Late May in D.C. Style. . .

If only I could pick up this house and transport it by magic to our little corner of the world. . .

My sister, who lives in a quiet part of Washington, D.C., takes frequent walks with her dog around their neighborhood, usually armed with a camera of some sort. In her professional life, she develops and writes corporate training manuals for clients all over the world and occasionally delivers related talks and seminars. But among the activities that fill her private time, she is an enthusiastic amateur photographer and frequently circulates photos of people, places, and things that she has observed here and there.

On Sunday, she sent several shots that she snapped during her early morning stroll with the pooch. This one, in particular, really caught my eye.

Don't get me wrong, I like our current house (built in 1985) well enough. The neighborhood is quiet and beautifully situated. Almost rural in nature. People keep to themselves, take care of their yards, and seem innocuous enough.

But there's just no way around it. Most suburban houses built in the last 35 years or so just don't have that much personality. The one above, however. . . Well, let's just say if someone snapped their fingers, transported it magically to our neck of the woods, and handed me the keys? I'd move in tomorrow based on curb appeal alone.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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J. Press Goodness. . .

F resh out of the UPS box, three examples of J. Press goodness on a Friday morning. These shirts are replacements for three recently worn-through, more than 20-year old OCBDs from Land's End (two) and L.L. Bean (one). They were purchased shortly after I took my first teaching position at a now defunct local college outside of Minneapolis, immediately following graduate school, as the fall semester kicked off in September 2003. While some professional gear hung in my closet already, a few additional items were needed at that point to round out the weekly rotation. Said shirts all finally fell prey to small rips showing up in the now very thin, but incredibly comfortable, fabric within six weeks of each other this winter and early spring. So, time for a few replacements. The old friends will find new life as summertime lawncare shirts. Of the three new items above, my favorite shirt is on the right, but one cannot go wrong with a light blue OCBD either, so we're in good

Time for the Ol' Switcheroo?

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Job Talk #3. . .

C andidate #3 is, for my money, the person for the job. Considerable experience, broad perspective, well-connected throughout the college and university due to an array of collaborative pursuits of one kind or another, coherent and detailed vision laid out for the next three years and beyond. Yes. I am not on the committee that makes the recommendation to the dean, who will make the final decision and send the letter, but, were it up to yours truly, this is the guy. And he wore an actual suit (mid-gray), dress shoes, white shirt, and necktie as an added plus. 20 years or so my junior, but someone gets it. -- Heinz-Ulrich

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