The March of the Penguins

 

I believe Design and Art are to be appreciated, rather than for profit. Don’t get me wrong, someone who spends copious amounts of time on their art, should be compensated accordingly. I am preaching for the people who spend their time, passion and effort into their works and not those who capitalize on what is “trendy.”

 

This brings me to the idea of DIY: I believe this to be an art form, with its purpose to inspire other to create something meaningful and individualistic. I create things to not only serve me, the purpose of knowing I can make something, I do it to inspire other to create things that make them feel distinct.

 

The penguin jacket, which I am wearing, represents not only me, but also the ideas of DIY that I uphold. I thrifted this jacket with a certain purpose in mind: I wanted it to be something that could be brought to life. The penguin, one of my favorite animals, is the stamp I chose for this project. I believe the penguin symbolizes me. It’s an animal that is driven by the feedback from his colony, meanwhile is capable of being independent.

 

To achieve this DIY: Have a stamp, paint in your choice of color and textile to make it permanent on clothing.  The process, much like the whale sweater, takes time and patience to perfect. I will also add that painting in with a paintbrush the spots the stamp doesn’t hit.   Good luck to you on this project, if you so choose to do it.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

XX-cellent

 

With being a fan of music and certain bands, I am always creating a bucket list of those who I want to see.  I have wanted to see The xx is a band since their first record. Their music is simplistic, yet very emotional in both the sounds and lyrics.  Their music relates to me on multiple levels and I think is most understood when seeing them live.

 

When I see a band live, I find it interesting to not only take in what the music sounds like, but the bands chemistry together when they’re playing the music. I have always seen The xx as a band in which Oliver Sim and Romy Madley-Croft are talking through the relationship problems and the deep concepts of love while Jamie xx creates the mood around them with his beats. Honestly, this is how they were live.  They band created a mood that the audience feels overwhelmed with emotion, not only through the two singers chemistry, but also the bass Jamie created through his multiple beat machines.

 

When going to see a band, especially one you love, it’s important to have your best friends with you. I made the trip to Tulsa, OK with my friends, Blake, Matt, Brad, Chris, his wife Sarah, Jason, and his girlfriend Molly. It was a blast and everyone had a really good time enjoying the sights and sounds of The xx. It has been said that seeing something great can only be appreciated in the company of others.  I find this true, especially when seeing one of my favorite bands.  The show, like many others I have attended, created great memories with not only the music, but great friends that appreciate the feelings of a band and the friendship.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

That’s a Wrap

 

In my travels, especially in Missouri, we’re constantly wearing layers of clothing. These layers are changed about as often as our weather does; in the morning it could be raining and then in the afternoon it’s sunny and 70 degrees.  Before you know it, though, Snowmageddon comes in full guns blazing.

What is a gentleman of my position to do with those extra layers when I need to shed them?  I came up with the idea of my wrap, Ty, to hold my jacket, cardigan, gloves or whatever else I use to bear the weather.  This piece can be seen as one of the more valuable accessories in my bag because it’s able to hold the things I am the most fond of.

 

The concept of Ty came from the fabric, which holds an umbrella together. I wanted to make something that would wrap around my clothing to keep it intact, so it would not get wrinkled or messed up. I would describe the process fairly easy: you just measure how much material you need to wrap around the garments. Then, you sew the two pieces of material together. You can decorate it however you like on the outside.  In order to fasten it, I used Velcro to achieve this.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

Maine Attraction

In life, we are always thinking of our future destinations. For me, I have idolized the Northeastern Region of the United States.  Its landscapes, the weather and the people have always fascinated me. While creating the bag I am pictured with, I intended on creating the feelings I have for this area.

I think it is important to focus on not so much of the past or the present, but the future. We’re constantly creating a path for ourselves, and to some degree, this future is somewhat unknown.  We visualize the things we want and the places we want to go, and are hopeful to reach those goals and destinations.   There’s always the classic saying, it’s the small things in life that count. So creating this bag, i.e. the small thing, is but a large thing in reminding me of what I want my future to become.

I feel I am a person who not necessarily goes by impulse, but one who goes on their gut feeling.  So when I found this Maine tote bag, I knew it would be mine.  As far as converting it into a carry-on bag, I find it more valuable than a tote because I constantly carry it in my bag, with the valuables essential to the items I use on a daily basis. I see totes as more of an outfit choice, rather than something used every day. With a carry-on, I know I will be using it everyday. This keeps me focused on my future, rather than my past or even my present.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

S.A.D.

 

February 14, a day that lives in infamy for those of us who are single.  We sit around lonely, looking at others as they celebrate a day created by commercialism, to embrace the idea of “love.” Is it wrong to celebrate this day? No. I believe it is a good thing to signify a persons’ love for another, but why celebrate it on one day, when your love for someone can easily be expressed any other day of the year?

 

Love, as I see it, is a quantification of feelings that can be expressed by two people at any given moment. In today’s world, others can see love as being nothing more than temporary. To me, though, love is vastly different and so are the new school ideas on relationships. What happened to the simple days when a man was able to get to know a woman and truly appreciate them? Going on dates were once an activity that individuals enjoyed.  They were able to have good conversation and try to understand on another. Most importantly they had fun. Dates, much like Valentine’s Day, almost seem fabricated. They’re almost a game, in which multiple dates equaled some kind of reward.

Here are my thoughts on Valentine’s Day: It isn’t a bad day but it is one that lets me rejoice in the idea of meeting someone someday that I will truly love.  Valentine’s Day isn’t one for me to sit around lonely and to be sad that I don’t have someone to be with; but, one in which I gather around friends and loved ones to celebrate the company that each of us share.  It is not about giving into the commercial idea of what the media or consumerism wants us to value.

Take time to celebrate those around you and how they are important to your life. That’s what the day is truly about. Instead of taking pity in yourself, embrace who you are and the position you have in life.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

 

 

For Lovers and Those Still Searching

It is around Valentine’s Day that people are made to feel obligated to represent their love for one another. Why is it that we are made to feel this way, on one day of the year, rather than the other 364 days? Artists create albums every second, day, year, and never is it said that they were written on Valentine’s Day. I made this playlist, to not necessarily represent Valentine’s Day, but to remind myself and others that love does exist for us, and to not be quantified on such a day as this one that is commercially known to celebrate couples and their feelings for each other.

Let’s take a moment to also remember that this is “Singles Awareness Day.” Let these songs not put you in a bad mood because you’re one of the few single people in the world right now – as the card companies would like to say, celebrate the idea that there is someone out there for you, just not on Valentine’s Day.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

 

Layers of College and the Future

Hoodies, flip-flops, and high school oriented t-shirts: the average wardrobe of an everyday college student. Someone going to school to better themselves and to gain success in the real world; but, with clothes that embody a feeling of a high school senior who just doesn’t want to give up their Prom 2008 t-shirt.  It’s time to shed those old layers and give into a wardrobe that is current and shows a feeling of someone who is hungry and values their future.

The layers that I wear embody me from the earlier days of college and into my current life.  In my high school days and early college I was seldom seen in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans with an occasional button-up shirt.  I would describe my style at this as being “comfortable.”  I never saw myself as one who would want to diversify or make myself stand out.  As I progressed through college I became less interested in clothing that I felt relaxed and more into fitted. Clothing became to me like my feelings toward music: a way to represent my personality.  I wanted to be seen as a person who cared about the way they looked and one who cared about their future rather than some bro wearing a hoodie because that’s the only clothing he found on the floor after a massive kegger.

The wardrobe I chose was something I felt represented me both individually and intellectually.  I wanted my clothes to fit me correctly and not sloppily.  I saw myself as one who loves design, color, and texture that were representative of myself.   I wanted to stay unique to the standards of menswear I felt were appropriate for me.

The red gingham shirt I am wearing in this post represents a layer of me in my early part of my college career.  An individual sticking to the basics of a simple but yet classic button up that shows one who is eager towards the future but doesn’t let go of the past.  I see gingham as a fabric that has stood the test of time and never wanting to fade.

A cardigan, I feel, is a simple but practical piece to my wardrobe.  It’s simple in how it is constructed but important in how it holds together the shirt I am wearing under it.  This could be seen as representation of my graduation from OTC with an associate’s degree. This piece shows the new layer of one who has two years of college and looking to gain more texture in the couple of years left in college.

My tweed jacket can be shown as my mid to finishing portion of college career.  This can be seen as the piece that is representative of a young and future academic; a person who is seeking knowledge and to share it with others around him. I idolize my professors who wear this material. They are intelligent and full of vast amounts of information that set them apart from the real world.

The bowtie is symbolic of my creativity. I see myself currently as one filled with endless amounts of ideas that epitomize everything I am. This is an important layer, in that it sets my individuality apart from others. It makes me stand out.

The last and final layer is my coat. This piece represents the future, and the unknown. I see the coat as a shield and a layer of warmth for the weather, be it good or bad in my later life. A coat is the most important layer of this outfit, in that in covers all of the other parts that have been seen.

I look forward to seeing what my life has to offer now that the biggest and most influential part of my college career is now complete.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

 

Superbowl Snackday

The Superbowl: America’s Holiday. Over time, people have seen this day as one in which they gather around their TVs, eat copious amounts of food, drink alcohol, and talk about the game and what is happening in their lives. I was once an avid sports fan, but over time, I have grown away from it. 

To me, the Superbowl has now become a celebration of food. While everyone is enjoying the game, commercials, and Halftime Show, I am stuffing my face with everything on the table. I don’t care what the result of the game is, as long as there is those delightful finger foods and calorie-inducing nacho cheese bubbling out of the crockpot.

Instead of giving high fives when my favorite teams scores a touchdown, I am cheering on the amazing cooks and their exquisite dishes. When people are going nuts for that last minute play, I am looking for that last dish that no one has called ‘game’ on. I feel the Superbowl is secretly a competition amongst friends, showing off their diy baking skills. Most will talk about how amazing that game was or how many touchdowns the quarterback threw, or that one bad call that ruined the game. I however, see it as eating from that memorable plate that one of my guests prepared. 

In all seriousness, though, this is an important day for many to enjoy their favorite sport – the great game of football.  I grew up just like everyone else watching athletes perform at their highest potential in the game of all games. I just see the game as something that isn’t necessarily important to me now. I see the Superbowl as more of an event – when we invite our friends over to enjoys the game and each other’s company. 

I hope this day is something you enjoy and are able to experience it with the people who you care for the most.

 

Classically Yours,

ZRH

Album of the Month of January… Local Natives: Hummingbird

 

In 2009, I was introduced to this great band, Local Natives. Their first album, Gorilla Manor, was what I like to call a game-changer.  The sound of the album was unlike any other band that I had heard previously.  Their Indie sound combined with folky elements, was reminiscent of bands like Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket and Midlake; each of them had once touched upon this with infectious hooks that to this day, I still remember.

In their new album, Hummingbird, the signature sound is still there.  Unlike the overly catchy hooks of the first album, Local Natives focus more on developing a more complicated and unique sound. A listener of Grizzly Bear or The National will notice both of these bands overtones with this record.

The Grizzly Bear type sound can be heard in the album’s very laid back and mellow feel, which is unlike their debut album. The drums of the record are fairly comparable of The Nationals record High Violet. I won’t say that it was probably the band’s intention to have a similar sound, but on the same token, it is almost a compliment because these groups are held to such a higher ladder in the Indie Rock world.

Lyrically, this album, like the previous release, touches on sensitive parts of life. This is another aspect that I have always loved about Local Natives. Like other groups I have mentioned, seem to touch at the very deep parts of a person’s soul with lyrics that magnify one’s existence.  The song “Black Spot” is a key example of this signature style the band exudes.  “Black Spot” shows how someone is put into a position in life, when they feel lost, but are able to be resilient.

 

“…And so calm, I look inside
And I see the things I always knew
But wasn’t sure until now.”

 

Musically and lyrically, this is one of the brilliant records of the year thus far. With their debut, Local Natives showed us a band who was searching for sound which was both unique and transcending. With Hummingbird, the group exhibits themselves as a symbol of their album title – a bird that flies to different destinations, in search of fulfillment. It is with the journey that they constantly transforming themselves. At the same time, though, they’re keeping to the qualities that made them the band they are today.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

January Playlist

This month has been filled with many new and great music discoveries. Unlike past years, this month hasn’t always offered a strong amount of good music. This January, however, was jam-packed with many tunes that I see myself listening to for the rest of the year.  Enjoy this playlist.

Classically Yours, 

ZRH