Cellar Scribblings

[Jeff Wrangler]

I can't decide if that seems fair or not. It kind of punishes people in ill health and rewards people like me who rarely take sick days.

I wouldn't say so. We all had 10 sick days, and if you were entitled to, say, 20 vacation days, then after the change you had 30 days to use however you wanted.

Well, her policies and behavior sound unreasonable. But her outfit sounds OK to me. Or is the skirt too fancy to be "casual"?

Knee-high boots and a short leather skirt (I was tempted to call it a miniskirt because that's what it looked like to me) qualify as "business casual" in MN?

[CellarDweller]

Shouts and Murmurs is the title of a regular humor column in the New Yorker.

Oops! Meant to say "fresh."

     I didn't realize you had said free instead of fresh.

[serious crayons]

     I didn't realize you had said free instead of fresh.

Me neither! I've been doing that these days -- typing a word that kind of sounds like the word I intend. 

 

[serious crayons]

Knee-high boots and a short leather skirt (I was tempted to call it a miniskirt because that's what it looked like to me) qualify as "business casual" in MN?

No, business casual here would be khakis and a white shirt, but that's mainly for men and it gets kind of boring.

Women have a bit more leeway -- they have more, or have to have more, depending on how you look at it -- and miniskirts and boots can work. Not super casual, but potentially inoffensive depending on what kind of each. I would say knee-high boots: Fine. Leather skirt: ehh, not my taste but whatever. Short leather skirt? I'd say that depends.


Yes:





No:





Seems to me the main violations of business casual are less about short skirts and boots than about sweat pants and a T-shirt with holes in it.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Women have a bit more leeway -- they have more, or have to have more, depending on how you look at it -- and miniskirts and boots can work. Not super casual, but potentially inoffensive depending on what kind of each. I would say knee-high boots: Fine. Leather skirt: ehh, not my taste but whatever. Short leather skirt? I'd say that depends.

Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but her outfit that morning did and does not qualify as business casual here. Appropriate for a nightclub, yes, but for the office? No. It's hard to tell now with so many people working from home, but in the past most women wore pants and a blouse. Women in management usually wore a suit (jacket, blouse, and skirt).

Jeans are verboten. However, here's the thing. Certainly my employer's policy is "no jeans," but what that really means is "no blue denim." For decades, even long before I came to my current job, my trousers of choice for work from about October to April have been corduroy pants from Lands End. These trousers are made exactly like jeans, rivets, pockets, and all (Lands End has even described them as jeans, IIRC), but because they're corduroy and not blue denim, nobody notices.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Me neither! I've been doing that these days -- typing a word that kind of sounds like the word I intend. 

That happens a lot, and I have to be especially careful of it when I'm texting. I think it at least partly has to do with the program filling in words, but I think it may also partly be an age thing. 

[serious crayons]

Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but her outfit that morning did and does not qualify as business casual here. Appropriate for a nightclub, yes, but for the office? No. It's hard to tell now with so many people working from home, but in the past most women wore pants and a blouse.

I think pants and shirt are generally business casual for both all genders here, too. But women tend to wear skirts in a casual way, especially in summer, because they're cooler than long pants and more attractive (and suitable for the office) than shorts. But I hear you -- leather skirts would be at sort of a different level of dressiness. Maybe she had plans after work?

My current work-at-home "business casual" is just a step above my "loungewear," which is just a step above "pajamas." Which category any given garment is assigned is usually a matter of how many holes it has. 

Jeans are verboten. However, here's the thing. Certainly my employer's policy is "no jeans," but what that really means is "no blue denim." For decades, even long before I came to my current job, my trousers of choice for work from about October to April have been corduroy pants from Lands End. These trousers are made exactly like jeans, rivets, pockets, and all (Lands End has even described them as jeans, IIRC), but because they're corduroy and not blue denim, nobody notices.

Yeah, I think it's more the fabric than the design mainly because of the history and cultural symbolism of denim, especially once it gets faded or has holes in the knees. Or when you purchase it with pre-made fading and holes at prices higher than intact jeans would cost. 

[Front-Ranger]

What is Shouts and Murmurs?

Can you give us an idea about the ideas in the book?(no pun intended)

One thing that I recall is that people in a neighborhood would get together to discuss government policies, current affairs, and improvements. These ideas would bubble up from the neighborhoods to the local governments and grassroots changes could be made at all levels. I found that impressive.

[Sason]

Like this, Sonja.   The containers below are fresh prepared food, and tagged for sale.  Sometimes, they will prepare chicken, and shred the meat, and then tag it for sale.

Thanks Chuck. That part of the post I understand, we have those ready-made meals too.

What I didn't understand is how something that's free can be sold. (Plus how come it's free in the first place)

[Sason]

Shouts and Murmurs is the title of a regular humor column in the New Yorker.

I see

Oops! Meant to say "fresh."

Aha, that explains it!