Out of Office

So on Friday I have to go to meet with a client.

On the one hand: Yay! I get to leave the office!

On the other hand: OMG! I have to leave the office!

I've been working from home for the past four years. As I've mentioned in a few places, the dress code in my home office is VERRRRRRRRY relaxed and includes some things that I should really reconsider leaving the house in. For example, today I'm wearing my favorite jeans, which have glow in the dark gel from light sticks permanently smeared into the cuffs because I wore them to Neon Night with 30 Seconds to Mars, a black t shirt with a skull made up of hot pink reflective dots printed on the front of it, and no shoes (which lets me admire my recently manicured, painted black toenails). Oh and my hot pink, chunky g-shock. 

Pros: I'm comfy. And I actually match.

Cons: this is pretty much how I dress every day. And I absolutely can't meet a client like this.

Oh, and did I mention? I dyed my hair purple. Not ALL purple, mind you. And not Cosplay plastic wig purple (that reference may not make sense to you. If it does, you just got a amusing picture in your mind of anime-esque violet hair. That's not what my hair looks like), but purple nontheless. With of course, the reasoning that I work from home. I never have to meet clients!

Ooops.

In addition to dying my hair purple, I also cut it super short. Which means that the tat on the back of my neck is MUCH more visible. Which is super fun, but which also -- well, let's say this. There are industries that fully support this look. Unfortunately, I don't work in one of them.

I work with banks.

As I was putting my Converse on this morning so I could go to the dumpster, I wondered how this transition came about. Once upon the time, you see, I was a high school teacher. A well dressed one, who wore heels every day and had long, "normal" hair.  Nine years later, I have traded in my professional adult clothes for tshirts and hoodies.

But are you happy now? I asked myself as I trudged through the rain. Were you happy then?

I am happy. I tend to look like a delinquent college student -- I get carded more and more often, as though I'm aging in reverse -- but I'm happy. Disheveled and probably inappropriate, but pretty damn content.

Except for when I have to meet a client.

It'll be fine. I'm sure I have a dress, somewhere, that I can pair with a suit jacket-y thing. And some heels. In fact, I know that I do.

And it's got some purple in it. Which should just match my hair.

This should be interesting.