12/02/2004 Entry: "Euphemistically Speaking, Everything's Just Great."

I am not dressed entirely in black today. As I once heard someone remark, "Yeah, somedays I just have to wear the other color." Usually when I don't wear black (or the optional goth combo of black and dark red) I get some interesting reactions at work.

Today I am wearing a white tuxedo shirt which has (purposeful) paint splatters across the front of it in blue, brown and green. It's kind of stylish, in a retro 80's sort of way, but only for maybe another five minutes more, so I' m trying to get whatever use out of while I can still leave the house with it on. (This is why I usually wear black: when I do choose to wear colors, I tend towards those items on the edges of fashionability. In fewer words, I think I have crummy taste in clothes.)

I walked out of my office and a pair of my cow-orkers were talking in the aisle by someone's desk. As I rounded the corner, the woman facing me stopped mid-sentance and stared at my midriff. Her face made a grimace as if she'd been afflicted with a bad palsy; she struggled to turn it into a smile, and said, "That's a great shirt."

Great as a euphemism for "greatly terrifying," it seems. But then, we live in the golden age of the euphemism, after all. So why not? How did that comment make me feel? Like a Great! big loser! I'm Great!ly offended! Things are Great! if you're a masochist.

No, you're right. I can't keep that up. It was starting to grate.

Replies: One Comment

I get interesting reactions when I come to work dressed up so much so that it makes me wonder do I look like a slob on the other days.

Posted by James @ 12/04/2004 11:56 AM PST