In an effort to keep sharp while we are having less social interaction, The Photographer is doing the crossword puzzles in New Scientist. The English spelling of words is making them harder.
I am not doing anything to keep sharp.
But I am trying to keep my colleagues on their toes with periodic surprises on Zoom.
For instance, this Maison Martin Margiela top made an appearance last week.
What is it? I don’t know. The content label read “coated fabric.”
It looks like leather, possibly patent leather, which really is not the No. 1 fabric for law firm meetings.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to inject a puzzle into a colleague’s day.
This reminds me of an essay I read some time ago, in which a cat owner deliberated the wisdom of obtaining a second cat to keep her first cat company.
She reasoned that this was a good idea for two reasons. Ideally, the animals would be boon companions. But even if they did not care for one another, each would give the other something to think about.
I don’t know that her reasoning is sound. But as a cat owner who spends easily 10 percent of every day trying to get inside my cats’ heads (and another 10 percent projecting emotions on to my cats), this idea — giving the cat something to think about — really resonated with me.
So here I am, giving the Zoom cats something to think about.
Even though this fabric looks tough, the neckline and straps on this top are very elegant and feminine. They provide a nice frame for the collar. And the head for that matter.
The first time I wore this top, I didn’t belt it. Looking back, I cannot understand myself. What was I thinking?
It looks much better belted.
The second time I wore it, it was belted. The outfit was unsettling, but in a good way, I think.
It looks much better belted.
The second time I wore it, it was belted. The outfit was unsettling, but in a good way, I think.
I recently realized that in addition to dividing my pandemic footwear (mentally) into “fun sneakers” and “dress sneakers” I have “exercise socks” (which are medium-weight white ankle socks) and “dress socks” (which are slightly thinner “exercise socks”).
Each morning, I think about which socks I should wear, depending on the type of sneakers I will be wearing — and on whether I am wearing the plastic pants, a pair of action slacks, or cotton duck pants like these. It’s a considered decision, every morning, with my hand hovering over the sock drawer while I do the math.
Perhaps I need another cat so that I have something to think about.
* Whenever Mr. Orange has an absent look on his face,+ I assume that he is back in the hold of the Lufthansa jet that brought him to the United States many years ago.**
+ He often has this look on his face.
** Mr. Orange was imported to the United States from Germany by a woman who wanted to breed Siberians. He lived with the breeder for several years and then become the beloved family pet of a dear friend. Unfortunately, my friend’s wife developed a severe allergy to Mr. Orange after several years of cohabitation and so his handsome self came to live with us. He has a passport!
+ He often has this look on his face.
** Mr. Orange was imported to the United States from Germany by a woman who wanted to breed Siberians. He lived with the breeder for several years and then become the beloved family pet of a dear friend. Unfortunately, my friend’s wife developed a severe allergy to Mr. Orange after several years of cohabitation and so his handsome self came to live with us. He has a passport!
You Would have a cat with an intriguing backstory. I look forward to your novels after you leave the law.
He really DOES have a Swiss pet passport, which looks just as fancy as a human passport, with expensively printed pages and a bunch of vaccination tags. He’s got a pedigree going back five generations (which is to say, the late 90s.) For example, his father is named “Crown of Siberia” and his mom is “Dream Girl.” Who knows how many shy, kind of dumb, and slightly walleyed kittens he fathered during his years of sexual bondage. Philo is faster and smarter, but he’s very deferential to Mr. O–“You’re cat royalty! Can I sniff your butt again?”
I can attest that our two cats give The Directrice plenty to think about.
Directrice,
Your coated camivestapron put me in mind of this recent piece on one of my favorite actresses and role models. I’d love to hear your take on Frances McDormand’s fashion statements and aging statements.
https://www.vogue.com/article/frances-mcdormand-hollywood-beauty?fbclid=IwAR1odFntKhPmC13vbsRpA1S_258X8D8BbVvHkh5oBRHs7SKQyU6oOH9E3xw
Ah Mr Orange. What an interesting life.
The weird top is much better belted!
I was thinking of that Bonnie Raitt song, modified as “Let’s Give Them Something To Think About.”
I adopted second rescue kitten Paloma so my older rescue kitten Bandido would have a little sister to love and be loved by. I wonder sometimes how much Bandido remembers, or thinks about, his previous life on the street as a starving kitten trying to raise himself. I´m in favor of multi-cat households (Paloma taught Bandido how to play, which was a great gift), now more than ever with your new-to-me idea that it gives them something to think about.
i love everything about this post. The Garment to Think About looks like something a serial killer wears to keep tidy while dismantling his victims. (How did I not know about Mr. Orange’s passport???)
It’s very Sweeney Todd.
Deah, I was thinking along the same lines — that it looks like a good outfit for a butcher — but was hesitant to come out and say it.
p.s. I never, ever think about my socks. (It shows.)
No cat likes travel, but he would have been very, very frightened on the plane. When he arrived here he hid behind the books on one of our shelves, which is (for a not very bright cat) a very clever hiding spot. When I finally found him he just stared at me in complete terror. But now he’s been here longer than he’s been anywhere else, and he knows this is home. I also wonder if cats think back to their former lives. It wouldn’t surprise me. Every experiment on animal cognition always finds they’re brighter than we thought.
That’s a perfect crab picking top. I should know; I’ve picked a lot of crabs in my lifetime (the early years), and if I never do it again, it’ll be waay too soon. Only if you studded that top with Friskies Party Mix treats would you grab the attention of my cats on Zoom.
For me, unfortunately, the wierd top has connotations linking it with similar fabrics used in the protective aprons used in necropsy — and I suspect that it is more expensive! So I am not able to appreciate the fashion statement (I mean, who would wear their typical work clothing as a fashion statement?).
On the other hand, it looks good on you and my kudos to the fashion industry for repurposing.
And it’s so apron-like and so YOU. I can appreciate that.
I have also spent a lot of time considering socks during COVID… too. much. time.
I would think the cats would not like to sit on your lap when you are wearing that slippery garment. I doubt they would spend much time contemplating the outcome.