Regardless, I know I have at least one reader who is very dear to me (*cough* Google *cough*) so I will exploit the fact that I have this outlet to shamelessly and explicitly promote my newest creation (with a nice density of proper verbage tied in).

So, ladies and robotic server banks, without further ado, I give you the Tie Tee – a T-shirt with an attached necktie and my new company Formalitees. The idea for Tie Tees was born in a blinding blaze of creativity (actually, I was designing a graphic faux-tuxedo T-shirt that looked like President Bush’s suit with a “kick me” sign on the back when the idea to make the tie real struck…) while I was in the Adirondacks that fateful 2008 summer, and it’s been a slip’n'slide ride ever since.

Knowing nothing about the rag trade (or how to operate a sewing needle) I pieced together a prototype with scissors and safety-pins and deemed the idea worthy enough to be spared from the slaughter. Ironically, depending on your world perspective, the shirts I cut up to create the first version of what would become the definitive symbol of modern, holistically-conscious leadership were pink National Guard T-shirts. I mean, it’s said creation requires destruction, but some things were just made to be destroyed…

So there began my crash course in apparel industry – and in the high-end, sustainable part of it at that. I wouldn’t allow my shirts to be made in an irreprehensibly business-as-usual way like most other clothing companies, through the exploitation of economically-enslaved labor and the unsustainable pillaging and polluting of our planet – that would be completely unprofessional and irresponsible. I had to do it 100% right, and I was able to source organic cotton from Texas, get it turned into yarn in Georgia, and dyed and sewn into shirts in Los Angeles. Making the Tie Shirts in the USA out of the highest-quality organic cotton upped the cost, sure, but you get what you pay for – and if you pay less you’re externalizing the real cost through pollution and slavery. That’s not a good deal.

Of course, my desire to do it right made launching Formalitees a bit harder than it would be for those who do it wrong (how do you sleep at night, by the way?) and it took a full two years to go from idea to product. Needless to say, I am still completely unable to operate a needle, but I sure know a lot more than I did and am constantly learning more.

Anyways, back to the idea. Business suits have become tarnished through the actions of evil people – from lying politicians to greedy bankers to the executives of clothing companies that exploit the life out of entire cultures. Tie Tees are an alternative to being in cahoots with this evil, symbolizing the new kind of leadership the world desperately needs – people who care about the planet more than the bottom line. Combining the iconic power of a necktie with the sustainable comfort of an organic T-shirt creates an entirely new level of professionalism – a level of responsibility way more meaningful than business suits can attain tied down to their evil masters.

So, Tie Tees reposition business suits, making them suitable only for evil people or their servants. Is that unfair to all the nice, conscious, Prius-driving, Greenpeace-donating people that just happen to wear suits too? Yes, yes it is. But now they have an alternative. I like to say that the business suit is the flag that unites lying politicians, greedy bankers, and fascist CEOs – and I’m out to burn it, so you better take it off.

Anyways, by commandeering the necktie from the suit and creating a new symbol of professionalism we’re hoping to be a vehicle through which people open their eyes to the problems of business as usual, and of course we hope they’ll wear Tie Tees to show their commitment to a higher level of responsibility for their actions, because business suits suck. But that’s not (only) a marketing strategy; it’s the truth.

So help me fight the evil of business as usual – score a Tie Tee shirt from Formalitees.

SpecialtyTiresUSA.com is the sleekest tire store online, selling all sorts of tires, wheels, and accessories for specialty vehicles; there’s ATV tires, golf cart tires, lawnmower tires, wheelbarrow tires… lots and lots and lots of tires. The website is built on the open source Magento Commerce framework, which gave us an awesome foundation that allowed us to simplify the typically complicated process of finding the right kind of tire.

There is still lots of refining and polishing to do as we learn more and more about visitor’s experiences, but overall the webstore presents a lot of character compared to the rest of the market, which hopefully will help us float to top!

I’ve got to give a huge thanks to my beloved code-warrior Jonas Franke, the Hamburger that made this wonderous magic happen! Also, a mighty thanks to Anthony Mineo for the naming & SEO help, and to Devon Hong for his graphic design help! However, the biggest thanks of all has to go to my girlfriend Kelley, for not getting too mad at me for all the long & late hours.

Now, I know what you’re all thinking… “Now he’s just going to try to get us to buy some tires.” And I can’t believe that you would think such a thing, because you’re absolutely right! There is no better time than Christmas to shower your loved ones with all the specialty tires they need! Turf tires, ribbed tires, knobby tires, sawtooth tires, all kinds of tires! Jack up your golf cart with a lift kit and slap some big custom assembled wheels on there so your sweetie can roll right through those snow drifts! And don’t forget those chrome lug nuts – they’re a great stocking stuffer!

The Teton Nordic Club is a nonprofit organization that provides after-school nordic skiing programs for kids…

This year, if the board of directors gets their $#*% together, we’re mixing it up a little with some Norse Mythology rebranding, from visual identity to general rediculously-coolness, like the FIERCE FACE CONTEST, which resulted in an awesomely mean-looking little warrior getting a prize package and a picture in the local newspaper.

Volunteer work is fun, as long as you can play with it and have fun!