Yesterday, while typing away at my WIP, I heard the sound of the mailman down at the building entrance and realized I'd forgotten to send my insurance payment, which is egregiously late! I scribbled a check, all the codes, slapped on a stamp, and burst out, running down the sidewalk after him in my slippers and office clothes to give it to him.
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Pictured: the sweater I wore to chase/scare
the mailman. |
And then walking back to the condo, past people waiting for the bus etc. I realized: OMG WTF am I wearing?
The answer: rags.
I bring you exhibit A: my favorite sweater of 2008. Somewhere in my clothes-challenged mind, I still think of it the day I got it from Kohls, new. So pretty. I would also direct your attention to my generously vented favorite office pants. I do love them. The fabric is just too thin even to patch. I have two other similar pairs. It is kind of crazy, what I wear every day. The degree of decrepitude.
Working at home is such a strange luxury. Because, it IS this luxury, but the people doing it typically wear the most un-luxurious outfits.
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These pants: holes front and back, and a sad
mixture of clownish yet obscene. And I am
wearing them as I type. |
I remember when I worked at an advertising agency--it was always SO hard for me to cobble together a nice looking outfit every day, and ad agencies are way more casual than normal businesses, but still. When I was at my most uptight agency in terms of clothes, I remember this hotshot freelance copywriter came in for a meeting wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, and it was this sign of prestige that he didn't have to wear something nice. I was so impressed by that.
Now I'm the freelancer going in for meetings, (though honestly, women freelancers have to dress a little nicer). Anyway, I wear my nice clothes from 2005. Mostly, though, I have meetings virtually, which I wildly prefer. Because I don't have to think about the clothes thing.
Though, the crazy outfit I wore to chase the postman was definitely pushing it! And, I am not even going to start on my jogging clothes.
The other day I was going to go to the grocery store and I put on jeans and a normal shirt, just enough to get myself presentable in normal society, and I was grumbling to myself that one good thing about winter is that I can throw a coat over my ragamuffin outfit to go to the store, but when it's hot, I actually have to change--I cannot cover my pov-looking self with a giant coat. @#$@#!
Anyway, my husband looks at me surprised and goes, you look really nice! And I realized he always says that when I have any clothes on that aren't rags. It made me feel a little bit bad because, okay, it's not the 1960's, I don't have to look like Betty Draper every day, but surely I can make an effort to not wear rags!
I should probably retire some of my clothes. Maybe I will...maybe I won't. I do love the blue sweater. It is cozy on cool mornings. I don't know.
Over at the Qwillery!
Okay, hey! I'm over at the illustrious Qwillery today! We did a fun little interview--short but substantive, talking about books and writing, and what I find most challenging about the author life (clearly not the clothes!) and we're giving away a Devil's Luck ebook!