Good Breeding: A Gentleman Doesn’t Steal (Ideas) The title says it all.  A gentleman doesn’t steal, not even those tempting bathrobes at the Four Seasons.  The internet is rife with theft, and I am not just talking about people who get their kidneys stolen by using dating sites.  I am talking about idea theft. Unfortunately I recently discovered that one of the ideas from this site was imitated and re-used (not nearly as well if I do say so myself) on The Art of Manliness.  The picture is not of my own origin, and the words are not plagiarized, so nothing illegal has been done, but the results speak for themselves. Now we at Bootstrap have been avid fans of The Art of Manliness, so  the email below was sent to their attention.  I suggest you all take a look at the links in question.   “Hello, I read your blog often, and enjoy the content. I have been writing a blog called The Bootstrap Gentleman (www.thebootstrapgentleman.com) for about a year, and it seems as though we are touching on many of the same topics.  The blog is mostly a humorous take on being a gentleman in modern society with the occasional wardrobe tip or cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure.I recently ran across this article that you posted last month:http://artofmanliness.com/2011/01/25/stylish-travel-clothing/It reminded me of a few linked posts on my site that you can find here:http://www.thebootstrapgentleman.com/post/436015544/travel-air-travel-like-a-gentleman-part-ihttp://www.thebootstrapgentleman.com/post/265759336/packing-for-a-weekend-furloughBased on what I have read on your site I have a number of posts that I think you would enjoy.  I have the Art of Manliness linked on my site so my readers can find you, and it would be fantastic if you could re-post one of my articles in any of your various virtual venues or give the Bootstrap Gentleman a nod.” I had hoped this would be subtle yet firm, but unfortunately a response has not been received.  Apparently “reviving the lost art of manliness” includes being a coward. I would encourage my loyal readers to reblog this post or share it on Facebook.  Let’s give them a run for their money. Honestly, Bootstrap

Good Breeding: A Gentleman Doesn’t Steal (Ideas)

The title says it all.  A gentleman doesn’t steal, not even those tempting bathrobes at the Four Seasons.  The internet is rife with theft, and I am not just talking about people who get their kidneys stolen by using dating sites.  I am talking about idea theft.

Unfortunately I recently discovered that one of the ideas from this site was imitated and re-used (not nearly as well if I do say so myself) on The Art of Manliness.  The picture is not of my own origin, and the words are not plagiarized, so nothing illegal has been done, but the results speak for themselves.

Now we at Bootstrap have been avid fans of The Art of Manliness, so  the email below was sent to their attention.  I suggest you all take a look at the links in question.  

“Hello,

I read your blog often, and enjoy the content. I have been writing a blog called The Bootstrap Gentleman (www.thebootstrapgentleman.com) for about a year, and it seems as though we are touching on many of the same topics.  The blog is mostly a humorous take on being a gentleman in modern society with the occasional wardrobe tip or cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure.

I recently ran across this article that you posted last month:
http://artofmanliness.com/2011/01/25/stylish-travel-clothing/

It reminded me of a few linked posts on my site that you can find here:

http://www.thebootstrapgentleman.com/post/436015544/travel-air-travel-li
ke-a-gentleman-part-i

http://www.thebootstrapgentleman.com/post/265759336/packing-for-a-weeken
d-furlough

Based on what I have read on your site I have a number of posts that I think you would enjoy.  I have the Art of Manliness linked on my site so my readers can find you, and it would be fantastic if you could re-post one of my articles in any of your various virtual venues or give the Bootstrap Gentleman a nod.”

I had hoped this would be subtle yet firm, but unfortunately a response has not been received.  Apparently “reviving the lost art of manliness” includes being a coward.

I would encourage my loyal readers to reblog this post or share it on Facebook.  Let’s give them a run for their money.

Honestly,

Bootstrap


Disturbing Trend: NASCARTrack season used to conjure up images of men in morning coats and women in ostentatious hats. Now as NASCAR is hailed as the most popular “sport” in America with over 75 million reported fans, the term has a very different meaning.When you think about it, why wouldn’t NASCAR be America’s pastime? You never have to get off your couch, leaving your busy schedule of getting fat uninterrupted, and there are no rules to master. To be an avid fan all one needs to be able to do is watch a car circle the same track over and over again. Inactivity of mind and body. Pure genius. NASCAR is just another example of how American society is moving further away from top hats and juleps down the dangerous road toward mullets and sweatpants. Seeing the throngs of enthusiasts gathered across the country to watch today’s Daytona 500 makes one wonder if those of us with full sets of teeth and library cards are going to have to retreat into a Galt’s Gulch-like society just to preserve culture for future generations. All I know is that I am ready to flee at a moment’s notice with a packed bag, flashlight and a bottle of gin. I suggest you do the same. Bootstrap

Disturbing Trend: NASCAR

Track season used to conjure up images of men in morning coats and women in ostentatious hats. Now as NASCAR is hailed as the most popular “sport” in America with over 75 million reported fans, the term has a very different meaning.

When you think about it, why wouldn’t NASCAR be America’s pastime? You never have to get off your couch, leaving your busy schedule of getting fat uninterrupted, and there are no rules to master. To be an avid fan all one needs to be able to do is watch a car circle the same track over and over again. Inactivity of mind and body. Pure genius.

NASCAR is just another example of how American society is moving further away from top hats and juleps down the dangerous road toward mullets and sweatpants. Seeing the throngs of enthusiasts gathered across the country to watch today’s Daytona 500 makes one wonder if those of us with full sets of teeth and library cards are going to have to retreat into a Galt’s Gulch-like society just to preserve culture for future generations.

All I know is that I am ready to flee at a moment’s notice with a packed bag, flashlight and a bottle of gin. I suggest you do the same.

Bootstrap


Good Breeding: Loose Lips Sink Ships Working in an office has its benefits.  You are surrounded by people who are, for the most part, paid to not look like slobs, there is an endless supply of free stationary and bar-topped credenzas are the ultimate symbol of success.  Yet, there are dangers in this polished paradise. Despite those unassuming smiles, work is guerilla warfare, and those tasseled loafers have steel toes.  The general working populace is not happy.  They complain.  They plot.  They form factions and engage in social maneuvering of military proportion.  And what is the ammunition of this rogue installment? Gossip. That’s right, licentious tales of mailroom trysts and the occasional breakfast martini can ruin careers faster than a polyester suit.  Yet, it is not just the subjects of these stories that are at risk, it is those repeating them.  You may feel authoritative giving a play by play young Arthur and Mildred’s happy hour antics, but do you really want stories about your Cambridge drinking society days making the rounds?  I think not. If you have nothing nice to say I certainly want you sitting next to me at the next board luncheon, but there is no way I am turning over the keys to the executive washroom. Remember, knowledge is power, but unless your blue blazer is bulletproof I suggest you use it for good, not gossip. Confidentially, Bootstrap

Good Breeding: Loose Lips Sink Ships

Working in an office has its benefits.  You are surrounded by people who are, for the most part, paid to not look like slobs, there is an endless supply of free stationary and bar-topped credenzas are the ultimate symbol of success.  Yet, there are dangers in this polished paradise.

Despite those unassuming smiles, work is guerilla warfare, and those tasseled loafers have steel toes.  The general working populace is not happy.  They complain.  They plot.  They form factions and engage in social maneuvering of military proportion.  And what is the ammunition of this rogue installment? Gossip.

That’s right, licentious tales of mailroom trysts and the occasional breakfast martini can ruin careers faster than a polyester suit.  Yet, it is not just the subjects of these stories that are at risk, it is those repeating them.  You may feel authoritative giving a play by play young Arthur and Mildred’s happy hour antics, but do you really want stories about your Cambridge drinking society days making the rounds?  I think not.

If you have nothing nice to say I certainly want you sitting next to me at the next board luncheon, but there is no way I am turning over the keys to the executive washroom. Remember, knowledge is power, but unless your blue blazer is bulletproof I suggest you use it for good, not gossip.

Confidentially,

Bootstrap


Garter Belt Gal: Don’t Air Your Clean Laundry in Public Hello Lovers.  Today is Valentine’s Day.  A day for saying sweet nothings, like “here’s looking at you kid.”  Take the opportunity to tell the people you love just how much you do.  Maybe skip the life-sized teddy bear though.  In my opinion, this holiday could use a lot more class and a little less cheese. Another thing that we could all use less of is people smooching up and down the streets of Soho.  On this day, couples everywhere seize the opportunity to announce to the world that yes, they are in love, hear birds chirping and can’t possibly walk without the support of the other’s hand placed snugly in theirs.  As Oscar Wilde so fittingly put it, “it is simply washing one’s clean linen in public.”   Why is it that Dick and Jane decide, on this one day out of the year, that they should molest each other on the train?  Are they no longer Dick and Jane?  The answer is no.   Nothing has changed save for the flipping of one of the pages of your FiloFax.  Dick has not magically transformed into Cary Grant, nor has Jane shape-shifted into Deborah Kerr.     Nobody else is wearing those rose colored glasses, so I suggest all of you smitten and wonderfully in love people respect others around you and save the roaming hands and lapping tongues for the sanctuary of your own home.  Pull those floral drapes shut and go wild - just don’t use today as an excuse to air your clean laundry in public.  Note: Bootstrap may disagree, but if you are having an ill-advised, sordid affair or plan on having a glorious and dramatic argument, it is only polite to do so in public where others can watch.  I’ll bring the popcorn.    Happy washing,  GBG

Garter Belt Gal: Don’t Air Your Clean Laundry in Public

Hello Lovers.  Today is Valentine’s Day.  A day for saying sweet nothings, like “here’s looking at you kid.”  Take the opportunity to tell the people you love just how much you do.  Maybe skip the life-sized teddy bear though.  In my opinion, this holiday could use a lot more class and a little less cheese.

Another thing that we could all use less of is people smooching up and down the streets of Soho.  On this day, couples everywhere seize the opportunity to announce to the world that yes, they are in love, hear birds chirping and can’t possibly walk without the support of the other’s hand placed snugly in theirs.  As Oscar Wilde so fittingly put it, “it is simply washing one’s clean linen in public.”  

Why is it that Dick and Jane decide, on this one day out of the year, that they should molest each other on the train?  Are they no longer Dick and Jane?  The answer is no.   Nothing has changed save for the flipping of one of the pages of your FiloFax.  Dick has not magically transformed into Cary Grant, nor has Jane shape-shifted into Deborah Kerr.    

Nobody else is wearing those rose colored glasses, so I suggest all of you smitten and wonderfully in love people respect others around you and save the roaming hands and lapping tongues for the sanctuary of your own home.  Pull those floral drapes shut and go wild - just don’t use today as an excuse to air your clean laundry in public. 

Note: Bootstrap may disagree, but if you are having an ill-advised, sordid affair or plan on having a glorious and dramatic argument, it is only polite to do so in public where others can watch.  I’ll bring the popcorn.   

Happy washing, 

GBG


Retox/Fairer Sex Double Feature: One for the Ladies St. Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and although women may pretend swoon for Swiss chocolates or a dozen long-stemmed roses, what she is really yearning for is a good, stiff…drink (get your mind out of the gutter).  You might think your stories about the Ascot after party are interesting, but chances are your companion will need a little liquid encouragement.   Enter Jack Rose.  Popular in the 1920s and 30s, as all good things were, the Jack Rose is another of those classic cocktails that only the most knowledgeable bartenders will know how to make.  Despite its elusiveness, the Jack Rose is a relatively simple concoction combining applejack, grenadine and lime juice.   Although the proportions can vary to taste, it is commonly accepted that the correct measures are three parts applejack to one part lime juice and a few dashes of grenadine for color and flavor.  Mix all three ingredients in a shaker over ice and strain to perfection into a champagne coupe as seen above.   Like Cupid’s arrow or the perfect wingman, Jack Rose will be there to make you seem more interesting and desirable. If that’s not enough to get your special someone smiling, you had better be ready to pony up for something a little more substantial.  Ain’t love grand? Bootstrap

Retox/Fairer Sex Double Feature: One for the Ladies

St. Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and although women may pretend swoon for Swiss chocolates or a dozen long-stemmed roses, what she is really yearning for is a good, stiff…drink (get your mind out of the gutter).  You might think your stories about the Ascot after party are interesting, but chances are your companion will need a little liquid encouragement.  

Enter Jack Rose.  Popular in the 1920s and 30s, as all good things were, the Jack Rose is another of those classic cocktails that only the most knowledgeable bartenders will know how to make.  Despite its elusiveness, the Jack Rose is a relatively simple concoction combining applejack, grenadine and lime juice.  

Although the proportions can vary to taste, it is commonly accepted that the correct measures are three parts applejack to one part lime juice and a few dashes of grenadine for color and flavor.  Mix all three ingredients in a shaker over ice and strain to perfection into a champagne coupe as seen above.  

Like Cupid’s arrow or the perfect wingman, Jack Rose will be there to make you seem more interesting and desirable. If that’s not enough to get your special someone smiling, you had better be ready to pony up for something a little more substantial. 

Ain’t love grand?

Bootstrap


Good Breeding: Winter Manners In keeping with the seasonal tone of recent posts, Bootstrap would like to remind readers that just because you are swaddled beyond recognition to avoid the subzero temperatures doesn’t mean your manners should also go incognito. A gentleman, for instance, should always remove his glove to shake hands. Understandably, for the more germophobic among us, wearing gloves may seem like a free pass, but keeping your gloves on can be considered a snub. If you are meeting a friend or colleague outside, you can follow their lead, but if you are inside, lose the glove. (Yet, be careful that your glove removal is friendly in nature, and does not seem to foretell an impending duel.  Reliable sources say that more than one private club has seen bloodshed in this manner.) Ladies, too, require extra attention in the winter months.  Always help with your female companion’s coat, checking or hanging it if necessary.  In locales where automobile travel is necessary being escorted to a pre-heated car is the ultimate luxury. Also, do not be shy about extending your arm on any icy sidewalk or staircase. Regardless of whether you know the lady or not, she will doubtless appreciate the offer.   Remember, while good winter manners will make others warm to you, without them your reception will be frosty, and more than one person may end up on their ass. Bundle up Bootstrap

Good Breeding: Winter Manners

In keeping with the seasonal tone of recent posts, Bootstrap would like to remind readers that just because you are swaddled beyond recognition to avoid the subzero temperatures doesn’t mean your manners should also go incognito.

A gentleman, for instance, should always remove his glove to shake hands. Understandably, for the more germophobic among us, wearing gloves may seem like a free pass, but keeping your gloves on can be considered a snub. If you are meeting a friend or colleague outside, you can follow their lead, but if you are inside, lose the glove. (Yet, be careful that your glove removal is friendly in nature, and does not seem to foretell an impending duel.  Reliable sources say that more than one private club has seen bloodshed in this manner.)

Ladies, too, require extra attention in the winter months.  Always help with your female companion’s coat, checking or hanging it if necessary.  In locales where automobile travel is necessary being escorted to a pre-heated car is the ultimate luxury. Also, do not be shy about extending your arm on any icy sidewalk or staircase. Regardless of whether you know the lady or not, she will doubtless appreciate the offer.  

Remember, while good winter manners will make others warm to you, without them your reception will be frosty, and more than one person may end up on their ass.

Bundle up

Bootstrap


The Retox: The Sidecar Just like winter requires a new blazer, it also requires a new drink.  Not that a gin martini isn’t just as good with your morning pancakes in December as it is in July, but even alcohol has a season.   The Sidecar, once much lauded, but now oft forgotten is one of the classic cocktails that all gentlemen should know how to mix.  Although there are several variations, the classic French style calls for equal parts cognac, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice.  Most cocktail books call for a sugared rim, but a gentleman’s drinks, like the man himself, should never be too saccharine.  If you need the sugar to take the edge off, ask the bartender to throw some in the shaker and no one will be any the wiser. The deep brown color and rich flavor make the sidecar a natural choice for winter, especially for those of you out there who can’t abide hot toddies or don’t have the sea legs for a single malt (understandable, but a travesty nonetheless).  Yet, don’t let its unassuming personality fool your well oiled palate, the sidecar can get you tight in a hurry. Remember, a gentleman’s drink is mostly alcohol, so you may want to pace yourself. Although the sidecar is once again appearing on cocktail menus in higher-end haunts, it still hasn’t re-entered the mainstream.  Like all good signature drinks, the sidecar is stiff, classic and specific.  Ordering something that only the 75 year old in the corner will know may get you a few furrowed brows, but in the right locale your confidence will lead to more than one sidelong glance.  If it doesn’t, fear not, after three you will be two snockered to tell the difference. Happy motoring. Bootstrap

The Retox: The Sidecar

Just like winter requires a new blazer, it also requires a new drink.  Not that a gin martini isn’t just as good with your morning pancakes in December as it is in July, but even alcohol has a season.  

The Sidecar, once much lauded, but now oft forgotten is one of the classic cocktails that all gentlemen should know how to mix.  Although there are several variations, the classic French style calls for equal parts cognac, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice.  Most cocktail books call for a sugared rim, but a gentleman’s drinks, like the man himself, should never be too saccharine.  If you need the sugar to take the edge off, ask the bartender to throw some in the shaker and no one will be any the wiser.

The deep brown color and rich flavor make the sidecar a natural choice for winter, especially for those of you out there who can’t abide hot toddies or don’t have the sea legs for a single malt (understandable, but a travesty nonetheless).  Yet, don’t let its unassuming personality fool your well oiled palate, the sidecar can get you tight in a hurry. Remember, a gentleman’s drink is mostly alcohol, so you may want to pace yourself.

Although the sidecar is once again appearing on cocktail menus in higher-end haunts, it still hasn’t re-entered the mainstream.  Like all good signature drinks, the sidecar is stiff, classic and specific.  Ordering something that only the 75 year old in the corner will know may get you a few furrowed brows, but in the right locale your confidence will lead to more than one sidelong glance.  If it doesn’t, fear not, after three you will be two snockered to tell the difference.

Happy motoring.

Bootstrap


Snappy Duds: Tweed is Good Forget four seasons, in a gentleman’s year there are only two: tweed and non-tweed. Tweed season, my friends, is upon us. Purple may be the color of royalty, but tweed is the fabric of kings.  Equally at home in town or country it is an essential part of any gentleman’s wardrobe. Recently back in fashion, it can be found in abundance, but a real man does not buy organic tweed from free range wool at some warehouse in Brooklyn. My preference is Harris Tweed, as durable as steel, a new jacket will set you back several hundred dollars.  Yet, because men used to know how to dress, they can be found by the dozen on the racks of almost any Salvation Army store.  I have procured several quality jackets for under $10.  Remember, the Bootstrap Gentleman only looks like he spends a fortune on custom duds. Not only for blazers, trousers and driving gloves, tweed can also be used for hunting dog coats or to upholster the seats of your 1960s E-Type. Despite tweed’s warmth and versatility you should think twice before ordering undergarments. Proper use of tweed can make the gentleman quite chuffed, but overuse will most certainly make him chafed. Bootstrap

Snappy Duds: Tweed is Good

Forget four seasons, in a gentleman’s year there are only two: tweed and non-tweed. Tweed season, my friends, is upon us.

Purple may be the color of royalty, but tweed is the fabric of kings.  Equally at home in town or country it is an essential part of any gentleman’s wardrobe. Recently back in fashion, it can be found in abundance, but a real man does not buy organic tweed from free range wool at some warehouse in Brooklyn.

My preference is Harris Tweed, as durable as steel, a new jacket will set you back several hundred dollars.  Yet, because men used to know how to dress, they can be found by the dozen on the racks of almost any Salvation Army store.  I have procured several quality jackets for under $10.  Remember, the Bootstrap Gentleman only looks like he spends a fortune on custom duds.

Not only for blazers, trousers and driving gloves, tweed can also be used for hunting dog coats or to upholster the seats of your 1960s E-Type.

Despite tweed’s warmth and versatility you should think twice before ordering undergarments. Proper use of tweed can make the gentleman quite chuffed, but overuse will most certainly make him chafed.

Bootstrap


Happy Birthday Bootstrap Those of you who read often know that I have been remiss in my posting in recent months.  With the financial markets roaring back to life, a gentleman has little time to ponder the ills of the modern world.  Yet, after much abuse from loyal readers Bootstrap is back, on none other than the first birthday of The Bootstrap Gentleman. Grab yourself a gimlet, and get ready for much more social commentary to come. My winter of discontent is just beginning. Bootstrap

Happy Birthday Bootstrap

Those of you who read often know that I have been remiss in my posting in recent months.  With the financial markets roaring back to life, a gentleman has little time to ponder the ills of the modern world.  Yet, after much abuse from loyal readers Bootstrap is back, on none other than the first birthday of The Bootstrap Gentleman. Grab yourself a gimlet, and get ready for much more social commentary to come.

My winter of discontent is just beginning.

Bootstrap


Garter Belt Gal: Ogling is one thing, Googling is another A subtle once over by a man is not an offensive act; in fact, it’s usually flattering if done properly (sans tongue-wagging and any sort of hand gestures). It wasn’t long ago that a woman could expect a few turned heads as she sashayed down Fifth Avenue, but nowadays a pair of searching eyes isn’t the only thing to expect.  The internet has caused quite a change in the courting world.  On one particular occasion, I recall revealing something about myself to a suitor and was met with an unsurprised and knowing gaze.  He Googled me.  I knew it at that moment, and a few dates later, the gentleman even admitted it.  What is the proper protocol in such a situation?  Garter Belt Gal suggests that if you must Google, Facebook or conduct some other sort of search that would make a CIA operative proud, fine.  But for the love of social decorum, feign ignorance.  A new acquaintance reveals her political affiliation? Her favorite music group? Her social networks? Her favorite quote?  Look surprised and interested.  If you’d like to know a person’s shoe size and history of gum disease prior to any personal interaction then you should go home and set up your Match.com account. Right now. Surreptitiously searching for a potential soul mate’s secrets is what it is, but don’t allow the web to permeate personal exchanges, and definitely do not reveal knowledge of facts that the other person hasn’t personally relayed to you.  A gentleman has always been able to make a lady swoon by looking deeply into her eyes, but I have yet to hear of a lady swooning because of a man looking deeply into her credit score.   A gentleman should take advantage of this rare opportunity to fake it.  Garter Belt Gal

Garter Belt Gal: Ogling is one thing, Googling is another

A subtle once over by a man is not an offensive act; in fact, it’s usually flattering if done properly (sans tongue-wagging and any sort of hand gestures).

It wasn’t long ago that a woman could expect a few turned heads as she sashayed down Fifth Avenue, but nowadays a pair of searching eyes isn’t the only thing to expect. 

The internet has caused quite a change in the courting world.  On one particular occasion, I recall revealing something about myself to a suitor and was met with an unsurprised and knowing gaze.  He Googled me.  I knew it at that moment, and a few dates later, the gentleman even admitted it. 

What is the proper protocol in such a situation?  Garter Belt Gal suggests that if you must Google, Facebook or conduct some other sort of search that would make a CIA operative proud, fine.  But for the love of social decorum, feign ignorance.  A new acquaintance reveals her political affiliation? Her favorite music group? Her social networks? Her favorite quote?  Look surprised and interested.  If you’d like to know a person’s shoe size and history of gum disease prior to any personal interaction then you should go home and set up your Match.com account. Right now.

Surreptitiously searching for a potential soul mate’s secrets is what it is, but don’t allow the web to permeate personal exchanges, and definitely do not reveal knowledge of facts that the other person hasn’t personally relayed to you.  A gentleman has always been able to make a lady swoon by looking deeply into her eyes, but I have yet to hear of a lady swooning because of a man looking deeply into her credit score.  

A gentleman should take advantage of this rare opportunity to fake it. 

Garter Belt Gal


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Themed by: Hunson