…or maybe the men: a couple guides-to-living that hit all the important notes. The importance of a signature drink, and how to figure out what the hell it should be in the first place. How to give a proper toast. The only ‘emo’ band you can justify listening to (hint: The Cure/The Smiths). What to do with any drinking challenge (hint: accept it).

From The Essential Man:

The idea for this blog came to me when I began picturing what I would tell my future son through his growing years.

Or maybe what I would tell myself 20 years ago if they get DeLoreans to somehow actually work.

Or quite possibly what I would say to punk teenagers on the stoop, as that bitter 90 year old man who everyone thinks is crazy.

From 1001 Rules for My Unborn Son (soon to be a book):

Let’s get some things straight before I get old and uncool.

I’m used to arguing against strict gender divides, but I will somehow always keep a soft spot for even the most outdated traditions related to the concept of how a gentleman should behave. Of course, we’ll make mistakes. We’ll ruin women’s lives, our friends’ lives, perhaps the lives of our children even as we ruin our own. This is inevitable. But it’s an important point that these guides make:  it will forever be our responsibility to always, always try.