Last Meeting for Spring 2026. . .

Yesterday was the final departmental meeting for Spring 2026.  Hallelujah!  

Our current chair has gradually increased the frequency of these meetings during the two years since he took over the position from our previous chair who was, mercifully, a bit less hands-on. These sessions always go on twice as long as is necessary.  Mind numbing is an apt term.  My apparently contrarian view is that if a group of people can't get through what needs to be covered in an hour or less, then there is some serious trimming of "business" to do.  

Sadly, said chair -- someone I genuinely like as a person, so I play along -- has deemed it necessary to add additional mandatory in-person meetings.to these sessions come the fall semester/term.  He rolled out the dates yesterday and asked us to get them on our calendars for the coming academic year. Plus several optional online meetings during the 15-weeks for Fall '26 and Spring '27.  Optional, but "strongly encouraged" nonetheless.  Now, I don't know about you, but I don't need quite that much Friday socializing with my colleagues, many of whom are rather ponderous. On a good day.

Frequent meetings in the name of transparency, efficiency, community, collegiality, or whatever are one of the many things wrong with higher education. The intent might be admirable, but somehow it morphs into something else in practice.  And after all, there are also meetings at the college and university levels each semester to fit into already busy schedules and attend (maybe).  Jeeze Louise!  

Yesterday was the last such gathering for a few months, so I took the excuse to glam it up.  As is my wont.  And as usual, I was terribly and inexorably overdressed relative to the other 14 people in the room, although a couple of the obvious women (from South Korea and Israel respectively) were dressed presentably.  Most everyone else looked like they had pulled stuff from a pile of long forgotten items beneath their beds.  Or from that basket of soiled laundry atop the washing machine.  Maybe not quite sleep-still-in-the-corners-of-the-eyes awful, but in that general direction.

How can anyone appear before their coworkers looking so cruddy?  Yet people in all walks of life do so routinely with no apparent thought given to the initial impression the habit makes, or leaves behind in its wake.  There are no words.

But, let's talk about more pleasant things for a moment. 

I have't trotted out this particular bow tie, a vintage Polo number, in several months. The pants/trousers last made an appearance during the Christmas period.  Since it has been quite chilly here recently, the wool flannels, tweeds, and corduroys remain apt most days.  As a result, I have yet to make the twice yearly swap of cooler and warmer items between the cedar closet in our finished basement to the wardrobe in our bedroom and the spare closet across the hallway in the TV room. Maybe later in the month?

Not visible in these two photos are the dark forest green wool dress socks and the plain belt that matches the shoes.  A relatively decent ensemble in my view, spoiled only by the slightly out of place collar, which is always a bit rumpled by the removal of the shoulder belt in the car as I exit.  Should've checked myself in the window before snapping these photographs prior to heading from the parking lot into the meeting location across the street.

And as is my usual habit at this point each year, I'll make the shift to more casual, but still presentable "classic" attire -- which is to say non-stretchy, non-technical, non-synthetic items that lack the telltale sweaty funk inherent to athleisure clothing despite repeated washings* --  for daily life barring the odd visit to the dentist or similar appointments during the next few months. Yep, it's still important to dress presentably for these kinds of situations too.  Contrary to whatever people might think, say, or insist internally to themselves, one's choice of attire has a direct influence on how so called "professionals" perceive and interact with us. 

Try it and see.  

-- Heinz-Ulrich

*I always think of Rosanne Rosannedanna's observation about smelling like New Jersey.