Manliness

There's a huge, wide and disturbingly vague series of definitions that surround the idea of being a man and, therefore, what manliness is. From being strong to knowing how to tie seafaring knots, the variety of manly tasks is so scatterbrained and, often, thick-headed that it makes being a "man" seem not only trivial, but idiotic. Perhaps this is some sort of shaky loss between the 40s and the 70s in America; where Men became pruning, carefully presented images instead of the people they were meant to be. A man's character should not be measured by the buttons on his jacket, or the growth of his beard; these are mere physical footnotes on presentation. Nor should a man be judged too harshly by his actions; every man has acted against what he believes in once in his life, for one reason or another. Even a man's words can hide his true intent; I was born an actor, and I can assure you, I've keep my cards so close to my chest that sometimes I wonder what people think of me versus what I truly am.

No, to get at a man's soul, his true character is a process that usually ends bloody, whether literally or metaphorically. A man's beliefs, at his heart, can be hidden away from many, but are available through some keys.

One, naturally, are a man's eyes. As a young boy, I spent a greater part of my teenage years fighting in a boxing ring; this sort of upbringing makes you look at a man's eyes. You can see a lot in a man's eyes, even their basic shape and distance give away cues. I've pegged many a fool without speaking a word to them, all because of the way their eyes talk. Some eyes show clearly their owner's intent; others are muddy and obscure the bottom. Peering into somebody's eyes is something that takes practice; I consider it wisdom, not knowledge. There are few facts that can be transcribed into words that come out making sense.

Of course, there's always the route of friendship and love, platonic or otherwise. Real, true love between two people cannot afford secrets; it peels away everything naturally, if it is actually there, but that's for another day. True friends should be honest with one another; it builds character, and bonds. This, in turn, should allow you to find one's true character and, in turn, your own.

Of course, not everyone can read eyes, and forming love isn't a five-minute affair, so what does that leave in business, or situations otherwise? Well, we're left words, actions and appearances. However, there is much more to peering at a man's heart. Going through the eyes is the easiest, but the other way is to look at a man's company.

A man's company is indeed a reflection upon his own spirit. Variety indicates relaxed tendencies; a specific type of friend marks discomfort with the new. The more old friends, the better; a man with only new friends tends to have a repelling personality.

The ways of the company are important, too; what the group generally approves of, one will also. Weaknesses the friends suffer from permeate the individual; surrounding oneself with weak people can signal both strength and weakness in the individual.

A man's humor is also a sign of character; in my opinion, a man worth his own stones can not only laugh at himself, but can laugh at adversity, dark moments, and his own darkness. Humor isn't just a defense mechanism; it's honesty, it's the ability to recognize absurdity, cliche, irony and much more, and laugh at it. Humor, of all things, marks a man more clearly than anything else.

On that bombshell, it's time to end. See you folks next week, goodnight!

Japanese Steel

Now, I've never been a terribly normal person; I credit it with a head injury as an infant, something I'm genuinely grateful for. Naturally, I have what could be called an eccentric taste, and one of those loves is vintage Japanese cars. More than likely sparked by my dear mother, who has had Hondas since the 70s, I've always liked the way and older Japanese car looks and feels. I've only experienced one; and 88 Prelude Si, but whenever I see any properly aged Japanese cars, especially Datsuns, I tend to fall in love.

The 240Z; a beautiful car is there was any. Curving, beautiful lines, and the lovely noise of a straight six to back it up. In my opinion, impossible to argue with.

Of course, even the Dime and the Sunny had clean cut lines, something Datsun seems to specialize in. Not too many details and such, but genuinely beautiful, and delightfully mechanical, something lacking in modern machinery.

Even the little pickups have character...

...and damn if they don't look good low.

Oh, and go ahead and try to convince me the KPGC10 Skyline isn't one of the best looking cars out there.

However, it's not just the beauty of these cars that inspires me; it's their honesty. if you go back far enough with most car companies, they have simpler cars; Japanese cars have always been simple, in the most wonderful way. Mechanical bliss is such a rarity in modern machinery, and yet here we have it, preserved for so long in the name of good, old-fashioned driving. A lovely thing, that; man and machine operating together.

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the corner of Nicky T. Around here, I plan to love things of proper construction, direct you to the more wonderful things in this world, and otherwise be respected by a general community of great writers and bloggers.

To give you a general idea of who I am, I'd like to call myself cultured. I go to a lot of little shows (music mostly), I know a lot of musicians and artists of genuine talent, but I'm still a country hick at heart, at least somewhat. I love Broncos and country roads, dirty jeans and all that mess.

So, what's to be expected? A lot of cars and bikes, maybe some restaurant reviews, and a lot of tomfoolery and shenanigans. Do stop by, you might be surprised at what shows up.

Sincerely,
Nicky T