Author: Brett McKay

I moved into my house almost four years ago, and last month I finally got around to organizing my garage. Until about a week ago, I’d pretty much just find an empty place on the floor in the garage and put stuff there; if I ran out of empty space on the floor, I’d start stacking items. There’s a closet in the garage where I kept a lot of stuff — luggage, sports equipment, camping gear — but whenever I needed something, I’d have to pull everything out and then shove everything back into a chaotic pile. It was annoying. The … Continue reading →

“Over-sentimentality, over-softness, in fact washiness and mushiness are the great dangers of this age and of this people. Unless we keep the barbarian virtues, gaining the civilized ones will be of little avail.” –Theodore Roosevelt Sometimes when young men begin their journey into manhood, they start in on the gentlemanly side of things. They dress in stylish, classic attire, don a fedora, and focus really hard on manners and etiquette. They hope that by doing so, others will recognize them as grown men, good men. Yet oftentimes others cringe and chuckle at these would-be gents instead, and they become the … Continue reading →

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts over the years, while I’m not the handiest or craftiest guy, I do make an effort to expand my DIY skills when I can. One thing that often leaves me scratching my head is purchasing lumber whenever I take on a project that requires it. You’d think lumber would be simple; it’s just going and buying a piece of wood, right? But it’s surprisingly complex. There are so many choices that, even with a supply list in hand, I often find myself wandering the lumber section at the home improvement store for 20 minutes … Continue reading →