Hey fellas, I’m 18 and starting to take life seriously—working full-time, training consistently, investing in myself, and building habits that’ll shape who I become. I know I don’t have it all figured out, so I’d love to hear from some of you who’ve got a bit more life under your belt. What’s something you wish you knew at 18? Whether it’s about finances, relationships, fitness, mindset, discipline—whatever. I’m here to listen and learn.

Good morning gentlemen, So recently I decided to start journaling again. And I have not really written in cursive in a long time. I use to have good penmanship but wow! My cursive writing was atrocious! So I started working in it and I finally got my cursive writing back. But what was amazing was how I loss the skill of writing in cursive. This brought me to thinking about many other things that I have switched over to digital to function. In my quest I have noticed that we have come to the point that we allow the digital age take away our ability to do the things that we use to do. There are kids now days that can not tell time, they can not count back change when they purchase something. It use to be if you were in a store and the power went out they would still remain open but would hand write and calculate what is owed and what the change would be. Now when the power goes out that shut the store down, not just because of theft, but because most of the employees can not figure out the money owed and money returned. I looked this up and found out that when you are working and you stop to check your phone it literally takes your brain 23 minutes to re focus. So if you check your phone on the average of 11 times in an hour, you are actually only working productively 15 minutes an hour. And over a year the average person spends three and a half months of the year on their phone! These statistics are astonishing. Yesterday I had to take my wife to a doctor appointment and I had my grandson with us. I had him bring a book to read, as I did myself. As we sat in the waiting room for my wife’s outpatient surgery, I look around and noticed that out of 15 people in the waiting room lobby including my grandson and myself, only three of us were engaged in reading. Everyone else was engrossed in their phones. When we use our smart phones to plan our lives we loose the ability to be rational, think, and work out solutions. Some of the best detectives and investigators use analog technology to work on cases and solve crimes. Why? Because it helps them engage their minds rather than relying on digital to give them information. Why is that? Because digital does not take into consideration factors like emotions, reason, reactions.

Looking to refresh a few pairs of jeans and chinos. I am in the Big & Tall category, so I am limited in good choices. I have come across the site for The Perfect Jean. I am curious about their slim thick fit. Does anyone here have experience with the quality and overall fit of their products? I currently wear Duluth Trading Company as they are durable and a really good fit for me. I have no issue buying from them again, but if I can find something as good or better for a similar price it would be nice to have a second option.

I was in an Ulta today to get a few items with my wife and I retreated to the one shelf section in the back corner where the "For Men" stuff is. While the signage was there, the product was not. When I inquired about the Clinique Facial moisturizer I use I was told it is gone. They said they didn't sell enough of it and they will no longer carry the "for men" products. I cannot be sure it if it is just that location (though I would think not) or if they will be still be online, but it will no longer be in store. Now we all know a lot of the products out there have no gender designation. Most moisturizers and serums can be used by anyone. But the truth is there is still a stigma of men shopping for and using these items. The subject of this post proves many still do not or will not. If labeling something "For Men" and putting it in a more "manly" package helps your average guy to use the stuff, then it has its purpose. But whether it is Ulta, Sephora, or a mall department store a man is still treated like a unicorn to be patronizing these counters and our sections are small, poorly stocked, and hidden in the back. I think this is a shame. There is nothing feminine or anti-manly to apply some lotion or a serum. But the options on where to get these are getting harder to find and the stigma will only get stronger.

I bought a leather jacket on eBay. The jacket itself is in really good condition and fits great. The problem is that the previous owner was a smoker (and I can tell he was right handed). It is not awful, but I can tell. I used a leather cleaner on it tonight with a new white rag. To my surprise the rag is still very white, like nothing came off the jacket at all. I did clean it twice. The jacket still smells. Actually a little bit more now since it was dampened. I have it drying/airing out in a spare bedroom with a fan. Any thoughts on what might cut the odor, or is it just time? Thanks in advance.