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gryphonseggAfter a day of driving, I made it to the hotel where I'll be picked up tomorrow for my meeting with a potential advisor and other faculty and grad students. I got a little bit lost a few times, and I forgot things that I had to buy tonight (and at least one item that I'll have to buy early tomorrow morning because I didn't realize it was missing until I was far too stressed to get back in the car and buy it tonight). My car started acting a bit strange, but a gas station attendant and her mechanic friend who was kind enough to come out on a Sunday got that squared away. I'm clear to keep driving the old car, though it'll need more oil than it used to.
I steam ironed my clothes for the first time in years, and I'm taking more care with my appearance than I'm accustomed to. While I was frantically searching for shoes (I had planned on a comfortable pair and a dressy pair, but I found out tomorrow's schedule is fuller than I'd ever expected, so I had to get some semi-dressy shoes that won't hurt too much by the end of the day), I realized that I wasn't doing this only or even mostly to make a good first impression. I'm doing this because my mother thinks I should, and although I know it's important to look professional for practical reasons, it's even more important to me personally not to bring her shame with a sloppy appearance. I'm laughing at myself a little, but I'm also a bit worried that I'm going to start making myself look neater all the time. I do dress up for work, but I know she wouldn't approve of my habit of grocery shopping in sweats if she knew about it. I guess it wouldn't hurt anything to save the super comfortable clothes for all the apartment cleaning I keep telling myself I'm going to do.
I steam ironed my clothes for the first time in years, and I'm taking more care with my appearance than I'm accustomed to. While I was frantically searching for shoes (I had planned on a comfortable pair and a dressy pair, but I found out tomorrow's schedule is fuller than I'd ever expected, so I had to get some semi-dressy shoes that won't hurt too much by the end of the day), I realized that I wasn't doing this only or even mostly to make a good first impression. I'm doing this because my mother thinks I should, and although I know it's important to look professional for practical reasons, it's even more important to me personally not to bring her shame with a sloppy appearance. I'm laughing at myself a little, but I'm also a bit worried that I'm going to start making myself look neater all the time. I do dress up for work, but I know she wouldn't approve of my habit of grocery shopping in sweats if she knew about it. I guess it wouldn't hurt anything to save the super comfortable clothes for all the apartment cleaning I keep telling myself I'm going to do.
