During my younger years, which feels like ages ago, I was a white tube sock kind of gentleman. I would make a trip to Kmart to purchase a few value packs of white socks and was good to go. Of course when the occasion begged for a dressier alternative, I recruited a trusted pair of basic black or blue hosiery for the job. However, as I grew older and started to explore more stylish options, I began to gravitate toward brighter colors and more interesting patterns. Now, striped hosiery surged in popularity, at least to my recollection, approximately 5-7 years ago. I added a few pairs to my dresser drawer and have been hooked ever since. Still popular, I have noticed that the stripes have increased in width with a more audacious color offering. Nevertheless, I still employ options with narrow widths too. Trust me, these are not for the serious conservative. Utilize these socks only when the finishing touch requires that you stand alone from the pack – where you should be.

• A few months before my wedding, my grandmother suddenly passed away due to a heart attack. Emotionally, it was the most devastating event I had ever experienced in my life.

• I don’t think one ever recovers from a significant loss like that; I think you just learn to cope and handle the reality better as time progresses.

• I still allow myself to grieve. I allow for quiet moments by myself and I cry. The whole notion that men should not cry is foolish. Real men cry for things they love dearly. And I will always cry for my grandmother.

• I don’t try to focus on negative imagery or thoughts. Things like what happened at her funeral…the casket…the burial…I don’t think about things like that. My tears are only reserved for the remembrance of the good times we shared together.

• That being said, one also has to make room for laughter. My brother does an uncanny imitation of my grandmother’s voice, and his mimicry of her disapproving chastisement blended in with select biblical passages is hilarious. Yes, you have to find a way to laugh.

• I’ve never been angry about her passing. You cannot be angry with reality. And the reality is we are not promised immortality. If anything, I’m more saddened by fact that I can’t sit with her one more time, rocking back and forth, side by side in dual rocking chairs on her porch during rainstorms.

• Besides, it’s always better to smile. Looking back, I have to smile. I was blessed with the kind of grandmother that some people didn’t or don’t have. Yes, I am extraordinarily thankful.

• Nevertheless, and this is the selfish part of me, I sure do miss those holiday dinners, complete with all the fixings: ham, turkey, greens, sweet macaroni & cheese (yes, you read that correct – sweet), string beans, yams, cornbread, sweet potato pie, red velvet cake, and the list goes on and on. Yes, grandma could burn in the kitchen.

• To this day, I’m still trying to regain my holiday spirit. From childhood into my adult life, she had always been there. And now it’s just a void. But spending time with my family, along with my brother’s spot-on voice replication, I’m managing. And that’s about what we all can do – manage; in the best and positive way we know how.

A successful gentleman is also a determined and dedicated gentleman. Sure, there are a myriad of factors that will give rise to varying amounts of success. However, determination and dedication are two character traits that should not be ignored, nor should it be taken for granted. I am going to reveal something today that very few people know about The Gentlemen’s Standard. In the four years that I have been blogging and writing, I did so without the assistance of a laptop. That is correct. Only recently I was blessed with a laptop as a gift from my lovely wife. Now, this may not seem like a humongous deal to some, but blogging without the assistance of a laptop is, well, very difficult. Especially when attempting to sustain a pace that drives traffic and attracts a faithful audience.

So, how did I write all this time without one? I guess the old-fashioned way. I guess I am just an old-fashioned guy. I would write notes to myself pertaining to potential topics. I would memorize potential sentences in my head. I would e-mail myself material to use for future posts. I would then race home to my old desktop (roughly 15 years old) and stay up late cranking out material-sometimes to the chagrin of my wife.

So, it was only until last year that I secured a laptop to make my writing easier. Nevertheless, I am definitely proud of my achievements over the past few years, all without the benefits of a mobile computer. All I possessed was my determination and dedication, along with an old trusty desktop (did I mention slow) to help me along the way. Whatever a gentleman dreams he can do, he must summon the strength and will to bring it to fruition. You can do it. Have faith in God and have faith in yourself; you will be just fine. Determination. Dedication. Master both. I have no doubt you will.

They are effortlessly cool, impossibly stylish, and unabashedly masculine. Of course, we are talking about leather bomber jackets. Every gentleman deserves to have one in his closet, and we are going to tell you why. But first, a small slice of history: Flight jackets were initially worn by pilots to keep them warm because the cockpits of their planes were not enclosed. And even when cockpits became enclosed; traveling at higher, colder altitudes still necessitated the usage of heavy-duty leather jackets. Now, unless you are a part of the United States Air Force, you probably won’t be embarking on any aerial missions anytime soon. Nevertheless, we’re going to show you how to look fly — even when you’re grounded.

It’s that time again – another one of my UPTOWN selections. This offering focuses on the classic bomber. This is a man’s jacket; it’s as simple as that. So, check out the piece and enjoy. Oh yes, it can be found right over HERE.

“A little less complaint and whining, and a little more dogged work and manly striving, would do us more credit than a thousand civil rights bills.”

-W.E.B. Du Bois

So, granted, we are probably done with all the civil rights bills for our generation – pertaining to race equality that is. Nevertheless, the above quote can still be aptly applied to the current state of the African-American community. To be frank, some individuals need to stop talking about it and simply be about it. And to borrow another cliché: definitive action certainly speaks louder than mere words. So, if you have any specific issues that have been troubling your mind as of late, maybe it is time to bring an end to the lip service and commence a constructive plan of action. Because, believe it or not, government cannot remedy every problem that ails our neighborhoods. Which is why I admire a lot of things about the original Black Panther. They pinpointed the needs of the community and then they actively implemented community based programs to put forth solutions. Seriously, it is time that our generation does the same. Now more than ever, we have the power, the capacity to bring about positive change. We just have to get going and do it!

Ritual: a detailed method of established procedure that is faithfully or regularly followed.

Now, with respect to a gentleman’s wardrobe, maintaining a set of rituals can be greatly beneficial, especially with regards to preventative maintenance. Nothing can subtract years off the life expectancy of a particular item in your closet more than neglect and ambivalence. A gentleman must adhere to a rigid, set rule of practices that ensure proper upkeep and preservation, or he may witness a wardrobe that prematurely succumbs to irreversible disrepair. Today, we are focusing on the necktie. In the following paragraph, you will find a tried and true method that will definitely extend your necktie’s longevity. Every evening after work, I follow the same ritual as I remove my necktie. Trust, it works.

Now, neckties are delicate creatures to begin with, and the continual knotting process can administer a brutal toll on its fabric. Therefore, it is paramount that a gentleman develops the habit of rolling his necktie after he has finished wearing it. First, it is wise to loosen your necktie and carefully reverse the knotting to return it to its untied form. Next, and this is the important part, start at the narrow end and tightly roll along its length. Given that I have enough neckties to endure until the following week, I usually leave my neckties coiled until I unroll them, smooth out the remaining wrinkles, and either hang or place in my dresser drawer. The timetable is up to you. Nevertheless, the key is rolling your necktie nice and tight to hammer out those wrinkles. And never, and we mean never, leave your necktie knotted when you’re not wearing it. You’ve been warned.