Journey vs. Destination

I haven’t worn pants since mid-May. I work from home so most days I’m in in a skirt and sweater or shorts and a t-shirt.

What? You thought I was going to admit to telecons in my jammies (or less)? Umm… no… This isn’t that sort of blog. Actually, I’m not sure the rest of this post is going to fit in with this sort of blog. But I’m not sure, so let’s try it out.

Anyway, I haven’t worn pants in awhile. But tomorrow I have to go to a client’s office. While at least two of the skirts I wear regularly are reasonably appropriate for corporate life, I won’t be wearing either of them. I never wear a skirt to work.

I don’t like to remind my coworkers that I am female. I mean, I can’t hide it. I sometimes read in books about young women dressing as boys to go on adventures. That wouldn’t have worked for me any time after I turned twelve, it won’t work for me now.

There is being an engineer who is also incidentally woman and then there is being a feminine engineer. The latter will get me a lot more hassling. I’m not willing to deal with it.

Maybe I’m not being fair to the client… They are a San Francisco based, somewhat trendy software firm (OMG, open floor plans, who can live like that?). The engineers will be in jeans, the managers in khakis, the VP in slacks, and the interns will wear shorts (unless it is too cold). If I go in with a knee length linen skirt with lace on hem and a presentable shirt, well, if they are like anyone else, people will open doors for me and smile at me more. But if I wear slacks and the same presentable shirt, they will listen to what I say even if they opt not to take my advice. Guess which is find more gratifying?

So tomorrow, I’ll dig out pants and put them on, one leg at a time, only slightly bemoaning my failed pantless streak.

In the meantime, here, have a picture from this weekend, taken at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve just north of Half Moon Bay. It has tide pools, baby seals, and a natural cathedral of Cypress, all purely amazing. This picture kind of represents what I’m trying to convey. I want to show this whole picture but the work part of me is a trees only image, no flowers allowed.