Man stories

Art of Manliness has been producing podcasts for several months now and one of the fun things that they do is interview guys and ask a series of questions. They have interviewed authors, contributor's to the AoM page, or friends of the podcast. Along the same lines as Inside the Actor's Studio, but funner for guys to listen to. I have enjoyed listening to them because it makes me think about how I would answer those questions if I ever was asked.

A bit about myself: I am twenty seven (twenty eight in February) currently living in Wichita, Kansas. I work for a retail store and currently manage the meat and dairy departments. I have been married for almost three years. I love scotch and whiskey, flat beer at the ball park with a cold hot dog, and time permitting writing.

When did I become a man: The one event that sticks out in my mind is when I moved down to Kansas. I drove down from Michigan to join my then girlfriend (now wife) who had been working in Wichita for ten months. It was the BIG MOVE. Everything I owned was in a trailer my dad was pulling or in my old car. We took two days to drive and about half way down, in Illinois, it hit me. I moved out of my parents house. College was over and I didn't find a job, but Andrea did. Our agreement was to move wherever the first job was. Lo and behold, Kansas. There are days that I wish we lived closer, but that's the hand we're dealt.

What does manliness mean to me: Manliness to me means being that person people can come to for any question that they have. Being that wise sage for advice, any kind of advice. To be that person in someone's life that they can come to with difficult situations to try and create a solution. On a lighter note, one thing that every man should know how to do is keep a box score at a baseball game. Take a trip out to the park one day and sit in the cheap seats and drink some beer and keep the box score, it's a great time.

Which men (living, dead, fictional, etc.) have influenced my view of manliness: Like most men, my dad has had the biggest influence on my view of manliness. It's funny how when we are growing up no one ever wants to be like their parents, mainly because they have done some little thing to tick us off as kids and we hate them for that. I never had that feeling. Dad was caring when we were kids but he also was the disciplinarian. We still to this day laugh about a time when I did something (Mom and Dad still don't remember what it was) and went and hid under the dining room table. I would scoot away from him and he couldn't get to me. In turn, this just made him madder and madder until mom finally told him to just go away because she was afraid he would tear my head off, for whatever it was that I did. The older I got, the more I wanted to be like him. I have picked up many traits from him, including my love of baseball. My parents came down last summer and we all went to a ball game for the team that is here in Wichita. Nothing spectacular, the team isn't very good. He just had a blast and so did I.

What can men in my life do that I can't do: Hunting. It's not that I disagree with the principle of hunting, it's just that it took too much effort when I was younger. And by effort, I mean I had to wake up really early in the morning to go sit out in the woods, in the cold Michigan winter and sit. And wait. And wait. And wait. I was not a patient kid, or a morning person. Not exactly the most exciting thing for a kid of fourteen or fifteen. My dad has always been successful at hunting. Every year it seems that we had more venison in the freezer. I'm not mechanically inclined either. I barely know how to change a tire (but at least I'm manly enough to admit it).

Most difficult thing I have done as a man: I wouldn't consider this a difficult thing, but stressful thing and that was getting married. I don't get nervous very often, and that entire morning I was relaxed and having a good time. All the guys went snorkeling that morning while the girls had their hair and nails done. We got back from the expedition and I took a shower and shaved and got my suit on. We all walked down to the gazebo for the ceremony. Still, I was calm. Then, my wife came around the corner in her dress walking down the aisle with her dad. It was at that point that my heart started beating faster and faster. I was just mesmerized by her in the dress and how wonderfully beautiful she looked. I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach which I always related to nervousness. That's about as difficult of a situation I have ever been in.