A Slight Reminder of A Gent's Impecuniousness

Fair Reader,

I was at a BBQ on Sunday at the home of Drew McGraff, the Scottish scoundrel and noted Chicago Cubs loyalist. He invited a few of his UK chums over to share in the massive meal of steak and lobster - a "surf and turf," I believe you Yanks call it.

One such bloke was this lanky Mancunian the size of a sasquatch. We got talking about the old country, to which he mentioned that he was a new arrival in this fair city. He mentioned how expensive his flat was, to which I did a spit take in my mind (if that is at all possible). The bloke was paying $4000 for his new place, and yes, a man of that size with a flat that nice is most likely pulling all the top birds he can get his hands on (he is, in fact). An aside, but the manner in which he described his view - a panoramic of the entire TriBeCa area - reminded me of an expression my friend Basil Costas once invented: The Mariano Rivera view. This means that a man's view is so good, whomever is his company for the evening, forget it: once she catches sight of the view, the game is done.
For instance:

BLOKE (to Lass): If you step into the living room, you will see the UN Building, the East River, the...

(Sound of LASS furiously ripping off her dress)

BLOKE: I see. Shall we retire to the bedroom?

And scene.

But back to the story: the bloke was mentioning how expensive his flat was, and how his job in banking was still profitable, despite this current economic downturn. And it got me thinking: I am nowhere nearly as profitable as this bloke.

I work in print journalism - and Herr Binn does not provide lucrative opportunities at his fledgling empire - and live in Chinatown. That is of a certain earning bracket that isn't exactly like our Manc chum. As most New Yorker's know, this city treats all of its subjects kindly, although it treats the wealthy even kinder.

I must admit that it has been harder for me to act like a Gent of leisure when I spend most of my time working and very little socializing or dating. My newfound work ethic has left me feeling a little drab, but certainly not drab enough to continue being a Gent. Rest assured I will still offer you tips on how to be proper, dress proper, and cook proper. A Gent can be a Gent in any income bracket, at any shape or form. I shall continue to prove this to you in my future posts.

Yours faithfully,

Ed the Gent