Men’s Shirts: Beau

Men’s fashion alert!  As many of you know, I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where there are as many men’s dress shirts as there are Republicans…(I only knew one or two families that were Republicans….call me a hippy liberal).  That’s not to say I don’t have a view on men’s shirts, because I am EXTREMELY OPINIONATED.  I can’t stand (bold underline italic)  men’s dress shirts that are too big (or men’s clothes in general).  Why is it hard for so many men to find clothes that fit well?  Fortunately, Ken has found a new custom-fit shirt service that is user-friendly, reasonably priced, and makes great looking shirts.

 

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Ken’s Beer Can Chicken

Guest blogger alert! Here’s Ken with another fun grilling post:

 

Greetings!  It is great to be out of sweltering New York, and more importantly, reunited with my summering wife and kids in Oregon for a week.  I am blessed to have the ability to really focus on my true passions during my vacation: cooking for my in-laws, and guest-writing for a women’s lifestyle blog.  Good times.

 

I have stepped in for the Josie Girl before, mostly with grilling posts on artichokes and fruit (and separately, Lemon Mint Pasta with Bacon and Tips for Expectant Fathers) The focus on fruit, vegetables and general health?  Not necessarily my first choice (play to your audience), so it’s time for more of a traditional and fun (and manly) post on…. Beer Can Chicken.

Ingredients

Ingredients. 4 lb chicken, can o’ beer (room temperature), olive oil, salt, pepper, and if you have it, rosemary, and thyme.

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Two Dollar Bills

We recently discovered that the husband of one of Ken’s old friends is obsessed with two dollar bills. Amazingly awesome, right? I had no idea that two dollar bills still existed (use the two!) and so I swapped some cash for some of his two dollar bills. Turns out, Matt loves using two dollar bills as doing so has helped make the simple process of exchanging money lead to amazing stories, connections, and interactions. Odd, quirky, and inspiring! Talking to him made ME want to start collecting two dollar bills and handing them out to people; taxi drivers, manicurists, coffee shops, you name it!

 

 

2 dollar bill

 

 

Matt goes to the bank each week to get his stack of bills for the next week or two. His story about his interest in 2 dollar bills was so touching and elegantly odd (ironic?), that I knew I had to interview him and inspire us all to BRING BACK THE TWO! As Matt likes to say, he does not like to collect twos.  He just likes using them.

 

 

Elias with his stash

Elias, Matt’s 10 month old son, is also highly interested in two dollar bills.

Birthday gift

One of Laura’s birthday gifts to Matt this year, was a 2 dollar bill stamp (because apparently, Matt also really likes stamps.)

Every Tuesday

According to Matt, “Everyday is Mardi Gras for me. Another ‘Fat Twos’ Day.” Love it.

pocket full of dough.

 

Random and fascinating, here is the interview with Matt! Enjoy! (I want to start a collection that is so unique and obscure that people find my hobby and collection inspiring and touching!)

 

When did you become interested in $2 bills?

 

I started on this path in the summer of 1992 when I was living in San Francisco, working in the financial district (I was at Lehman Brothers at the time) and I discovered that my local bank could supply me with $2s. I was hooked. Subsequently, I cashed all my paychecks in $2s. My mantra is to spread the joy of $2 bills and to make transactions and merchant interactions fun and to spread the happiness of $2 bills throughout our system.

 

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How About We…For Couples

If you are like me, you love going on dates with your significant other *BUT* you get stuck in a routine of the same dates… the same restaurants, venues, rituals.  Fun, but not always pushing the envelope.

Now, there is a company, How About We for Couples that helps gives activities, ideas, and DEALS on various dates!

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HowAboutWe for Couples is all about helping couples stay happy, connected, and in love.  Members receive a date book with one-of-a-kind dates. After selecting a date, the service takes care of everything else.

typical

An example of the date selections you can choose from.

other

other dates.

How fun and original? I love the ideas presented — some are over the top, others are simple and easy.

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Easy Father’s Day Gifts

Don’t look now, but Father’s Day is right around the corner (Sunday, June 17th). I am pretty good about thinking ahead about gifts, but Father’s Day is definitely an exception. This wasn’t as big a deal before we started having kids, as my father is pretty laid back.  But given my expectations for Mother’s Day gifts from Ken, I feel like I need to step up to the plate a little more.

With that said, here are some quick last minute Father’s Day gifts that may look more thought out than they actually are (I hope Ken’s not reading this):

Johnnie-O Shirts

I already did a whole post on them, but in case you didn’t read it, I am a big fan of Johnnie-O shirts. They bring a West Coast flair to the otherwise too boring East Coast polo shirt.  Ken has about 15 of these, and wore them every weekend until he realized they were in all of our weekend pictures (check out the post… I am not joking).  They also have matching father/son shirts, which is an easy lay-up thoughtful present.  For those of you in New York, they are launching a pop-up shop Thursday night at the Roger Smith hotel.  Ken and I will be at the launch party- feel free to come and say hi!

 

Miansai Medium Wrap Rope Bracelet

This may not be for everyone, but I got this bracelet for Ken a few months ago, and I think it has definitely made him look a little more hip.  This works for him since he works in fashion, but admittedly may not be ideal for everyone.  And I definitely know some fathers (i.e., mine) that would never wear this.

Available at Barneys.com

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Yankees!

Marriage is about compromise. There are some things that Ken and I share naturally together.  Waking up early. Working out. Being adventurous.  There are others that we don’t.

Ken grew up an avid professional sports fan.  His family had Jets season tickets for 25 years, and when we first moved to New York, he always tried to get me to go to a game with him and his friends.  I somehow always found a way out.  It wasn’t that I was totally against it (as long as the weather was warm).  For some reason, it just never happened (including the time when we were about to go and I slammed my hand in a glass door and had to go to the hospital.  Ken still went to the game.)

The Yankees are a) closer to Manhattan, and b) not an all day commitment.  So with thanks to Natori’s factors who gifted us tickets, we recently went to a game.  And it was great fun!

Arriving at the ballpark. For those of you non-sports fans, this is the "new" Yankee Stadium, which the Yankees moved to in 2009. It is right next to site of the old Yankee Stadium, which was demolished after the last game there in 2008.

Gorgeous spring night. That is me in the green hoodie. Strategically positioned so you can't see my enormous pregnant belly.

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Men’s Fashion- Johnnie-O

Josie Girls! Those of you with men in your lives know one thing: for the most part, men are pretty terrible dressers.  Sure, there are some men out there who are fashionable, but for the most part, men need a lot of help with their wardrobes.  You can’t blame them: women are more likely to shop and follow fashion, and men are more likely to watch football.  That’s just the way it is.  But that doesn’t change the fact that men need help, and women who date men who need help also need help getting their men help.  I think that made sense!

So every now and then, this Josie girl will provide ideas on how you can get the man (or men) in your life a little more fashionable.

One area where I think men can use a lot of help is the polo shirt.  In theory, it can look good, but every time I see a Ralph Lauren or Lacoste polo shirt, I look the other way. TOTALLY boring, overly preppy, and way too common. SNORE!

My favorite men’s polo shirt is by Johnnie-O, a relatively new L.A.-based clothing company that specializes in “West Coast Prep” (and if you have been reading, you know I bleed Best Coast!)

Johnnie-O

Yes, it's a polo shirt, and yes, it's still preppy. But it's definitely got its own feel, and slightly hipster flair.

Johnnie-O was founded by John O’Donnell, the brother of actor Chris O’Donnell. His vision is to build a brand that mixes West Coast style with an East Coast feel, and for the most part, I think the company has done a great job.

The above signature 4-button polo ain’t cheap ($65), but it is cheaper than the Ralph Lauren ($85) and Lacoste ($89 full price) equivalents.  And it is more unique (unless you are Ken, and have 8 of these shirts, and wear them all of the time.)

Ken rocking a Johnnie-O shirt this summer. And if you are like me and just did a double-take at this picture, um yep, looks like Mr. Cruz is naked.....or partially so. HI TUSH!

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Tips for Expectant Fathers

Yesterday, I provided some tips to help expectant mothers stay sane (if possible) and fashionable (not really possible, but it’s all relative).  While women do almost all of the hard work, pregnancy isn’t necessarily a bed of roses for men either.  So with that, here are 10 tips for expectant fathers from Ken.

 

Tips for Expectant Fathers, written by Ken

1. If your pregnant wife asks you if she looks fat, don’t say no. She will tell you you are lying.

 

2. If your pregnant wife asks you if she looks fat, don’t say yes. (Hopefully, this is obvious.)

 

3. If your pregnant wife asks you if she looks fat, don’t clam up and say nothing. She will tell you you are being uncommunicative.

 

4. If your pregnant wife asks you if she looks fat, either fake sharp chest pains, or start shedding spontaneous tears of joy. (May not work more than once).

 

5. Pregnancy related hormones are very real, as are pregnant wives’ denials of the existence of pregnancy related hormones. Translation: pointing out that your wife may be feeling the effects of pregnancy-related hormones is a lose-lose battle. (See 1-4).

 

6.  Heard of “push presents” and “babymoons”? You aren’t alone. I hadn’t either.  But it doesn’t matter. Pregnant women talk about them and expect them.  And playing dumb won’t get you out of them.

 

7. Yes, your wife is uncomfortable. And yes, it is your fault.

 

8. Do not plan to move a month before your wife is due… If I had to make a recipe for divorce, it would include two-parts third trimester pregnancy, one-part feeling displaced, with 3 heaping teaspoons of moving boxes and reorganizing your life, and a pinch of debating over redecorating tastes and budgets. (Yes, we moved a week before Cruz was born. And yes, it was all my fault.)

 

9. Buy flowers. Trust me: I think flowers are stupid. I don’t get it. You buy them, and then they die. But during a time when it is very hard to do anything “right”, buying flowers is about as safe as it gets.

 

10. Every time you bite your lip or think about how challenging your wife’s pregnancy can be, take a deep breath, and appreciate the fact that you don’t have to push a baby out of your body. When you see what she has to go through in the delivery room, it will all make sense!

KCNandCKN

Hours after the birth of our son, Cruz in October 2009.  Waiting for number 2 due this May!

KCN, a.k.a, The Josie Girl’s hubby