Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 14)
Wearing ties hasn’t been a problem, but remembering to snap a picture has proven to be quite the challenge. So, while this blog entry says I’m on Day 14, I missed about a half-dozen days. But I will get through all 44 of my ties.
Today’s tie is from the Express Design Studio collection.
The background to this photo is the fire exit door on the second floor of my building. About 2 months ago they, apparently, greased the hinges and used a little too much grease. How do I know? Well, every day the grease drip inches a little further down the door and nobody has bothered to wipe it off. It’s a snails pace, but it’s about 2 feet from the floor and I’m pretty excited about seeing it hit the floor.
(No word on weather the door opens without squeaking or smoother).
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Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 13)
You would think that I would be embarrassed when a couple coworkers caught me taking a picture in front of our coffee machine for my “44 days of Ties” picture …but I wasn’t. Anyone with a blog, and who Facebook’s and Tweets as much as I do, certainly doesn’t have much shame left in the tank.
This tie, believe it or not, is from Structure… which is what Express for Men was back in the 90s. Remember Structure? That was the first store I said that I could walk in blindfolded and pull anything from any rack and absolutely love it. If it was my birthday or Christmas all you needed to do was buy me something from Structure at the mall.
I came very close today to committing a big fashion faux pas. And in fact I’m not sure that I didn’t actually really botch it. But this tie is so old and so different it never ever gets worn anymore. If you look close, it has dice on it. This is not exactly workplace appropriate, but since nobody wears ties anymore I thought I’d go with it. I wore a patterned tie with a pattern shirt and some navy blue pinstripe pants.
Why a tie with dice, you ask? Well, it was the 1990s. I was freshly married and my in-laws lived in Vegas and my wife and I went out to Vegas at least once a year …and I liked playing craps. So, ya know, this tie expressed my passion …sevens and elevens.
There will be a few more challenging ties to come. Some don’t match anything. Some are novelty. But I’m doing this and nothing …NOTHING …will stop me.
Have a great weekend.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 10, 11, 12)
Just because I’m not blogging about the ties doesn’t mean I’m giving up or not doing it. Here’s three more.
The Day 10 tie photo is a little uninspired (remember I said I’d fill the backgrounds with landmarks and interesting things?), but when I got to work that day it was really busy, so I didn’t have much time to leave work and take a great photo. But what I noticed about this tie (from Express, of course) is that it was the same color as the “C” on my business card. How cool is that? I really like the back of my business cards, too.
On Day 11, I went about as “corporate” as possible and this tie is so boring I think it’s the type of tie most people think of when they say, “I hate wearing ties.” Well, yes, if your ties are completely boring and without any unique colors or patterns, it’s pretty sad. The tie below is, like, a light copper and blue and goes well with my light blue shirt. It’s a Nautica. The shirt is a Kenneth Cole Reaction (which surprised me because I thought Reaction was only for their shoes).
And lastly, another Nautica tie (silver, grey, black) with my eyeglass shop in the background. Optik is in Birmingham and they have the nicest doctor. I like him because unlike any eye doctor I had ever visited, he was the first to say I had an “astigmatism” and he actually prescribed glasses that helped me see better. Sadly, my new vision coverage takes him “out of network” and my vision screening will be somewhere else. Bummer.
That’s all for the ties. When next I blog, I’ll be back to talkin’ about my lungs. Darn lungs. Have a great, tie-filled day.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 9)
Against the best interest of my breathing and health, today I took my tie to lunch at Duggan’s on Woodward and got a Big Chief Burger, which Detroiters know is a big, double patty burger with an amazing mayo, relish, and curry sauce. It’s legendary and I went with some guys from the office. So in the background you can see Duggan’s and a Corvette from the 50s. My Uncles can probably tell me the year just by looking at the mirror placement or some dash board knob. That’s always impressed me.
My shirt and tie are both from Express. The shirt is olive colored …pretty crazy, I know. The tie has olive, mocha, light cream, and this, like, green-grey stripe. This shirt-tie combo was not bought together, but was a happy surprise when I realized this tie had so much versatility in my closet.
Oh, and for Martha …I’m in a great mood. It’s 80 degrees, it’s sunny outside with zero humidity, I had lunch with friends and lunch included a legendary Detroit burger …and there are cool cars everywhere. How could I not be in a great mood.
See you tomorrow, all.
Things I Have: Bronchiectasis (Mostly Gluten Free Experiment)
Since last we spoke of my Bronchiectasis, I’ve been experimenting a little. Mainly, I’m trying to avoid phlegm-inducing foods. It wasn’t easy on vacation, but my lovely and caring wife made quite a few snacks that were gluten-free. Why gluten-free, you ask? Well …part of my lung problems might be allergy related, so you gotta start somewhere, right?
I started with soy milk instead of regular milk …I know …that has NOTHING to do with gluten. I’m just saying …dairy is a big no-no on a phlegm-free diet and ya know what? Poured over cereal (something I love to have for breakfast), I can’t tell any difference in taste and in my morning happiness. Now I’m just worried about too much soy milk and growing boobs.
When I go “gluten-free”, I think I notice much healthier lungs. It’s great. Meanwhile, this last Tuesday when I was craving a 2 cheeseburger McDonald’s Meal Deal for lunch and went and scarfed down two burgers and a larger fry ..lo’ and behold, my lungs started bleeding a little.
So …things I’m avoiding …high intensity and strenuous workouts (I ran 6 miles in two days recently and coughed up blood), products with gluten, and red meat for breakfast or lunch. I’m drinking LOTS of water and will NOT eat after dinner. I’ll try this for the next 21 days and see how I feel and let you know.
Plus, yesterday, my doctor put me on a 5-day steroid treatment and 3-day antibiotic. By this weekend, I’m going to feel like Iron-Man. Hopefully, I feel like I’m “peaking” and I’ll pay close attention to what happens in the days that follow.
Oh, one thing I should note …my doctor didn’t hear any congestion in my chest, so my nagging cough might simply be caused by constricted airwaves and all the scar tissue down in my lungs.
Has anyone else with Bronchiectasis found relief going gluten-free and/or dairy free? Has anyone grown boobs while drinking soy milk? Does anyone else notice bloody phlegm after pigging out on McDonald’s or some other horrible fast food? And what if those of us with Bronchiectasis started calling ourselves “Bronchiactisizers?” Would you wear a t-shirt that said that?
Just keeping the dialog open. Thanks for caring.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 8)
I’m 39. There! I said it. So when “skinny ties” made a comeback, I bought one and ya know what? I felt silly. I felt like an old guy trying to dress like a young guy. It wasn’t working so it was the first and last “skinny tie” I owned. But I’ve broken it out for ’44 Days of Ties’. You won’t be surprised that today’s shirt and tie, again, are from Express.
This tie has pastel tones of pink, aqua, blue, and green and I call it my “Easter Tie” because it looks like colors you might paint Easter Eggs.
Since it’s a “skinny tie” which makes me an “aging hipster” for even wearing it, I went full-on hipster today dressing in clothing 1-size too small for me. That’s a total hipster move. If I was 15 pounds lighter, my J. Crew pinstripe grey chinos and my Express 1MX Fitted dress shirt would look great. But, like any good hipster knows, dressing in clothes just slightly too small for your body and weight is a good look.
It’s grey and rainy on Woodward, today, so not many classic cars are out like they usually are on a nice, sunny morning the week of the Woodward Dream Cruise. I waited and waited to try and snap a tie picture with a classic car cruising by, but no luck. So instead you get to see Fred’s Barber Shop which looks like it’s been there forever. I give Fred credit for staying in business …Woodward, just south of Birmingham, is a high rent district, so a cash business selling haircuts for $15 (I’m guessing) must be hanging onto the business by its fingernails (I’m also guessing on that, I have no idea how good or bad his haircut business does). I’ve never been in there. As I’ve mentioned, I frequent The Barber Pole in downtown Birmingham and this months haircut is scheduled for Thursday.
What tie should I wear for the occasion of a fresh haircut? So much to think about.
See you tomorrow.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 7)
You’ve heard of “mental floss” …well, consider this (and my “44 Days of Ties” project) “writing floss.” Or, call it the “writer plunger” or “blog Draino” or whatever term you’d use to describe a task that’s just a warm-up for other stuff you have to do. I write about my ties usually moments before writing about new-home construction, pop-culture, or sales and motivation.
Today’s tie is not from Express. Rather, it’s Kenneth Cole and I’m pretty sure it was bought for me from Nordstrom. Back when I had a pink dress shirt, this tie went with pink, but it also went with a coffee-brown shirt I had in my repertoire, and with this other salmon colored shirt. Today I’ve paired it with a casual dress shirt from Express (always something from Express, I guess).
In the background is Woodward Avenue and I’ll be taking as many tie pictures as I can on Woodward this week because it’s Dream Cruise week. I love Dream Cruise week. I think it’s such a celebration of the industry that built this city we call Motown and I can’t understand why some people hate it so much. I’ll admit, if I lived along Woodward, it might be annoying not being able to take my normal routes home and hearing big engines revving all night, and smelling gas and burning rubber. But it’s only once a year, and it’s a celebration of our Detroit heritage. Without all those cars and the world’s love affair with cars (a “love affair” our ad agencies and marketing firms convinced them they all should have), Detroit wouldn’t be Detroit.
I shouldn’t care why people hate it, but it bothers me how people (Americans) so easily discard or minimize important parts of our history. Maybe it’s our “independent spirit” that makes it difficult for some to just “go with it.” I was struck last night watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics how Great Britain seems to just “go with it” and if something is British, well it must be awesome and worth celebrating because, well, it’s British. Mind you, I’ve never been to Great Britain and maybe there’s a huge portion of the population that hates One Direction and can’t stand the Royals, or are disgusted by The Spice Girls and it sickened them to see the girls of spice get the big closing number. But I don’t get that feeling …I get the feeling they love it because it’s British, and that’s good enough.
In contrast, we have the Super Bowl and when we put Britney Spears up there, music purists and non-fans, 80% of the population, squawk and bitch and moan and hate. Hey …she sucks, but she’s our dysfunctional, untalented, white-trash mega-star …so step off. She represents the American dream.
Which brings me back to the Woodward Dream Cruise. Yes, it’s loud, and smelly …it guzzles gas …at times it’s a representation of greed sacrificing style for the happiness of Wall Street investors …it’s demise can lead to a conversation on how Union labor ruined our manufacturing base. Yes, it’s all those things. But those are our things and when everyone outside of the Great Lakes region turned their back on Detroit, we needed to stick together and we’re united by these Big 3. I love that, and hence, I love the Dream Cruise.
Wow. And here I was only going to talk briefly about my tie.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 6)
It was a busy day, but not too busy to stop in front of The Barber Pole in Birmingham, MI, where I get my hair cut, and snap a picture of my tie and a landmark. Yet another Express brand tie and Express brand shirt (don’t worry …I have a Nautica tie in the queue for Monday). This Express tie is a bit special …it was from their Express Design Studio, which I can’t seem to find anymore, so it must’ve been some “new phase” launched by some young fashion designer and my guess is, that fashion designer and marketing person (team) is/are loooooong gone. I imagine everyone sitting around a board room thinking up ways to tap into the “executive” segment of tie buyers and someone suggested “high-end suits and ties …and dress shirts” and everyone applauded and they put big resources behind the “Design Studio” concept and then …it fizzled.
When next they had a board meeting they had to look at the horrible performance of their “Design Studio” initiative and how it pretty much hemoraged money and some senior marketing guy had to admit Express had no business trying to capture the Men 35+ and they were going back to focusing on their core consumer …the young man in his 20s who wears ties as a shtick, but not for business. He also quite likely said good things about “Farnsworth and his team” and said, “they’ve agreed to move on and we wish them the best.”
I hope, somewhere, Farnsworth and his team are a little happier right now seeing one of their “Express Design Studio” ties being talked about and worn by a man of 39.
The tie is grey/silver with blue and grey spots and I paired it with a light blue dress shirt and dark grey slacks. This tie is wonderful …definitely one of my favorites. It really goes well with two of my suits, and sadly I don’t get much opportunity to wear those anymore, either.
Oh, and I have my first disciple in the “44 Days of Ties” movement …my cousin Kyle, who’s helping me class up American by also wearing a tie-a-day. Who’s with us?
We’re standing by! We wear a tie! Get used to it! Have a great weekend.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 5)
“44 Days of Ties” rolls on with another shirt-tie combo from Express. I’m thinking I should reach out to them and see if they’ll sponsor my “44 Days of Ties” project. Today’s tie is burgundy with diagonal stripes which, if you look closely, are a bunch of rectangles, each a different shade of blue and blue-gray. It makes this tie VERY versatile and it can be worn with blue shirts, white shirts, dark colored suits, or a light-grey suit. And like all my Express ties, it forms a Windsor knot and dimple very easily.
In the background, you’ll notice a “C” which is outside one of my favorite locally owned coffee shops and eateries …Commonwealth. Located in Birmingham, they roast their beans on-site, daily, and brew each cup of coffee at 201* using a pour-through method. It’s pretty cool …I should post a picture for people not familiar with this method …the coffee drips into a beaker, like in a science lab, and then they pour it into a cup for your consumption (it’s in the video below). It’s very showy and a single cup of coffee can cost from $3 up to $8 (for the AMAZING Columbian they have), but it’s cool …and tastes fantastic. And it’s a really cool place to eat breakfast …I always order their Breakfast Burrito or Common Breakfast. They even serve water in such a way you would swear the water is also better at Commonwealth.
And I once sat at a table right next to Steve Yzerman and his family.
Looks like I have about a dozen people really into my ties, and my cousin Kyle is joining the movement.
And people say blogging is a waste of time. Puh! That’s all I got for today …see you tomorrow where I go “silver.”
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 4)
Today brings us yet another tie offering from Express. Some will say, “only high-school kids and 20-something, bar-going hipsters get ties from Express,” but I say phooey on that. I buy most of my dress shirts from Express. First, I like their color palette, but more than that, I like their no-pocket dress shirts. As a short guy, having a breast pocket on a dress shirt doesn’t always work. On a normal size guy who stands, say, 5’10”, the breast pocket is on the breast. But on me, a guy checking in at a towering 5’5″, the breast pocket usually falls at about the bottom of the rib cage and makes me look shorter than I already am …like I’m wearing my big brothers hand-me-downs. Funny story …I once had a shirt with a breast pocket so low it was nearly tucked into the waist-band of my slacks.
I also like Express shirts because they have different cuts (1MX, Modern Fit, Slim Cut, etc) to match all body types. And they sell ’em 2 for $20 sometimes.
Anyway, this particular shirt-tie combo was bought as a set. The shirt is light blue with thin brown stripes. The tie has brown dots (two shades) on a brown tie. And each dot is outlined in a subtle Royal Blue which, I think, really makes the blue in the shirt (and the blue in my eyes) pop.
Today I tied a Double-Windsor, hence the bigger knot. I like the perfect triangle a Double-Windsor makes and it looks good on days like this when I opt to button the shirt all the way up to the top button.
40 more ties still to come, and I’m going to start paying more attention to the backgrounds for my pictures …so you’ll get ties, a story, and hopefully a landmark or something equally as interesting as my daily tie story. Today’s background is the view out the window of our “team room.” Given that I sit a windowless cube with no sight lines of a window or daylight, I don’t mind meetings.
Don Kowalewski 