I oftentimes make the statement that "I should've been this age in the 70s" without giving it much thought. I mean, how could it not have been fun living in the wake of the civil rights movement, the fall of the Silent Majority's chosen president and the free love phenomenon? This feeling has become even more acute since coming to DC...

Yes. Part of me wishes that I could dance carefree in a Studio 54 around hundreds of young, exciting, dynamic, care free and interesting people, the sweat of each person combining to create an order of ultimate exhiliration- literally lubricating the debauchery. Perhaps if I had been born in the late 50s or early 60s, I would even be more amenable to the various activities that occurred in the bathrooms (that's a joke). And think about the politics. Second to maybe today's crises, the 70s presented some of the darkest days for America's economic future.

In terms of activism, the 70s were a time of increasing environmental awareness without the specter of global warming threatening to dramatically alter the world as we know it. Organizations like Common Cause, the Sierra Club and the AARP were actually fighting for the people they claimed to represent, not working to maintain their clout on the hill. And while governmental institutions faltered under the weight of scandal and corruption, the American people never lost their spirit. Some of them even reveled in the undercurrent of uncertainty.

I guess I'm envious of the freedom associated with ambiguity. I sometimes feel like college, although heralded as the time in life when you have the most freedom, is incredibly constraining given all of the expectations- getting good grades, doing interesting things, making amazing friends, landing a great job and being that incredibly bubbly college student. Sometimes I want to be bitter. Sometimes I want to not know what the next step is going to be- and be ok with that. I want to be that guy in Studio 54 in 1977 dancing in the corner like there is no tomorrow, completely oblivious (and frankly indifferent) to AIDS, Ronald Reagan, rise of the Christian right, globalization and yuppies. Is that too much to ask?

Today's Sartorialist. While I wholeheartedly approve of this look, i think it works especially well because of the striking nature of the guy's facial hair. All of you bearded hipsters out there, copy this look and you'll be totes awesome. Also, saving the planet is totally vogue.