Unaccustomed Freedom

Well! What am I going to do with myself today?

Tomorrow's strip is up and ready to go. I could spend today getting Weds and Friday's strips ready, to work that buffer magic.

Or, I could work on commissions and art requests that have built up over the past year, like I did Friday night on Don's badge.

Or, I could clean up my shambles of a desk and drawing table, and generally organize the mess that is my studio.

Or, I could go shopping. I need some shirts and socks...

Or, I could work on writing. I have a Michael Macbeth novel sitting in limbo; I have Brigid and Greg percolating.

Or, I could work on prepping the next D&D or Star Wars session.

Or, I could read jamesbarrett's story that he wants feedback on.

Or, I could sit around all day watching The Muppet Show on DVD!

I'm not used to having a choice. I'm not used to having free time!

It's a weird feeling.

-The Gneech

The Clothing Industry Hates Me

Falling as I do just outside of the "normal" range for men's clothes, my selection is already approximately 0.1% of that enjoyed by more commonly-sized men. However, even given that regular clothing stores stop just short of the sizes I might conceivably wear, as if to say "neener, neener, neener," the big-and-tall shops seem to go out of their way to stick it to me in the realm of selection too.

Take shirts, for a quick example. At work, it is simply not feasible for me to wear a long sleeve shirt. Why? Because in every office in the universe, there is some chick who, when the temperature goes below 85°, shrieks "Ohmygawd it's freeeeezing in here!" And instead of telling her to put on a bloody sweater, they instead crank up the heat, in the depths of summer, to accomodate the little brat.

So, I must wear short sleeve shirts to avoid passing out from heatstroke. It rankles, but there you are.

So what do clothing manufacturers do? They refuse to make short sleeve shirts in anything but the most gord-elp-us pastels!

I am not, I repeat NOT, going to wear a Barbie Pink™ shirt just to accomodate the "It's freeeezing in here!" crowd.

Oh, they make LONG sleeve shirts in all sorts of beautiful colors ... rich royal blues, sumptuous and regal purple, delicious chocolate brown ... all in heavy winter weight of course.

If I could wear winter weight long-sleeve shirts, I'd be in a classic turtleneck-and-sportcoat already, you gibbering crowd of monkeys! What's the DEAL with you???

I need to move to Scotland. -.-

-The Gneech

EDIT: I should mention here that it's often (but not always) possible to order clothes that will do the job off the internet, but that's another rant. I don't like to buy clothes unseen, and as there are stores in the area that claim to carry my size, I figure they ought to live up to that ideal!