Generally speaking, I don't buy tons of stuff for myself. I do have some hobbies on which I'll burn some occasional disposable income (comic books, gadgets, travel, athletic endeavors), but I really do mean it when I say I spend money on these "occasionally." For the most part, I tend to stick to the basics. Heck, I've had people comment that shopping with me looks like a sprint through the mall (or store).
As I have recently discovered, though, the one quasi-exception to this is ties. I have been a working stiff for enough years at this point that I have a non-trivial number of dress shirts. And sometimes, I have to wear a tie with those dress shirts. So, I own several ties. Up until a few months ago, this wasn't really something I really noticed, much less thought about. I had a bunch of dress shirts, and a few ties to match with them. That's what you do when invitations you get start to include the words "business casual."
Then one day, I was talking to the Mild Ex about what she was going to wear to a wedding. She had picked out a dress, so I figured I'd try to wear a shirt and tie that matched. It didn't have to be perfect, but I wanted to at least make an effort. So, I found myself looking through my closet for shirts and ties that might work given what she had in mind. I obviously had a non-zero number of options, but forcing myself to look through all of them made me realize exactly what options I did have. I also figured I could use an extra tie or two, to give myself a couple more options.
So I found myself at the store looking for a new shirt, and possibly a new tie. Surprisingly, I took my time with the process. There were, frankly, a crap ton of options. I had to stop and consider if I a) already owned a shirt in that color, b) if the shirt was a decent pairing with the Mild Ex's dress, c) if the tie would match, and d) if I wanted to spend that much. It was a little bit like a mental game of Jenga, only with colors and clothing. And like most puzzles, I happened to enjoy this one (there is no better way to distract me at work than, "hey, can you figure out a way to do X?").
So, I ended up buying a new shirt and tie. However, the association was already set in my mind: tie shopping was kinda fun. So now, if I'm ever in a store where they sell ties, I will usually mosey over and peruse the selections. I don't always end up buying anything, and my tie collection has only had about three additions in the last six months. Still, I now have a bit of a hobby.
This all culminated with me deciding to wear a bow tie to a "business casual" function to which I was invited (I put "business casual" in quotes because I saw a whole lot of suits and cocktail dresses). My friend figured I had a connection to the organization that set up the shindig, so she invited me along. I agreed, and then figured since I wasn't going to see any of these folks ever again, I might as well have some fun with it. So, I pulled out the sole bow tie in my collection and spent like 15 minutes learning how to tie it. And that's what I went with to the dinner.
You should've heard the Mild Ex's giggling. She would start every single time she looked over and saw said bow tie. Though I will also say that the camera man walking around made it a point to ask us to be in a picture, because, and I quote, "you look so casual and relaxed." Score one for my tie collection.
As I have recently discovered, though, the one quasi-exception to this is ties. I have been a working stiff for enough years at this point that I have a non-trivial number of dress shirts. And sometimes, I have to wear a tie with those dress shirts. So, I own several ties. Up until a few months ago, this wasn't really something I really noticed, much less thought about. I had a bunch of dress shirts, and a few ties to match with them. That's what you do when invitations you get start to include the words "business casual."
Then one day, I was talking to the Mild Ex about what she was going to wear to a wedding. She had picked out a dress, so I figured I'd try to wear a shirt and tie that matched. It didn't have to be perfect, but I wanted to at least make an effort. So, I found myself looking through my closet for shirts and ties that might work given what she had in mind. I obviously had a non-zero number of options, but forcing myself to look through all of them made me realize exactly what options I did have. I also figured I could use an extra tie or two, to give myself a couple more options.
So I found myself at the store looking for a new shirt, and possibly a new tie. Surprisingly, I took my time with the process. There were, frankly, a crap ton of options. I had to stop and consider if I a) already owned a shirt in that color, b) if the shirt was a decent pairing with the Mild Ex's dress, c) if the tie would match, and d) if I wanted to spend that much. It was a little bit like a mental game of Jenga, only with colors and clothing. And like most puzzles, I happened to enjoy this one (there is no better way to distract me at work than, "hey, can you figure out a way to do X?").
So, I ended up buying a new shirt and tie. However, the association was already set in my mind: tie shopping was kinda fun. So now, if I'm ever in a store where they sell ties, I will usually mosey over and peruse the selections. I don't always end up buying anything, and my tie collection has only had about three additions in the last six months. Still, I now have a bit of a hobby.
This all culminated with me deciding to wear a bow tie to a "business casual" function to which I was invited (I put "business casual" in quotes because I saw a whole lot of suits and cocktail dresses). My friend figured I had a connection to the organization that set up the shindig, so she invited me along. I agreed, and then figured since I wasn't going to see any of these folks ever again, I might as well have some fun with it. So, I pulled out the sole bow tie in my collection and spent like 15 minutes learning how to tie it. And that's what I went with to the dinner.
You should've heard the Mild Ex's giggling. She would start every single time she looked over and saw said bow tie. Though I will also say that the camera man walking around made it a point to ask us to be in a picture, because, and I quote, "you look so casual and relaxed." Score one for my tie collection.
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