Happy Feast of Stephen!

'Church in the Snow,' painted by Norwegian artist Theodor Severin Kittelsen in 1907.

Happy Second Day of Christmas! Just contemplating, for a moment, the quiet joy that was Christmas Day this year in the von Boffke household, the first like that in several years. Why can't we collectively have more similar days during the rest of the year? Those quiet, relaxed, calm, uncomplicated times that are filled with the small joys of immediate family and pleasant company capped off by a special meal. We all need more of that, I think, when we actually talk to and laugh with each other rather than stare vapidly into our phones, or check the damn things every few minutes. Or, where we simply enjoy each others' company as we look over the books and other gifts we've received once again after we finally drag ourselves upstairs to get dressed by early afternoon and return to the living room or other gathering point in the family home with another cup of coffee or a glass of eggnog a short while later.

It just might be possible. And it costs nothing. Here is what I propose to all average guys looking to kick up their everyday style in the broadest sense. Let's make 2014 the year when we say "No more!" to the overly connected, overly scheduled, overly busy 24/7 way of life that has overtaken our post-postmodern existence. I hardly suggest we turn our backs on modern conveniences like internal plumbing and central heating. . . or the technological gadgets that many of us think we think we "need." No need to adopt a Luddite approach since many of us work daily with computers or the like in any case, and it would be awfully difficult to function in the world of 2013 without any of that at this point.

But the constant go, go, go and often needless, self-imposed obligation to be overly wired and tethered to our I-phones, I-pads, etc. -- something that these very devices seem to encourage -- cannot be good for us or those around us in the long term. You know what I mean. People always available and/or constantly checking for the latest texts, voice mails, and e-mails. Just because you've got wireless at home, or it is available in a restaurant or cafe, doesn't mean you need to or should whip out your latest portable electronic non-status symbol for all to see and hear you use it. Let's give some serious thought during this quiet Christmas Week to reducing the control that technology has over our non-work lives and interaction with others in the New Year and, hopefully, beyond it.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

Up North Style. . .

Bad Dad makes a friend. YMP and Bad Dad on the shores of Lake Michigan. Or was that Crystal Lake? The Grand Duchess takes a selfie in her kayak. How NOT to impress the girls sunning themselves along the river. YMP and Bad Dad kayaking on the Platte River headed toward Loon Lake. J ust back from a week in Northern Michigan in a charming and spacious house on the banks of the Betsie River outside of Thompsonville. A largely pleasant seven days despite some challenging episodes with the Young Master, who has picked up some very questionable habits and language from his friends in the 8th Grade during the school year just ended. But otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves and contemplated remaining for a few days longer since the house was available. In the end, we decided to return home as planned originally since neither my wife, nor I wanted to spend the remaining days chained to our computers in Zoom meetings from our vacation destination. I actually managed to leave the laptop and ip

Mid-June Thursday Style. . .

A nother pretty typical variation on the theme for late spring, summer, and very early fall. I'm a huge fan of Madras and have several such shirts in the seasonal rotation. Lightweight, exceedingly comfortable, and even dressy when pressed and tucked in, which is the usual way of things here at Totleigh in the Wold. Now, if I had my druthers, I'd still rather be skiing the trails in the upper half of "The Mitten" (of Michigan), in the Upper Peninsula, or Ontario. But summers ain't so bad either, and I'd look pretty funny walking around in cross-country ski attire during June. -- Heinz-Ulrich

A Lazy Saturday at the End of June. . .

A sleepy first half of the weekend here at Totleigh. Warmer and quite humid ahead of an approaching cool front here in Mid-Michigan. Perfect for yet another pair of chino shorts an a seersucker shirt -- tucked in of course -- with the usual leather deck shoes and ribbon belt. Otherwise, not much accomplished beyond a page or so of writing and monkeying around with audio settings for an upcoming podcast episode. However, I was not completely useless yesterday! I made a huge fruit salad for dinner, which the Grand Duchess and I enjoyed a short while later at the table on the back porch. The Young Master, as is his wont on Saturday evenings, took his dinner on a tray in the TV room upstairs where he whiled away a couple of hours on Flight Simulator, flying some sort of commercial airliner to some destination across the Atlantic or Pacific. I would have loved that sort of technology at about nine or 10 way back during the late 1970s, aka The Stone Age. As it is, my sister and

Classic Style

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