A Sunday Tae Kwon Do Gala Event. . .

While The Young Master needs to retest for his board breaks in two weeks before he can advance officially to Black Belt Recommended status (testing was midday Saturday), we are still attending the special late Sunday afternoon Tae Kwon Do gala event in a little less than two hours at a hotel in East Lansing near campus.

I finally decided to save the evening wear for a little closer to Christmas and New Year's Eve, opting instead for a festive version of blazer and tartan trousers along with a recently acquired Robert Talbott self-tie bow tie, which I managed to nail on the second attempt after almost a year since the last time I wore a similar piece of neck wear.

And I've gotta say that I kind of like it! A nice change from the usual long necktie. Now, don't worry. I'm not about to go all George F. Will, or Irving R. Levine on you, but I might just shake things up in 2023 with the occasional bow tie. They aren't that hard to tie, and the slight asymmetry adds visual interest to any ensemble.

-- Heinz Ulrich

Sunday Evening P.S.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the incredible positivity during this evening's gala dinner and recognition of various Tae Kwon Do students of various ages and abilities. And I preface the following as a confirmed pessimist and cynic. But it really and truly brings a smile to one's face cheering for all of these adults, teenagers, and children about to attain their black belts, or who have moved on to a first, second, third, or fourth degree black belt.

Often in the face of various physical, emotional, or other "life" challenges.

The Young Master and a few others, who must retest on their board breaks in a couple of weeks, still received their special black, gold, and red belts, signifying their Black Belt Recommended status, because, as their lead instructor, Master Fayette, told the room, "In their hearts, they are already black belts. They just have to demonstrate that they can do what they already know." Once they do so, they have the honor of wearing their new belts, the most attractive one yet.

It was a very special evening all around, and our son mentioned how much he enjoyed it as he climbed into bed a short while ago. Clearly, there is still plenty of good in the world. We just have to find it beneath all of the unpleasant stuff clouding our vision.

And as a sartorial aside, there were even a few men and boys in suits, or sports jackets and odd pants combos, and neckties sprinkled around the room, including a few bow ties, among them a family sharing our table. And one man, bless him, in full black tie.

H-U

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?

W ell, here we are approaching mid-April. And it might just be about time to swap the cool and cold weather attire for warmer weather gear this coming weekend. Mid-70s Fahrenheit yesterday, and low 70s today. Cooler after that later in the week, but I can probably stow the heavier wool items and cords in the cedar closet and safely bring out the warm weather suits, odd jackets, and pants until the fall. Still time of one last hurrah today however. Cooler enough this morning for a tan pair of cords paired with that recently arrived J. Press jacket. The latter is light enough, although it is wool, that I might just keep it handy since we can certainly have chilly days in May and June. While classes end on the April 19th this year, I'll still be on campus occasionally into June, so it's not exactly time for khaki shorts, Madras, seersucker and short-sleeved polo shirts just yet. There's also conference coming up in New Orleans at the start of June, so still some oppor

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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