The Goal is to Gain

We set goals for ourselves, some of great aspirations others more mundane. A common goal set by people, especially at the beginning of the year, is to lose weight. Poor self-image is a big issue in the world, a lot of which appears to stem from the perception of being too heavy. For some people this may be a legitimate concern depending on their body type. Thus every year on January first countless people resolve to lose weight.
I am not one of those people.
I have never been heavy. Instead I am one of those perpetually, irritatingly so, skinny people. In general I have always eaten whatever I wanted without much concern to my figure, and despite my best efforts to get fat with double bacon burgers and beer I never breached one seventy on my scale. To top that off I am over six feet tall and nearly thirty. The term human spider monkey has been used more than once to describe me.
People like myself, the enduringly skinny, probably infuriate more than one of you reading this, but I am not telling you this to brag, far from it. Yes I am skinny, but one of the greatest myths in society is that being skinny equals being healthy, let alone in shape. It really doesn’t. I have been skinny all my life and I can tell you with absolute honesty that there have been large swaths of time where I have not been healthy at all.

Skinny but not healthy

I would struggle to catch my breath after going up a few flights of stares. When lifting something heavy left me winded and aching. I wasn’t just physically weak, but also lethargic and starting to develop squishy regions all over my body. So while I am not fat I am not happy with my body.
Oh I think I am plenty handsome, and I am immensely proud of my accomplishments. However when I take off my shirt I am just disappointed at how I have neglected my physique. I use to be a competitive swimmer, and before that I was really into Karate for many years. All that hard work slipped away from me when I had the freedom to be a lump on my couch rather than go for a run.
Now I don’t want you to think I am whining, because whining is when no solution is proposed. I have a solution to my body image woes. Get off my lazy butt and get to the gym every day. My first millstone goal is to gain ten pounds of lean muscle.
So far my first week at the gym has bee quite painful. But we all know the old saying… no I am not saying it here, you already know it.
What are your health goals? Do you want to lose some of that squish around the middle, add some muscle, or do you just want to feel more confident. Share your goals and strategies in the comments below.
And remember my fellow Rogues, body image is all about you and what you want, no one else.
So get out there and go ROGUE.

With love,
The Rogue Gentleman.

Repurpose with Purpose:

Or how to take your old jewelry and use it in a whole new way.

There is an old saying that the only things that are sure to happen are the inevitability of death and the fact that you are going to have to pay taxes. Benjamin Franklin famously said, though he was not the first to use, these words to describe how the newly created Constitution of the United States appeared to be a thing of permanency but it could change

 “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
— Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789

Now I know what you are thinking, what does this impromptu American history lesson have to do with the Rogue Lifestyle and fashion. Well aside from the fact that Ben may very well be one of if not the first to embody what I have come to call Rogue Lifestyle, in America, change is a natural part of personal style and fashion.

Trends change constantly, year to year and from one season to the next. Your own tastes also go through many changes over the years. Look back a year, five, TEN! Are you still wearing the same style? I think not, I know I am not.

This is true of our jewelry as well and other accessories. Things get broken or we outgrow them physically or emotionally, but they might still hold sentimental appeal to us. That puka shell necklace that so many of us were crazy about in our formative years but it just doesn’t fit anymore. A tiepin or broach that belonged to your grandparents but it has lost the back to it. Piercings from our “rebellious phase” (lets face it we are all rebels in our own way or we wouldn’t be here) that wouldn’t go over so well with your boss. Maybe you just got board with something but want to liven it up in a new way as an experiment.

That is exactly what you should do. There are hundreds of practical and simple ways for you to change your accessories up in new and exciting fashions.

Here is one example; lets take that old necklace that has been sitting in the back of your drawer for lord only knows how many years but you just can’t bring yourself to throw it out. And why should you, it is a perfectly good necklace, it just doesn’t fit anymore because you bought it in high school and now your thirty.

With just a wrap and a twist it’s fixed.

This is an easy fix. Instead of wrapping it around your throat, are you sitting down, wrap it around your wrist. That is literally all you need do to completely revitalize an old accessory that you still love. You do not even have to unclasp the chain, in fact it is easier if you don’t. Simply loop the strand or chain around your wrist like a rubber band around a bag of chips, mmmm chips, until it is snug.
Be extremely carful though as you don’t want to accidently snap it by pulling too tightly on the filament, then you would be in trouble. Thicker strands, of sturdier materials, are better for this quick fix but there is no reason why it shouldn’t work for thinner strands so long as you are cautious in your approach.

A simple and elegant solution.

If all you want to keep is the pendant then you can have a nice sturdy chain sized for your wrist at your local jewelry store and keep wearing it as a bracelet or change it back and forth from a your wrist to your neck. There are a lot of thing you could do to change a pendant into something new but they will require a much more detailed and skilled discussion. We will save those for another time for now.

Next, pins. Everyone has well aged relatives that have accumulated mountains of old jewelry that have generally gone out of style but are either too valuable, with real gemstones and the like, or of sentimental value to be gotten rid of. This is especially true of things such as tie-tacks or broaches. Frankly I think broaches, even the large ones, should be brought back for both women and men, but that is for a later discussion.

For myself I inherited a very lovely simply tie-tack from my late grandfather. It is one of the few things I have left to remember him by but I don’t usually wear such accessories. So rather than have it sit in my jewelry box for all eternity I have started wearing it as a lapel pin instead. You know what it looks damn good in that role too, especially since the chain on the back broke and no longer secures in a buttonhole. You could also take some of those larger, ungainly broaches and pins and use them as hat decorations, something I whole heartily endorse.

A tie tack without a tie is still just fine.

These are a few very quick and simple ways you can repurpose your old jewelry into something more trendy or stylish. With more effort and skill there are countless ways you can change what you have hidden from the past. You could even use the same tactics to create something new out of old jewelry that you have purchased from antique stores and the like.

Recreating what was into something new is a great way to live the Rogue Lifestyle.

What ways have you repurposed with purpose, let us know in the comments.

And as always,
Go Rogue.

The Rogue Gentleman

DIY Souvenirs

Traveling is a great. Getting to explore new places and cultures. Taking in the sights and sounds of a new city. Taking in the spectacular vistas of nature’s beauty. Making new friends from all over the world. Not to mention utterly devouring all the local cuisine you can get your mitts on. The food might actually be one of my favorite parts of traveling.

The down side to all these wonderful experiences that come with traveling is that you want to bring something home to remember your travels with. Sure you could take countless pictures and selfies with your phone just about anywhere in the world, but what if you want something tangible and unique to the far off lands you have visited.

Hurray for souvenirs!

Fun little knickknacks that quickly take up to much room in your luggage, and you struggle to find a place for once you get home. But you just have to have them.

So how can you bring home a souvenir from your trip but save room in your luggage? Simple, make your own souvenir.

Need a souvenir, do it yourself.

Now I know what your thinking, “Robert, you crazy devil of a man, you can’t make your own souvenirs. That’s madness.” You’re right it is crazy, crazy awesome. Muahahahahaha (lightening flashes in the window.)

But in all seriousness it isn’t as hard as you think. All it takes is a little forethought and dedication.

Some people are ahead of the curve and already do this. Making scrape books or photo albums to share with their friends. Travel bloggers write about their experiences or make videos for YouTube to share with the world.

I went another rout and created something personal for myself.

As I have traveled the world I made sure to pick up a flag patch for each nation I visited. You remember them, those patches you could iron onto your clothes and backpacks in high school. Or, at least they were really popular back when I was in high school/middle school. These were perfect for my needs because they represented each nation I visited but also were small and light enough that they took up almost no room in my backpack while I continued to travel.

Once I returned home from my travels I dug out an old jacket that I had taken on all of my travels, and it was beginning to show. So I decided to take something old and make it new again. Instead of wearing it on my back I affixed all the flag patches to it and hung it on my wall.

Thus it has become an excellent souvenir and a Rogue decoration.

Wonder well my fellow rogues.