Friday, December 31, 2010
A picture of blog viewership
Diamonds in the Eagle's Nuts has seen explosive growth since its inception and that's just straight talk.
Having said that, please don't hesitate to share this blog with a friend, family member, or even a bitter enemy.
We have some big moves planned for 2011 and it would be a shame for anyone to miss out. Stay tuned for more slick videos, tips about where to score some fresh swag, and general advice about how to make it in America.
Happy New Years to you and yours.
-James Westfall, ESQ
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Would touch
A.P.C. x Supreme New Standard
Fred Perry Tartan Black Watch Hoodie
Grenson Noble Kicks
Gitman Bros.
Patrick Bateman 4 Prez
I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Advice to the Graduate
I like this Joos song because it's one of the few that you can hear SM clear as a bell with the backing vocals. Plus it includes the standard wry wit that you get from most David Berman songs.
current financial interests
1. call options
i can't believe that i actually used to buy stocks on the reg. sure, dividends are great and paying long term gain taxes is nice too (if you have the discipline to hold for over a year) but it's difficult to beat the leverage and risk-reward balance of options. having the ability to expose oneself to several hundred shares of a company while only risking a max of several hundred dollars is huge, in my opinion.
2. spin-offs
most businesses are much more interested in creating value for their shareholders through mergers and acquisitions but historically speaking, spin-offs and their parent companies tend to result in bigger profits for shareholders. one that i'm currently monitoring is Sabra Healthcare REIT, Inc (SBRA). why spin-offs you ask? the biggest problem with spin-offs is that they are simply too small for big institutional investors. guys like Uncle Warren rarely make investments of less than $100 million and a lot of these spin-offs have valuations of less than $100M. this usually means that the institutional investors divest the newly minted spin-off shares while keeping the parent which often results in bargains for the little guy.
3. lending club
i'm not crazy about the idea of actually becoming a lender (because most of the borrowers are probably shady at best) but this website is pretty cool in theory.
http://www.lendingclub.com/home.action
i think there is a small possibility for some nice returns but the risk of default is keeping me away at this point.
i can't believe that i actually used to buy stocks on the reg. sure, dividends are great and paying long term gain taxes is nice too (if you have the discipline to hold for over a year) but it's difficult to beat the leverage and risk-reward balance of options. having the ability to expose oneself to several hundred shares of a company while only risking a max of several hundred dollars is huge, in my opinion.
2. spin-offs
most businesses are much more interested in creating value for their shareholders through mergers and acquisitions but historically speaking, spin-offs and their parent companies tend to result in bigger profits for shareholders. one that i'm currently monitoring is Sabra Healthcare REIT, Inc (SBRA). why spin-offs you ask? the biggest problem with spin-offs is that they are simply too small for big institutional investors. guys like Uncle Warren rarely make investments of less than $100 million and a lot of these spin-offs have valuations of less than $100M. this usually means that the institutional investors divest the newly minted spin-off shares while keeping the parent which often results in bargains for the little guy.
3. lending club
i'm not crazy about the idea of actually becoming a lender (because most of the borrowers are probably shady at best) but this website is pretty cool in theory.
http://www.lendingclub.com/home.action
i think there is a small possibility for some nice returns but the risk of default is keeping me away at this point.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The doctor is IN
I have been severely lacking on my blog posts as of the last few months, I will do my best to pick it up while on Christmas leave. I apologize for my procrastination. Next topic.
With the end of the year come the ubiquitous best album of the year lists. To know the doctor is to know his love of music, and his accompanying disdain for those who attempt to make music into anything other than an art form. So through deductive reasoning, you may have postulated that I've never been one to put stock into end of the year lists. I will admit that there are a few websites (Dusted magazine, The Aquarium Drunkard, etc) that I do follow in order to pick up on new albums. I feel that I've done well this year with keeping my finger on the pulse of new music, but I do plan on utilizing a select few of these lists to ensure that I haven't missed any new albums that I may appreciate. For a quick name drop, I have been listening to Ty Segall-Melted and Toro y Moi- Causers of This quite a bit lately. Next topic.
I came across an interesting article earlier this morning which discussed an issue that I feel quite strongly about. Here is the link. It is an interview with well-known grammarian and self-proclaimed SNOOT Bryan Garner, in which he addresses the decline of English grammar. I feel that proper grammar is integral to one's effectiveness in any and all affairs. I often feel affronted by poor grammar, and I liked that this article was able to highlight many of the various causes of the grammatical decline we are faced with today. At the end of the article, try your hand at the SNOOT test. Next Topic.
I brought four books home for my leave period. Authors include Camus, Faulkner, Burroughs, and Hayek. Standby for topical discussions as I progress through these books. Fin.
With the end of the year come the ubiquitous best album of the year lists. To know the doctor is to know his love of music, and his accompanying disdain for those who attempt to make music into anything other than an art form. So through deductive reasoning, you may have postulated that I've never been one to put stock into end of the year lists. I will admit that there are a few websites (Dusted magazine, The Aquarium Drunkard, etc) that I do follow in order to pick up on new albums. I feel that I've done well this year with keeping my finger on the pulse of new music, but I do plan on utilizing a select few of these lists to ensure that I haven't missed any new albums that I may appreciate. For a quick name drop, I have been listening to Ty Segall-Melted and Toro y Moi- Causers of This quite a bit lately. Next topic.
I came across an interesting article earlier this morning which discussed an issue that I feel quite strongly about. Here is the link. It is an interview with well-known grammarian and self-proclaimed SNOOT Bryan Garner, in which he addresses the decline of English grammar. I feel that proper grammar is integral to one's effectiveness in any and all affairs. I often feel affronted by poor grammar, and I liked that this article was able to highlight many of the various causes of the grammatical decline we are faced with today. At the end of the article, try your hand at the SNOOT test. Next Topic.
I brought four books home for my leave period. Authors include Camus, Faulkner, Burroughs, and Hayek. Standby for topical discussions as I progress through these books. Fin.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Young and living in a big city
Can we go ahead and talk about the allure of being young and living in NYC / (insert other yuppie ridden, big swinging dick city here)?
Call me old-fashioned but I just have a difficult time seeing how living with 3-4 roommates in 800 sq. ft sounds like a good time. I can see how people like how there is "more to do" and God knows there is. Not very many towns have Broadway or a big swinging dick financial district or even a well developed public transportation system which can, at times, prove entertaining in its own strange way.
But part of me just wonders how the average kid is "making it in America" in places like NYC and D.C. Don't get me wrong, these places are cool and maybe a lot of this post is my jealousy of the kids who are living their 20s in such places. However, I just don't see how most of the kids I know could possibly make ends meet in said cities without the benefit of some heavy parental subsidies.
Just consider this little tidbit from my boys over at CNN Money:
Call me old-fashioned but I just have a difficult time seeing how living with 3-4 roommates in 800 sq. ft sounds like a good time. I can see how people like how there is "more to do" and God knows there is. Not very many towns have Broadway or a big swinging dick financial district or even a well developed public transportation system which can, at times, prove entertaining in its own strange way.
But part of me just wonders how the average kid is "making it in America" in places like NYC and D.C. Don't get me wrong, these places are cool and maybe a lot of this post is my jealousy of the kids who are living their 20s in such places. However, I just don't see how most of the kids I know could possibly make ends meet in said cities without the benefit of some heavy parental subsidies.
Just consider this little tidbit from my boys over at CNN Money:
How far will my salary go in another city?
Your Results
$60,000 in Jacksonville, FL
Yo LeBron, what were you thinking playboy?
LeBron could have had it all in Chi-City. That's just straight talk.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Meet me on the fresh train
I really hate the music but I can't argue with hot chicks. Fat chicks on the other hand? They gotta pay.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Hot new blog
I'll just give you a warning that it isn't as great as Diamond in the Eagles's Nuts™ but what is?
It's called "Kim Jong-Il Looking at Things" and I would be remiss in my duties as a curator of popular culture if I elected to not inform you of said blog's existence.
http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/page/1
Some samples for you:
looking at girls
looking at wheat
looking at metal
looking at bubblegum
It's called "Kim Jong-Il Looking at Things" and I would be remiss in my duties as a curator of popular culture if I elected to not inform you of said blog's existence.
http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/page/1
Some samples for you:
looking at girls
looking at wheat
looking at metal
looking at bubblegum
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Proper title for that last post:
Signs the end is nigh. What a disgusting display of inhumanity. Those people are scurrying around like vermin to claim a discounted piece of consumerism. Apparently their dignity is worth that price. They are actually worse than vermin; more like human cockroaches who have found a fresh food supply, trampling the friend and foe alike to get theirs. It's Kafka's The Metamorphosis incarnated. Completely and utterly disturbing.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Media
Karl Marx once said (in an alternate language): " Religion is the opiate of the masses." I believe that most forms of media; specifically television have emerged as the new "people's drug". I myself am quite guilty of spurious internet usage. It has been a singular source for furthering my knowledge, as well as wasting my potential. As we see religion becoming less of a driving force for our daily lives, when compared to past eras, I wonder how quickly media will take hold completely. It's not difficult to see evidence of this emergence, simply go to google and start to research the beneficial new programs it can provide to improve your standard of living. If you're already on this page, you are the market. Maybe someday I'll decide to take a stand and live without television or internet, but for now I will somberly retreat to occasional bookishness and remain slave to the cyclops that is media. I would appreciate input on this issue, because it does bother me quite often. Please don't tell google I wrote this.
Would touch...
I don't really like criticizing people too much for it usually doesn't work out for me when I do. But in this particular case, I'm alleging that the typical, American business desk simply doesn't cut it anymore.
"But Mr. James Westfall." you cry, "Why would you attack such a uniquely American symbol? Our desks are where we make our paper and every important decision. It's where we fire and hire. They (the desks) are fine the way they are."
And I would argue that no, no they aren't.
You would be hard-pressed to find any piece of furniture that lends as much vintage street credibility as the 1930s French postal desk. In summary, if you want to be a straight OG, you should probably do yourself a favor and put several of these in your home office. The cubby space alone is unprecedented which will give you more than enough room for all of your trinkets, GQs, and manuscripts.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Don't call it a comeback
Consider this post my triumphant return to the world of blogs. Standby, more message traffic to follow: break, break.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
An extended civilian shore tour
Things didn't work out for me. I played my hand the only way I could reasonably play it. I'll tell you one thing right now: becoming the captain of the DOR squad wasn't one of my childhood dreams. That's just me being honest.
No one likes quitters or sunshine patriots, especially a certain chap by the name of Thomas Paine. That guy cannot possibly be one of my advocates. If he was still alive, he probably wouldn't even shake my hand but I digress.
Shit happened and the extended civilian shore tour has commenced. It feels weird to have started a real job for the first time; we can safely say that the endless parade of 9 to 5s has begun. Gone are the housing allowances, the subsistence pay, the showing up for muster and bouncing in 5 minutes, and all of the loose, southern women just chasing khaki and gold bars.
In are the taxes, the lack of benefits, the dingy 2nd floor office, and surprisingly, the productivity. I will readily admit that the Navy was bad for a guy like me who drinks too many beers on Friday after work. The whole business of simply showing up and doing the minimum but still getting paid what the hard-chargers were earning was bad for my head. I will concede the fact that I'm fat kid who wears a B&R piece. In short, I want more cake and I'm willing to sweat & bleed for some extra cake.
I know what some of you are saying. Who is this schmuck? He doesn't know what it means to pay the price. This kid is fucking out. And maybe you're right.
No one likes quitters or sunshine patriots, especially a certain chap by the name of Thomas Paine. That guy cannot possibly be one of my advocates. If he was still alive, he probably wouldn't even shake my hand but I digress.
Shit happened and the extended civilian shore tour has commenced. It feels weird to have started a real job for the first time; we can safely say that the endless parade of 9 to 5s has begun. Gone are the housing allowances, the subsistence pay, the showing up for muster and bouncing in 5 minutes, and all of the loose, southern women just chasing khaki and gold bars.
In are the taxes, the lack of benefits, the dingy 2nd floor office, and surprisingly, the productivity. I will readily admit that the Navy was bad for a guy like me who drinks too many beers on Friday after work. The whole business of simply showing up and doing the minimum but still getting paid what the hard-chargers were earning was bad for my head. I will concede the fact that I'm fat kid who wears a B&R piece. In short, I want more cake and I'm willing to sweat & bleed for some extra cake.
I know what some of you are saying. Who is this schmuck? He doesn't know what it means to pay the price. This kid is fucking out. And maybe you're right.
Friday, October 29, 2010
The maritime patrol Navy not as advertised
I should have gone jets: 1 hr missions, 1 hr preflights. What good is a nice location if you never get to enjoy the scenery due to 12+ hour missions everyday. I may as well be deployed in the desert as we speak, because as of right now, nothing would even be different for me. Actually, I would have a shorter drive to work. I need to move to a new house this weekend but I'm also flying tonight until 8am tomorrow. I have an oral review board next week, but I haven't gotten a chance to study because after having 2+ months straight of sims and classes everyday, I am now flying everyday. Oh yeah, and I'm flying for 8+ hours Monday. Fuck this shit, this is why I'm getting out immediately. I could have been a goddamn investment banker pulling these hours and making triple what I make now.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
RESPECT
find out what it means to me:
What a delusional, self-important, bureaucratic sycophant. She'll get nothing and like it
What a delusional, self-important, bureaucratic sycophant. She'll get nothing and like it
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
A Farewell to Hickey
I was personally pretty sad to see that Hickey was being 86'd from the clothing scheme. Approximately 85% of my clothes were from Hickey. Classic styling with a slight edge. Now I am left with choosing a second best manufacturer to solve my sartorial needs. I saw this article earlier tonight and I was glad to know that others appreciated Hickey as much as I did.
http://sartoriallyinclined.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-brand-that-virtually-no-longer.html
http://sartoriallyinclined.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-brand-that-virtually-no-longer.html
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wanted
A fresh pair of whiskey leather Aldens. Also, a light jacket. Thinking Baracuta G9. Any ideas floating around out there?
Bean Boots
So hot right now. I couldn't wear them based on alliteration alone. Sport them if you're a presumptuous son of a gun:
http://www.valetmag.com/the-edit/intel/102010.php?index1_top_lead
http://www.valetmag.com/the-edit/intel/102010.php?index1_top_lead
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Mad Men
The current season has been on point! The last three episodes have become instant favorites of the series. The redemption of Don Draper? Discuss.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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