So, as with any major life change, the layoff thing has illuminated a few needs that have long gone unattended. Most importantly: the need of a suit. Sarah and I were trying to figure out just how embarrassing it is that I’ve lived the entire 26 natural years of my life without having ever purchased this essential garment for modern living. I’ve barely managed to skate by formal events on clothing rentals, the hand-me-down jacket from a friend from high school (namely, ??Jon Hughes??) for senior photo day, and the sport jacket my mother-in-law purchased for Sarah’s and my honeymoon. But now, with the responsibility of wooing a prospective employer (or client) for the purpose of earning cold hard cash, my formalwear fate is sealed.
To give you a sense of just how clueless I am about anything dressier than khakis, I began my search in the worst of all possible places: J.C. Penney. After meandering through the store and frankly admitting to the salesperson that I had no idea what I was looking for, he brought me — as a stern parent leads a disruptive child — to the suits separates rack. If you’re unfamiliar, let me indulge: the separates idea in suit purchasing gives you, the suit buyer, the opportunity to afford the cheapest possible pants/jacket combination while _simultaneously_ giving you that freshly-punched-out-of-a-mold look. All this can be yours for just south of $200. Convinced that more exploration was in order, I left in search of information unencumbered by the hard sell.
Some well-known brand searching on the web brought to light some interesting observations as I bounced from site to site. In the early stages of searching for any information, you begin to get a sense for what you’re looking for and are rapidly able to discern dross from gold. To wit: someone _really_ needs to tell Penney’s that if they’re going to photograph men wearing their products, it might just be fitting for them to actually _tailor_ said item to the model first. After looking at this photo from Nordstrom’s, this model looks as though he’s wearing a garbage bag. Note the extra cloth around the midsection hanging off of him like a curtain — not exactly the most stunning first impression to make at an interview.
As with everything, Google bestowed cluefulness after some diligent searching, sifting, reassessment, and drill down. A “similar to” search on Nordstrom’s mercifully returned the Men’s Wearhouse. More Googling also turned up a four-article series on men’s fashion at The Morning News, of all places. And, the articles are actually really good, though written in TMN’s own, er, inimitable style. So much so, that I thought them each worthy of a link: Part 1, Suits; Part 2, Dress Shirts; Part 3, Pants; Part 4, Conclusion. Crassness aside, Part 1 was actually quite helpful for even simple things like: never, ever button the bottom button on a two- or three-button jacket. News to me.
An hour-and-a-half at Men’s Wearhouse with a very helpful salesperson, and Sarah and I settled on a sharp-looking three-button charcoal suit for a reasonable amount of money (which is, of course, a thinly-veiled euphamism for “let’s hope this new gig results in a substantial raise to pay for this”). They say feeling good and looking sharp is half the battle in interviewing — I suppose getting one is the other half — so I should be well on my way to that dream job any day now.
We got a Gamecube for Christmas. When my mother and aunt were up from Sarasota 
Speaking of grades, the results are in: I’m an official 
I finished up Numerical Analysis with an A and Calculus III with an unthinkable B. That the professor curved the grades is obvious, but the degree to which his system was skewed is staggering–I deserved nothing higher than a D+ in that class. Self-deprecation aside, these two classes were the absolute final requirements for my Bachelors in Computer Science. I walk in May, after which Sarah and I will throw the biggest Calculus book-burning party this old mining town has ever seen. Wanna come?
I have a theory about the NJ DMV. It goes like this: if your car is five years old or older, you will not pass inspection on the 
Sarah and I were welcomed as the newest members of the Village Church this weekend, too. Although the Session didn’t seem to have a problem with Sarah’s membership request (after all, she works at a horse hospital–what’s cooler than that?), my own total 
Finally, Sarah and I are now the proud owners of the gentlest, most beautiful dog in the world, Dina. Dina’s previous owners, Dave and Cindy Abney, are some of the jazziest people we’ve ever met. They love animals, are incredibly hospitable, and their living room features an inscription hanging on the wall that asks, “What if the hokey-pokey is what it’s all about?” They’d had Dina for over two years and loved her dearly, but the recent birth of their twin boys seems to have instigated a rivalry between Dina and their oldest female dog, Emma. After the dogs’ second fight in front of the children, the Abneys knew they needed to find a new home for one of them. They chose Dina over Emma because Emma had been with them for over ten years and deserved to spend her last days with the family. After visiting with the Abneys and spending time getting to know Dina, they brought her over on New Year’s Eve to her new home. She is truly a great dog and we count ourselves blessed to have her. Pictures soon.
