Godfrey of Ibelin: Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath.
Godfrey of Ibelin: [cuffs Balian with the back of his hand] And that's so you remember it.

So you want to be "Olds Cool"?

Well here are five thoughts that increasingly I find mark you apart from the hubris of male-dom, that lift you a little, and rather mark you as a man with whom women enjoy spending their time. Do them not to attract the fairer sex, but do them because some things should be done the "right way" and its not always true that the "modern" take on a matter is better than that which went before...

Be polite to those who serve you. Their job may be different to yours, true it may be one that could be termed "service", they may not have your education and their life may follow the beat of different drum to yours, that does not mean they do not deserve your respect. This is not cow-towing or scrapping to those you are paying for a service and from whom you have a right to expect such service is performed efficiently and correctly. It is simple showing common respect, a little decency, some manners, and even inferring a little pride for a job well done.

Delivering bad news is always done in person. Though I once broke this rule and used 7200miles, an ocean and a Long Distance Relationship as the excuse for doing it virtually, I felt like a shit for doing so and truth be told that action still haunts me, even with her forgiveness and continued and very valued friendship. If you have to deliver bad news, a death, a breakup, anything that is likely to cause another person pain, then you do it their face. They deserve either your comfort, or to use you to vent their anger...but they do deserve to have you face to face when told.

Integrity. The hardest person to be honest too is yourself and then to those closest too you least they see you for less than you would have them see you. We bury our flaws beneath a rendering of lies and hope that the foundation does not shake and cracks don't appear. It would be nice to think that integrity is a habit that is easily formed and easily held too, unfortunately it is not, it is far too easy with lapse of judgment and a poor choice or two to find yourself sacrificing not only your own integrity but that of others...something that was driven home recently when I did just that. So maybe integrity gets easier, maybe even honesty gets easier? But until it does it requires vigilance not really to protect self, but rather to protect others from your miss-deeds, your ill chosen words, and your poor choices in action.

Have a signature drink and a preferred beer. This does not make you stuck in a rut, it shows that you know what you like, that you are consistent, and are not afraid to be yourself when all around you succumb to the latest drinking fad or are reaching for the cheaper offerings during happy hour. Though if the cheaper offering is of a "standard" to not partake would be churlish...since after all "olds cool' knows when the wiser course is to change tack.

Send Her Flowers. If you want to be really "old's cool", regardless of your desire to see her again and the outcome of the date sending her flowers shows that quite simply you appreciated her company and valued the time she gave to be with you. Something I have not always done, but recently one of the older "Blokes at the Pub" suggested this is how it should be if you intend to do it right. I now agree with him. Personalise the message in regards to your desire to see her again. If you see no future with her, don't offer the hollow lie "I hope we can catch up again", instead simply be honest, let her know that for you its a "no" and thank her for her company. Trust me: the women worth knowing will find this a lovely gesture, they will find it endearing, and will remember you fondly even if they too felt nothing towards you. And trust me further when I tell you, that all her friends will hear about this...and you will be remembered...and maybe even recommended.

Last year in the Temple of Doom, Indiana unearthed: We Few, We Happy Few

Technorati Tag: The Dogs Name, Men, Chivalry, Old School

Lectiones Sacrae Ex Libris Indiana 06:00