I am Randall Mastin from La Crosse Wisconsin. I am 63 years old and an avid sartorial student learning new things about the art of dressing well and indulging myself in whatever clothing whim pleases me. My profession is music. Specifically, I am a teacher, a professional cellist and orchestra director. I have played all over the world taught everything from university level to elementary school. I currently teach grades 4,5 and 6 grade elementary strings in a private Catholic school after I retired from public school teaching in 2021 and also play cello professionally in the La Crosse Symphony and teach private cello locally at a music studio. Don't ask me how I am enjoying retirement...uhhh who is retired? I have 2 adult children, Brianna and Collin who live in Chicago and Minneapolis. I was married in August 2021 and we have been together since 2018. In 2022 I had reached an unhealthy weight of over 323 pounds. With the help of the miracle drug, Mounjaro, I lost 123 lbs and now I am sitting at exactly 200 pounds which is perfect for me. The meds are a miracle, and I shed the weight fast and suddenly I was needing all new clothes. I was at the same time seeing James Lawley's videos and watching the videos of the Gentlemen's gazette. In my young life I was trim, and it was in the heyday of the dapper revival of the 1980's, movies like Wall Street really inspired me to dig into that look. I loved dressing up and classic looks. Then I got larger and larger, and society got sloppier, and I descended with it. When I had to get new clothes, I decided I would get back to dapper me again and with a trim body things actually looked good on me again. When I decide to do something, I go all in....and clothes are my artistic side expressing myself. I am severely overdressed at school, but in my way of thinking THEY are underdressed. So, every day is a chance to find some artistic way to dress myself and try to be my best. It has been fun, and a great way to feel great about myself again. My interest in clothes and seeing what others wear so I can learn is my main interest in this room. However I have come to really appreciate and enjoy the cameraderie here too.

Most sane people would not recommend doing this: I have a bespoke Italian suit with Holland & Sherry cloth with a Sable and Cashmere blend that is so beautiful and luxurious with first rate draping. It was made when I was bigger but then I grew bigger still and couldn't wear it. I could never part with it. Then I lost weight and am now a size 44R. The suit coat was a 50R. I had it re-tailored at no small expense as this was a $4000 suit when it was made. The shoulders were narrowed and the rest of the garmet altered to fit. Pants were easy, Jacket was not. However after nearly 4 months I have it back and it is perfect. I am so excited to be able to wear this again. I will post better photos sometime soon.

Hello I am Roger I am 43 years old and live in Ocean Springs Mississippi. I grew up in Mohawk Michigan. I retired from the US Navy in 2022. I now work at a shipyard that builds ships for the US Navy. I play the trumpet and other brass instruments. I have never been married have no children.

Greetings, young gentleman, Have you ever opened a dating app, swiped through a dozen faces, and felt strangely empty afterward—like you were shopping for connection but ended up with nothing real? You're not alone. In a world where our profiles are polished, our photos are filtered, and our words are carefully crafted, it's easy to feel like we're performing more than living. French philosopher Jean Baudrillard once warned about this very thing. He said that in modern life, the copy often replaces the original—that we start confusing a simulation for the real thing. Online dating is one of the clearest examples of this. We’re promised love, or at least intimacy, but often left with a curated illusion. This essay is a guide for young men who are trying to stay sincere, grounded, and self-aware in a digital world that rewards surface over substance. I think philosophy can prepare a gentleman for discernment into the ways of this world, this postmodern society, and the deceptive lies wrought with false promises of fulfillment. Philosophy has helped me to dispel the darkness of human existence and to gain clarity of that which Is. To this endeavor, let us now consider the traps and snares of online dating – and why you might think twice before trusting it. The First Instance: Liking an Online Dating Profile You found an attractive woman, have you? Jean Baudrillard said we often confuse what's real with polished versions of it—like a filtered photo that becomes more 'real' to us than the person it depicts. Hyperreality is when fake experiences feel more real than real life. Think Instagram stories, dating bios, or curated photos—these aren’t just tools; they replace real connection. That said, she is still attractive and your desire is high so you swipe right or click match (heart) icon. She likes or matches you back, yay! Or, is it? Now, you encounter the long dark night of ambiguity and intermitted texting followed with vague, contrived, and oft passive language. You are scratching you head, saying “But wait...why does this feel off?”

Global warming has made September in Wisconsin an extra summer month. This weekend it was pushing 90 which is 25 degrees above normal. Tomorrow it will mercifully be in the mid to upper 50s so finally I can bring out the tweed. Harris Tweed glen plaid jacket, university stripe shirt with a beautiful Saks 5th avenue English Madder tie and brooks Brothers madder pocket square that was a tie and was snagged so I repurposed it as a pocket square. Thank you Jesus for cooler weather!