What are your personal habits like?

Are you guilty of this particular charming habit? Back before social distancing and working from home, the number of people I noticed daily who could not seem to keep their digits out of their nostrils in public was truly stomach churning. When did everyone start behaving like ill-bred toddlers in a sandbox?

Um, men? We can be the most handsome, most physically fit, best dressed, highly educated, and most accomplished raconteurs around. But you know what? We're only as pleasant as our personal habits. The kind of things you do when you're alone, or when you think no one is watching. Personal habits might include everything from the condition in which you leave the bathroom following a shave and shower -- or after, ahem, using the facilities -- to making sure dirty clothing makes it into the hamper immediately upon removal, to how you behave at the table during mealtimes, to the state of your entryway and living space, to. . . Fill in the bank.

The point is, it maters not what sort of job you have, how much money you earn, the size of your house, the sort of vehicle you drive, or how cool you think you are. As my now wife The Grand Duchess once observed many years ago about relationships in general, when we began dating seriously and were talking very broadly about things not necessarily relating to us as a couple, it is the little things that count. Personal habits are those little things. They can make, or break connections and relationships. Familial, romantic, professional, or otherwise.

Let's be completely honest for a moment. We cannot fault others for doing anything possible to avoid time in the company of an inconsiderate, gross slob either at home behind closed doors, or in public. It's time to back away from the current societal obsession that somehow equates disgusting behaviors with authenticity. No, no, no gentlemen! As part of the ongoing program to kick our everyday style several rungs up the socio-evolutionary ladder, it might, instead, be high time to take a long hard look at ourselves in the mirror and pay greater attention to, smarten up, and polish those personal habits. Undoubtedly, there are also other personal habits you'll want to do your level best to suppress. For longer than just a few days. The people around us will appreciate the effort.

To borrow a page from Michael Caine's book, "Know what I mean?"

-- Heinz-Ulrich

The Problem of "Business Casual" Attire. . .

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Friday on Campus Style. . .

S omewhat atypically, I was on campus for several hours today helping with an interview that is part of a larger documentary project on which a colleague and I are working. Although I am behind the camera (I'm the audio guy in fact), what better reason does one need to dress presentably? Exactly. Everything worn, barring the recently purchased University of Wisconsin socks, a gift from the Grand Duchess, has been in the rotation for a while now. And, of course, there was the Panama hat, which I'll wear until we pass October 1st when the felt fedoras reappear. -- Heinz-Ulrich

Tan Suit Tuesday. . .

W hile it's now after Labor Day here in the U.S,. we still have almost three weeks left of summer according to the calendar. And since today was bright, sunny, and pleasantly warm (though far from hot), it seemed like a perfect opportunity to trot out my tan cotton suit and tan loafers/belt. Slightly disheveled, yes. And the shoes need some Renovateur to moisten 'em up But not a bad overall look if I might be so bold. -- Heinz-Ulrich

CharlottesvilleJuly 23, 2020 at 8:02 AM
Amen, Heinz-Ulrich.

“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

― John Wooden

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