Grown-Up Clothes

After 2 weeks at work and realizing that I have about 6 days of work outfits, I decided it was time to take the plunge and buy some nice clothes. Miriam had the goodness of heart to serve as my biz cas fashion consultant, qualified by her general good taste and job as a paralegal. We drove out to the Leesburg Outlets, which are about 1/3 the size of the ones near Syracuse. But they did have Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. I tried on just about everything I even vaguely liked. Not everything fit.
But I did very well: I bought 3 pairs of pants (tan, brown, and houndstooth), a gorgeous black dress, and 4 tops (1 sweater and 3 short-sleeved).

We had lots of giggles in the dressing room, as it's hard to tell on the hanger if something is going to be cute or simply hideous. Now I am fully suited up to work in different outfits each day. It's always nice to spend time with Miriam. We've known eachother since sixth grade, and sometimes you just can't beat history.

We drove from Virginia to Columbia Heights where Rowan's coop was having a potluck in her honor. I met some great people, and had some interesting conversations. I spoke to a guy from Panama doing research on Maryland blue crabs. "Cranky old bastards," was his description, with an affectionate grin. I also ran into two women I had met at someone else's party. I had connected with one of them there, and was so happy to have another great conversation. It's nice to socialize in groups. Rowan knows lots of people, and she always has a way of bringing people together. I look forward to more of this. Also to more of this:
She thought we were taking a nice photo, then at the last minute I did this.