, when it comes to adult cats, meowing, for them, is far from their preferred way to communicate with others of its kind.
“Unlike many other pets, cats evolved as solitary hunters so their communications skills are less developed than with group-living species, such as dogs,” PDSA Vet Anna Ewers Clark explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview.
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Kittens will meow in order to communicate with their cat moms and they develop this ability even if they’re isolated from their parents and siblings. However, once they become adults, many of them will stop meowing. "Sometimes, they will hiss or yowl at each other (usually in defense or during a fight) but the primary way of communicating with other cats once they’re grown is through body language,” the vet told us. However, adult cats will meow to talk to us.
"As we tend to pay our cats attention when they meow, this encourages them to chat to us and many cats learn that certain meows and sounds will get a specific response from their human. For example, meowing in our ear in the morning often leads to breakfast; few owners can sleep through a persistent cat shouting! This means that they keep meowing at us while we’re in bed hoping we’ll get the message that it’s time to get up. This can be thought of like an owner-cat ‘language’ with cats using their voices to explain what they need,” the vet said.
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"Although there will be cat meows that will are unique to each individual (and sometimes specific to each owner), some noises cats make can be common across all cats. Trills and chirrups are usually a cat greeting and will often be accompanied by the ‘tail up’ signal which is a welcoming gesture," the PDSA representative told Bored Panda earlier.
"Hissing, yowling and snarling are most commonly heard as part of an attack or defense when your cat feels threatened. If your cat is making any of these noises, it’s important to try to figure out what’s upsetting them and try to stop or prevent it,” she said.
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"A relaxed, happy purr is an indication that your cat is satisfied with life. This might be when they’re curled up on your lap or stealing the fluffy blankets. However, purring can also indicate pain or severe stress so always look at your cat’s body language and think about whether you’d expect them to be relaxed in their current surroundings,” she explained.
“Kittens will still meow even if they grow up away from their own kind. In fact, if kittens are brought up being cared for entirely by people, this can actually mean they’re more talkative as they have learned that humans respond to them and give them food or attention when they meow. However, if kittens don’t grow up around people, only around other cats, they may stop meowing when they’re older."
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Let us know which of these cat pics made you the happiest! And tell us all about how your cat communicates with you.
For some more cats who love yelling and meowing, take a peek at Bored Panda's previous features here, here, and here.
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]]>The popular Boulder event marks its 15th year running as a full-scale, all-out vintage-themed bash set in World War II-era America. On Saturday, the team behind the 1940s Ball will transform the Boulder Municipal Airport, 3327 Airport Road, into what feels like a seaside naval base during the height of World War II — minus the threat of being hit with a missile mid-party.
The idea for the festival was hatched by Naropa and CU Leeds School of Business alum Khyentse George, who was inspired to throw the event after taking flying lessons at the Boulder Municipal Airport.
After a wildly popular ball debut in 2008, George decided to make the occasion an annual event. In fact, the summer ball in Boulder became so popular that George launched a 1940s-themed winter ball in Denver just to keep up with the demand.
Aside from stunning vintage props, the music will vibe with the era, too. Performing will be the world-famous 16-piece Glenn Miller Orchestra, Chicago retro vocalist Tammi Savoy will perform with Denver-based eight-piece swing band Joe Smith and the Spicy Pickles, New York jazz band Dandy Wellington, dance-orchestra band The Hot Tomatoes, Denver’s Queen City Jazz Band and a Los Angeles-based pin-up army The Satin Dollz.
We caught up with George to see what it takes to handle a guest list in the thousands, what exciting things are in store for this year’s ball, and why nostalgia makes some people want to get down and boogie.
Q: How did you get the idea for the 1940s Ball, and what inspired you to make it into the massive, full-scale event that it is today?
A: I had been organizing these concerts and music festivals in Chicago and, since my grandparents were radio performers in the 1940s, I had always wanted to do a 1940s event. While taking flying lessons at Boulder Airport, I began meeting folks who had WWII vintage aircraft. They introduced me to their friends, who had WWII-era tanks, and Jeeps, and were active in the Living History and reenacting communities. Little by little, all the pieces started coming together and that’s how the first 1940s Ball came to be.
It was only meant to be a one-time affair, but after we had a great turnout that first year, I felt compelled to keep going. People really seemed enthused by it. I didn’t have a budget at first so it was pretty much all street marketing, pounding pavements, posting flyers and whatever free PR I could get. It’s just grown organically a little bit over the years — we like to try and introduce some new things to keep it fresh, but we still have a blast with traditions that have been built over the past 15 years.
Q: Why do you think the 1940s Ball is so popular, especially now, more than 80 years after the decade has passed?
A: Technology has increased the means and volume of communication. Although we’re technically more connected, paradoxically, people might feel more isolated. Couple that with more independent lifestyles, and the hectic pace of contemporary life, people yearn for a comforting slice of a “simpler” time.
When I was young, I’d see my grandparents dance together all the time; they genuinely enjoyed themselves so much. Couples dancing is such a playful, fun and classy way for humans to connect.
The Ball provides a sense of escapism; a way to temporarily immerse ourselves in the music, culture, glamor and warmth of that special era. It’s a way to experience that period that is so much more than just reading a book or looking at an old photograph. It’s truly like jumping in a time machine. I think for many people, there’s a vicarious joy to experiencing a time when there was deep sentimentality, romance, national pride, sacrifice and where everyone felt a part of something bigger than themselves. I have an enormous amount of respect for the folks who lived through this era — they were invested in each other and had an attitude to “make do/can do” and enjoy life, despite it being a very difficult time.
People attend the Ball for many different reasons, but the music and dancing are probably the biggest and most universal. It was like no other time in our history, and it really helped bring us together. The nation as a whole loved the same jazzy, brassy, romantic rhythms that inspired us with hope, promise and prosperity. It’s so wonderful to see how happy folks are out on the dance floor, enjoying the bands, the nostalgia and each other, regardless of their age or skill level.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about the theme, Sailing the South Seas? What exciting things can readers look forward to at this year’s ball?
A: We’re going to have South Seas-themed sets, decor and performances. The Kalama Polynesian Dancers will perform their “Tour of the Islands” and will greet attendees as they arrive with flower leis and live Ukulele music. There will be a South Seas-themed food and boat dock. We’ll even have a South Pacific USO show with Bob Hope, the Satin Dollz, and local theater director Kelly Van Oosbree, whose team will perform classic numbers from South Pacific.
Some of the other fun things we have planned for this year are: Denver’s Forney Museum of Transportation will be joining us with one of their 1940s cars. We’re going to have a WWII veterans tribute to eight WWII veterans in attendance where they will receive flower leis from Polynesian dancers. There will be a real 1940s drive-in movie theater with 1940s cars and real 1940s concessions.
On top of that, there will be dance lessons all night, a best-dressed contest and a vintage fair. We even have a vintage RV camp decked out 1940s style with a campfire attendees can sit around. Our hangar will be a recreation of Rick’s Café from the movie “Casablanca,” complete with movie set lights/props, and even a roulette table attendees can play. We’ll have over 22 WWII-era planes (weather permitting) and to top it all off, we’ll have an exhilarating flyover by a WWII P51 Mustang and a 1940s-style paratrooper jump.
For tickets, information, and to learn more about the 1940’s Ball, visit 1940sball.org.
]]>Aalim, who has also been rocking a bald look for many years now, says it allows for several options when styling facial hair and working on your jawline as your face is naked. And you can make yourself more than visible with statement glasses and the right clothes. He loves the new freedom in fashion which he says is genderless. “It’s a blank canvas for you to throw paint on. Though being bald used to be a very masculine look, you can push the boundaries of fashion and styling today. You could paint your nails, or wear earrings. Like I wear a nose pin with statement glasses, and including a nose pin and a manicure is not going to make you any less masculine today,” says Aalim, who is often seen sporting cool nail art too. So, whether you choose to shave your head to look tough or just because your hair is falling out, it’s a good time to be bald and beautiful.
“A bald look is best enhanced with facial hair and glasses. But make sure to shave your head regularly and on time, to keep the look neat and not show shadow patches of hair growth. Keep the beard neat, clean and sharp, and wash your beard with a beard shampoo and apply beard oil and shine products,” suggests Rupesh Pailkar, creative director and trainer, Jean Claude Biguine Salons.
Although, frequent shaving may also cause friction and irritate the scalp, causing flaking, itching, burning sensation and darkening. Plus, there is sun damage as there is no hair to protect your scalp anymore and it can rob your skin of hydration. So, it’s important to care for your scalp, like you would your face, and using a light moisturiser daily. “Hyaluronic acid, ceramides (that help rebuild skin) and oats are great ingredients to look for in a scalp moisturiser. You can apply a few drops of coconut oil at bedtime to nourish and protect the scalp skin,” offers Dr Shweta Iyengar, founder, Skinsense aesthetic clinic, Mumbai. Use a shaving cream or conditioner to soften the area and ease the process of shaving in a way that friction is reduced. A proper blade or a trimmer to maintain hygiene and prevent invisible nicks and cuts is also advised. Use an antiseptic soothing shaving lotion after shaving.
For daily care, you can use a face moisturiser according to your scalp type. It can be a gel, lotion or cream according to your age and if your scalp is oily or dry. Occasionally, when you don’t have access to a good lotion, you can even use petroleum jelly to deal with dryness.
“Sunscreen prevents irritation and darkening of scalp skin. Use SPF 30 daily and reapply after four hours. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection,” says Dr Iyengar. And even if you don’t have hair, shampooing is essential. Dr Iyengar says that as the oil glands of the face and scalp are different, there are shampoos specially formulated for scalp cleansing as dandruff can develop on bald heads, too. “Also, seborrheic dermatitis and scalp psoriasis are possible scalp conditions that resemble dandruff, so daily care is important. But it is easier to control dandruff with a bald head, as it is easier to keep the area clean and dry,” the doctor concludes.
The post The Bald And The Beautiful: How To Rock The Look Like A Pro appeared first on Man's World India.
]]>Nature is like an artist working on landscapes; using small brush strokes on a canvas, taking millions of years to paint, and yet the masterpiece is never completed.
In the case of the Meteora monasteries, it seems that the painter went a bit more abstract than usual by abandoning the typically mild, harmonious lines and replacing them with powerful vertical strokes. Breaking the usual form and creating something that looks more alien than earthly.
The outcome is a place scattered with monumental boulders — many of them column-shaped and rising vertically to the sky, consisting of sandstone and conglomerate that once was part of a delta seabed.
Some of the Meteora monasteries are so tightly built on these pillar tops, that it seems as though they’re integrated into the rock.
To make things look even more extreme, a handful of monks climbed several of these columns at the beginning of the 14th century and built more than 20 monasteries at the top of their jagged peaks!
Meteora is one of the best places to visit in Greece for all types of travelers. Make sure it’s firmly placed on your Greece travel itinerary.
There are trains and buses leaving from Athens and Thessaloniki for Kalambaka (the main town to visit Meteora from) on a daily basis. Or if you’d rather join a tour and have it all easily planned out for you, check out the various tours on offer below.
Here are some of the best ways to get to the town of Kalambaka, at the foot of Meteora, from Athens.
Athens to Meteora by Train: There is an express train (number 884) every morning going direct from the central station in Athens (Larissa Station) to Kalambaka at 7:20 in the morning. It costs €20 – €40 depending on the class you book and it takes around 4 hours.
There are many other choices with a middle stop throughout the day but cost a bit more. Find out more about the train here. An easier way to get to Meteora by train is by joining a day trip.
This highly rated trip includes the train journies, visiting the 8 monasteries, and going inside the hermit caves. A guide, train tickets, pick-up and drop-off, and water are included in this fun day trip. Find out more and reserve your spot, here.
Athens to Meteora by Bus: Five buses leave every day from Athens (Liossion Bus Station) to Kalambaka, via Lamia and Trikala, and the fare costs €29, return cost is €49. The duration is around 5 hours. See the bus timetable here.
Tour from Athens to Meteora: An easy way to visit the incredible Meteora Monasteries and not have to worry about the logistics of transportation is to join a day trip. This highly rated trip includes visiting the monasteries, the train tickets, pick-up from your accommodation, a guide and more. Find out details, read reviews, and reserve your spot, here.
Here are some of the ways you can travel from Thessaloniki to Kalambaka, which is the town located at the foot of Meteora.
Thessaloniki to Meteora by Train: There are multiple choices every day, all with a middle stop. Make your way to New Railway station (Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos) in the center of Thessaloniki and catch the train there. It can take from 2.5 to 3 hours to get from Thessaloniki to Kalambaka and the fare is between €15 and €25.
Thessaloniki to Meteora by Bus: There are no direct buses, but you can switch at Trikala. There are four buses a day going to Kalambaka from Thessaloniki via Trikala. In total, it takes around 3.5 hours and the ticket costs €22.
Tours from Thessaloniki to Meteora: An easy way to visit the monasteries from Thessaloniki is by tour. This way, you won’t have to worry about the logistics of getting there, and you’ll be with a guide so you can learn more about the history of the area.
On this tour, you’ll get to Meteora by train, with tickets, a guide, free time, visits to the monasteries, and water included in the price. Find out more here.
Basically, there are two choices near Meteora: the towns of Kalambaka and Kastraki.
This small town has a variety of accommodations for every budget starting from €35 and going all the way to €100. The fact that it has a train and a bus station makes it very convenient.
There are lots of restaurants and cafes (check out the highly rated Restaurant Meteora) plus it has a very nice natural history and mushroom museum if you have the time. Click here to find the museum on the map. Meteora is around ten minutes from the city center either by taxi or public bus.
For accommodation in Kalambaka, you can’t beat the views of Meteora at Hotel Doupiani House! This highly-rated accommodation is just steps from the Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas. Click here to learn more and book your stay. Or, click here to compare costs and read reviews of the best guesthouses, hotels and accommodations in Kalambaka.
This scenic village is located on the foot of two monumental rocks. It has an ideal location if you want to hike Meteora since most of the trails start just outside the village. With a population of just 1,500 people, this is a peaceful place to stay.
Kastraki Village has several options for sleeping and restaurants to choose from. The cost for a twin room fluctuates between €40 and €100.
Last time I visited Meteora, I stayed in Pyrgos Adrachti – a small hotel next to Adrachti Boulder with a breathtaking view from the north side.
As for food, you can’t go wrong with most of the local taverns. The cuisine is amazing and the ingredients are as fresh as in the rest of Greece. Prices are fair considering the proximity to such a hot touristic site.
Click here to compare costs and read reviews of the best guesthouses, hotels and accommodations in Kastraki Village.
Let me say in advance that it’s difficult to visit all monasteries in a single day. If you really want to explore Meteora, you have to spend at least two days there.
Other than hiking solo or in groups organized by the local guides, you can tour around the monasteries in a rental car, a taxi, or the public bus that starts every two hours from Kalambaka.
As well as the classic monastery tours, there are some guides providing sunset tours to great viewpoints as well as more extreme hiking and rock climbing tours with a via cordata (a rope that you are attached to with a harness).
Have a look at this sunset trip out of Kalambaka, or this fun morning hiking trip. For a highly-rated, affordable, half-day sightseeing tour (with a pick-up from either Kalambaka or Kastraki), click here.
At the peak of the 16th century, there were 24 monasteries, today only six monasteries are open, while the rest are in ruins. Each of these monasteries has a €3 entrance fee. Kids under 12 are free. Opening times can change so always check online before visiting.
When you are visiting the Meteora monasteries bear in mind that there are rules about clothing, mostly for women who have to wear long skirts in order to get in. In any case, there are special clothes at the gates that they give you to put on top of your current clothing, in case your skirt or dress is on the “short” side.
Inside, you’re only allowed to visit certain sections of the monasteries and the monks are isolated in quarters where entrance is not allowed.
The monastery that gave its name to the whole area is also known as the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of Christ. It’s the biggest and the most important in Meteora.
Its construction in the 14th century is considered a turning point and initiated a new era of monasticism in the area.
It sits on top of a huge rock called “Platis lithos” which means broad rock in Greek. Its library is one of the greatest of its kind and has the most extensive collection of codices and old books in Meteora.
The Great Meteoron Monastery also has a museum dedicated to the modern history and struggles of Greece from the revolution of 1821 against the Ottoman Empire until WWII. The original fully equipped kitchen and the cellar with the 12.000-litre wine barrel are of great interest.
Opening Hours:
This monastery has taken its name from hermit Varlaam who climbed its mighty pillar back in 1350. There, he built a small cell to sleep along with three chapels.
After his death, the place remained deserted for almost two hundred years until two brothers from the city of Ioannina renovated the chapels and started building the monastery back in 1518.
Access to the top was notoriously difficult as the wooden ladders that led there were quite dangerous. Later on, they were replaced by a net which was pulled to the top with a rope. Eventually, stairs were carved into the rock which allowed easy and safe access.
Don’t miss the 16th-century oak barrel which was used for water storage and the museum with religious paintings.
Opening Hours:
This nunnery has distinctive tiled roofs and crimson-colored domes that make a strong contrast against the Greek blue sky. It features a rich collection of codices and is easily accessible by crossing a small bridge, rather than hiking up rock-cut steps.
It’s also the closest monastery to the city of Kalambaka as the crow flies. This convent offers incredible views of the city, the valley of Thessaly, and the Pindos mountain range.
Opening Hours:
From the easiest Meteora monastery to reach to the most difficult.
The Holy Trinity Monastery sits on a very steep boulder and has the most difficult access, but if you make the effort to reach the top, you’ll be rewarded with amazing panoramic views. You’ll get some incredible photos here.
Visitors must climb 140 steps in order to get to its door at the top. No wonder it took monks almost 70 years to complete its construction.
Opening Hours:
This multilevel monastery is the first one you’ll see after Kastraki on the way to Meteora. It’s very small and doesn’t have a yard but what it has is the most amazing frescoes of all the monasteries in Meteora.
They were painted by the hand of the Cretan artist Theophanes Bathas Strelitzas who was a prominent painter of the Cretan school to which Domenikos Theotokopoulos (known as El Greko) also belonged.
Opening Hours:
The second monastery you will encounter coming from Kastraki sits on the most impressive pillar of all. Surrounded by many other boulders of this “stone forest”, it’s the centerpiece of this dreamy landscape.
Although at a fairly low elevation, it was still difficult for Monks to make the trek to the top. Eventually, a net was installed which still took 30 minutes to get them up there.
In my opinion, the Roussanou Monastery is one of the most beautiful monasteries to photograph during sunset. There’s also a pathway leading from the monastery, check it out!
Opening Hours:
Saint Antonios, Saint Nikolaos Pantovas, and Ipapanti are three impressive monasteries hidden inside huge rock cavities. They don’t have monks anymore and are more difficult to access but if you want to see something exceptional even by Meteora standards, they are amazing.
There are also a number of sketes which you can see here and they’re in cavities on the rock faces. These are easily recognizable from the narrow wooden balconies and ladders that are perched there.
The first hermits arrived in Meteora at the end of the 10th century and created the first sketes (small monastic communities). These people wanted to live in complete isolation and the inaccessibility of the area provided just that.
They lived and slept in caverns and rock fissures and their only occupation was praying for the salvation of themselves and the world.
The only time the hermits left their sketes was once a week. Every Sunday, they’d hike to the small temple they had built on the south side of Doupiani Rock to have a mass together and speak about the problems of the community. That was also the only time in the week that they had a properly cooked meal.
This routine went on for more than 3 centuries until a monk named Athanasios built the first monastery on top of a boulder called the “Broad Rock” and named it Great Meteoro.
More Meteora monasteries were built after that and eventually, they reached a total of 24 when monasticism (monkhood) in Meteora was at its peak during the 16th century.
The logistics needed for all of this construction were a nightmare, but if the monks had something in abundance, it was time.
Carrying materials and building up on the rocky pillars was a treacherous business but they managed to overcome many difficulties by wedging beams on the rock walls and constructing scaffolds.
Much later, they replaced the scaffolding with nets and baskets that they pulled to the top with a rope. A much better solution, but still not entirely safe.
At the beginning of the 20th century, many monasteries here had stairs carved in the rock which made the access much easier. It was this that opened Meteora monasteries to the outside world and allowed the first visitors to arrive.
Among them, the famous Swiss traveler and photographer Frederic Boissonnas visited Meteora in 1930 and made its existence known to the rest of the world with his iconic shots.
Later in 1981, the James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only” with Roger Moore would feature the Holy Trinity monastery as a shooting location and bring Meteora into the spotlight with some impressive action scenes.
☞ Planning to travel to other areas of Greece? Make sure to check out our articles for some travel inspiration: Things To Do in Ios, Best Beaches in Greece, Things To Do in Corfu, a Travel Guide to Lesvos Greece, a Travel Guide to Chios Greece, a Travel Guide to Kefalonia Greece, Weather in Greece (when is the best time to visit?) and Things To Do in Zakynthos.
People from all over the world gather in this relatively small area of the Thessaly Plain to visit Meteora monasteries and admire the breathtaking landscapes around them.
Meteora is one of the most visited places in Greece but fortunately, it’s remained relatively untouched by the tourism growth. On the other hand, the nearby towns of Kalambaka and Kastraki village have grown significantly in the last century since they serve as a base for the majority of visitors to the Meteora monasteries.
Meteora is also a famous rock climbing site in Greece and one of the most recognized in Europe. Climbing any of the 6 monastery boulders is not allowed but there are a hundred more in the vicinity. The local climbers offer tours suitable for everyone, from first-timers to experts. Click here for a highly rated rock climbing tour.
Another activity that thrives here is photography. Needless to say that the terrain offers endless angles on the striking landscapes. With monasteries teetering at the top of massive limestone rocks, your images are sure to be impressive.
Phones can do a pretty good job of taking photos nowadays, but a proper camera on a tripod can really shine out there – or better yet, a drone.
During my last visit, I shot some of my most popular photographs (you can have a look here). My only advice is that you should wait for the sunset when the last light hits the monasteries giving the rocks a golden glow and helping their texture to be highlighted. The same goes for sunrise if you don’t mind the early wake-up.
The snow in winter and early morning mists can make the same shot look entirely different. Because of this, most photographers go back, again and again, to shoot the Meteora monasteries throughout the year.
Meteora monasteries are living relics that have remained untouched by time for more than 500 years. Unlike museums and other historical sites, in Meteora, you have the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the history of a place that has managed to keep modern life outside its boundaries.
Meteora has protected the monastic way of life that these people have chosen to follow for more than a thousand years.
Inside the Great Meteoron Monastery is a bone chamber filled with the skulls of all monks that lived and died there. When you see them, you realize how these people were (and still are) an inseparable piece of this stone forest, a place that provided them security and allowed them to live their silent lives having found God in this desolate, beautiful place.
The post Visiting Meteora Monasteries: Travel Guide To Greece’s Mythical Landscape appeared first on Goats On The Road.
]]>In Lazio, two hours north of Rome, I followed signs to “the town that is dying.” I walked across the footbridge to Civita di Bagnoregio, a striking medieval hill town that sits atop a volcanic pedestal in the middle of a valley, much of the town cleaved away over time from successive earthquakes and landslides. The Etruscans built their settlement on this mesa to get away from malaria down in the riverine valley, but they chose a doomed column of porous, volcanic tufa.
Ever since a devastating earthquake in 1695, Civita has been in decline, shrinking from about 3,000 inhabitants to a recent full-time population that has drifted between six and ten, depending on the year and the season. As research for a novel set in a dwindling Italian town, I was visiting half a dozen settlements in varying states of abandonment from Abruzzo to the Alps. I’d come to Civita to interview some of its residents and to stay in a medieval house that overlooked the valley.
As soon as I walked through the Etruscan archway and into the piazza, I knew Civita would become the model for my fictional town of Valetto. There was a centuries-old church with an imposing campanile, a row of ivy-covered stone houses with potted geraniums on their windowsills and stairs, and an impressive colony of meandering or sleeping stray cats.
There was also a three-story building facade at the edge of the mesa, its rooms erased by some distant seismic event and its window openings looking out onto dead air, the canyons and badlands of the valley hundreds of feet below. On a clean page of my notebook, I wrote “Civita offers an excellent view of oblivion.”
*
For a country of 60 million people that would easily fit within the state of California, Italy punches well above her weight when it comes to vanishing places. There are more than 2,500 towns and villages—about a third of all small settlements—that are considered “perilously depopulated.” The Guardian estimates that more than two million houses are sitting empty across Italy.
Like the ghost towns of the American West, many of these dwindling places are on the wrong side of history. The promise of jobs and a more prosperous life has been luring Italians away from their ancestral villages to urban areas—both within Italy and abroad—for at least a century. But many of these places are also on the wrong side of geology. Much of the Italian peninsula is seismically active and major earthquakes have caused the abandonment of dozens of towns and villages. Almost two hundred years after the earthquake that devastated Civita di Bagnoregio, another big one hit in Liguria, causing the residents of two vibrant towns—Balestrino and Bussana Vecchia—to eventually abandon their homes.
*
I traveled to Italy not only to understand abandonment as a social and historical force but also to understand the people who stay behind in places that have been “cast aside.” The day before I arrived in Civita di Bagnoregio, one of the locals had fallen off the side of the unstable mesa while pruning his garden and had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.
What makes a person so loyal to the ground beneath his feet that leaving ceases to be an option? For 25 years, Giuseppe Spagnuolo has been the sole inhabitant of Roscigno Vecchia, a hamlet located 1,300 feet up a mountain in Campania. There were just five people living in the alpine town of Ostana, in Piedmont, until 2016, when a miracle happened: the town’s first birth in 28 years. Today, there are about 80 people who’ve returned to the town or newly settled there.
*
The word abandon carries with it a sense of weight and history. It can mean to leave without intending to return, to give up control or influence, to withdraw in the face of danger (abandon ship), to withdraw protection, support or help, or to give oneself over unrestrainedly. It can also mean to cease maintaining a practice, like abandoning a native language. The word came into English usage some time in the fourteenth century from the Old French abandoner, which originally implied “to bring under control,” and later “to surrender to.” The sense of abandon as desertion—to forsake someone or something—entered English in the early 1800s. And it’s this newer usage that is now the most prevalent. It puts the emphasis on who or what was left behind and the cruel indifference of the leaving.
I’d also traveled to Italy, it seems to me now, to understand the idea of being forsaken and the weight of emotional abandonment. The narrator of my novel, a social historian on a similar mission, has returned to the vanishing town in Umbria where he spent his childhood summers and where his elderly grandmother and aunts still live. As I tried to understand my narrator’s motivations and emotions, I found myself reflecting on my own life, both as one who’s been left behind and as one who’s done the leaving. Emotional desertion, like its physical counterpart, often divides people’s lives into two—there is the beforetime and the aftermath. And every once in a while, as with the alpine town of Ostana, there is also a return.
*
Our abandonment began in 1980, the year I turned nine. I say “our” because it happened as much to my mother, who technically did the leaving, as it did to her children. Although she’d left my father and their unhappy marriage in 1978, that was not her real vanishing act. After she moved to Sydney from the Blue Mountains, she got a job as a secretary and rented the top-story of a converted house in Manly, big enough for all four of her children.
In those early days of our new life together, I remember her as exuberant and hopeful. She got a perm with blonde highlights, lit candles at night, and played the vinyl anthems of her newfound freedom—Neil Diamond, ELO, Carol King, and Barbara Streisand. Some nights, after she came home exhausted from work, we helped her make pizzas with Lebanese flatbread, spaghetti sauce, and grated cheese, and we spread a blanket on the living room floor to have a picnic. She was 37 that year and dating for the first time since the early 1960s. There was Jack, who wore tank tops and drove a sports car, Michael who entered rooms on a cloud of Aramis aftershave, and Byron, who sported a Van Dyke beard and nautical, cable-knit sweaters.
The upswing of this new life flattened out one August morning. My mother complained of a migraine but nonetheless took the ferry into the city for work, where she collapsed some hours later in a corporate high-rise bathroom. A female colleague found her unconscious on the bathroom floor and my mother was rushed to the hospital for emergency brain surgery. She’d had a stroke, the result of a kinked blood vessel in her brain that had been waiting to breach its banks for decades. After weeks in intensive care, and another month in the hospital, she was moved to a residential rehab center, where she spent months trying to recover her short-term memory and pull on the thread of her previous life.
As a novelist, I have a heightened fear of sentimentality and melodrama. I would never, for example, write about a mother of four, not yet settled into middle age, who suffers a stroke only to discover that her rental house has burned to the ground while she’s in recovery. What little remains of her material claim on the world is destroyed, including most of the family photos and all of her clothing, jewelry, furniture, and kitchenware.
In fiction, a narrative choice like “fire-after-stroke” makes the reader suspicious that their sympathies are being overburdened. Even in real life, where all this unfolded, I’ve routinely withheld the fire when I tell someone about the stroke for fear that it tips the conversation into maudlin territory. And I certainly don’t tell them that the fire started in the apartment directly below my bedroom, in a room where paint was being stored by the downstairs tenant, and that if I hadn’t been troubled by a bad dream and gotten into bed with my father, who had come to live with us, even though he frowned upon such things, that I might not have been alive to tell the story in the first place. In art, we edit the narrative details to maintain credibility. In life, the universe never doubts its own veracity.
By the time my mother returned to live in the new house that my father had rented for us after the fire—less than six months after her stroke—there was no sign of the original Frances Smith. Not only because she’d gained a lot of weight and now took lithium for depression, but also because she couldn’t remember how to navigate the simplest of tasks. Most days, she sat in the living room with the blinds drawn watching television from morning until night. If she ventured out at all in those early months, she had to write her name, address, and phone number on a piece of paper and pin it to her clothes.
We all lived on the tide of her inertia and the house quickly fell to ruin, the dishes piling in the sink and the garage full of garbage bags of smoke-laced items rescued from the fire. My three sisters and I all shared a silent pact that no one could be invited into the house on Brighton Street, a perfectly ordinary red brick house in a middle-class Sydney suburb. If we’d been abandoned, then it was surely in the fourteenth-century sense of the word—we’d been brought under the control of something infinitely more powerful than we were. But as a ten-year-old in 1981, despite all reason, I couldn’t help feeling that my mother had just walked out on us and left us in the custody of a vacant-eyed, feckless stranger.
*
We think abandonment is about walking away and never looking back, but in Italy there are many places that are abandoned in plain sight. Instead of remote valleys or mountains, these towns and villages are often visible through the windows of the people who’ve left. When Tocco Caudio, a village in the province of Benevento, was abandoned after a series of earthquakes in the 1980s, the townspeople resettled at a slightly higher elevation, just a few hundred meters away, in a town called Friuni.
And the now-empty town of Balestrino, about 40 miles from Genoa, sits behind a chain-link fence, effectively condemned, presiding over the newer settlement of Balestrino further down the mountain. After the big earthquake of 1887, a run of landslides made the original town untenable and eventually, in 1953, the 400 people who remained were evacuated to the new town to start over. On the day I visited both Balestrinos, an elderly woman from the new town was walking her fox terrier up by the old town, doing a sort of perimeter check on what had been left behind.
From my online travels, I knew that trespassing tourists had photographed the empty buildings, where newspapers from the 1950s and the occasional piece of furniture still lingered. When I asked her in my faltering Italian if she was from the original town, she looked through the chain link fence and said, “Certo, sono nato lì dentro. È da dove vengo.” Of course, I was born in there. It’s where I’m from.
*
Although Italians are historically prodigious at settling new places, they are also excellent at honoring where and who they’re descended from. On il giorno dei Morti, Italy’s All Souls Day, you can see throngs of families in cemeteries in every corner of the isthmus holding white and gold chrysanthemums and paying their respects to their ancestors. They speak reverently to framed pictures of the departed and many families set an empty place at the table. They buy roasted chestnuts from street vendors and stroll in remembrance of former times.
Some people return to abandoned towns and villages to commune with their family history. Italians, it seems to me, rarely leave things fully behind. There are places in Rome where it’s possible to see the ruins and relics of three successive eras—Etruscan, Roman, Fascist—from a single street corner. Nothing could be less Italian than the suggestion to “walk away and don’t look back.” In fact, looking back seems to be more than half the point of leaving in the first place.
*
We are all, of course, surrounded by people who feel abandoned in plain sight. In the same way we mythologize that abandoned places are sitting in the shadows of some impenetrable valley, we tend to think of the lonely and the deserted as sitting perpetually in darkened rooms or nursing homes, when, in fact, some of them are our neighbors or colleagues.
When I think of the house on Brighton Street, where we all lived in the aura of my mother’s debilitating stroke, I wonder how it’s possible that we didn’t have any meaningful social support. No one dropped in to see how we were doing. Surely there should have been social workers, old friends and acquaintances of my mother’s, follow-ups from the rehab center, or even my father sounding the alarm to the wider world. But somehow we kept the vigil of our secret life.
When my father finally entered the house after a year of picking us up at the front door for weekend outings, he was horrified by what he saw. There was a blitzkrieg of cleaning under his stern direction and the memory of carrying out trash bags full of rotting food and dishware beyond redemption still fills me with shame. Not because I blame us for the squalor, but because it was the moment that our humiliation had finally been brought under the world’s scrutiny.
*
If you ask my adult sisters, they wouldn’t say that I abandoned them when I went to live with my father and stepmother in 1982, the year I turned 11. But abandonment is often more of a feeling than a brute condition and I’ve always felt, quite viscerally, that I walked out on them. After the revelation of how we’d been living with my mother, my father and stepmother decided that they could take one of us in, but not all four.
As the youngest, I was offered the spare bedroom in their small house near Bondi Beach. Why they chose to only put one of us into the lifeboat is a subject for speculation, therapy, or a different essay, but that decision—their offer and my acceptance—changed all of our lives. If my mother’s stroke was the earthquake that triggered the initial abandonment, then my leaving was the landslide that finished the job.
While my sisters were largely left to navigate their teenage years on their own, I began a new life in a suburb of Sydney where I knew no one. I joined the local surf lifesaving club, took up karate, joined the debate club, and became a straight-A student. That first year, I was horribly lonely and took multiple buses, trains, and a ferry to spend weekends with my mother, perhaps paying the penance of the one who walks away.
We watched television together but there was no music in the house anymore. Somehow, Barbara Streisand and Carol King belonged to a vanished era when my mother had a perm and a working short-term memory. The default for our conversations was always her saying, “Stop me if I’ve told you this already…” But I seldom stopped her. That seemed like a very small price to pay.
After my sisters left home and the child support from my father ran out, my mother became increasingly erratic. While her finances dwindled and she struggled to pay the rent, she reserved airline tickets for a trip to Hawaii, or talked about leasing a commercial photocopier to run a desktop publishing business out of the apartment. When she was finally and inevitably served an eviction notice, I took a day off from high school to take her to the hearing.
In the taxi on the way to the courthouse, she told me that she thought she was having a heart attack. So we directed the taxi driver to the ER, where my mother emptied out the contents of her handbag on the seat next to her—yarn, a toilet paper roll, paper sugar packets, chewing gum, a wad of tattered envelopes with official-looking letterheads inside—before putting it all back carefully, announcing that she felt fine, and standing up to leave. I remember that as I followed her outside, I had that sense that nothing in the world could be relied upon. Within a few months, she would find herself homeless, occasionally sleeping on couches of people we didn’t know, while my sisters and I scrambled to find a way to help.
*
I want to say that every abandoned place and person dreams of a comeback. But that’s the sort of aphorism that blurs the edges of the actual thing in the world. The reality, of course, is more nuanced. Some places and people are so accustomed to having been left behind that they can’t summon the will to imagine anything else. In Italy, though, I’ve been struck not only by the sheer variety of comeback schemes for vanishing places, but also by the handful who’ve managed to reverse their bleak trajectory.
Up near the border between Switzerland and Italy, tucked into a steep valley, the town of Viganella has seen a steady decline of residents over the decades, in part because it doesn’t see the sun between November 11 and February 2 each year. To combat the seasonal exodus, the mayor commissioned a local architect to build and install an enormous mirror on one of the peaks above the town. For more than fifteen years, the mirror has reflected six hours of available winter sunlight down into the town square, guided by a software program that helps it follow the sun’s path, giving the residents a welcome reprieve from the darkness.
In Laviano, high in the Apennine hills southeast of Naples, the population thinned so much that the mayor began offering couples 10,000 Euros to have a child and stay in the town. During the pandemic, the medieval village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, in Abruzzo, began offering people grants to move there and work—up to 8,000 Euros a year for three years, and more if they started a business.
The Swedish-Italian millionaire Daniele Kihlgren, who stumbled upon the town on a solo motorcycle tour and then proceeded to buy up its houses, brought the town back from the brink of abandonment. He opened an albergo diffuso, an upscale hotel where you stay in a restored medieval house instead of a traditional hotel room. On the October night I stayed at the hotel, there were just a small handful of other guests. I slept in a medieval house and ate in a cellar restaurant that served locally sourced food on earthenware dishes. If “medieval luxe” is a design aesthetic, then Santo Stefano has it in spades.
But perhaps my favorite comeback story is Bussana Vecchia in Liguria. In the early 1960s, more than half a century after it was abandoned in the aftermath of the 1887 earthquake, Bussana was reclaimed by an international community of artists and hippies. Initially, the newly arrived residents were viewed as squatters by the local municipality and they had no access to electricity, running water, or sanitation. But over time, they’ve managed to achieve official recognition from the local government. Today, you can walk through a thriving artistic oasis among the ruins of the original town. There’s a café run by a Dutch sculptor, a bookshop, art galleries, a leatherwork studio and, improbably, a jazz and blues club dug into an ancient stone cellar.
*
When I think of our own comeback, it reminds me a lot of Tocco Caudio or Balestrino, where the people fled to settle on more stable ground, but within plain sight of the old ruins. My sisters and I all went on to build lives and families of our own. Collectively, if you include our children, there is a novelist, a member of parliament, a Rhodes Scholar, two lawyers, six university graduates, and a Doctor of Philosophy. There is also a history of substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and long-standing hurts and silences.
The only time the four of us siblings have been together in the same room in the last few decades was in the hospital where my father was dying of cancer in 2017. As for my mother, she is somehow still alive, though in a steady decline in a nursing home. In truth, she never really came back from the stroke. It’s one of the great losses of my life. We managed to keep her housed and get her on public assistance, but she only became more erratic over time and often fell in with schemers looking for easy prey.
Over the years, my sisters and I have talked about the houses and apartments where our lives took a turn or where we felt abandoned by the wider world. One day, about five years ago, my oldest sister and I decided to take a driving tour of the old rentals, to see what sort of power they still held over us. We drove across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, into the suburb of Manly, and onto Kangaroo Street, the last known address of the real Frances Smith, the apartment consumed by fire while she was in hospital.
We drove into the suburb of Balgowlah, along Brighton Street, looking for number 5, where we’d lived after my mother’s stroke and where neither of us had been in close to 40 years. There was no trace of either house. In their place were chic, multi-story, modern apartments. We were incredulous but also relieved. We’d spent so many years looking back at these ghost houses that it had somehow never occurred to us that they might have already vanished.
____________________________
Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith is available now via Farrar, Straus and Giroux
]]>Finding time to review all the important skills you teach in Kindergarten is challenging. These Apple Themed Number Clip Cards are perfect for reviewing and remediating numbers, number names, and ten frames with your students!
My students LOVED Number Matching Centers and your students will too! You will love how easy it is to prepare this Easy Prep Apple Themed Number Clip Card Math Center with FOUR Ways to Differentiate Using Numbers, Number Words & Ten Frames for your class. You can dedicate one of your math centers, math workstations, as a number center. You can differentiate it for your different student levels, numbers 1 to 10 for some students and the teen numbers, 11 to 20 for a different group.
FOUR Ways to Differentiate Using Numbers, Number Words & Ten Frames
1. Numbers to Number Words, 1 to 10 and 11 to 20.
2. Number Words to Numbers, 1 to 10 and 11 to 20.
3. Ten Frame to Number Words, 1 to 10.
4. Ten Frame to Numbers, 1 to 10.
When it comes to the ease of prepping this center, all pieces are rectangular and easy for you or a parent volunteer to cut on a paper slicer. No need to cut around eight flower petals, however, the graphics are still adorable and eye catching to hold your students' interest!
This Apple Math Center Includes:
* 20 Highly Engaging Number Clip Cards Matching Numbers to Number Words, with 20 Answer Key Cards Included Too!
* 20 Highly Engaging Number Clip Cards Matching Number Words to Numbers, with 20 Answer Key Cards Included Too!
* 10 Highly Engaging Math Clip Cards Matching Ten Frames to Number Words, with 10 Answer Key Cards Included Too!
* 10 Highly Engaging Math Clip Cards Matching Ten Frames to Numbers, with 10 Answer Key Cards Included Too!
* 4 Different Covers for your center folder, center Ziploc baggie, center tub, or bulletin board at your math center.
* The FOUR covers state:
"Number to Number Words"
"Number Word to Number"
"Ten Frame to Number Word"
"Ten Frame to Number"
This center is easy to prep and also terrific for an Emergency Substitute Folder, a Sub Tub, or an Absent Teacher Binder!
To Recap - This Apple Themed Clip Cards Math Center Includes:
* 6 pages for Numbers to Number Words Matching
* 5 pages for Number Words to Numbers Matching
* 3 pages for Ten Frames to Number Words Matching
* 3 pages for Ten Frames to Numbers Matching
* 6 pages for the Answer Key to Numbers to Number Words Matching
* 5 pages for the Answer Key to Number Words to Numbers Matching
* 3 pages for the Answer Key to Ten Frames to Number Words Matching
* 3 pages for the Answer Key to Ten Frames to Numbers Matching
Oh my stars! There are so many things on sale, save up to 60% off! This sale at Jane is going to make your day sparkle! See the days you can earn extra dollars too!
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I can’t even believe June is here. And before you know it we’ll be celebrating Father’s Day and then the 4th of July! Take advantage of this big sale to grab some savings on things you need! Plus don’t miss out on the bonus sales days! See details later in the post.
What are you looking forward to celebrating this summer?
The post Hot Buys For Summer – Patriotic Styles & Decor! appeared first on Dear Creatives.
]]>It was an incredible weekend from start to finish as our family made our way to Roanoke, Virginia for Ryan’s big race. His third Half IronMan doubled as an excuse to spend more time with one of my best friends and her husband as both of our husbands participated in the 70.3-mile race which only made it all the better. I’m dying to share more about it on the blog today so let’s dive in!
Our race weekend felt like it officially began on Friday when our boys participated in their first IronKids races! I’d never heard of IronKids races until Ryan told me about them a couple of years ago when he registered for his first Half IronMan. We’ve had our eye on these races ever since but they don’t take place at all IronMan events and many were canceled due to COVID. It was awesome to finally have the chance to register the boys for their own races and they were all seriously thrilled to be able to participate! They got to pick up race packets at a registration tent, safety-pin bibs onto their t-shirts (with real numbers and everything!), receive medals at the finish line and feel like the “real deal like Dad” which was so, so cool.
The IronKid races began around 6 p.m. on Friday evening with a Diaper Dash race for the littlest athletes. Rhett and my friend Merri’s son Jackson were registered for the Tot Trot, a 100-yard dash that took place immediately following the Diaper Dash.
The Tot Trot could not have been cuter and had toddlers taking off in groups of three as they ran, walked or toddled their way toward the finish line alongside one adult. Rhett and Ryan ran together and Rhett was absolutely beaming during his entire run. He even loved the warm up jog to the starting line (pictured above) and was fully in his element in this race (pictured below)!
He was hammin’ it up big time out there and it was so darn adorable.
Ryder and Chase’s race took place right after the Tot Trot and they were both registered for the 1/2 mile run. The run took place around a huge field and while both boys were beyond psyched to participate, Ryan and I secretly wondered how Ryder might handle it as one of the younger runners on the course. The big kids have been “training” with Ryan a couple of weekends in a row so they were familiar with how long a 1/2 mile feels but I know the pressure of a race can make different emotions bubble up, even if we assured the boys trying their best and enjoying the race was all that mattered.
About 45 minutes after the first IronKids race, the 1/2 mile race began and Chase and Ryder took off together.
Chase quickly began pulling ahead and Rhett and made a beeline for the finish line to see the boys as they finished while Ryan ran toward the middle of the course so he could keep an eye on Ryder. I was shocked when not long after the race began I saw Chase round the bend and fly toward the finish line in third place!
No awards are given for IronKid races and all participants receive a medal which I think is wonderful because I have to believe this race was the first time many of the kids were exposed to racing. Chase seemed really proud of himself for trying his best out there! As his mom, what I loved most was seeing the smile on his face as he ran. Watching him change course a bit to run through the bubbles spectators were blowing at the finish was pure proof of how much fun he was having during his first “real” race. Why did watching him make me cry!? After the race Chase said he wanted to frame his medal so he can look back on this race when he’s a grown up and remember his first race. My heart.
And then there was Ryder. Cue the tears again!
My sweet little four-year-old worked SO hard out there. He ran the whole 1/2 mile which was his goal and his face absolutely lit up when he spotted us at the finish as he rounded the bend and we screamed and cheered.
He was so, so proud of the fact that he didn’t walk once and said he “jogged a lot and then really ran at the very end.”
I swear you can just feel the pride inside him when you look at the above photos.
I told all the boys they made mom cry “happy tears” because it was so special to watch them try their best while enjoying something so much.
They also thoroughly enjoyed the free cups of Kona Ice for all race finishers once they were done!
Now for the main event!! Ryan signed up for Virginia’s Blue Ridge 70.3-mile race, his third Half IronMan, at the urging of my friend Merri’s husband, Andrew. (He’s actually the one who first planted the Half IronMan seed in the back of Ryan’s mind during their visit to our house a few years ago!) It took zero convincing for me and the boys to join Ryan for this race because I honestly love spectating (I get chills every time) and we planned to share a house with Merri, Andrew and their one-year-old son, Jackson. Sharing the experience of a weekend away that centered around such a cool event with friends was wonderful.
The previous two Half IronMan races Ryan completed were both in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina which is a much, much flatter course and therefore much easier. (You may read these race recaps here if you’re interested: Ryan’s First Half IronMan + Ryan’s Second Half IronMan + Half IronMan Relay) Ryan and Andrew knew this course would be a challenge and there was no sugarcoating how hard the hills would be in the 56-mile bike portion of this race.
Merri and I planned to see the guys a few times during the race and brought our boys along for the ride!
(My friend Lindsey made the boys’ t-shirts! I got the idea for them based on a sign I saw years ago when I did one of my half marathons.)
Merri was an awesome navigator while I drove all of us in my car and despite multiple road closures, she somehow figured out a way to get us to the top of “The Claw,” the pinnacle of the 5-mile climb race participants tackle up the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I’ve actually never seen Ryan mid-bike race because the Wrightsville Beach course is flat and fast and everyone at the race expo told me it was not worth trying to see your biker along the course because they fly by so quickly. A 5-mile climb (followed by a LOT more hills) certainly doesn’t make for super-fast biking so we were determined to see the guys in the middle of the bike. When we saw Ryan coming to the top of the climb we were so excited and cheered our hearts out.
He smiled so big which I took as a good sign since I knew he was a little concerned about the elevation of the bike ride. We saw him right about mile 30 and Ryan said this was a point when he really needed an extra boost on the bike so I’m extra thankful we were able to see him!
Shortly after cheering for Ryan, we saw Andrew riding to the top and cheered for him as well!
(How cute is Jackson looking for his dad!? Also, please note my car with the Double BOB stroller strapped to the bike rack on the back. Why we have never done this before I’ll never know but it worked like a charm!)
With both guys just over halfway done with the bike, we didn’t have much time to drive down the mountain and make our way into Roanoke to park and try to catch them as they ended the bike and began their run.
The IronMan tracker app is incredible and so, so valuable to me as a spectator. That being said, it can stress me the heck out as I get notifications and try to time everything perfectly to make sure we don’t miss Ryan. I had a moment where I was sure we missed the end of this bike and I was so bummed but then I switched to the map portion of the tracker and my hope came back. I told all 3 boys to pile into the double stroller and likely looked insane as I pushed that monstrosity in a full sprint to the bike finish. With less than a minute to spare we saw Ryan and began to cheer like crazy!
It was then that my eyes immediately went to his knee and hands. I saw blood and I’m pretty sure I spent the brief seconds we had with him saying, “Oh my gosh! You’re bleeding! Did you have a crash? Are you okay?” Ryan confirmed he crashed but assured me he was alright as he ran off toward Transition Two.
The boys and I then flew toward the run start and I was relieved to see Ryan emerge from T2 looking strong. He clearly cleaned himself up a bit in T2 and I later learned he crashed around mile 50 going fast around a corner. He was trying to avoid another biker who slowed quickly in front of him and his back tire skidded out behind him. The two police officers who saw him crash told him he fell “miraculously” and Ryan said he felt so, so grateful he wasn’t more injured and that no other bikers crashed, too.
I began tracking Ryan on his run and felt immensely relived when he began turning in solid splits for the first 5K of the half marathon portion of his race.
Ryan blasts the song “I Believe That We Will Win” by Pitbull before the boys’ soccer games to get them hyped so that had to go on his race signs for this race! We chanted this as loud as we could on repeat as Ryan began the run! I wasn’t until after the race when I realized the lyrics of this song were particularly applicable to Ryan during this race.
This particular Half IronMan can be crazy-hot but the weather on Sunday was fantastic for the run portion of the race. It was overcast with a high of 72-degrees and Ryan said it was the best he’s felt during a Half IronMan run.
Ryan ended up finishing in 5:40 (on the dot) and we were so, so proud of him.
After we congratulated him, Ryan took a bag containing a change of clothes, sandals, water and a towel from me and cleaned himself up a bit more which was something he began doing after his second Half IronMan that he said makes him feel so, so much better after a race versus sitting in his gross race clothes for a few hours.
We had about an hour to chill as we waited for Andrew to finish and repeatedly commented on how well all the boys did as spectators for this race. Their ages, ranging from one to seven, can make spectating a long race daunting but we only had a few moments of kid fussiness from the two littlest members of our dude crew around their usual naptimes.
They rallied hard (and Jackson managed a quick stroller nap) and seemed to be entertained fairly well by millions of snacks and an assortment of random crafts and toys I grabbed from the Dollar Store before the trip.
Before we knew it, my tracker app told us Andrew was a half mile or so from the finish so we made our way to the finish line to cheer! He finished looking strong and we were all so proud of our guys for finishing such a challenging race.
I’ve said it before but I’ll never stop saying it: These races are unbelievable and I am truly in awe of the athletes who dedicate so much time and energy into training for such a challenging goal. I’ve long since let go of feeling embarrassed for screaming and cheering my heart out for the athletes as they fly by me during this race because it’s impossible not to feel moved and inspired to yell out encouragement when you witness someone out there killing it and pushing their body to the limit.
And Ryan. I could say a million and one things about the feelings that bubble up as we watch him during these races but they’re a mix of pride, gratitude, amazement and love as I know firsthand the dedication he pours into his training. I also know, firsthand, that his training never comes before his family at the expense of some crazy-early training sessions he sneaks in before most of us in our house are even awake. He’s incredible and much more than a three-time Half Ironman finisher to us.
Ryan is already registered for his next Half IronMan, a race he plans to complete alongside my brother-in-law in the early fall. Ross registered for his first Half IronMan a couple of weeks ago and we’re planning to make it a big family event at the end of September! We’re already looking forward to more of this madness!
The post Ryan’s Third Half IronMan + The Boys’ First IronKids Race appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.
]]>The white, burnished body of St. Sebastian, bound to a tree and riddled with arrows. He was startling to look at: sinewy, tightly coiled, naked save for a loincloth knotted loosely about his waist. His head was thrown back in agony, or his head was thrown back in pleasure; it seemed the ambiguity was the point. In my world he was what passed for a hero in a storybook, a glossy entry in my first book of saints. This was in the early aughts, in Catholic school in the south of Manila. Religion, whether or not one subscribed to it, was the most durable thread in the social fabric. I spent my days professing God’s love but believing in his wrath. I was seven.
Difference, deviation, felt inborn. In the Philippines, where Catholics make up 80 percent of the population, my Protestant family was an anomaly. Protestant — the very word broadcast rebellion. “It’s idolatry to pray to Mary, to pray to the saints,” my father said. “The Bible tells us to pray only to God.” Still, because most schools were Catholic, he permitted a degree of assimilation. I learned about idols and how to worship them, learned canon law and how to pray the rosary. My school was run by the Lasallian Brothers, an order of men who weren’t quite priests but took vows of celibacy and wore habits. We heard Mass every first Friday. Each noon the Angelus would spill out from the campus speakers, and for a minute we all stopped what we were doing, fell silent.
Later in the day, I came home to a tradition most of my classmates had never even heard of. Catholicism was too entrenched in the culture, the scar of three hundred years of Spanish rule. Ours was a newer faith, a legacy of American colonialism introduced to the islands at the end of the nineteenth century. Though my mother was born into a Catholic family, she joined my father’s evangelical church after marrying him. At home, ritual and tangible implements of worship were not so enshrined as the content of scripture. As a corrective to the compromise he made on my education, my father enforced his religion as though it were besieged on all sides. We never missed Sunday service. Every night, my parents, my brother, and I had a Bible study session. Good praxis seemed to entail aesthetic abstinence: my family’s church, where my father was a founding member, had no paintings, no statues, no images. There was only an aluminum cross at the altar, no Christ hanging from it.
And so I craved a rupture in the banality of my world, or as the faithful call it, an apparition from heaven. I wanted to measure the dimensions of the divine, trace its shape, know its color. The book of saints brought me closer. It was a requirement for class — a paperback volume, compact and sturdy, with glossy pages that caught the light when I turned them. Inside was a litany of lives the Catholic Church had deemed holy, a procession of long-dead believers who, through selfless devotion, had distinguished themselves from the rest of the flock. Each saint was accompanied by a full-color image, usually a painting by one of the old masters. They were classed according to how they lived: bishop, virgin, confessor. But it was the martyrs, the saints who were tortured and killed for their Christianity, who captivated me most.
After class the girls played Chinese garter, and the boys played rough, but I was a boy who did not like to play rough. Instead I’d sit alone in a corner of the school gym with my book. Impelled by a macabre curiosity, I’d scan each profile for causes of death: St. Bartholomew, apostle of Christ, flayed. St. Agnes, ancient Roman celibate, beheaded. And taking up a whole page, the Roman soldier St. Sebastian, pure and firm and penetrated.
It was too much, the sight of them, too much for a child to make sense of. In the paintings, most saints were shown in the throes of torture — the hot coals about to melt flesh, the sword about to pierce bone. Yet bloodshed was rendered with restraint, as if in testament to each subject’s impending immortality. A mouth might be screaming in pain, or limbs twisted in recoil, but a martyr would be haloed in light, attended to by angels, flung grandly into the astonishing drama of their own mutilation. There I was, deprived all my life of beauty and then suddenly confronted by its most fearsome iterations. For that was what they were, the martyrs. Beautiful, even at the height of their pain.
I do not mean beauty in the way faces and landscapes are sometimes called beautiful. I am talking about the beauty that overwhelms and devastates, that leaves one haunted. In Greek myth, the mortal Semele bursts into flames upon seeing Zeus in divine form. In the Torah and the Bible, Moses asks to see the face of God but is told that he wouldn’t survive the sight. Looking at the paintings of the martyrs, I felt like I was skirting the edge of some terrible sublime. It was the heady admixture of Thanatos and Eros, the primal urge to steal a glance at the festering wound. To look away would be to abandon my search for the eternal.
St. Sebastian’s ravaged body: still alive, still beautiful. The image in my book was an oil painting by Peter Paul Rubens, completed circa 1618. On the opposite page was a summary of Sebastian’s legend. He was a secret Christian in third-century Rome, when refusal to worship the pagan gods was considered treason. He was a favorite of Emperor Diocletian, who ordered him executed by archers when the truth came out. Rubens imagines him in a convulsion, or in a trance. Whereas other male saints in the book were dressed in religious habits, Sebastian was a nude Greek statue. It was the first time I looked at something and knew I had to look furtively. From then on, looking became something to do on high alert. If you looked at the wrong thing, it could look back, petrify you.
This was before I discovered my desire for men, before the panic and the shame and the intoxicating peril of looking at a body whose beauty rang out like a condemnation. Later I would look at the paintings and see clearly how they constellated my childhood neuroses, gave neat expression to an unarticulated problem. But that came after. Then, there was only a boy with a vague guilt taking root inside him, the dawning conviction of sin, the presentiment of hell.
One had to suffer in the correct way. This was what was left in the end, after one distilled all those school lessons to a caustic reduction. Like a photonegative to the perfect suffering of the martyrs, the book’s inside cover had a sprawling painting of sinners in torment, their faces creased in remorse, their bodies impaled by spikes erupting from the rocky red ground. In this image my formative terrors were born, and I understood what adults meant when they spoke of the fear of the Lord.
“My name is Lorenzo, like Saint Lorenzo Ruiz.” The uniform for boys: a white short-sleeved button-down and trousers the color of gravy. My hair was short and combed flat, cut an inch above the ears. Our full names were stitched to our breast pockets. I shared my name with the first Filipino saint, a missionary who’d traveled to Japan and was executed in 1637 by a shogunate wary of Catholic imperialism. Our teachers liked to tell the story. Saint Lorenzo Ruiz was forced to gulp down water and then had his stomach trampled on by soldiers. He had needles inserted beneath his fingernails. He was hung upside down until his head yielded to the pressure. I imagined this to be a bleak, wet scene. There was no grandiose European painting of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz; the book had only a small colored-pencil sketch of his face. My parents didn’t name me after him, but I thought that making the association clear could mitigate my religious difference.
Except nobody called me Lorenzo. It was my last name spat out like an epithet, or it was bakla, Tagalog for homosexual. I did not think I was, but everyone had decided so. My father called my voice “malambot” — soft, frail, feminine. I drew women in big, diaphanous dresses; it embarrassed him. At school, my classmates made fun of my mannerisms, ganged up on me and jeered, sometimes hit me. Most of my friends were girls. There was one boy I befriended — people said we were the same, but the two of us never talked about it. He wanted to be a priest when he grew up. I was a Protestant and could not share that dream with him.
I didn’t tell my parents about the bullying; my father would only blame my behavior. I endured everything silently, never fought back. Turn the other cheek — that is what Jesus and the martyrs did. Their persecution formed an idiom for otherness I could take refuge in. The alternative was to probe the mystery of my difference, look closer, surrender to the grave thought that my ostracism was biblically warranted.
“Lorenzo.” My pastor’s clean, rubbery face was backlit by white. The microphone in his hand was tilted toward me. “Who is your favorite character in the Bible?” I was a finalist in our church’s Sunday school quiz bee. It was between me and his daughter, and we were being interviewed before the last round. “Job,” I said, “because he had great faith in God.” I saw the congregation nodding all around me, my parents beaming. I’d been fascinated by that narrative ever since I’d first heard it. Satan approaches God with a proposition: he will test the world’s most righteous man and see if his virtue is steadfast. God agrees, and Satan strikes down Job’s children, kills his livestock, and infects him with painful boils. Job laments his misfortune but never curses God, who in the end restores him. It was a book that offered no apologies.
My mother told me about the Rapture. She was reading the Left Behind books, a series of Christian apocalypse novels, and I became convinced I wouldn’t be among the elect. During this time I’d imagine spots of dirt appearing on my hands and arms, marks of the devil out to get me, and in my mind’s eye I’d superimpose on the spots the face of Christ, will the curse away, purge myself. I anticipated the day I would wake up in an empty home. I imagined the kinds of torture I’d endure eternally, once Judgment Day came and passed and death ceased to be the terminus of pain.
This guilt was strange because its root was so obscured. My homosexuality was barely nascent, a present but formless punctuation mark in a life predating language. I did not comprehend it and therefore couldn’t name it as sin. Yet I carried its weight around my neck, was reminded of it in solitude or in conversation. Later in life I would read Simone Weil and understand what she meant when she spoke of malheur. The word is translated as affliction, though this is an imperfect analogue. Malheur is much graver than affliction; it “makes God appear to be absent for a time. . . . A kind of horror submerges the whole soul.” She describes it as “an uprooting of life, a more or less attenuated equivalent of death, made irresistibly present to the soul by the attack or immediate apprehension of physical pain.”
The fear of pain, according to Weil, can be so psychologically rending as to plummet one into this frame of mind. For what truly defines malheur isn’t corporal sensation but a sense of doom. A consciousness keyed to this pitch is corrosive. It makes a wreck of a saint. “Evil dwells in the heart of the criminal without being felt there,” Weil writes. “It is felt in the heart of the man who is afflicted and innocent.” Yet she doesn’t consider the martyrs to have been afflicted. They understood why they were being sent to the executioner; they saw clearly the cause of their pain. Malheur, instead, is what was felt by Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane or Job at the nadir of his suffering: a disturbed, confounded helplessness, the soul of an innocent suddenly and inexplicably invested with the world’s malignance.
Weil’s own identity was a contradiction — a Catholic Jew. Her Jewishness, her ancestry, stood at odds with her chosen faith, though she distanced herself from the Catholic establishment and refused to be baptized. She was a thinker well attuned to her particular strangeness. Her sentences pulse with a rebellious devotion. One imagines her in the men’s clothes she often wore, a queered prophet. She felt the pain of others like a tremor: as a child she fasted in solidarity with oppressed workers; later she would starve herself to death in solidarity with citizens of Nazi-occupied France. Suffering was her form of worship, the purest way of attaining knowledge. I recognized her obsession with self-flagellation. She did not need to explain further.
In those days as a boy with my book of saints, the dirty feeling did not seem entirely unconventional. Around me penance was a national obsession. People filled confessionals, inched their way up the beads of rosaries like these were ropes back to heaven. In Pangasinan, a province north of Manila, fanatics flogged and crucified themselves during the Holy Week, a practice the Vatican discouraged. I recall watching on the news one of these rituals, transfixed. “They don’t know they’re already saved,” my father said behind me. We did not believe in confession. We confessed straight to God, named each of our sins in prayer, and got forgiveness in exchange. That was supposed to be the clean beauty of it. My fatal flaw was that I lacked the temperament for moral diplomacy. I wanted the animal laid out on the table for slaughter.
I looked at Saint Agatha in the book of saints, a third-century Sicilian who pledged her virginity to Christ and, when she rejected the hand of a Roman prefect, was sentenced to have her breasts removed with pincers. I was astounded by her power, by the notion of a woman disowning her cultural role. Her refusal to marry, I imagined, belied an irremediable distaste for men. The painting in the book was by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. A handmaiden covers her chest with a bloodied garment. An attendant carries her breasts on a platter. And Saint Agatha looks upward with trembling lips to a halo encircling her head — she is blessed, she is beatified. “The false God changes suffering into violence,” Weil claims. “The true God changes violence into suffering.” In my world, pain was carved up into these two dominions, and you wanted to be a sufferer worthy of grace.
Worthy meaning beautiful. Painted as they were in such an ornate style, the martyrs were wonders of physicality, fluent speakers of the same wordless dialect. All billows of cloth and precious poise, poise I found familiar. Like Saint Sebastian’s mouth, which was always open, delicate, an oyster slick with the sea. His neck turned softly to the side, the limpness in his clavicle like limpness in a wrist. I had never known a man to glory in submission. Dimly I apprehended in him the queerness in my carriage. He drove a wedge into my received worldview; to look at him was to court epistemic collapse.
It surprises many that Sebastian did not, in fact, die by the arrows. According to the legend, he was found, nursed back to health, and then returned to confront Diocletian, who finally had him clubbed to death. The image of his first torture has eclipsed this ending, and Sebastian’s unlikely survival of it made him a popular saint to invoke against the plague in the Middle Ages. In the succeeding centuries, however, his effect has often been more seductive than curative. There is another painting of the martyr, finished in 1525 by the Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. Here the arrows tear through Sebastian’s neck, thigh, and side, jagged disruptions to the graceful arc his body makes. A palpable eroticism pervades the painting — his loincloth is translucent, the smooth sheen of his face crowns a toned soldier’s body. It’s an eroticism aware of itself, confident in its brazenness. Bazzi was widely known as Il Sodoma, a nod to his reputation as a sodomite. The biographer Giorgio Vasari writes that he embraced the epithet: “In this name, far from taking umbrage or offense, he used to glory, writing about it songs and verses in terza rima.”
More than three hundred years later, the English poet John Addington Symonds saw this painting on a trip to Florence. “This is a truly demonic picture in the fascination it exercises and the memory it leaves upon the mind,” he wrote of the artwork’s transgressive force, a piece of pornography smuggled onto the altar. Symonds would have known that arousal is involuntary; Victorian constraints did not keep him from having sex with men. Desire is dictatorial, locking the imagination in a stranglehold. The entire eye is consumed by its ghost image. It does not leave.
A corollary: there are encounters that determine the course of a life. Three years after Symonds published this piece of writing, a young Oscar Wilde took a trip to Genoa and was enchanted by a different Sebastian. It was the one finished circa 1615 by Guido Reni, another homosexual, and shows a more muscular version of the saint with his hands tied above his head. Pain here appears merely as a shadow. Reni barely bothers to depict blood: desultory streaks of red, almost invisible, can be seen on the arrows, which look more like playthings. Later, Wilde would describe a cape worn by Dorian Gray, as an “ecclesiastical vestment” that is “starred with medallions of many saints and martyrs, among whom was St. Sebastian.” After Wilde served a sentence in England for sodomy, coded then as “gross indecency,” he moved to Paris and became obsessed with reentering the Catholic Church. Often, when signing his name, he would identify himself by the alias Sebastian Melmoth. He died three years later, destitute and depressed.
Time changes, images flatten, a sensibility persists. The same Reni painting Wilde loved becomes a focal point in Yukio Mishima’s 1949 autobiographical novel, Confessions of a Mask, wherein the male narrator masturbates to an art book reproduction. Tennessee Williams’s 1958 play Suddenly Last Summer features a tragic hero named Sebastian Venable, a homosexual damned to a morbid death. And in the early aughts, in the south of Manila, I see Sebastian in my book of saints and am sealed into a tacit genealogy. A figure created and recreated by queer men, malleable enough to serve a series of assorted functions: allegory, idol, avatar. But always that nebulous fatalism, the desire branded by the memory of punishment. There were times in those days when I wondered if it would always be there, that dark cloud, and if I’d ever be absolved of it.
When I was fourteen, I found that men became difficult to look at, their bodies more real and more forbidden than any saint in heaven. Homosexuality in our church was spoken of as a perversion, a social cancer. One of my classmates joked that anyone who touched me would turn gay. There was a religion teacher I liked; one time in class she went off on a tangent and said she didn’t think gay people were sinners. When she disappeared, there were whispers that the school had fired her for being involved with another woman in the faculty.
By this time, the book of saints was no longer required for class. My mother put it in a box in the attic, and I never saw it again. Still, the images flickered in my mind. I tried to want women, to no avail. My sexuality felt like some arbitrary curse, a bargain struck between God and the devil. Each time I masturbated, I told myself I was letting the sin out — there would be nothing left. Alone in bed, I’d pray for the feeling to pass. My body terrified me. I watched it from the outside like a castaway.
We get the word passion from the Latin pati, to endure. In the late Middle Ages, it became shorthand for Christ’s protracted torture and crucifixion, as in the passion of Christ. During the Renaissance, the word was extended to the martyrs, cementing the notion of a moral ideal predicated on suffering. In today’s vernacular, it’s been largely stripped of its religious connotations, cheapened by offhand use. Yet the truth remains that every transgressive pleasure, illicit and shame-laden, contains an echo of that original pang. The word that changed faces in the night — I felt myself at the nexus of its every resonance.
In 2009, I attended for the first time my church’s youth camp, a summer retreat where all the teenagers went up into the mountains south of Manila. Most of the boys were older than me, headed off to college or already in it, and in our dormitory, they’d discard the formalities of city life and lounge around with their shirts off, unaware of the power in their taut arms, their firm chests. The boy I liked best was tall and sculpted. When he smiled, the skin under his eyes puffed. He treated me like a child, which frustrated me, but he was also amused, I think, by how little I knew of the world. His parents had given him a Hebrew name that meant God has seen.
I did not know what to do with myself, did not know how to stymie the sweet twist in my stomach every time I snuck a glimpse of him. Up in the mountains the air was cooler, the terrain mysterious, our families far away. For breakfast we’d have tocino and tuyo with rice and fried eggs, maybe some Milo in Styrofoam cups. We would sing and pray; we would hike through the tamed wilderness of the camp and balance ourselves on bamboo bridges. One afternoon I was swaying in a hammock, and slowly I realized he was there behind me, rocking it gently. Our conversations were stilted; in my head I salvaged every line. When he injured a foot while running, it was my turn to care for him. He leaned on me until it got better. No boy I liked had ever displayed such warmth. He existed in those few short days as the distortion that gives the lie to the mirage, leads the way out of it. My shepherd boy. I would follow him at a remove if it meant I could see his back.
The mountains in scripture are a liminal space, a tier of creation in which the boundary between God and animal becomes porous. In this rarified air, the clamor of the world is pared to a pin drop. The truth is made simple and plain; one penetrates into the fiber of it. Seven years after the beginning of the fever, I stood in solace with my friend, and beauty did not seem so threatening. He gestured for me to approach, and each survival mechanism went flat; I approached. In that moment the body ceased to be a guarantor of damnation. It did not matter that he meant more to me than I ever would to him. It was enough to be two creatures in congress, the world’s activity frozen as in a still life.
In the Book of Genesis, Abraham’s wayward grandson Jacob is visited by a stranger at his campsite. The man wrestles him until daybreak, and when he touches his hip, his thigh becomes dislocated. As Jacob lies defeated, the man gets up to depart, and Jacob asks for his blessing. The stranger concedes and gives Jacob a new name: Israel. “I have seen God face to face,” Israel says as he limps into the morning, “and my life is preserved.”
I remember how the camp at the end was just as silent as it had been when we’d arrived, how things appeared as though they’d never been disturbed. As the bus descended, our faces became sticky with sweat. The odors of the city were reintroduced to us. And somehow I knew it was here — the end of friendship. To carry on in Manila would have been like repeating a question that had already been asked: its timbre had been altered, so it could not be earnest anymore. In church we would lock eyes from time to time; he would smile, his eyes puffing, and I would nod back, then sweep across the faces in the congregation, halting at the aluminum cross from which a body had absented itself. I did not love him — I loved what he had made of me.
I stopped praying for transformation. I came out to friends, began to leave shame behind. But as a cut asks to be sutured, I felt a yearning for familiar palliatives. The book of saints was gone; I sought a cult of images to replace it. Often, idols are not demolished so much as they are subsumed into new bodies. I looked for figures of beauty that appealed to my taste for the tragic, allowed me to identify with their spectacular plight. Since I lived in a country once purchased for $20 million by the United States, those figures came to me through American media, which was ubiquitous in the islands. Power ballads became my Canticles. My favorite actress could cry just like the Virgin. Nothing touched me like pain apotheosized.
This aesthetic creed colored my coming of age. Alongside it came a curiosity for the history of those like me. Yet when I attempted to delve into the archives of queerness, I found that the internet could tell me far more about Americans than Filipinos. As I exhumed these stories, I saw the martyrs’ frescoed anguish repeated in flesh and blood. People who committed suicide or withered away in institutions. The lethal weight of a secret, one that induced a deep depression. The port-wine stain leprosy of Kaposi’s sarcoma. Punishment, it appeared, was the recurring motif. I was a teenager in front of a computer, scrolling through the profiles of long-dead victims, victims of what were called hate crimes.
Yet there was one name that produced more search results than the rest, provoked wider discussion, arrested the collective fascination more powerfully. It was a name attached to a face, of course, and the face was described as “fragile” and “childlike,” as having “a look of pale purity, the translucent beauty favored in religious art.” Finally and most crucially, the face was said to be the face of a martyr.
Matthew Shepard, twenty-one years old, gay, was tortured by two men in Laramie, Wyoming, one October night in 1998, when I was two years old. Though the particulars seem to change with each retelling, the basic arc retains the force of original myth: Shepard encountered Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at a bar, got into a car with them, and was then brutally beaten and abandoned in a field. He died in intensive care five days later. In early reports, the cyclist who discovered Matthew’s body tied to a fence said he’d initially mistaken him for a scarecrow, and by the time this image percolated into the national consciousness, it had acquired a more religious valence. “We weep because a life full of hope and promise was so cruelly ended,” eulogized the Episcopalian bishop Frederick Borsch. “His body burned and beaten, and left here, in the United States, in 30-degree weather tied to a fence, his arms extended, all too reminiscent of a crucifixion.”
Memorial websites commenced the canonization. “They killed him the same way they killed Jesus Christ,” read one post. “You are God’s special child Matt. A true martyr lighting the way for a generation lost in the growing darkness,” read another. A church in Florida held a “Mass for a Gay Martyr.” Soon, the secular sphere caught on. Vanity Fair ran a piece called “The Crucifixion of Matthew Shepard.” In The Nation, “Matthew’s Passion,” an essay by Tony Kushner, cast his murder as a death tendered for social progress: “We need to see the gay man literally crucified on a fence.”
Shepard’s hands had been bound behind him, and his head rested on the ground — not much of a literal crucifixion. Yet the apocryphal allure of a biblically stylized death was impossible for me to resist. I remember feeling upon discovering him a visceral sense of recognition. I looked at his black-and-white portrait on Wikipedia, the one in which his head tilts ever so slightly to one side, the light from a window dappling his face in a soft chiaroscuro. There was a delicacy in his mien, a faraway glint in his eyes. It was a face that signaled itself, betrayed its wearer’s aberrance in the world of men. I looked at that picture and at the minute distance between his birth and death and decided that this was my patron saint, he who reified the danger of queerness more perfectly than even Sebastian.
Retroactively mourning him was an act of transference: it allowed me to mourn my own place in the world. Yet as I continued to pore over the media coverage, I realized that transcending the canvas meant I had now entered a scene of grotesque realism. Here, allegory came at a cost. For by organizing the lore of Shepard’s death around the locus of his sexuality, the public morphed queerness itself into a broad analogue for torment. JoAnn Wypijewski, writing for Harper’s, offered the most clear-eyed critique at the time: “It’s said that hate-crime laws symbolize a society’s values. If that is true, it means gay people are recognized only in suffering.” That our pain was predestined seemed an instinctive point of consensus. For the members of Westboro Baptist Church, who picketed Shepard’s funeral with signs declaring “God Hates Fags,” that conviction was rooted in fundamentalism. But it soon became clear to me that nobody valued his murder more than liberal groups, whose fixation on his identity was symptomatic of a transformative politics dependent on death, especially the death of a saint.
Of course, the sacrifice had to be without blemish. Gay activists made him into a golden child, angelic and unsexed. Unflattering recollections were skimmed over; his depression and HIV status were skirted around. The idol we were left with lacked the fullness of humanity. It was like a reenactment, performed on a grand scale, of that guilt-ridden gay impulse toward perfection, a ritual purging of homosexuality’s moral stain. “He wasn’t a saint,” said his mother, Judy, in an interview for the article that would nonetheless be titled “The Crucifixion of Matthew Shepard.” “He was just a young man in search of himself. You must understand, it’s like putting him on a pedestal that just won’t work. I’m concerned that if people find out that it’s not true, they’ll be disappointed or angry or hate him.” When her son was found, he was unrecognizable. His brain stem was crushed, his skull fractured in four places, his face ravaged.
I can remember the sensation of it, leaning away from my screen and yielding to a psychic undoing, the crumbling of a last stronghold. I had departed the province of ideas; in this imperfect life, pain could be meaningless — it could be ugly. No higher power worth worshipping would demand it. When I was seven, with my book of saints, I wished to be broken like a spotless thing, to be granted God for it. But I was not a child of divine revelation; the era of prophets had long ago passed. My mania was attained through osmosis, learned from a world that made a sport of pain, that inflicted or exalted it according to the ambitions of its people. I stared at that black-and-white portrait, its subject damned forever to the tyranny of its viewer’s gaze. Looking had always been my means of veneration. But I had outgrown the passion of the centuries. I no longer wanted a part in its procession. I looked away.
In the temple of my mind, they dwell. Derelict, neglected, warping like wet plaster. Their beauty has proven hollow; it has not survived the years. I come to them as a sojourner surveying the wreckage of the past. I do not stay long. There is nothing here but decay, and I have grown too fond of life to tarry in death’s domain before my set appointment.
In this light, the bodies appear smaller, stranger, poorly animated imitations of being. I find in them no trace of resemblance to myself. I am only reminded of old scourges, weathered in the belief I deserved them. But I have learned that there is no enterprise in suffering if all it asks is to multiply itself, to make itself into a god. After I renounced that death, I found I could look at last into the face of the sublime; its fire consumed me, and my flesh emerged fortified, anointed. Today the bodies that flood my vision are full of praise, exultant in their humanity and in their desire for one another. I fasten my gaze upon them. And when I lose the thread of my renewal, I remember that the psalmist asked, “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit?” And I remember that Sebastian survived the arrows.
]]>I love to shop secondhand when I need to buy something new-to-me to wear for a special occasion, and it’s always a lovely idea to support charities while you shop.
So, when I needed a dress for a wedding this month, I headed to my Nan’s favourite charity shop and was lucky enough to find the perfect dress for the occasion. It was the ideal floaty fabric, my favourite icy-blue colour, a pretty floral print AND a flattering design.
It had been donated to the charity shop but was still a new item, with the original tag still attached. However, it was too big for me. Did I let that stop me from buying it? No way! And that’s because I knew I could make it fit with just a few tweaks.
One of the main problems with shopping secondhand is that you can’t always be sure that something you love is going to be available in your size. Unlike high street shops, where you can try on three (or more) sizes and choose the one that fits you best, with charity shops, you just have to hope that it’s a good fit…
OR know how to make it work for you!
I’ve been a volunteer blogger for Oxfam Fashion for around ten years now and I’ve recently blogged about the solutions for the top 5 secondhand shopping gripes on the charity’s blog.
The problems I’ve solved include clothing being the wrong size, small imperfections on secondhand items, dresses being too long, needing an item in a different colour, or simply not knowing if you’ll get a chance to wear it.
These are all secondhand shopping issues that can definitely be overcome so be sure to check out my article on the Oxfam fashion blog to find out how to make your bargain finds fit you perfectly and suit your style.
Let me know if you’ve had any lucky finds from secondhand stores or charity shops in the comments below, I’d love to hear what bargains you’ve bought or any customising you’ve done.
A week ago, I decided to punch my woe-is-me mentality in the throat and drastically take charge of my life.
The cherry on my depression sundae was the unforeseen breakup with a guy I adored. It wasn’t that things ended…it was how he ended it that gutted my self-worth. Combine that with my already depression-laden self and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
I can’t keep living like that. I decided it was time for a glow up. Eating better, exercising, not being a vampire to sunshine, and a bunch more goals made the list. If anything, it keeps my brain busy.
Getting a new gym membership instead of going to my old gym or working out in my garage was a game-changer. I don’t think Planet Fitness knows that it’s too pretty of a gym to make me pay only ten bucks a month. I’m also kinder to myself with I miss a workout. I’ve been exercising for years, the continuity ebbs and flows with life.
Forcing myself to get dolled up before running errands is a challenge. I’m not a spring chicken; I can’t slap on mascara and look polished. I can’t even say if it’s helped me feel better compared to jeans, a tshirt, unshowered, and no makeup. But I know my younger self would be appalled and how I leave the house so I need to raise the bar, especially since I work from home and no one sees me outside of Zoom calls.
Eating healthy is a struggle for me. My weight isn’t an issue. The concern is that I’m not taking care of myself from the inside out. It’s hard to think of health when you’ve had a lifetime of disordered eating and eating disorders. I’m chugging more water because as much as I hate it, I remind myself how plants wither when they don’t have turgor pressure from being filled with fluid. My skin needs hydration to look plump.
I manage one healthy meal per day, which I guess is better than the days of chips and cookies. Eating healthy is expensive and I’m a single mom on one income. I struggle at the grocery store. Walking in, I tell myself “Time to get some veggies all up in this mutha effin’ body!” And then I see the prices and I tell myself they’ll rot before I get around to eating them so buying them is a waste.
Even worse, I’m an emotional eater. I’m maintaining a relatively healthy outlook (note the word “relatively”) but I still have my moments. Last Thursday was the worst.
I made a new friend and we met for breakfast. I’m small but I’m wide; it’s like taking a rolling pin to a strand of dough. I have a boyish shape with little change in my hips. There’s no hourglass going on with this body.
This new friend shows up in leggings, a tank top, and a form-fitting Lululemon jacket over the ensemble. I look like Gigantaur next to her. How that body made two kids is beyond me. While we’re chatting, my eating-disordered brain obsesses over her microscopic frame.
Is this my “competition” on dating apps? Single women like her who are tiny without being covered in tummy tuck and boob job scars? I shoveled two ginormous pastries out of anxiety.
Later that night, I went for a Moms Night Out with some friends. It was late and I figured a light dinner at home offset the breakfast binge if I had a single drink with them.
We went to a new restaurant in the swanky part of town. Walking up, I felt like I was in Hollywood trying to get into the hippest club without a celebrity by my side. The cars in the parking lot were fluorescent and looked cartoonish rather than standard sedans. I had to laugh when I drove by them, looking for parking in my Honda SUV covered in dings from a recent car accident.
Thankfully, one of the friends made a reservation so we were able to get past the bouncer (yes, a restaurant had a bouncer). The people inside were surreal. Whatever way you’d imagine a hip, trendy restaurant is what it was in real life.
There were young gorgeous model-esque girls in outfits that I didn’t think existed outside of runways. Think sheer lace with black panties and black bras visible. There were older Real Housewives-types with duck lips and overfilled cheeks. The men varied in age but they oozed money out of their pores.
Nearby was a table of women in their late forties to fifties. The cosmetic procedures combined could buy a house. As young as they tried to look, their hair had the telltale sign of age by being dry as hell from excessive blow-drying.
One woman in particular caught my eye. Ultra tan and legs to rival any twenty-year-old’s limbs. Her blond hair was in layers and looked poppin’. Despite having a horrible outfit, she stood out from the crowd. She wore simple blue shorts and a white tank top. This woman could have come straight from cleaning the bathrooms in that outfit and yet, she looked stunning.
My anxiety and self-esteem issues, already triggered by my breakfast encounter, skyrocketed. I inhaled every greasy appetizer my friends ordered. My eyes kept glancing at the Gorgeous Middle-Aged Woman’s table, desperately looking for the secret to her magnetism.
Is this what I’m competing with on dating apps? When Jeremy dates, are these the women he’s hooking up with? If she’s a ten, then I’m a two.
Comparison is the thief of joy and I let it steal any good vibes I accumulated since my personal glow up project. I logged back into a dating app to get the validation I craved from external sources.
That led to three dates scheduled over three days. Ten out of ten, do not recommend. I haven’t gone on the third date yet; I need to cancel, work out, and then stay home with a book.
Something random that’s boosted my happiness quotient is having a playlist when I’m stuck in the car. If I rely on Spotify or Sirius XM radio for music, I’ll hear songs that remind me of Jeremy. Instead, I have a mix of random songs with no rhyme or reason to their sequence as a brain distraction. Pro tip: eighties music is great when making a fluffy, fun playlist.
When I’m at home puttering around, I play the Smartless podcast. It’s hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes. On my own, I have very little humor in my life. That podcast is the antidote when cleaning or getting ready. I’m screwed when I run out of episodes.
It feels trivial to combat the intensity and severity of depression with things like funny podcasts. It’s like trying to end a war by sending Hang In There cat cards to world leaders. My life always has the inner voice of depression. I don’t know if I’m naive to think small changes like upbeat music are the key to battling lifelong depression or if that’s been the secret all along: the little things that make humans happy.
My emotions are a rollercoaster. Again, I don’t know if that’s normal. Is that part of changing oneself and feeling an emotional release? Or am I pretending to pursue a glow up when deep down, I know I’ll end up right back where I started?
It boils down to permitting myself to glow up. I grew up with religious, immigrant parents who laugh in the face of therapy and mental health. It’s so damn hard being nice to myself and doing things that make me happy without feeling self-indulgent.
For example, studies show that getting nice workout clothes makes a difference in performance and self-confidence. I have various shorts and sports bras but I’d love a cute matching set. I can get that for under twenty bucks online.
No-brainer, right? I suffer through a shitty job to make extra cash, I’m entitled to getting aesthetically pleasing workout clothes, right?
But then I think back to the upbringing drilled deep in me and how I don’t need new workout clothes. I want them to feel good about myself and have another excuse to visit the gym. I struggle with feelings of self-indulgence and hedonism.
To experience a glow up, I need to accept frivolously selfish acts. It’s not just to feel good in the moment, but also to break through the martyr mindset. I can justify vanity efforts like Botox because they don’t make me feel good. They don’t make me look good. They make me look less bad. And in the world of tech, aging doesn’t give you street cred. It gives the impression that you’re too old to understand current technology.
Change is uncomfortable. Being kinder to myself is uncomfortable. Not engaging in self-loathing is uncomfortable. Not comparing myself to others is uncomfortable. Not defaulting to my depression MO is uncomfortable.
When I hear “glow up”, I imagine a beautiful goddess emerging into the sunlight like a butterfly exiting a cocoon. I think my glow up is like a troll goblin leaving her cave after a decade, only to get doused in translucent setting powder from a Sephora employee and handed a stack of self-help books until someone eventually throws a graduation cap on my goblin head.
I’m learning that a glow up isn’t about external appearances. It’s fixing all the “selfs”: self-concept, self-esteem, and self-perception. It’s also about learning what it means to put yourself on a pedestal, which feels like I’m tasked with climbing Mount Everest.
And so, the glow up continues.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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]]>So one netizen decided to brush up on their knowledge and asked the internet about lesser-known tips that could ultimately save a life. So prepare to take notes as you scroll through all the answers denizens of the net provided, and be sure to upvote your favorites. Comment below if you have any tips that people didn’t list here.
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One of the leading causes of death worldwide is heart disease, which unfortunately often manifests in a heart attack. Unlike a lot of medical terminology, a heart attack really is an attack, often requiring immediate medical intervention. In an “ideal” situation, and there is nothing ideal about this condition, paramedics arrive shortly to keep the patient stable as they are taken to the ER.
However, there is still downtime between the onset of an attack and the arrival of specialists. This is where the humble little aspirin comes in. Some studies show that it can slow the onset of a heart attack if ingested quickly, hence the recommendation to chew it up. It will taste horrible and might be a difficult swallow, but it’s better than death. Drinking the tablet may be ultimately too slow.
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But ultimately, a person should call 911 or 112, depending on where they live. These days, many emergency services will take both numbers, to save time, as a traveler might be in danger and may not remember what number to use. However, in many life-or-death situations, people do not react correctly, particularly if they are in public. For example, recently a girl was murdered in public in Delhi, India, as bystanders looked on.
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As shocking as this sounds, this is another instance of the “bystander effect,” where a group of people will not react to an emergency situation or crime because they assume that someone else will call the authorities. This is why people are instructed to ask specific people for help, as most humans do actually want to do something, but will often fail to take action unless directly prompted.
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Often, if there is a crowd and no one is reacting, people feel self-conscious about making a scene, calling the authorities, or anything else. We don’t like public attention or to stand out, so people tend to hold on to hope that someone else will take care of it or has already done something. So, as the post here says, in an emergency, point at a specific person and tell them directly what to do. Chances are they will intervene to help.
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If that sounds hopeless, and there are countless examples of people killed or hurt because of inert bystanders, know that in many cases people will actually intervene. Based on a study using CCTV cameras in Lancaster, Amsterdam, and Cape Town, bystanders would actually run to help a victim, call for the authorities and sometimes even risk their own lives. Unless the perpetrators were actively armed, most people do look out for our fellow citizens.
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Examples of some of the shortest work experiences were discussed by members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community. The employers and managers among them were asked to share stories of firing someone on their very first day, and they had plenty. Their stories cover everything from sleeping at work to scratching lottery tickets, stealing computers, and much more. Scroll down to find the surprising reasons people were fired on the list below.
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An internet user, out of morbid curiosity no doubt, wanted to hear other’s worst experiences with total strangers. And people delivered, with stories ranging from bizarre to downright terrifying. So be warned, some potential unpleasantness ahead. If you do stay, be sure to upvote your favorite (however you choose to interpret that) and share your own stories in the comments.
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Unfortunately, there are people out there who are somehow entirely blind to social norms and will flagrantly break them without a thought. In a few cases, this could be simple ignorance or lack of ability to read social cues. Everyone knows someone who is probably well-meaning but ends up being downright annoying to be around.
But many of the cases listed here go much further than, say, a loud belch at a dinner table or an awkward question about one’s love life. These encounters veer into downright antisocial behavior, which at “best” are a nuisance and at worst, could be seen as a crime. Traditionally, this is seen as part of a personality disorder, but more contemporary psychologists believe it could, instead, be a result of certain issues in upbringing.
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The generally accepted cause of antisocial behavior is upbringing or a lack thereof. This is a sort of double-edged sword, as it lets us pinpoint how to prevent it, but unfortunately, it offers little hope for people who are already adults. The upside is the policymakers, social workers and just people who live in a community can all do their part to help, but it also means they generally have to suffer at the hands of existing, antisocial adults.
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The rapid social changes brought on by technology have made it hard to track exactly what stimulus ends up causing kids to start behaving poorly. In the age of regular TV consumption, some studies found that for every additional hour of TV a teen watched, the risk of them exhibiting some antisocial behavior rose by roughly 30%. However, as most parents now know, young people aren’t really watching hours and hours of TV, but it’s unclear if, say, video games or streaming has the same effect as TV used to.
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It’s not fair, however, to pin all the blame on media. Media only raise a child if the parents are absent in some form, which might be a more significant trigger than, say, Cartoon Network or Minecraft. Even more significantly, parental abuse is pretty closely tied with the victim “passing on” the abuse to another, creating a spiraling cycle of violence and bad behavior. Even smaller things, like poor nutrition and poverty, can cause an environment where normal social behavior is not learned, leading to the sorts of adults we see in these stories.
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There are also some genetic factors that ultimately might lead to people behaving in ways that others find annoying or downright horrible. The bottom line is that antisocial behavior, ultimately, needs to be cut off at the source. This means that all of us have to look for ways to help dysfunctional families, to make sure children can live in a safe environment and that psychological help like Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is available to those in need.
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This itinerary covers the vibrant and busy cities of Hanoi and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), the lush and fertile Mekong Delta, the historic attractions of Hoi An and Hue, and the almost mythical beauty of Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. For each stop in our recommended itinerary, we provide a summary of the destination, the key attractions and reasons to visit, and our personal highlights and tips.
At the end of the itinerary, you’ll find information on international and internal travel, guidance on costs for food and hotels, and indicative prices for the specialist tours and activities we enjoyed.
This three week Vietnam travel plan is for those seeking an immersion into Vietnamese food, culture, history, cities and nature.
This is a South to North Vietnam itinerary but could be reversed to run from North to South Vietnam if you prefer. International visitors can either book an open jaw return flight (arriving into Saigon SGN and departing from Hanoi HAN), or add an internal flight back to their arrival city at the end of the trip.
Note: Whilst the official name of Vietnam’s capital is Ho Chi Minh City, locals still call it by its former name of Saigon, so that’s what we’re using here.
Officially called Ho Chi Minh City but referred to locally by its previous name, Saigon is Vietnam’s largest city. Compared to capital Hanoi (in the North of the country), Saigon is bigger, brasher and busier—a fascinating metropolis bursting at the seams with bustling people, chaotic traffic and plenty to see and do.
As Saigon is the best stop on our itinerary for learning about Vietnamese history, politics, and culture, it makes a lot of sense to start your trip here.
As you’d expect in a city of Saigon’s stature, you’ll find high end restaurants, luxury hotels, trendy bars and nightclubs, and stores full of expensive international brands. But you will also find markets teeming with produce and people, casual restaurants and street food vendors, traditional temples where locals observe festivals and moments of religious significance. And thousands of everyday businesses where ordinary life is lived.
We suggest a mixture of classic sightseeing (such as Saigon Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, and the War Remnants Museum), and exploring local neighbourhoods. Make sure you visit at least one of the many cafe apartments, where an eclectic array of funky shops and cafes have sprung up inside old mid-century apartment blocks, sometimes still sharing the spaces with a last handful of residential homes.
Don’t miss setting aside time to enjoy some of the colourfully chaotic local markets such as Ben Tanh in District 1 (street food and general shopping), Binh Tay in Chinatown (fresh food, general shopping and street food), An Dong Market in District 5 (artisan-made clothing, footwear and crafts), and Ho Thi Ky Flower Market (flowers).
We can personally recommend booking a specialist food tour to taste some of Vietnam’s incredible cuisine, and hooking up with a local goodwill guide from HanoiKids for an introduction to the city and insight into life from a local student’s perspective.
You may also appreciate the eye-opening historic lesson of an excursion to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of underground tunnels used by the Viet Cong to evade American and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnamese war. Be warned that they are not recommended for the claustrophobic.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is a great jumping off point for a trip into the Mekong Delta. Split your time between a cruise on the waterways of the Delta, and a couple of nights in Chau Doc, a handy sightseeing base to explore the local area.
Cruises give you a glimpse of life along the canals and rivers of the region, and are a very relaxing way to sightsee. Pick between a day cruise that drops you off in Can Tho (where you can spend the night), or an overnight cruise where you’ll spend the night on the boat, which is what we did.
Make sure you include a boat visit to the famous Cai Rang floating market, a floating market selling fruita and vegetables to mainly wholesale buyers from restaurants and shops.
Chau Doc is a great base from which to explore further. Sights that can be visited from the water include floating fish farms, small bustling floating markets, local villages including a Cham village where you can watch traditional weavers at work and buy fabric and goods. Also worth visiting is Sam Mountain, where you can explore local temples before taking lunch in a hotel restaurant offering the most wonderful views over the agricultural landscape below. Lastly, do make time for a visit to the tranquil Tra Su Forest eco reserve where you can speed along the wider canals in a speedboat before transferring to a rowboat to glide more quietly along the narrower routes.
We found it well worth while to book a customised private tour guide and transport for our time in the Mekong, and can strongly recommend our guide Toby who we booked via Destination Services (currently not in operation). We liaised with the agency to agree itinerary, accommodation and the exact contents of our sight seeing excursions as well as a transfer to Can Tho Airport for our onward flight.
Following our domestic flight from Can Tho Airport to Da Nang Airport, we pre-booked an excursion-cum-transfer which not only collected us from the airport and transferred us directly to our hotel in Hoi An, but also included a guided visit to several attractions along the way.
In Da Nang we stopped at the famous Dragon Bridge (Cau Rong), just a couple of miles from the airport. Built i 2013, the bridge takes the form of a 666 metre-long dragon with a mouth the breathes fire in weekly pyrotechnic displays that make use of fireworks and water vapor to mimic fire and smoke. These are scheduled for weekend evenings, but the bridge is also worth visiting on any night, lit up by thousands of multicoloured lights.
We also had a meander to see the Love Bridge, a purpose-build walking peer at DHC Marina, just a minute’s walk from the Dragon Bridge. The walkway is decorated with ‘trees of love’–lampposts festooned with red heart-shaped lights that look good in both daylight and evening hours; the barriers along the peer are purpose-designed to be hung with padlocks by tourists seeking out a way to commemorate their romance–the gift shop at the marina sells padlocks especially!
Just a few minutes from Da Nang town centre is Thọ Quang, a peninsula dominated by Sơn Tra Mountain, also known as Monkey Mountain. The island offers wonderful views back to the city, around the curves of Da Nang Bay and along My Khe Beach to the south. Linh Ung Pagoda is a beautiful temple, well worth a visit for the green-roofed temple buildings, bonsai-filled gardens, grand three-doorway temple gate, and the huge and iconic statue of the Bodhisattva Quan Am.
The Marble Mountains are a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located just a few miles south of Da Nang city centre. The five mountains are named for the elements: kim (metal), thuy (water), moc (wood), hoa (fire) and tho (earth).
Thuy son is the key mountain to visit, and the only one with a lift available to take you part way up the mountain. There are a number of caves, tunnels and pathways to explore, with Buddhist sanctuaries, small shrines and statues within the caves and alongside them. Note that taking the lift will allow you to reach a high viewing point from where you can enjoy wonderful views over the other mountains and the local area, but you will need to navigate many steps and winding pathways to see more than the small shrine and garden where the lift exits.
The neighbourhood around the Marble Mountains is well known for marble carving and sculpture, but as it’s no longer permitted to quarry locally, all marble used today is imported (from other regions and further afield from China). It’s worth visiting one or two local producers to see the wide range of designs and items made.
Depending on the time of your incoming flight, you could also stop in Da Nang for lunch before you make the half hour drive to Hoi An.
Hoi An is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam. Loved for it’s charming and well-preserved historic old town, great selection of restaurants cafes and bars, wide ranging souvenir shopping and nearby beaches, it has a relaxed vibe ideal for relaxing.
Located by the mouth of the Thu Bon River there is plenty to enjoy within the town itself. River cruises are popular throughout the day, but especially so in the evening when colourful lanterns adorn boats and the pretty buildings on either side are also beautifully lit up. Cyclo tours around the streets are also a lovely way to sight-see.
The beautiful old town is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its easy to spend many hours exploring the pretty streets, especially if you are interested in photography–Hoi An is hugely photogenic. Specific sights of interest include the Japanese covered bridge, the Cantonese Assembly Hall, the preserved old houses open to visitors (such as Phung Hung and Tan Ky), the Museum of Folk Culture but the entire yellow-painted neighbourhood is captivating.
Visitors to Hoi An enjoy browsing the many craft shops in the old town, and those staying a few days take the opportunity to buy made-to-order clothing and leather goods such as bags and shoes. There are hundreds of tailors and leather-producers to choose from, so getting a recommendation really helps to narrow down your choice. We used Alice Tailor inside the Cloth Market. Go with ideas of what you want, give plenty of detail so that the final products meet your expectations and ensure you have time for fitting and alterations, if needed. We had several items of clothing made and two leather bags copied from a denim purse and a nylon bumbag!
The main food market in Hoi An is enthralling, full of vendors inside the Central Market building and filling the streets around it. Unless you are self-catering you probably won’t have reason to buy much fresh produce (other than fresh fruits and snacks) but you can certainly visit for breakfast or lunch, as there are many stalls selling hot food.
The night market on An Hoi island is another great place for souvenirs, as well as excellent street food.
Ahead of arriving in Vietnam, we booked a full day guided excursion with a private guide, driver and air-conditioned car to explore key sights of interest nearby to Hoi An. Group and private tours are also available via minibus, vespa and bicycle.
Our day started early with a visit to the beautiful abandoned temples of My Son, built by the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and the 14th centuries and listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. This fascinating complex of Hindu temples is located in a lush forest valley with mountain ranges on either side, a few miles from the historic Champa capital of Tra Kieu. The temples played a key role in religious ceremonies for the kings and ruling dynasties of the Cham, and royalty and national heroes were buried here.
During the 1930s and 40s the French, during their colonial occupation of Vietnam, worked to restore the temples of My Son but sadly, 54 of the 71 temples were later destroyed by American bombing during the American Vietnam War. Despite the destruction, the site is still well worth visiting, especially with a guide (or good book) giving you information about building techniques, the significance of various structures and objects, and the history of the Cham people.
My Son can get very busy during tourist high season, so we recommend you arrive just before the site opens. Electric buses are available to take visitors from the main entrance to a point that is nearer to the site (about 1.5 km if you decide to walk it), and from there it’s a further 700 metres along well-maintained flat paths to reach the temples themselves.
When we visited, a cultural dance event was performed just after opening; although fascinating to watch, it was very lengthy which meant that we missed our opportunity to explore the temples before the larger crowds arrived.
We also visited local pottery village, Thanh Ha. Here, virtually every home is also a studio and shop for a local potter, and you can not only browse and buy their work but watch them making pottery and get involved yourself.
Another hamlet worth visiting is Cam Thanh, a fishing village known for its extensive mangrove palms (also known as water coconut palms). Originally planted to protect the village from floods and storms, the mangroves were also used as a place of hiding during the American Vietnam War. Today they continue to shelter the village, provide a vibrant ecosystem to birds and fish, the leaves are woven into straw products and the nipa palm fruits are harvested to eat. A lovely way to explore the mangroves is via a boat trip in one of the basket boats–shallow round boats woven from bamboo. Our tour operator also arranged for us to have a delicious local lunch cooked by the mother of our boat guide.
You may also enjoy excursions to visit local farming communities and villages.
It’s a short hop from Hoi An to Hue; less than three hours by road. It’s worth booking a transfer that includes routing via the Hai Van Pass, and a stop at Lap An Lagoon for lunch. Note that in 2005 a tunnel was built to provide a speedier route across the mountains, so unless you specify that you want to travel via the Hai Van Pass, you’ll be whisked through the tunnel instead.
A 20 kilometre stretch of twisting road that takes you through the mountains between Da Nang and Lang Co, the The Hai Van Pass is the highest such pass in Vietnam. Hair-pin bends snaking up and down vertiginous mountainsides afford stunning views across the landscape and out to sea. At the summit, you can pause to see an old boundary gate building that marks the border crossing between the former kingdoms of Champa and Dai Viet.
As you come down from the pass, you’ll reach Lap An Lagoon, a great option to stop for a seafood lunch at one of the many over-the-water restaurants that have popped up along the waterfront. All have menus, but you can also select what fresh seafood you want to eat from the buckets inside.
Hue, in central Vietnam, was the capital seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors from 1802 to 1945 (the later half of which was under French colonial rule). The old Imperial City, also known as the Da Noi Citadel, is a key attraction for visitors. Surrounded by heavy fortified walls and a moat, inside are palaces, shrines, gardens and pavilions, including the Forbidden Purple City (which was once the emperor’s home). Oriented to face the Huong River to the South East, the citadel sits at the heart of the modern city of Hue and is easily reached from key tourist neighbourhoods.
Known as the Perfume River, Huong River sits at the heart of the city. Taking a boat along the river is a good way to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city, and many tourist boats offering short and long tours, are available.
Thien Mu Pagoda can be reached via the river, though you can get there by road too. The iconic seven-story pagoda often features on souvenirs of the city, and its position on a small hill affords lovely views of the river. As well as the pagoda, you can see a huge bell cast in 1710 and a stone turtle carved in the 1600s.
Also well worth visiting are the ancient tombs of the emperors. These are spread out around the local area, so you won’t have time to explore all of them unless you add an extra day into your itinerary. During our time in Hue we visited Minh Mang Tomb which sits in a large 44-acre landscape with decorative lakes that visitors can walk around. Built after Minh Mang’s death in 1840 the complex includes many beautiful monuments including temples, pavilions, courtyards and sculptures. Others tombs to consider include Dong Khanh Tomb, Duc Duc Tomb, Gia Long Tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb, Minh Mang Tomb, Thieu Tri Tomb, and Tu Duc Tomb.
Hue is a great place to do a food tour, making sure to include local specialities such as Banh Beo (steamed rice cakes), Banh canh ca loc (rice noodle soup with snakehead fish), Banh Khot (crisp fried rice pancakes), Bun Bo Hue (Hue beef noodle soup), Bun Thit Nuong (grilled pork noodle, the Hue version comes with a peanut sauce), Nem Lui (pork lemongrass skewers), Trai Va Salad (salad featuring a locally grown fig), and Ca Phe Muoi (salted coffee). We booked a private cyclo street food tour and tasted a wide range of amazing food in places we’d have struggled to find or order from without a guide.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, and the second largest city after Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and our favourite of the cities we visited during our trip. It offers a huge wealth of cultural and historical attractions, absolutely superb dining options and some great shopping and activities. Like Saigon, traffic is relentless; everyone is hustling in place or bustling to get somewhere.
We divided our 5 nights in Hanoi by taking a 2 night cruise into Halong Bay after the first two nights and then returning to Hanoi for 3 more nights afterwards. We chose to stay in two different hotels, dropping the bulk of our luggage off with the second one to store while we were on the cruise. This is a good opportunity to stay in two different locations of the city, or simply to try two different hotels that appeal.
At the heart of Hanoi is the Hoan Kiem district. Here, in the French and Old Quarters in particular, you will find still-beautiful, time-worn colonial architecture side-by-side with ancient temples, rickety lean-tos and modern high rises. At the heart of this district is the ever popular Hoan Kiem Lake, where locals and visitors alike enjoy a stroll around the lake before or after a coffee or a drink or dinner in one of the many cafes, bars and restaurants in the area. The narrow streets of the Old Town are full of store fronts offering eating and shopping opportunities; the pavements too are crowded with vendors of fruit and vegetables, street food, handicrafts, tourist souvenirs.
Towards the northern edge of the Old Quarter is the Dong Xuan Market – both the market and surrounding streets are full of stores selling all kinds of items from food specialities to clothes to household goods. When it comes to street food, the entire old quarter is a good bet, but its also worth heading to the streets known for their night market vendors.
A key sight in the Old Quarter is the little temple on Turtle Island, especially photogenic because of it’s water-surrounded location. Also in the historic centre is St Joseph’s Cathedral. Visitors also flock to Ngoc Son Templeat the northern edge of the lake.
The French Quarter, to the south east side of the Lake, is home to the Hanoi Opera House and Hoa La Prison. It’s an elegant and affluent area, and is where several key government buildings along with many foreign embassies are located. It has a popular shopping area and offers good nightlife.
To the north and north west of the lake, Ba Dinh District is where Ho Chi Minh declared independence in 1945, and is the location of several key sites including Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and the stilt house in which he lived, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Military Museum and Old Citadel, and the lovely Hanoi Botanical Gardens. It has plenty to see but is a little less hectic than the Old Quarter.
Dong Da sits between Ba Dinh and Hai Ba Trung (see below). Probably the most famous site in this district is the Temple of Literature, the location of Vietnam’s first national university. The temple was built in 1070, and dedicated to sages, scholars, and doctors. There is much to see here, with pavilions and halls in different styles, statues and stelae, and pretty garden areas.
To the South of Hoan Kiem Lake is the quieter neighbourhood of Hai Ba Trung, known for its clothing stores, as well as the local fabric market and tailor shops. It also offers a modern cinema and trendy cafes.
Tay Ho, just to the North of Ba Dinh is known as an expat neighbourhood, and offers international-style hotels, shops and restaurants. It’s also where you’ll find Hanoi’s colourful Flower Market which is a joy to walk through.
The seas of Halong Bay are well known for their beauty and hence day or overnight cruises are enormously popular. We decided on a 2 night cruise which allowed us time to cover a more expansive area, and included Lan Ha Bay and a visit to Cat Ba Island. Some itineraries also visit Bai Tu Long Bay which may be a little quieter.
In a typical year, the waters can get very busy with boats, especially in peak season. Our visit was timed just as the pandemic first arrived in Vietnam. Because cruises had been temporarily forbidden from operating until a few days before we arrived in Hanoi, bookings were low and there were far less boats than usual out in the Bays.
We visited fascinating floating fishing farms, went out in bamboo rowing boats to see local caves, beaches and rock formations, and were invited to join in with activities such as kayaking, swimming, cooking classes and squid fishing. On Cat Ba Island we had guided visits to Viet Hai Village (with options to cycle or be driven in an electric float before exploring the village on foot) or Trung Trang Cave.
We chose a reasonably priced luxury cruise and splurged on one of their best suites, but there are a wide range of different styles of ships, small and larger, to fit most budgets.
With readers around the world, it’s tricky to share specific advice on airlines or routes for international flights from all of your home countries.
However, our key recommendation is to consider booking an ‘open jaw’ flight – that’s one where you fly into one airport and back home from another. In the itinerary we’ve outlined, we flew in to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), made our way northwards, and flew home from Hanoi. You can, of course, reverse the itinerary to go from Hanoi south Saigon.
If open jaw is not available, or adds significantly to the cost, you can book your international flights into and out of one city, and take a domestic flight back to your starting point at the end of your time in Vietnam.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport is only 30-45 minutes drive to the centre of Saigon.
Many arriving passengers simply take a taxi, which should cost around GBP £5-8. If you prefer, you can book a private car ahead of arrival, but expect to pay at least double the metered taxi fare.
It’s also easy to transfer by bus using one of the Airport Bus services (which cost GBP £1-2) or a regular public bus (which is cheaper still at around 20 pence but is little slower than the airport services and may not have much space for luggage).
Noi Bai International Airport is between an hour to an hour and a half’s drive to central Hanoi.
Many arriving passengers simply take a taxi, which should cost around GBP £8-12. If you prefer, you can book a private car ahead of arrival, but expect to pay at least double the metered taxi fare.
The airport shuttle bus is priced at GBP £1-2. A regular public bus is cheaper at around 20 pence but is slower than the airport services and may not have much space for luggage.
You can easily fly between many cities in Vietnam (including Saigon, Can Tho, Danang, Hue, and Hanoi. Flight times are short and if you book in advance, rates are often very affordable.
We flew with VietJet from Can Tho to Danang and with Vietnam Airlines from Hue to Hanoi, but had a locally-based tour operator book these for us alongside our Mekong Delta itinerary.
Many travellers to Vietnam rent scooters to get around within the big cities, or motorbikes and cars to travel around the country. This isn’t something we’ve chosen to do, but is popular with many visitors.
Please read up on Vietnam road and traffic advice to make sure you can travel safely.
We often chose to eat street food from day and night markets, keeping our average food and drink spend very reasonable. When we ate in restaurants, we tended towards casual, informal places rather than fancy, formal ones.
Main dishes such as Bún bò Huế (beef noodles), Cơm tấm (broken rice) with pork, Phở (noodle soup), or Bún thịt nướng (cold noodles with grilled pork) can be found for 30,000 to 80,000 VND in street food markets, and from roadside vendors, perhaps a little more in restaurants.
Snacks and smaller dishes such as Banh mi (baguette sandwiches), Bánh cuốn (rice batter pancakes), Banh cuốn (steamed rice rolls), Gỏi cuốn (summer rolls), Chả giò / Nem rán (fried spring rolls) and Bánh Xèo (crispy filled pancakes) can be enjoyed for 10,000 VND to 60,000 VND in street food markets, and from roadside vendors, perhaps a little more in restaurants.
A multi-dish meal in a casual local restaurant might run anywhere from 100,000 to 250,000 VND.
Coffees can range from 10,000 all the way up to 50,000 or more. Expect to may more for sweetened white coffee, iced cofffee, and egg coffee than for a straight hot black coffee.
Soft drinks range from 15,000 to 30,000. Expect to pay more in a sit-down restaurant than in a convenience store or at a street food stall.
Beers start at around 20,000 for domestic brands, but can be as much as ten times that for imported brands in sit-down restaurants or specialist bars.
As always, prices are often quite a bit more expensive from vendors that are recommended in guide books or the big travel websites, and in places where the main customers are tourists rather than locals (such as Hoi An’s Old Town area)
Vietnam offers accommodation to suit a really wide range of budgets and travelling styles, from backpackers on a shoestring budget to high-end luxury travellers.
We travelled in February, which is outside of Vietnam’s two peak season periods (March to May and October to December). However, as Vietnam experiences distinctly different climates in its North, Central and Southern regions, the best time to travel for those planning to explore the breadth of the country is less cut and dry than for many countries, with tourism busy for much of the year. This maens there’s less of a stark difference between peak and off-peak prices for hotels than in some destinations.
Our average nightly rate* across our hotels was approximately 2.6 million VND. At the exchange rate when we travelled, that was about GBP £90 a night. As of writing, the exchange rate has changed very little.
* This average excludes our Mekong nights (which were costed as a package with overnight bassac cruise, two nights hotel, private car with guide and driver and meals) and our Halong Bay nights (which were costed to include transfers to and from Hanoi, and accommodation, meals and activities).
You can certainly find decent accommodation in Vietnam for far less.
If you have any questions about our trip, please ask!
]]>It’s almost that time again: back-to-school. With the new academic year starting, you’ll want to get your essential back-to-school shopping done in time. Among the many items students of all ages will need is tech, and tech-related gear.
What should you get? We’re here to help with this comprehensive buying guide for the back-to-school season. While we focus on tech, this guide covers other essentials as well, like a good backpack, furniture for a workspace at home, and more.
The best time to shop for back-to-school is typically during the summer leading up to the new school year. But you can find good last-minute deals right before school begins as well, and extended deals through the first month. If you want to get a head start for back-to-school, you can leverage other sale periods throughout the year as well. Pick up items in advance that you know your child will need. But when it comes to school-related items, the back-to-school shopping season is usually at its height from late July through the Labour Day long weekend, right before the first week of school.
A laptop is an essential purchase for most students nowadays, particularly in the latter grade school years (grades 5-8) high school, and most certainly in college, university, and other post-secondary institutions. For grade school and high school kids, the educational institution may provide a limited number of laptops for students to use both at school and even potentially take home (check with your local school board). But the easiest and most seamless option, if budget permits, is for your child to have their own. See our laptop buying guide for details about various options, and continue on for some tips on choosing the right one.
1. Size, weight
The laptop should have a sizable screen but, most importantly, be compact and lightweight. Consider laptops with larger screen-to-body ratios so you get more screen bang for your buck in a smaller package. Remember, the child might be walking to school and back, or from class to class, with this heavy load. So, it’s important that it isn’t overwhelming large or heavy. Usually, a 14- or 15-inch screen should be sufficient; some younger kids could make do with a 13-inch.
2. Screen resolution, touchscreen
It goes without saying that screen resolution should be at least 1,080p, and the higher, the better. This is easy to find with the latest models. A superior graphics card is also useful, especially if they’re doing creative work with photos and videos, or even gaming during their downtime.
Touchscreens are tempting since they’re useful for navigating in a way that is familiar to the new generations. But consider how often the child would actually use it. Touchscreens are ideal for high school and post-secondary students when they come in a 2-in-1 design that can be flipped over like a tablet. With a stylus, the students can use them to take notes in class, work out math problems using a virtual notepad, sketch if they are doing creative work, and more. Before settling on a touchscreen as a necessity, however, confirm if the student actually needs and will use it for educational purposes.
3. Battery life
Battery life is crucial when considering a laptop for a student, especially since they’ll be using it all day in class without a power cord nearby. It should have an all-day battery that can last for an entire school day and even potentially beyond. They should be able to recharge at night or plug in at home once they’re doing homework and have it fully charged for the next day.
4. Operating system and compatibility with school programs
Not only do you want an operating system that will be familiar to the student, but it needs to be compatible with programs they’ll be using at school. If you have Apple devices in the home, for example, you might be tempted to get them a MacBook. Make sure that the programs they need to use will work with it. Check with the school board and/or the teacher or principal to confirm requirements.
Many schools provide Chromebooks to students. A Chromebook is a safe choice for a grade school student since it will work similarly to the ones they likely use in school, and that other students are using. But as long as they can open websites and apps like Google Classroom and Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and run educational programs, whichever operating system you choose should be fine.
5. Storage
Most people believe that storage isn’t important nowadays since everything can be stored in the cloud. But even if the student plans to keep most of their files in the cloud, they still need ample onboard storage for local files as well as apps, software, and programs. Without ample storage, the more the student saves to the hard drive, the slower the computer will be.
Look for at least 128GB of storage, but ideally, you’ll find something with 256GB or 512GB so they have plenty of room to work with. If they are using programs for things like video creation and editing, photography, and other intensive work, storage will be even more crucial.
6. RAM
RAM, which stands for random-access memory, is the short-term memory of the computer. The more RAM, the more tasks the computer can handle at once, which is essential for multitaskers and those who work with large files. If your child is the type to have dozens of web browsers and other windows open at once, with multiple apps running in the background, it’s important to have enough RAM to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Do not get a computer with anything under 4GB RAM if it’s for an older student, even a grade school student who will be using the computer for more than just the odd research and log-in. Ideally, a computer with 8GB of RAM is a sweet spot for students. If they deal with tons of intensive programs, even gaming and creating multimedia files, especially for post-secondary students, you might want to start looking into computers with 16GB or even 32GB RAM. But for the average student who will be using the computer for class projects, research, and word processing, 8GB should suffice.
7. Ease of use
While secondary and post-secondary students will be able to tackle more complex, feature-rich laptops, a grade school student will need something simple and easy to use. Chromebooks are among the simplest and cleanest options you can get since they are limited in what you can store on the device itself. If you use a Windows computer at home, however, they might prefer this familiarity. The same goes for the Apple ecosystem: if they use an iPad or iPhone, they’ll not only appreciate the intuitive interface they already know but can seamlessly sync content among the various devices, like apps they already have.
A monitor is a useful tool to have in the home so the student can enjoy a bigger screen experience for homework, research, watching videos, virtual classes, and more.
1. Size
Consider the size in relation to where it will go. If this will fit on the child’s desk, it needs to leave room for them to place their laptop in front of or under it and still have space for a wireless keyboard and mouse as well if they want the full desktop experience. This means looking not only at the screen size but also the height and width of the base. You could also consider a wall-mounted monitor with an articulating arm that doesn’t take up any desk space at all. Look for widescreen as well so they can easily multitask with split windows.
2. Resolution
It’s about more than having a big screen but also a nice, high-resolution one. At least 1,080p is needed to ensure a pleasurable experience, though you can find affordable 4K monitors nowadays, too. This will make the experience for remote learning, if this is part of the equation, much more palatable.
3. Eye care
The monitor should have some type of eye care technology or certifications to ensure that it offers filtering for harmful blue light to help reduce eye strain. If the child will be working for many hours staring at the screen, this is an important consideration.
4. Does it connect to laptop, peripherals easily?
The monitor needs to connect to the laptop to become a second screen, so you’ll want to ensure that it’s easy to do this using a dock of some kind, or a direct connection. This requires knowing what ports the monitor has, what ports the laptop has, and what connectors might be necessary. Make sure it can easily pair with other accessories and peripherals the child might need, too.
If you want your child to spend time completing their homework or studying for that big test, it’s important they have a comfortable place to do this. That means setting up a nice workspace for them along with office furniture, even if it’s just in the corner of their room.
1. Plan out the space
Find a dedicated space where they can do homework. It might be their own desk or a shared computer room for the whole family. You can get a full-sized desk or opt for something smaller they can use for reading or working out math problems.
When you’re talking about a dorm room, you’ll want to factor in how much space there is, what gadgets and décor they’ll need, and even a few kitchen and household items.
2. Comfort
The office chair is more important than you think! It should have a comfortable seat and be adjustable to accommodate your growing child. Remember, they could easily go from 5’ to 5’6’’ seemingly overnight! Arm rests are useful as is a reclining back when they want to sit back and read. A chair on wheels is great for moving around as they multitask.
3. Organization
Have a filing cabinet to store research materials, blank notepads, styluses, staples, and other typical school and office equipment so they have it at the ready when they need it. They can also store old reports, research notes, and other content that might come handy in the future. This is also a good way to organize course materials if they are working on multiple projects at once.
4. Ambiance
Setting the mood is important. This involves having good lighting, like a gooseneck lamp they can adjust as needed (and use when they are burning the midnight oil studying for a big exam). It’s also a good idea to include a small smart speaker. They can use this to keep on top of schedules and deadlines, check the weather, listen to music, or even get answers to basic queries (no homework cheating, though!)
Another essential item for students is a backpack for holding all the gear they need to take to and bring from school. Learn more about the many options in our backpack buying guide. Here, we also provide some tips on what to look for when choosing one for a student.
1. Durability
They will need a durable and rugged backpack, so look for material like waterproof nylon or canvas with strong zippers that can handle their frantic tugs, pulls, and overstuffing. The material should be strong enough to withstand them dragging or dropping the bag to the ground being padded to protect the contents inside.
2. Laptop compartment
The laptop compartment needs to be the right size to fit the laptop and it should have sufficient padding on both sides. Kids tend to rough and tumble with their bags, especially young children. So extra protection is important. If possible, also get a fitted hard shell case for the laptop to add further protection before you even put it inside the backpack.
3. Spacious interior
The bag should have enough space to hold all the items they need, from graded papers to their lunch, pencil case, phone and tablet (if they bring those, too), shoes, gym clothes, and more. As long as the bag is not too large for your child to hoist over their shoulder and carry, it will be perfect. You’d be surprised by the kinds of things they will need to take and come home with! Younger kids’ backpacks often include large, open interiors for fitting a matching (or optional) lunch bag.
4. Comfort
The bag should be comfortable to wear for long periods, which means having adjustable and padded straps. Some backpacks have front waist straps to allow for more evenly distributed weight and to help take pressure off the back. If your child walks to and from school or takes public transportation, this might be a useful feature to consider. Mesh paneling at the back will also keep them cool while carrying the bag during the warmer months.
5. Pockets
Along with interior and exterior pockets for things like pens, pencils, styluses, pencil cases, notepads, and more, the backpack should have a water bottle holder. It’s crucial for students of all ages to bring a water bottle to school each day and stay hydrated. Speaking of which, they should have a good sized and quality water bottle that will keep water cold for hours. Screw or flip top stainless-steel ones are ideal as there are no plastic pieces where mold growth can occur. Otherwise, make sure to thoroughly wash and dry it daily, removing the plastic piece every few days to clean it with dish soap.
There are so many other tech accessories to consider for students.
1. Wireless mice and keyboards
As noted, if the child will be doing a lot of homework, it’s worth investing in a monitor with a wireless mouse and keyboard so they can enjoy the desktop experience when at home. Make sure it’s compatible with the laptop: some, for example, have a USB adapter that needs to be plugged in while some computers don’t have USB-A slots.
2. Portable power banks
For students who are often on the go and might use a phone as well since they take the bus, for example, or commute back home from public transit, a portable power bank is important. They can use it in case of emergency to recharge the phone if the battery is running low. Some are powerful enough, however, to also recharge a laptop. If they have a presentation in the afternoon and forget their laptop charger at home, they’ll be thankful they have this in their bag.
3. Headphones
Both for at school and at home, a good pair of headphones can make a difference. When working silently on a project, some kids get easily distracted by others. What’s more, sometimes you need to listen to a video or audio and don’t want to distract other students. Headphones are the simplest solution and every student should have a pair in their bag.
To save space, consider a pair of true wireless earbuds for older kids who are comfortable wearing them. For younger kids, there are tons of headphones for kids that offer features like sound limiting technology and come in cool designs. While it’s tempting to go wireless if you think the child will forget to charge them, consider a wired pair instead, or one that can work as a wired pair if and when the rechargeable battery runs low.
4. Stylus
If they have a 2-in-1 laptop or they’re using a tablet, a stylus would be useful so they can more easily jot down notes, make sketches, and navigate menus while holding the device like a tablet, or even using it tabletop in tented mode. Check compatibility since some tablets only work with specific styluses. Some of the newest tablets with the latest USI 2.0 styluses offer enhanced features. Note that with brands like Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung, there are advantages in using a specific one, like the Apple Pencil, Microsoft Surface Pen, and Samsung S Pen, respectively. What’s more, you will also guarantee that they will work.
5. Smart items
For post-secondary students, it’s worthwhile looking into items to set up a smart dorm room. This might include items like a smart speaker, smart lock, Wi-Fi camera, and even smart lights. You might even want to consider a smart garden they can tend to in the room. They’ll not only learn more responsibility by caring for it, but it also provides fresh fruits, vegetables, or herbs for cooking.
Every parent has the age they believe is appropriate for a child to have their own cell phone, and this can range from as young as 10. Whatever the age, there are certain things you should look into when choosing a phone for a student.
1. Affordability
Naturally, you want something affordable. Most kids will covet the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device, and you can still get one of these models for an affordable price on a service plan. You could also opt for an entry-level model, like the iPhone SE or Samsung Galaxy A54. There’s also the option to get a refurbished or open-box phone, or an older model if they’re only using it for emergencies.
2. Favourable plan
The best thing to do is add the child to a family plan. Most carriers offer plans with secondary devices that you can add on and share buckets of data, call time, and more. Ask your carrier about these and inquire about the lowest-tier plan that covers only the essentials. When at home, they can leverage Wi-Fi and should only use cellular for emergencies.
3. Battery life
The phone should have good battery life so the student can never complain that their battery died and that’s why they couldn’t call home. Having an aforementioned portable charger is also useful in this respect since they provide back-up battery power.
4. Parental control features
Leverage the parental control features of the phone once you set it up. With most devices, you can do things like set screen time limits, turn off cellular data so they can only use it to make calls, and restrict certain websites and types of content. These settings can be set up under a PIN code so kids can’t get around them. Work with the kids to adjust as needed as they build trust. No parent ever wants to get that $1,000 bill because their child was downloading and streaming content for hours!
5. Durability
There are phones that are durable, drop and water-resistant and these are features you should place value on for a student. Beyond the phone itself, make sure to invest in a rugged protective case and screen protector right away to protect the investment.
The question in this day and age is not which tablet to buy for a student, but if they even need a tablet at all. With phones being so robust, powerful, and with bigger screens nowadays, and laptops being lightweight and portable, is there room for a tablet?
Tablets are great for assisting with educational research, using apps, watching videos, and more. There are days when a child might be able to just bring their tablet to school to access apps or use creative programs. They might find the tablet easier to use as well. But if you have the best of both worlds with a 2-in-1 laptop, a tablet might not be needed. Keep in mind, however, that tablets can sometimes run mobile apps that a laptop can’t.
When deciding on a tablet, take the same considerations into account you would for a laptop, including size and weight, battery life, compatibility, RAM, storage, and processing power. With a laptop and tablet that work in the same ecosystem, students could also easily transition from one to the other. They might be more comfortable reading a book on their tablet while lounging in bed, for example, then having a laptop propped up.
Another item that parents today wonder if they need for a student is a printer. While most work is done digitally and in the cloud these days, there’s still need for a printer, especially at home. For younger kids, they might be doing poster board projects that require printing images and text to arrange for a presentation. For older kids, even if they are writing and submitting written assignments digitally, it’s always useful to have a printout to read through and mark up with red pen to then make edits on the digital copy for finalizing.
Sure, we might be printing less often and in fewer quantities nowadays, especially with a focus on the environment. Features like double-sided printing and recyclable paper allow you to reduce impact on the environment while still printing when necessary.
If you do opt for a printer, there are a few key features to consider.
1. Refillable ink printers
Refillable ink printers use refillable bottles of ink versus throwaway cartridges. Usually, they come with an ample supply in the box that can last for up to two years. With minimal printing, you could extend this through an entire run of high school or post-secondary education. Even when you do need to refill them, the replaceable ink bottles typically cost the same as cartridges, and last much longer.
2. All-in ones
An all-in-one printer can also scan and copy. This is useful for students who might need to make handouts for presentations, do group work, or scan book pages or other content to digitize.
3. Wireless printing
With wireless printers, especially those that work with a companion app, students can print from virtually anywhere. They could print assignment sheets or research papers from school and have it waiting for them when they get home. It also saves kids from having to go up and down the stairs if the printer is in the basement, for example, and they are working in their rooms. They can send items to print and pick everything up as needed.
4. Photo printers
School isn’t all about work: kids should be able to have some fun, too! The photo printer category is a neat way for them to enjoy some downtime, snapping candid photos with friends. They can use these tiny prints, usually printed on adhesive paper, to decorate their lockets, notebooks, binders, backpacks, and even computers.
Take the next step
Ready for back to school? No matter how prepared you are, there will always be one or two things you forget and need to grab once the school year begins. There’s a reason the back-to-school season often runs well into October. Don’t sweat it! Go through this buying guide and our school essentials checklist, get what you need urgently, and the rest will fall into place as you find favourable deals and realize the need.
The post Back to School buying guide appeared first on Best Buy Blog.
]]>Related: Our favorite sunscreens.
My husband has been low-key grumbling about mascara and makeup stains on our towels. He does the laundry a fair amount of the time and noticed all the girls in our family were guilty of this. It's not because we don't wash out faces, we just weren't doing a great job.
The MakeUp Eraser is one of several new brands that design microfiber clothes to remove makeup gently. I tested this one and a few smaller, similar products that are great for travel. I'm happy to report these products all work really well and are saving my towels from getting stained.
This product works on mascara (even waterproof) and takes only seconds to get my face makeup free without causing any irritation.
I got my MakeUp Eraser Amazon. They come in dozens of colors and are $20 per cloth.
Minis. I recommend these mini makeup removers too. One for every day of the week and perfect for getting your mascara off (if you are like me and do a low-key look, these are perfect). $25 for 7 clothes and a wash bag.
Note: These are both affiliate links.
Use Pinterest to save your favorite beauty finds. Be sure to follow our Beauty board here.
]]>He's not a regular dad...he's a ski dad! We've got a dozen ways to celebrate the outdoorsy guy in your family. These mountain-friendly picks will be sure to put a grin on dad's face.
You can see the picks that I'm sharing today are not your average Father's Day gift ideas, so I know any one of them would put a smile on his face. You'll definitely find something for every kind of ski dad among these ideas! Those wonderful fathers in our lives deserved to be celebrated for all they do to make mountain memories happen.
Use Pinterest to save your favorite gifts for Father's Day. Be sure to follow our Fathers Day board here.
]]>I spent quite a while there during my big backpacking trip around Southeast Asia. It quickly became one of my favorite cities in Thailand. I found countless things to see in Chiang Mai, and I had a real adventure when I rode a motorbike from there to Pai.
Chiang Mai is located in the mountainous north of the country, where the weather is cooler, the jungles are thicker and the rivers are stronger. All of this makes the area around the city an adventurer’s playground with a never ending list of things to do in Chiang Mai. Leave the “beachy” things to do in Koh Phangan and other Thai islands behind, and make your way to the mountains of Thailand, you won’t regret it!
This post was updated in 2023 to include even more amazing things to do in Chiang Mai.
If trekking the jungles or riding the rapids is not your thing, Chiang Mai itself is throbbing with enough activities and sights to steal your heart. Here is my list of just a few of the incredible things to do in Chiang Mai – it’s definitely one of the top places to visit in Thailand.
Have a read about what to do in Chiang Mai and start planning your next adventure.
One of the top things to do in Chiang Mai is to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple. This beautiful golden temple sits atop of Doi Suthep mountain and is located 12 kilometers from the city. As well as being the most sacred place in Chiang Mai, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is also one of the most sacred temples in the whole of Thailand.
Along with some spectacular views, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, which is an incredible 13th century golden temple, also houses a beautiful white elephant shrine and an impressive replica of the Emerald Buddha.
When you are in the city, every taxi driver and travel agent will ask to take you to see the temple. However, this is not necessary as Doi Suthep is very easy to reach. The simplest option to reach the top of the mountain is by Songthaew, one of the converted pick-ups which you will see whizzing about the city. These hop on hop off “buses” are the best way to get about Chiang Mai. Don’t miss this temple when backpacking Thailand.
Address: Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
There are so many things to do in Thailand, but this country is definitely famous for its many night markets with Chiang Mai being home to some of the best in the country. The biggest of all the nightly markets is the Night Bazaar which is located on Chang Klan Road.
By day Chang Klan is a normal road, but with the darkness comes hundreds of market stalls. These stalls sell everything from fake designer clothes to Thai lanterns and artwork. Food is also sold at the Night Bazaar but in Chiang Mai night time food stalls are everywhere offering everything from Sushi to meat on a stick.
☞ SEE ALSO: A Digital Nomad Guide to Living in Chiang Mai
The Night Bazaar of Chang Klan Road is open 365 days of the year no matter what the weather. Do be warned however, bartering is a must, so be prepared to haggle your socks off if you want a good price.
Another of the many things to do in Chiang Mai is to taste the insect buffet. These stalls which are packed with creepy crawlies are found throughout the country and are a must for many travelers. At first glance, I thought, no way I’ll eat that, but eventually I worked up enough courage (and hunger!) to try some.
Tasty little nibbles from tarantulas and scorpions to bugs and grasshoppers are just waiting to freak you out. Many people only wish to take a photo to show their friends back home. However, the stall owners will still charge you a dollar for a photograph. Not only is this a top attraction in Chiang Mai, but it’s one of the many popular things to do in Bangkok as well.
Insects are a great source of protein and are also incredibly easy to farm. With reports that the governments of the world would like these tasty little horrors on the menus of their own countries, it might not be long before you can eat your very own bag of crickets at home.
In Thailand Muay Thai is more than a sport, it is a religion. Trained from an incredibly young age, Muay Thai fighters are some of the most deadly in the world. Muay Thai is one of the most prolific fighting styles, and is often incorporated into mixed martial arts such as the global UFC.
In Thailand Muay Thai is everywhere, from back alley rings to stadiums filled with cheering spectators. It is also not uncommon to see young children fighting in the ring. Muay Thai is one of the very few ways to earn good money in Thailand for some of the poorer families and also draws incredible respect.
The two main stadiums in Chiang Mai are Thaphae Boxing Stadium and also Kawila Boxing Stadium. If you would like to see a fight, ask any Songthaew or Tuk-Tuk and they will take you to the stadium. However, there are many smaller establishments that also put on nightly shows which are cheaper but do not have the same atmosphere.
I’ve been to the large stadiums and the smaller shows, and they’re both worth checking out. If you only have time for one, however, I recommend the spectacle of a busy stadium.
One of the more adventurous things to do in Chiang Mai is to rent a bike and ride through the mountains to Pai. And not only that, but this was one of the most adventurous things I’ve done anywhere.
The road from Chiang Mai to Pai is one of the most beautiful that I’ve ever seen. This twisting, winding ribbon of tarmac is perfect for riding motorbikes. Stretching 150 kilometers north from the city, the road to Pai is surrounded by natural beauty. Plus, once you get there, there are so many things to do in Pai to keep you busy.
Speaking of motorbiking, the Mae Hong Son Loop in Thailand is one of the most popular and scenic trips. And, it takes in Pai as well! Click here to learn more.
Also, if you are a backpacker, Pai is a traveler’s paradise nestled in pristine national park and is a must when in this part of the country. To learn more about this incredible little place, have a read of my Traveler’s Guide To Pai.
Situated just outside of Chiang Mai is the Bai Orchid and Butterfly farm. Here it is possible to see thousands of beautiful butterflies and blooming flowers all year round. Much loved by the people of Thailand, the orchid is also a national symbol of the country.
It is also possible to buy your very own seedlings from the Bai Orchid so that you can grow your own flowers at home. One of the big draws in the souvenir shop are the golden orchids. These are orchids that have been dipped into gold and transformed into beautiful jewelry. These are highly sought after throughout the country.
Bai Orchid is one of those love it or hate it places. I loved it, and if you’re a lover of flowers and butterflies like me, the 40 Baht entrance fee is definitely worth it. If flowers and butterflies aren’t really your thing, then this may be one of the things to do in Chiang Mai that you should give a miss.
Address: WW9M+FMV, Mae Raem, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai, 50180, Thailand
[widget id=”shortcodes-ultimate-5″]Thai massages are available on almost every street in the country. However, the women’s prison in the city runs a scheme for soon to be released prisoners, where they are taught life skills to help them reintegrate into society.
This is one for those that are looking for things to do in Chiang Mai that are a little different. Receiving a Thai Massage from an inmate of the prison is something that I’ll never forget. The women are supervised at all times and there is no risk of foul play.
This is also a great help to the women as it can be very difficult for them to find jobs once they leave prison. As well as the Thai massage there is also a little cafe where you can enjoy some tasty Thai food and a patio garden where you can wait.
It is impossible to visit Thailand and not take a ride in one of the local Tuk-Tuks. These nippy little vehicles are found all over Thailand and are a fun way to get about the city. Each region of the country has its own style of Tuk-Tuk and Chiang Mai is no different.
However, I would not advise that you take Tuk-Tuks in Thailand often. A ride in a Tuk-Tuk is more expensive than a taxi and can become quite a hassle if you let them. That said, a short trip in a Tuk-Tuk can be a bright and entertaining way to whizz about the city and I always had a blast riding in them.
Also known as Auto Rickshaws, taking a ride in a Tuk-Tuk is just one more of the many great things to do in Chiang Mai.
Here is a list of the top 3 rated, affordable properties in Chiang Mai. Click on the links and check them out for yourself!
☞ Click here to see all accommodation options available in Chiang Mai on Booking.com
Next up is the San Kamphaeng Hot Springs. Situated to the northeast of Chiang Mai, the San Kamphaeng Hot Springs are nestled in the high hills surrounded by both woods and mountains. This is what to do in Chiang Mai when you’re really in need of a rest.
High sulphur levels in the water means that the springs have been transformed into mineral baths. Along with the baths there is also a natural mineral swimming pool and massage facilities. The San Kamphaeng Hot Springs are a great place to just kick back and relax.
If you do make it to the hot springs, make sure to buy an egg. Strangely, eggs are available for you to boil in the hotter springs. I enjoyed cooking and eating them while barely realizing that I was also cooking myself.
Address: 1 Ban Sa Ha Khon, Mae On District, Chiang Mai, 50130, Thailand
Durian, the smelliest fruit in the world, is banned in hotels and public spaces throughout Asia. Not to be mistaken for the very similar Jackfruit, Durian is destructive to all but the strongest noses. I quickly learned to recognize its pungent stench from miles away.
For some people the taste is worth the smell, whereas others hate both the taste and the ungodly odour. If you would like to see which side of the scale you fall under, durian is quite easy to get.
By asking around in most markets you will soon find a piece of the so-called “King of Fruits”. Why it has been christened such is beyond me, but then I have never dared take the plunge. Give me scorpions and tarantulas and I will eat them any day of the week; give me durian, however, and I will run for the hills.
If you happen to be visiting during the wet season and are looking for what to do in Chiang Mai for a little adventure, white water rafting is for you. It’s most definitely one of the more adventurous things to do in Chiang Mai.
White water rafting in Chiang Mai is not for the faint of heart. But with its tropical climate, steep mountains and beautiful scenery, the area possesses perfect conditions for the sport. I’ve tried it in several countries, and my trip in Chiang Mai was definitely one of the best.
Many companies in Chiang Mai offer white water rafting tours, with all saying they are the best. I would advise you to check Tripadvisor and read the reviews. See what others have said and make your own mind up about which company to choose.
One of the great things to do in Chiang Mai is to take a Thai cooking class so that once you return home you can take the tastes of Thailand with you.
Once you have travelled through Thailand, there is no doubt that you will fall in love with the food. From red and green curries to Khao Soi and Pad Thai, the food in Thailand is amazing.
Chiang Mai offers many places where you can take a Thai cooking class. Signs are posted at various points throughout the tourist areas of the city, all offering to teach you the secrets of Thai food. Another great way to find good classes is by using Tripadvisor. Alternatively you could ask other travelers, this is always a great way of garnering information.
Try to plan your trip to Chiang Mai for a weekend so you can stick around and enjoy the Sunday night market. During this time, the Old City is closed off to traffic, and is taken over by numerous vendors selling their art, food and crafts.
Everyone comes out on a Sunday night to enjoy this market. Not to mention, it’s an excellent place to find reduced rates on souvenirs and other trinkets. No interested in buying anything? Some of my favorite things to do were to sit down and enjoy a foot massage, sip on some Thai tea, and gorge myself on delicious Thai food.
Do you have a strong stomach? Do you like a challenge? Then maybe eating a hundred year egg is one of your top things to do in Chiang Mai. Also known as a century egg or a thousand year egg, this is an Asian delicacy which is eaten throughout this part of the world.
The egg is preserved for several weeks or months using various different methods including the use of clay ash and salt. However, in my experience, as the saying goes, the hundred year egg’s bark is far worse than its bite. Both the blackness of the egg and the smell are far worse than the actual taste.
Hundred year eggs can be found at most markets throughout Chiang Mai. Try one yourself and get a photo to terrorise your more squeamish friends back home. This is what to do in Chiang Mai when you want to try something that’s really different.
With so many stories about the horrendous lives that these beautiful animals live, the Elephant Nature Park is a bright light in the darkness. The Elephant Nature Park is a sanctuary which is located just one hour from Chiang Mai. It was easily one of my favorite things to see in Chiang Mai.
The sanctuary is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating these majestic creatures from the horrid lives that they have been forced to live. The park offers hotel pick up which makes it incredibly easy to reach.
Visitors to the Elephant Nature Park are given an elephant education and can also feed and bathe the animals. This is one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai, and it was a highlight of my trip.
Address: 1 Ratchamanka Rd, Tambon Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai, 50100, Thailand
As stated earlier, I strongly believe that Thai food is some of the most tasty in the world. Sometimes it seems that there is a never ending menu of deliciousness when you’re exploring the gastronomic side of Thailand. From street food and the night markets to the restaurants and beach bars, Thai food will never disappoint.
Make sure to try dishes such as the coconut curry and Pad Krapow. Also do not forget to grab some mango sticky rice to keep up your energy as you are exploring the city.
Another great thing about the food in Chiang Mai is just how cheap it all is. If you grab a meal from one of the many street vendors, you will pay only a couple of dollars.
You can not travel to Thailand and not see a ladyboy cabaret show, and Chiang Mai offers some of the best in the country. Many people are often surprised just how good the shows are. They are fun and entertaining and a great way to spend the night.
In England, ladyboy cabaret shows have become a huge draw for nights out such as work and hen parties. These, however, have nothing on the Chiang Mai ladyboy cabaret shows, one of the top things to do in Chiang Mai for entertainment. I had an awesome time.
You will have no trouble finding a show, just ask a taxi driver to take you. You may be surprised at the many different people you see attending. From backpackers to businessmen, everybody loves a good night out.
Check out these answers to frequently asked questions about things to do in Chiang Mai.
Stunning ancient temples, such as Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, are some of the best things to see in Chiang Mai. The city is also known for its bustling night markets and scenic natural areas in the surrounding mountains.
To get a good taste of what to do in Chiang Mai, you should plan on at least four days and five nights. That way, you can visit temples, explore night markets, and take in the natural scenery of the nearby mountains.
Chiang Mai is an everyday city full of culture and nature, while Phuket is an island paradise. Head to Phuket for white-sand beaches, scuba diving, and boat trips to islands of white cliffs. As it’s far from the beach, you won’t find any of these in Chiang Mai.
There’s no doubt that eating local food is one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai. Also popular in nearby Laos, Khao Soi may be Chiang Mai’s best-known dish. It’s a coconut curry soup with two kinds of noodles and chicken or beef.
The Old City has most of the top things to see in Chiang Mai, including historic buildings, temples, and sections of the old city wall.
Yes, Chiang Mai is made for walking. Indeed, exploring the city on foot is the best way to take in many of its top attractions, such as the night markets.
Chiang Mai is a city that will keep you entertained for as long as you allow it to. Not for nothing is Thailand one of the top tourist destinations on the planet. How many of the 17 are you going to do? Or if you have already been to Chiang Mai, what else do you think should be on the list? Sound off in the comments below.
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The post 17 Best Things to Do in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2023 appeared first on Goats On The Road.
]]>Put This On wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. So, twice a month, we like to give them a special shoutout. Doing so allows us to recognize them for their support and update readers on our sponsors’ latest happenings.
In her book Worn: A People’s History of Clothing, Sofi Thanhauser goes through the laborious process of how mills produce linen fabrics. The material comes from flax, a flowering plant with a stiff, slender stalk. Inside these stalks are soft, silky strands, which, when twisted together, form durable cords or threads. Getting to these strands, however, is a long process that involves pulling the plants and leaving them to dry, employing moisture to rot and soften the outer cellular tissue, and then breaking apart the material to remove the inner fibers. That’s to get the material—before it’s processed into yarn and then woven into fabric. It’s a laborious, time-consuming process that can drive up the cost of the final product, but linen is prized in the summertime for how well it breathes and wicks sweat from the skin, keeping the wearer feeling cool, dry, and comfortable.
Proper Cloth has many new linen items this season, including Italian linen shirtings in casual colors such as sage green, slate blue, and sand. These fabrics are ready to be turned into custom-made dress shirts produced with nearly any stylistic detail—popovers, Ivy styled button-downs, or even snap-button Westerns. Proper Cloth also has some Irish linen suits in single- and double-breasted configurations. Natural tan and tobacco brown will be your most versatile colors. However, the grey linen suits can be an interesting and unexpected choice for summer (such casual suits are the only ones you can wear with all-white sneakers if you want to dress these down). You can also check out Proper Cloth’s gallery for casual shirtings this season, which includes stretch seersuckers, Aloha prints, and colorful madras.
I can’t remember how I came across the photo of Bruce Boyer and Mark Cho speaking many years ago, but it has been saved on my hard drive ever since. I love that Bruce is wearing a pair of pale yellow socks. “Fun socks” can be dicey—paired with a dark business suit, they become a gimmick; worn to conservative offices, they’re distracting. But when teamed with a navy sport coat, striped button-down shirt, and tan chinos, they add just the right amount of personality.
The photo has been sitting on my hard drive for years because it took me forever to find something in this hue. These socks aren’t “highlighter yellow” (which Drake’s carriers) but a pale banana color. This season, Dapper Classics carries the same color in their spring collection (available in over-the-calf and mid-calf varieties). Again, probably not suitable for dark worsted suits or conservative offices, but for casual suits and sport coat ensembles while getting coffee with a friend? Perfect.
If you’re looking for something more business appropriate, consider Dapper Classic’s subtly patterned socks in houndstooth, herringbone, pin dot, and grenadine. These are the kind of socks that add a little bit of personality to a tailored outfit without your ankles becoming the center of attention. You can wear these in the summertime with anything from navy tropical wool suits to cotton suits to sport coats of any variety. Dapper Classics’ socks are also made in North Carolina by a third-generation family-owned mill. Their quality is just as good as socks from well-regarded European firms such as Marcoliani and Bresciani, but since they don’t have to pay for international shipping and duties, their retail prices are much lower.
Our newest sponsor, Spier & Mackay, has developed a cult following since they debuted on StyleForum in 2014. Before them, it was difficult to get quality, affordable tailoring in the styles and silhouettes that online menswear guys obsessed over—soft shoulder, trim but not tight chest, and a classic length that covers your rear. Above them are dearly expensive Italian clothes that start at the four figures; below them are fast fashion brands that sell awful tailoring. Spier & Mackay’s tailoring begins at around $300, but the coats are half-canvassed and fit many guys well.
In the last few years, Spier & Mackay has applied their expertise on classic tailored clothing to more casual pieces, such as waxed cotton field coats, suede bombers, and Donegal topcoats. For the spring/summer season, you can check out their range of washed chambray button-downs, linen shorts, and cotton-linen polos. Prices are generally about half to a third of what you’d pay for similarly styled items elsewhere. They even have chore coats on sale right now for $98—less than what many stores charge for button-ups.
For an easy summer ensemble, consider this soft-shouldered, rust-colored sport coat made from wool-silk-linen. Wool-silk-linen—commonly denoted as WSL online—has properties from all three fibers: the drape and bounce-back quality of wool, the sheen and strength of silk, and the crisp, dry hand of linen. It’s prized during the summer months because of how it imitates the texture of traditional fall/winter fabrics, such as tweed, but breathes well in hot, humid conditions. You can wear it as Spier & Mackay presents it above: with cream-colored trousers (pearl grey would also work), a light blue linen shirt, and brown suede tassel loafers.
Over the last thirty years, suspenders have gone much in the way of hats. Once common in men’s wardrobes, they’ve become something of a relic of the past. But why might you want to wear suspenders? For one, they’re more comfortable than organ-squeezing tourniquets. Since your waist expands when you sit, and returns to its smaller circumference when you stand, belts are only comfortable in one of these positions. Suspenders, on the other hand, allow you to have a little extra room at the waistband to accommodate these changes. Plus, they’re better at holding up your pants. Belted trousers tend to slip down throughout the day, which requires you to adjust them continually. You can set the desired length with suspenders, put them on, and never bother with them again.
Chipp Neckwear has the most affordable ones around, at least if you’re looking for something well-made and produced in the USA. The price is $45.50, which is lower than their competitors — much like the price of their grenadine ties. They offer 20 solid colors and three stripes, the choice of black or brown leather kips, as well as gold or silver-colored adjusters.
Thirty years ago, if you wanted to clear out your closet, your options were mostly limited to donating things to Goodwill or seeing what you could get at a local consignment shop, which would typically pay you pennies on the dollar. These days, there are many more options, including resale sites such as eBay, Etsy, and Grailed. Unfortunately, listing things can be a pain, which is why our friends LuxeSwap have been able to build such a good business. They do all the hard work of helping people clear out their closets and earn some cash in the process. They take professional photos and measurements of your items, create the listings, answer questions from buyers, and fulfill the orders. In return, they take 40% of the profits. And since spring closet cleans are in full swing, you can expect better-than-usual listings.
On their eBay account right now, you can find tailoring from the likes of J. Press, Canali, and Sartoria Formosa; shirts from G. Inglese; classic American shoes from Alden; and tons of quality knitwear from Paul Stuart, Ralph Lauren, William Lockie, Anderson & Sheppard, and Christian Kimber. A secret tip: do a search for the code “A1P.” Matthew at LuxeSwap has been working with a consignor who has exceptionally good taste (and a massive, massive wardrobe). You can find some of his best auctions there.
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]]>Ladies, I am all about fashion but, sometimes you need a few basics in your wardrobe to pull out to wear (or pack) for traveling. I also have included a few must-haves for the girl (lady/woman) on the go!
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For traveling I always get new underwear, and pajamas (my favorites are cotton shorts and a top with a notched collar – (pajama set) … Do you? Get basic necessities and essentials to suit the climate you are traveling to and staying at.
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Are you planning any overnighters, weekend trips, or vacations? Or just adding basics to your wardrobe??
Travel Packing List / Favorite Carry-on & Luggage / Free 7-Page Travel Planner
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