Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. —Will Rogers

I found a classes to help aid me through the journey:

1.) Group-on Wine Tasting Class: ($29) - "Studying wine on your own can be tasty, but time-consuming." The class will teach about wine tasting / food pairings. It pretty much defines what I was looking for, though I'm not sure if I will get to the the "expert" level I was hoping for in 2-hours. Should be a fun time none the less. Maybe I'll begin to appreciate the taste of wine (right now I only enjoy Reislings) and will build a nice wine collection lol. I want to learn to appreciate Whiskey's as well, but that will come another day

                                                   


2.) Paint Nite ($32) - "Booze has definitely led to you expressing yourself -- from tearing up at cheesy, made-for-TV movies to joining conga lines at weddings -- so why not let potent beverages inspire your art?" They are hosting Paint Nite's at some high-end bars in NYC, some boozing and painting sounds like a great time. Sounds like a good time to do my Mad Men Painting.... High end / Hip Bars in NYC usually mean dressing in suit/fancy clothes, but do you so so only to cover with an apron and risk getting paint on them?

3. 4 Salsa Dancing Classes ($39) - Okay, so I haven't bought this one yet. I'm a TERRIBLE dancer, which does have me a bit nervous, but my "logical" side is holding me back because these classes are held in NYC on Monday / Wednesday nights. (Which would make it very tough to get to due to work conflicts.) With that said, it really is what I wanted to do/learn.

4.) Installed Rosetta Stone - Alright my Rosetta Stone in Spanish is installed, though the sound isn't working on my computer (could have something to do with no speakers being hooked up). I actually found out a friend might have the French Rosetta Stone, so I will have to put some consideration into which I want to learn. (I feel like Spanish is more useful but French definitely has my heart and the edge in the Suave arena).

5.) Getting Measured for my suit - okay, I should have done this a while ago, I fully admit it. Will get over to the mall to get my measurements so I can start ordering suits / dress shirts from Ebay. Got a grey version of my fedora as well (pictured below - waiting on it to come in).

                                          

Finally, a fun story, So I was at a franchise restaurant/bar that everyone knows on Wednesday grabbing lunch. The waitress was GORGEOUS (contemplating putting up a picture, but blacking out the face). So I flirted mercilessly with her. It was slow (due to the snow storm), so she spent a lot of time hanging out. I hung out and she offered to buy me a drink (unusual for a waitress), so I asked for Rumpleminze. When she came back she stated that just smelling it made her eyes water. So I bet her that I could take it without making a face ... the stakes being her number. I champed the drink, and she smiled and gave me her number. I've been talking to her, and have since found out shes a bit young (19) and I tried to make sure and she said she's "not 100% single" and when I asked what that meant, she said it's complicated. None the less, a valiant effort, and success!

What the H*ll is this all about?

So I've been contemplating creating this blog for a while now, and have finally decided to commit. I figure it will help keep me motivated as well as be interesting for those who read my successes and failures along the way.

About me: I'm a 25 year old guy, who has always been moderately social, successful in my career, done okay with women, had a love for fancy cars (own a muscle car and a porsche). In the past year, I was dumped from a 7+ year relationship, changed jobs (my choosing), lost 100 lbs, and have learned to enjoy being by myself / trying new things. I know how to do magic (card tricks, etc) and don't have stage fright of speaking in front of people, though I want to improve my public speaking. With all that said, I just want to be better and enjoy everything life has to offer. You'll get to see my many tries, probably ridiculous failures, and hopefully see me having fun along the way to improving.

Goal for the Blog: Well the title is pretty self-explanatory, but my goal is to improve myself. To try new things, essentially become like "Neal Caffrey" from White Collar (okay maybe minus the expert con-man/art thief, though I could see trying to con my way into some parties/events lol) Some of the specific goals I have (always open to more suggestions):

-Debonair Style Dress - Everything from 3 piece suits to the Fedora. I really like Neal Caffrey's and Roger Sterling (from Mad Men)'s taste in suits. I will definitely put in a lot more effort to matching and improving the overall look, instead of just tossing on whatever is laying around. I've recently found out that you can get HIGH end suits/shirts/ties etc on Ebay for pennies on the dollar. Looking forward to building my new wardrobe. Even got my first fedora (can even do the Neal Caffrey hat trick)

-Learn to Paint: Why? Because I always wished I could do it. I don't think I'll ever be Picasso, or even be good, but I would like to try a few things so I can discuss it intelligently as well as have something to show off. I've seen a few paint / drinking events on Groupon, which may be the way I go since I don't have a place to paint. I decided I want to do a Mad Men painting first... see the 3 options below:

Learn Another Language: Nothing spells Sauve, Intelligent, and Mysterious like a guy who can speak another language. I think my first choice would be French, but I have a Rosetta Stone for Spanish, so I think that will be the language I'll learn. (Who knows maybe I'll learn more than 1)

Learn to Dance: This will be the most difficult I'm sure. I don't even know where to start. What types of dancing to learn or anything. Maybe start with the free Zumba classes at the gym? (Not sure if you really learn to dance from them, but they can't hurt right?)

Learn to Taste Wine: hmmm ... the bullet point doesn't sound right. In essence, I mean learning how to review/evaluate wine at tastings. Develop a good pallet, learn to tell the difference between good and bad wines etc (can't do so at all now)

Improve Skills with Women: As I said, I'm semi-recently single (okay, so it's been 7 months, but I had a lot to get over). I want to work on approaching women without fear and just being the charming, sophisticated, debonair I always picture myself as.

Learn Zippo Lighter Tricks: I don't even smoke, so not sure why this was something I wanted to put on my list. I just feel like it's cool, and everyone needs a light occasionally.

Public Speaking / Improving Vocabulary: I figure this is a good life skill overall, and a good continuing goal. Toastmasters meets weekly, and I volunteer with an organization that allows me to give speeches.

Learn to Cook: I have a disclaimer that I believe I am an awesome cook already, and a world-class baker. With that said, I want to experiment and try to cook and present my food the way that top restaurants do. Imagine what friends think when they come over for a dinner party and see a 5-star type meal in front of them! And with my new wine tasting skills, I'll even know what to pair with it!

Well that's a start .... Give me ideas and input! What is the first thing you think of when you think of a Debonair?