Thursday, 10 November 2005
Only Nerds Have Wednesday Shirts
case Monday:
I once knew a man who had a necktie for each day of the week. One for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, etc. At the time, I thought it was weird. So did a bunch of other people, but I think that was because they didn’t like him. This one-tie-per-day habit was just something else they could add to their list of Reasons Not To Like Someone.
I now find myself in a similar spot as Mr. Necktie. You see, I have a different shirt for every day of the week. Monday, it is my red and black ode to tiny squares. On Tuesday, the blue and tan plaid knock-off. Wednesday, the light blue/dark blue striped wonder. Thursday, the brown one with a hint of orange.
Finally, there is Friday. Oh, Friday shirt, how I love you! I save you to the last day of the work week so that I can get ready for the weekend. It has tiny squares, mostly light green with a smattering of dark green. The top-most button (which I leave unbuttoned) was sown on with a little more thread than normal, and I rub the almost-sharp stitching across the joint crease on my thumb as a nervous habit.
My Wednesday shirt used to be my Friday shirt, but got moved to Wednesday when my wife bought the new Friday shirt. I thought about giving it Thursday, but I decided it deserved Wednesday, because that was the night Smallville aired. So, I use my second favorite shirt to celebrate the day I watch my favorite show. It recently moved to Thursday when Smallville was also moved to Thursday.
What about Saturdays? What else on Saturday but another favorite: a grey San Francisco 49ers t-shirt. I think it only fitting that I wear it on the one day a week that I get to do my own thing. It is big, baggy, loose and comfortable.
I use shirts to celebrate the days of the week.
The Steve Jobs Method
I’m not the only one to exhibit this habit. Our good friend, Steve Jobs, is notorious for only wearing one outfit: jeans and a black turtle-neck. I mention this not to compare myself in any way to Steve, but to show that my shirt habits are not unique.
I have thought a lot about this strange behavior of mine, trying to determine from whence it comes. Am I obsessive-compulsive? Neurotic? Weird?
I just don’t like choosing what to wear every morning. “What do I wear today?” is not a question I like asking or requiring myself to answer. Whenever my wife and I go out, I always ask her what she wants me to wear, because when it comes to it, I would like to subscribe to the Steve Jobs Method of Choosing Clothes™: only own one outfit.
With an assigned shirt for every day of the week, there is no more guessing what to wear. No more trying to remember when I last wore a shirt. I just grab today’s shirt and go.
A Deep Seated Explanation
I’m a nerd and a geek. Pure and simple. I’m not sure when I became a geek, or if I left the womb twitching to get my hands on a computer keyboard. But I do know that I would much rather interface with a machine than with people. Honestly. I hide behind my programs and my books so that I do not have to go out and be social.
For the past two years, my company has purchase tickets to a San Diego Padres game. Last year, I didn’t go. This year, however, I decided to give it a shot. Why? To mingle with my coworkers? Develop some friendships? See a good baseball game? Nope. I had just bought a new digital camera and wanted to take a few pictures. What did I do as soon as the bus dropped us off? Walked away, alone, to take my pictures, eventually finding my seat toward the end of the second inning.
I think I’m also partially insecure. Why would anybody want to be my friend? I don’t feel sorry for myself, but at the same time, I don’t do anything about it. I don’t try to be a friend to someone first. I wait for people to be a friend to me. This insecurity has become more poignant now that I am a father. I find myself wondering if my son will like me.
Sigh I’m a nerd. Given a choice, I would prefer hacking away at something on the computer, reading a book, seeing a movie, or taking pictures. Being social is not at the top of my priority list.
I hide behind technology.
