I came across this RMRS post on Facebook, and it hit me right where I am in life. The message isn’t just about clothes — it’s about the standard you choose to live by. Over the last few years, I’ve been leveling up to this mindset. And the impact is real. People at work notice. People in my personal life notice. But the biggest shift is internal. This list may focus on the exterior, but it reflects what’s happening inside: dignity, intention, confidence. When I show up well, I feel well. And that changes how others perceive me — and how I perceive myself. Style isn’t just presentation. It’s identity. And stepping into that has been one of the most meaningful upgrades of my life.

Hey guys....it's been a minute since I came on here, but I wanted to show one of my current projects. A couple of months ago I had to put down my 14+ year old pitbull. It was not easy, but it was definitely time for her. Anything longer would have just been extending her misery. Everything was getting difficult for her, and the past few weeks she was eating only sporadically. I put some much into her that I even had a dedicated bedroom for her to use as a bathroom. I put down a large piece of leftover vinyl flooring over the ratty berber carpeting that was already in that room when I bought the house. I had been using the room for storage, and even painted some of my project toolboxes and whatnot in there. I told my girlfriend that when Spooky (my dog) was gone, we'd turn that room into a walk in closet. We did all of the work ourselves, which included ripping out vinyl and old berber carpeting, then using Nature's Miracle on the particle board subfloor where urine had soaked through. Let me tell you, that stuff is AMAZING! Once the subfloor was treated with that and it dried completely, I put 2 coats of Zinsser BIN shellac primer on the subfloor, then we bought and installed vinyl plank flooring. The original owners just had 1x4 material as molding along the floor. I used a bit in my router table to give that a nice top edge and not look so blocky. I also patched all the walls and painted them. The original owner had created this room by encroaching on the original garage, then built a full 2 car garage onto the existing garage. Kind of wonky but it worked. They didn't however have any ceiling mounted lighting, choosing rather to mount some wall sconces on the one wall which were inadequate and pretty redneck to me. I re-routed those wires up into the attic and then drilled holes into the plasterboard ceiling for ceiling mounted lights. To explain the ceiling situation.....there is a drop ceiling they installed, that's about 2" below what used to be the old garage platerboard ceiling. The drop ceiling is only 6'8" tall, and because of the limited height and limited options, I went with some very slim LED panel lights that I managed to wrestle into the drop ceiling grid (that was not a super fun part of the job). The lights are adjustable for light color (3.5k, 4k, or 5k) and have 3 different lumes settings. That was the basic shell of the room.

I have been planning on decorating a room in our basement since we moved in to our house, 7 years ago. I am also starting a Youtube channel, which will mainly be recorded in the lounge. I finally took a couple of substantial steps toward that end, thought I'd show you gentlemen the result. It is a combined remote work office and lounge, with mostly Chippendale and Chesterfield furniture. It feels great! I am finally very close to starting to produce content and share my ideas on security, readiness and how to be prepared not just for emergencies, but to seize any opportunity. The theme of the lounge is "a Gentleman's lounge in 2059". Classically inspired but with futuristic touches. What is left: - Ceiling light above the glass table - brass, amber, art deco, almost architectural - Linen curtains between wall and velvet curtains for that hotel feeling - LED lighting in two cabinets - Full-body mirror with gold frame - Small side table between the wingbacks, brass, architectural - Two large potted Aracea Palms trees - Wooden blinds - Place some decoration inside the glass and metal coffee table. - A Samsung The Frame on the wall behind the sofa that will show art, or movies when so inclined. Please tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions on how to improve it.

The Roman Empire was the first civilization in human history to have hygiene practices. Even during military campaigns, they had engineers specialized to maintain hygiene and prevent soldiers from possible diseases. Here we can see a public bathhouse; while I was visiting, I thought of the many younger people and older adults who simply don’t take baths at all. Imagine being in a public restroom and the smell actually getting better because the guy who doesn’t bathe just left. Or having to stop people from sitting next to me because you can’t stand the awful smells they carry. Now I look at this system for supplying clean water and hot water, which allows many people to simply sit down, take a deep breath, relax, and treat their bodies and minds. Civilizations should progress, but apparently everyone’s selfishness speaks louder. Because I’m the one who is fine, and others have to accept me as I am! Even though we live in communities, where human beings impose rules and limits for their own safety and the others’

While preparing the lamb shanks in the slow cooker for our dinner tonight, I opened up Spotify to have some background music and just picked a random Country Rock playlist to listen to. While listening, I got to thinking about how music will often shape fashion and the overall style of a person's wardrobe. For example, I was a 90's teen, and therefore a true grunge kid, wearing sloppy band tees and light-wash jeans whose hems dragged on the floor, and ultimately achieved the desired effect of shredding at the back, while my hair was close to shoulder length with a centre parting and floppy. In the 2000s post-grunge era, I was much more into heavy metal, hard rock, and punk, so it was a lot of black denim, black tees, Doc Martens, and studded belts and wristbands (How very monochrome). In both examples, I was very much of the era and blended in with all of my mates at the time in how we all looked and dressed. In our youthful years, I completely understand the desire to conform to a certain way of dressing that is concurrent with our pastimes and other stylistic directions, especially when it comes to music. We are trying to figure out who we are, find our tribes, and ultimately fit in, in a way that says, "See, I'm just like you". In fact, we are hardwired to do so, in most cases, because it feels safe. Over my life however, I have generally developed an incredibly eclectic taste in music and still to this day change up my weekly listening between the aforementioned genres, but also Rap and hip hop (both US and UK styles), soulful blues and smooth jazz, country, occasionally classical, and even dip into old Rat Pack stuff, plus many others, to the point now where I don't really align with any one style; I just go with what I enjoy in the moment depending on the mood I'm in and the activity/situation. This all got me thinking and led me to the crux of this post. I am curious: to what degree does music influence the way you all currently dress, if at all? Does it even matter anymore past the age of 30-40+? And if so, does the clothing change in a way that still fits and can be recognised to conform with that particular genre/style, but develops in accordance with a higher level of sophistication? Are there any other cultural influences that lead you to dress a certain way or wear certain outfits? I have my own thoughts on the subject, but I'd love to know what you all think.