Author Archives: howtobeswell

Bulova Accutron Calibrator

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I am admittedly a watch fanatic, and I believe it’s been to long without a watch post on Howtobeswell. Something exciting is around the corner from Bulova that I have just got to talk about. With both mechanical and quartz designs, Bulova watches are intricately and elegantly detailed, using fine quality materials. Founded in 1875, Bulova is one of the world’s most recognized brands, and reaches a wide range of consumers with its variety of watches and clock offerings.  An independent subsidiary of Citizen Watch Company, Bulova is headquartered in New York City.
 
 At Basel World 2012, Bulova announced a revolutionary advance in timekeeping accuracy- at least for the wearer. They are introducing the Bulova Accutron Calibrator, featuring the External Fine Adjustment System (EFAS). This feature allows watch enthusiasts the ability to control the accuracy of their automatic watches, maintaining 99.99% accuracy simply, and without need for a technician. – Their claim, but from them it carries some weight. 

Tamarindo

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So let’s continue on the summer theme, shall we? I am going to introduce you to another tequila derived summer drink. If you have ever visited the islands or other Central American or equatorial destinations, then you may be familiar with this fruit, and this drink.

The Tamarind:

Tamarind (Indian date) is the edible, pod-like fruit of a Fabaceae tree of the same name, indigenous to tropical regions. It is a long-lived, medium-growth, bushy tree, Leaves are evergreen, bright green in color, and at night the leaflets close up. The tamarind does flower with red and yellow elongated flowers. Continue reading →

fun

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fun is an American alternative rock band formed by Nate Ruess with Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff. fun has released two albums: their debut Aim and Ignite in 2009 and their latest Some Nights in February 2012.They have a great youthful sound, and very fun like their namesake. Lead singer-Nate Ruess’ voice is reminiscent of Freddy Mercury‘s of Queen when he was in his middle register with a hint of, don’t laugh, Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines. He has a great voice, and they have a great alternative sound dipping their toes in a large number of musical styles on their albums.
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The Swell Guide to Getting Tattooed

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Body ink and adornment has always been a part of culture, every culture. Around the world people tattoo their bodies in various ways with a myriad of images. Sometimes it is for mere adornment; sometimes it has a deep spiritual meaning, or a mark of class or status. In popular culture the draw of inking oneself has ebbed and flowed over time, but in the last several years has experienced a renaissance. There are so many resources for tattooing, every city of size has hundreds of tattoo parlors, there are huge tattoo conventions, and at least 20 television shows, including a half a dozen spin-offs of Miami ink.

With the huge popularity of tattoos thought it was fine time for a guide on how to do it swell. I am a fan of tattoos of nearly all types, and when done well by an artist with an important meaning, they can be very cool. That being said here are some guidelines for you, if you’re getting a tattoo, to be sure that it looks swell.

My Sun representing my Sons

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The Effortless Gent

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 Here is another swell blog for you to read. The Effortless Gent . The Effortless Gent is a site “dedicated to helping dudes figure out what looks best on them”. It was founded and run by a guy named Barron Cuadro, who also co-founded Fifth&Brannan, a menswear label based in San Francisco. EG is a fantastic analog of How to Be Swell, their forum is for men, and their personal style, whatever style that may be. They promote classic looks and themes, pieces that are timeless that will keep the women interested year after year. Most importantly the site is full of good advice on what to buy that is good quality on a fair budget. They lay out every thing in a simple tasteful manner helping men look like gents effortlessly, so check it out because to me the Effortless Gent is very swell.

Barron Cuadro

The Decanter

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 “No poem was ever written by a drinker of water,” the great Roman poet, Horace wrote. Wine has been a part of daily life for thousands of years. Its history dates back to origins in ancient Mesopotamia, and plenty has been written about wine. Take Psalms and Proverbs of the bible for example:

-Psalm 104:15-And wine that makes the heart of mortal man rejoice, to make the face shine with oil, and bread that sustains the very heart of mortal man.

-Proverbs 31:6-7 -Give beer to the ones about to perish and wine to those who are bitter of soul. Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

According to Persian mythology, wine was discovered by a woman when she drank the fermented juice from grapes stored in a jar. After partaking she fell asleep, and woke up cured of a headache, rather than suffering from the world’s first hangover as expected. Continue reading →

Mens Swim-wear

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The warm weather is here, and that means its time for the waves. Since it is now the first official day of summer, I am thinking about swimming. Now, us men have many options for swim wear so that means that there is no excuse not to look swell, even at the beach this summer.

There are three main categories of modern swim wear available to men. Depending on body type each of these styles of suits have something great to offer. They are as follows: Continue reading →

Fatherhood- Happy Father’s Day from How to be Swell

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Psalm 127:3-5 NIV
Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

This year was the second time that I became a father in time for Father’s day. On the first of June my second boy was born, just 13 days before his older brother’s second birthday. Let me tell you, the impact is the same the second time around. Any man who doesn’t get at least a little emotional when his son is born isn’t a real man. A son is a glorious thing. Continue reading →

Gavin Degraw

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Apparently Gavin Degraw has been the best kept secret for a while, well, at least from me. I was always aware of Gavin Degraw and his career, he has had some good singles, but had been kind of background music for me.  He performed songs that I liked, but never really paid attention beyond hearing it on the radio, until now. I always liked his songs “Chariot”, and “In Love with a Girl”, but he totally hooked me  with his new track “Sweeter”(watch the video at the bottom). His sound is the perfect blend of bluesy rock and roll with just the right amount of grit to make you feel it. One of the best new singles ive heard this year. Continue reading →

The Margarita

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Aaah the smooth cool margarita. Be careful gentlemen, this drink is easily translated to a ladies drink. So the rules here are no blenders, no strawberries or other assorted fruity aberrations. What we are speaking of here is a traditional lime margarita on the rocks whether at a summer shindig or a Tijuana all-nighter, this beverage is sure to satisfy. I am in no way promoting the latter event, just painting a word picture.

The margarita is a  popular mixed drink consisting of tequila,  orange-flavoured liqueur and lime juice, it is usually served in a salt rimmed glass. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the US.  The beverage can be served shaken with ice, on the rocks, or blended with ice. There is no identifiable “inventor of the margarita, however like many great things there is some rich lore relating to its inception. The most accepted of all stories is that the Margarita was invented in 1941, at Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, Mexico by Don Carlos Orozco. One slow afternoon, he was experimenting in his bar, mixing new cocktails when a woman named Margarita Henkel came into the bar. She the daughter of a German ambassador, and she lived near by with her husband in the city Rancho Hamilton. Don Carlos concocted a mixture of equal parts tequila, orange liqueur and lime, served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass, he offered the drink to Margarita, and named it after her for being the first person to taste it. Continue reading →