Not sure where I go with my response to this one. My affinity to black and red is a very conscious choice of uniform. I have a dozen black Sta-Dri t-shirts in my closet that are worn untucked over Lucky jeans that hug my ass. At 70, one feels good that ass-hugging jeans still work (at least I tell myself so.) The red is always present in my glasses but often in the collared shirt, pullover, or hoodie that I wear over the T. I hope the casualness of the outfit doesn't suggest I am actually, casually, styling…
But the uniform is not what called out to me in this post. No, it is Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatsby' (I can't figure out how to underline.) It is not because of the obvious greatness of the book, but moreso, the nearness of the experience. A month back, I was in The Globe Bookstore and Cafe, a wonderful English language bookstore in Prague run by a Chicago expat. A 50s paperback edition of 'The Great Gatsby' called from a dusty shelf. Years before in Cuenca, Ecuador, I bought and read a 1954 paperback of 'Catcher In the Rye'. Years prior it was a 'Moby Dick', 1920s edition illustrated by Rockwell Kent. And before that, my mom's first edition of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. That history of not just reading a classic, but reading a special edition, left me no choice but to leave the Globe with that tattered 50s paperback. A chapter in, I was enthralled…and puzzled as to why it took 70 long years to find Fitzgerald. And how true Jason, there was not a character to embrace. But damn, what a read!
I have a unique feel for this post of yours having walked by your house as you sat on your porch with the laptop before you. I imagine you hit send as I was a block away, giving me an experience not unlike those special editions I so enjoyed in my past…
I’m not sure I could like this response anymore than I do, Mark, and I always greatly value your insight and connections to my writing. But this response was very cool. First, I love the uniform and think you pull it off first-rate. Keep it up! Second, I loved the connections you’ve made with great books and their classic covers. How marvelous. What was the cover of that Gatsby book? The book had essentially disappeared by the time Fitzgerald died but then was resurrected when it was given to American soldiers during WW2 and has been a hit since. It’s such a great book, the writing, the characters, the time period. And yet no likeable characters. Students usually like Gatsby but the older you get the less appealing he is, I think. And yet, he understood something we’re all after. Thanks so much for sharing, Mark. And yes, I was putting the finishing touches on the post when you walked by. It was great to see you!
I like your uniform rules with one exception and one addition: I will go to great lengths to avoid ironing, and for this old lady, comfortable shoes are a must.
Good points on both, Laurie. Thank you for reading and for the feedback. In my novel there is a character advising a group of new teachers and he tells them the most important pedagogical decision they will ever make is their footwear.
I look like an amateur golfer at work from April through September, only with the chance I may go and hit some balls to get away over my lunch break on a nice day. This is my only time, so it works out well. I'd like to know what my clients think about the look. I will call it "athletic business casual and wannabe golfer turned father." Always enjoy your posts, J.
Love it, Dan! My friend Matt Kelley says he dresses for work so he could conduct a meeting or run a half marathon in the same outfit, and he can. He did it for Fort4Fitness one year. I think you’re doing something similar. You can make a great sales pitch or pitch your way out of the sand in the same outfit.
Grinned ear to ear reading this one, my friend. So good.
Tonight, I'm going to a local fundraiser and it's a "blue tie" event, coordinating with their (incredibly important) cause and mission.
As I stared into my closet this morning (which often feels bare like the shelves of a southern IGA when a hurricane has been forecasted—sure, there are some things here, but not anything I can survive on), I found myself wishing I had long planned better for what might be around the next corner at any given time. And that I had a heck of a lot more blue—however shocking—to choose from.
Thanks so much, Matt, for your continued kindnesses and thoughtfulness. Love the simile here, and the blue. Coggins says that you should get yourself a tux as soon as you are able, and you'll find yourself with opportunities to wear it. I haven't gotten the green light on getting one yet, but I think I'm wearing her down. I recently did purchase a seersucker suit that I've been wanting for a while, and you better believe I'll wear heck out of it. Any warm event that is even halfway formal, it's going to make an appearance.
Not sure where I go with my response to this one. My affinity to black and red is a very conscious choice of uniform. I have a dozen black Sta-Dri t-shirts in my closet that are worn untucked over Lucky jeans that hug my ass. At 70, one feels good that ass-hugging jeans still work (at least I tell myself so.) The red is always present in my glasses but often in the collared shirt, pullover, or hoodie that I wear over the T. I hope the casualness of the outfit doesn't suggest I am actually, casually, styling…
But the uniform is not what called out to me in this post. No, it is Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatsby' (I can't figure out how to underline.) It is not because of the obvious greatness of the book, but moreso, the nearness of the experience. A month back, I was in The Globe Bookstore and Cafe, a wonderful English language bookstore in Prague run by a Chicago expat. A 50s paperback edition of 'The Great Gatsby' called from a dusty shelf. Years before in Cuenca, Ecuador, I bought and read a 1954 paperback of 'Catcher In the Rye'. Years prior it was a 'Moby Dick', 1920s edition illustrated by Rockwell Kent. And before that, my mom's first edition of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. That history of not just reading a classic, but reading a special edition, left me no choice but to leave the Globe with that tattered 50s paperback. A chapter in, I was enthralled…and puzzled as to why it took 70 long years to find Fitzgerald. And how true Jason, there was not a character to embrace. But damn, what a read!
I have a unique feel for this post of yours having walked by your house as you sat on your porch with the laptop before you. I imagine you hit send as I was a block away, giving me an experience not unlike those special editions I so enjoyed in my past…
I’m not sure I could like this response anymore than I do, Mark, and I always greatly value your insight and connections to my writing. But this response was very cool. First, I love the uniform and think you pull it off first-rate. Keep it up! Second, I loved the connections you’ve made with great books and their classic covers. How marvelous. What was the cover of that Gatsby book? The book had essentially disappeared by the time Fitzgerald died but then was resurrected when it was given to American soldiers during WW2 and has been a hit since. It’s such a great book, the writing, the characters, the time period. And yet no likeable characters. Students usually like Gatsby but the older you get the less appealing he is, I think. And yet, he understood something we’re all after. Thanks so much for sharing, Mark. And yes, I was putting the finishing touches on the post when you walked by. It was great to see you!
I like your uniform rules with one exception and one addition: I will go to great lengths to avoid ironing, and for this old lady, comfortable shoes are a must.
Good points on both, Laurie. Thank you for reading and for the feedback. In my novel there is a character advising a group of new teachers and he tells them the most important pedagogical decision they will ever make is their footwear.
I look like an amateur golfer at work from April through September, only with the chance I may go and hit some balls to get away over my lunch break on a nice day. This is my only time, so it works out well. I'd like to know what my clients think about the look. I will call it "athletic business casual and wannabe golfer turned father." Always enjoy your posts, J.
Love it, Dan! My friend Matt Kelley says he dresses for work so he could conduct a meeting or run a half marathon in the same outfit, and he can. He did it for Fort4Fitness one year. I think you’re doing something similar. You can make a great sales pitch or pitch your way out of the sand in the same outfit.
Grinned ear to ear reading this one, my friend. So good.
Tonight, I'm going to a local fundraiser and it's a "blue tie" event, coordinating with their (incredibly important) cause and mission.
As I stared into my closet this morning (which often feels bare like the shelves of a southern IGA when a hurricane has been forecasted—sure, there are some things here, but not anything I can survive on), I found myself wishing I had long planned better for what might be around the next corner at any given time. And that I had a heck of a lot more blue—however shocking—to choose from.
Thanks so much, Matt, for your continued kindnesses and thoughtfulness. Love the simile here, and the blue. Coggins says that you should get yourself a tux as soon as you are able, and you'll find yourself with opportunities to wear it. I haven't gotten the green light on getting one yet, but I think I'm wearing her down. I recently did purchase a seersucker suit that I've been wanting for a while, and you better believe I'll wear heck out of it. Any warm event that is even halfway formal, it's going to make an appearance.