Happy Labor Day: News Roundup and Links

As you may have noticed, I've been on vacation the last few days. Here are some headlines from around the weekend:

Lindsey Graham to meet with Obama on Syria. Graham actually wants more of a heavy-handed intervention in Syria, so this should be an interesting meeting. My prediction is the Congressional resolution in the Congress is going to make for some strange bedfellows among the anti-war liberals and the Rand Paul libertarians. This vote is going to be close. Personally, I would vote "no". I still don't know what our compelling interest is.

The UGA Offensive Line Gets Ready for the Gamecocks and Clowney. They better do something different that what they did in Clemson. Georgia didn't look like world-beaters last week. And after all the criticism of being "winded" and "out of shape" you better believe that #7 will be motivated in Athens.

The EU wants to put "speed limiters" on all cars, holding them to 70MPH. Obviously, because Europe's biggest problem right now is cars going too fast. 

Here's some good bowties if you like dressing up for tailgates. And here's a Yeti cooler that's perfect for those of you who struggle to keep your keg of beer cold at your tailgate. Maybe drink the beer more quickly, y'all?

That's all I've got. Enjoy the last day of wearing white shoes, ladies. Tick, tock...

Summer is Almost Over

The kids have come back to Columbia for fall classes at USC, football is around the corner, and fall is going to be here before you know it.

Time to squeeze the last bit of summer out of the next few weeks. 

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer, y'all.

Guys: Upgrade Your Sandals to Boatshoes

With a little inspiration from The Shop Tart, I'm going to try and throw out some cool "guy stuff" in the world of clothing and equipment every once in awhile. Don't get your hopes up too much, as she sets a pretty high bar in the world of clothing and all things glamorous. I'm a simple man. But I'll give it a run anyway.

For my first installment, it's now June. That means summertime heat, and parties on boats and at the beach and lake. Even though most guys opt for sandals when they want to go casual, you can upgrade from the sandal to the boatshoe. There's nothing wrong with that old pair of Reefs that you have. However, sometimes you need to take it to the next level.

The boatshoe is a staple of the southern man's southern closet. You need at least one pair. First, the boatshoe has the advantage of actually being a shoe. People aren't going to actually see your feet, and some guys could probably benefit from not putting their feet on display. Also, being a shoe, you have a little added foot protection, which is kind of the point of footwear anyway. To that end, you can go with a classic Sperry Top-Sider, or you can upgrade to a Gold Cup A/O (that stands for "Authentic Original) Sperry, which brings a little swagger to your shoe.

All you single gentlemen listen up: If you roll up to your next outdoor/lake party in these, you're definitely going to get some "nice shoes" comments from the ladies. That's my tip for you.

Men's Gold Cup A/O Boat Shoe

Now, these Sperrys are $150.00, so we're talking about a pretty expensive casual shoe. But let's be honest here; this shoe is about a thousand time cooler than the Reefs that you have. Yes, even the ones with the bottle opener on the bottom. For you Clemson fans out there, this Sperry also comes in an orange version for you.

If you're not here for the southern men's clothing and gear, don't worry, the political commentary, guns, and sports aren't going away, this is just something new I'm adding to the mix.

Summer is Coming!

Samuel Adams told me so.

Friday Happy Hour (Southern Beer)

If you like to beat the heat by enjoying a cold beverage, Garden and Gun has some Southern summer beer recommendations.

I've never had any of these. If you have, let me know.

Saturday in Daytona Beach

I didn't say it was this Saturday.

Sunday Sporting Clays

Sometimes you need to get out of the house and have a mental health day. When the summer weather hits one of my favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors is at the sporting clay range. It’s a great way to enjoy some time with the guys, and it keeps your wing-shooting skills sharp come fall.

Sporting clays is usually described as "golf with a shotgun", but I can tell you from personal experience that it beats the heck out of golf. Oh, and those earmuffs are the awesome Howard Leight ones that I reviewed awhile back. They're still awesome.

Yours truly turning a clay target into a fine powder.
 (Photo courtesy Chad Horne)

The Carolina Cup

Since I'm old, my big priority this weekend was taming the wilds of my yard and the surrounding flower beds. Despite having to battle with my lawn mower, I was able to win anyway. [H/T Gamecock Baseball]. The Carolina Cup is my unofficial reminder that the yard needs maintenance. Summer time the hot and rainy season is officially upon us.

For all of the young beautiful people, the big hoopla of the Carolina Cup was in full swing this weekend, and I heard some first-hand reporting that it was not slowed down by the early morning rain we had. If you have any first-hand photos, let me know. Girls in sundresses get top priority. Until then, you're stuck with this:

Friday Happy Hour

You may be familiar with Columbia's new marketing line "Famously Hot". I heard someone proposed changing just the first word - but still having the first word start with the letter "F".

Since it's Famously hot today, here's a happy hour drink to beat the heat (below the jump)

The Boys of Summer

The NCAA National Champs play ball with some kids. (h/t The State Newspaper)