Day one of wearing a tie

The NACHRI conference starts today, which means day one of wearing a tie. I don’t wear ties very often, so had to consult the intertubes to remind myself how to tie a tie. Actually I could probably count all the times I’ve worn a tie on one hand… 1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11, maybe 12. See all on one hand—as long as you count on your fingers in binary.

Our division is part of the tour that is going through today, and I’m helping out with the presentation. Tomorrrow, I’m helping staff the UCSF booth at the conference, so day two of wearing a tie. I’ll also be scouting out the presentation to see if there is any thing I can learn from the other presenters.

Then Fri is my big presentation, so I’m saving my best shirt and tie for that day. At least, I think I know what I’ll be wearing. It all might change once I see what others are wearing. This men’s business fashion thing has always been a bit alien to me.

When I was a surly young punk, I actually refused on principal to learn how to tie a tie. After a while, it had gone on so long that it was just funny—at least to me—so I kept it up. For those few times I needed to wear one, I’d have someone else tie it and not watch how it was done.

I finally broke down and found out how by looking online only a few years ago — I managed to go 30 years without knowing. At least, my first self-tied tie was worn for a good cause (more info here).