We did it!

Paolo and Amanda See all of Sergio's fantastic photos here and check out photos from our second photographer, Doug Treiber, here. We are so fortunate to have talented people make us look good!

If you weren't sick of the photos by now, too bad. We still have our Seattle reception this Saturday!

It's our last night here in Costa Rica and this honeymoon has been outstanding. Until next time, pura vida!

What a week it’s been, and what’s ahead

Sorry that I’ve been a little quiet here this week. I’ve been awfully busy on another amazing blog that I am administering now. I can’t express what a strange, fulfilling and tiresome week it’s been getting started at Eddie Bauer. I’ve been slammed with meetings and diving right in to the marketing and online programs. It’s only my fifth day on the job but I already feel like I’ve been here for months. My role on the team is defined (aka I actually know what I’m doing and what’s expected of me), and I have a lot of opportunity to get moving on some ideas I’ve brought to the table. It’s a great feeling.

The only thing better than a great job is a great vacation. I’m getting married a week from tomorrow! AH!!!

I am super excited to head to Indiana to be around family, get married and celebrate with Amanda our first great party as a married couple. After that, it’s Costa Rica!

We still have A LOT to do before we get on the plane and fly East, so wish us luck on our last weekend of engagement bliss (also known as freak-out-and-pay-up-for-your-procrastination mode).

I’ll talk to you next when I’m a matured, married man. OK, the maturity will come eventually, but I’ll definitely be married!

The great belt divide

Now that I am at a new office and among a new set of coworkers, I can officially confirm my suspicions that the generational divide between 20-something and 30-something men lies at the belt line. To be specific, men 30 years of age tuck shirts into their jeans while men under 30 do not.

Like other cultural phenomenon, such as goth or Jersey Shore, I cannot confirm why this exists or where it comes from. I can only hypothesize that the final glory days of network television, which impacted the style of now-30-somethings, supported the notion that tucking shirts into your jeans is stylish, a la Friends and Seinfeld. The proliferation of the Internet in the last decade, which has impacted the style of 20-somethings, opened Middle America up to an awareness that revealed the insensibility of tucking cotton into denim. Of course, 20-somethings continue to wear beards – as they have throughout history – simply because they can.

The belt line is but only one generational divide of many: Men over 40 years of age sport goatees. Men over 50 years of age sport ear hair.

What’s most interesting is how these generational styles transcend races, but fortunately – in the case of goatees – do not transcend genders. Women have their own thing going on to define their age. I learned from my Mom that I ought not to comment on a woman’s age, so I won't here. I also learned from my Mom that whatever hairstyle Katie Couric had going on was the style of the day throughout the 90s and 00s.

I’ve found that this awareness of generational divides has been particularly useful when meeting new people. If a guy has his shirt tucked in and no goatee then it’s time to talk new babies and how Van Hagar sucks. If he has a goatee then I need to reach back to Led Zeppelin and whatever keeps his mind off his daughter and her impending boyfriends. If he has ear hair then we talk Beatles and I ask him where his daughter is going to college (for Sergio).

I know why 30 is the year when the shirt gets tucked, of course. A lot of people say 25 is the year when your metabolism goes to hell and I think that’s true. I also think your metabolism goes to a deeper level of hell every year after. It’s tougher and tougher to keep the six-pack from turning into a beer belly.

My former coworker who shall remain anonymous (whoops) is a victim of his age and frequently tucks his shirt into his jeans. His defense:

"There is a time and a place to tuck. When a shirt is too long or I need to dress ‘up.’ I tuck! You’ll see. One day. You will tuck."

Yes, that’s true – but after I’ve turned 30.

***Update***

My anonymous source posted a packaged response that may not be suitable for young audiences.

Click here to view.

Last day at Weber

I've had too many good times and recounted enough of them on this blog since I started at Weber Shandwick in October 2006. #bittersweet A lot of people leave goodbye emails to the staff, but I opted to leave a goodbye song... in the style of James Blunt. Lots of inside jokes, but you get the idea.

Weber was extremely flexible with my quirks, except for that one time when a senior VP fake arrested me for wearing too little clothing. I won't repeat that mistake at Eddie Bauer, or it's not as likely.