Wednesday, September 17, 2025
One of my favorite meals consists of the following elements:
- Spicy Chicken Tenders
- Cabbage w/Pepper Sauce
- Candied Yams
- Spicy Apples
- Hawaiian Sweet Roll
In August, I wanted to test my new Toastmaster single burner while video taping using my OSMO Pocket 3 . I put together a series of food prep videos for one meal, which I combined to create the video below.
I used Davinci Resolve to edit the video. I really like this software for video editing.
Sunday, September 14, 2025
On Friday, September 12, 2025 I had a couple of things to take care of and thought I wanted to wear an older summer suit I had in my closet.
As I lose more weight, I continue to go through my closets hoping to try on
something old that now fits. In this case, an old Counterparts brand double breasted summer
cotton striped suit I used to wear to the office on dress down day.
Why did I consider the suit to be a dress down outfit? If I had a meeting, I preferred a darker suit. Even in the summer.
The other morning, the first problem I ran into? The suit is a size 10 from the mid to late 80s (clothes in that time frame tend to run smaller than today's sizes), however, the skirt closure (button/zip) was not that easy to button. Not that happy a suit I considered to be a "fat suit" in the late 80s is today- a little too tight.
That said, I still think my diet is working. Allow me to give you a frame of reference. The Kate Kasin plaid skirt discussed in this post is a US size 6.
What was the other issue? Too many layers considering I did not leave the house until noon and it was supposed to get into the low 80s. Too many edits to my outfit and I was not happy with anything.
Below, a short video of the outfit.
What did I wear instead?
Outfit details...
- Hybrid & Company Chocolate Pencil Skirt
- Ododos Brown Knit Tank Top - 2025 Amazon
- Aerosoles Octagon Pump Tan Snake purchased: July 5, 2020
- Old Taupe Blouse w/ shoulder pads over 40 years ago
- Timex Brown Brass Watch
- Gold Button Earrings
- Brass Bangle
Is there another reason I post about my old styles? Yes. Would I have been known for my attire? Yes. I continue to have issues with-- who someone perceives me to be, versus who I am and who I have always been.
I worked in a male dominated field in a corporate environment. The guys and I did not sit around discussing style and I liked a business suit. I seldom had negative feedback in this area. Support staff did not discuss style with me. I might tell someone I had no plans to visit a military office because I was not dressed to visit a client's site, however, that is the extent to a discussion I had about style in the workplace.
Today, I am a little surprised by those who think I asked for their advice.
Is this discussion because of a recent comment to one of my Youtube videos? No. I thought that was funny. I have other communiques I am a bit tired of.
I know what suits me. I know what doesn't. I do not give someone else advice in this area. I spend a lot of time editing my style, my work. I did not ask for your edits. I have reasons for most of the things I do. Including the style I have today. No, it is not my old corporate style. I am a small business owner with other interests. I run around with a lot of hardware. Computers, cameras, etc. I need to take care of a lot of things. I try to dress like I have a lot on my plate and cannot spend a lot of time wasting time. When out, even today, most tell me I look nice. There are reasons I do the things I do and I am grateful for the high tech surveillance used in most areas of life these days.
I am who I say I am. My credentials are not fake. From college to real estate agent.
I can also back this up with my work, my possessions. Records that cannot be erased.
Why on earth do I have a suit from the late 80s by a brand no longer on the market that I am posting about? I found a thrift shop? No. That suit is dry cleaned. Why would I spend money on a second hand suit I have to dry clean? I purchased the suit brand new around 1987 or so, because I wanted another summer suit for the office. Those big shoulders were also in style.
The suit is not the big deal. The why I own the suit is. Stop telling me who you want me to be. I have already lived the life I lived. A lot of my old suits were stolen. The suit discussed in this post is a big suit. Maybe the reason it was not stolen. I still have a lot of my suits. I do not have all of them and I am not the type to sell something I have worn. [I am HIV negative so this is not the reason I do not sell my things].
Who mostly questions my credentials? Those without my education or their own credentials. Why?
Too many issues these days. I thought these things could not happen again. How does the surveillance look to you? How about my credentials? Why try to null and void- MIT (being sarcastic)? No, BS Mathematics Bowie State University. Key: A STEM degree. STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. My degree is real.
QiSoftware (everything) is my work. Maybe your browser suggests things are not working. Mine does not. What do you see that is not working?
Thursday, September 11, 2025
On Wednesday, September 10, 2025 I went by a local auto center to have a battery installed. I decided to wear an old pair of Liz Claiborne cargo pants, a lightweight jacket, one of the new Ododos knit tank tops, brown Bass military style hiking boots, and a Jasgood skinny brown belt. It was overcast and about 65 degrees.
Below, a short video of the outfit.
Outfit details...
- Liz Claiborne Cargo Pants - 2004 or so Liz Claiborne Store Arundel Mills Mall
- Angvns Womens Military Anorak - Amazon 10/7/2015 No longer available
- Ododos Mushroom Knit Tank Top - 2025 Amazon
- Bass Brown Boots Purchased 2002 or so Bass Shoe Store Arundel Mills Mall
- Jasgood Skinny Belt
- Timex Brown Brass Watch
- Gold Button Earrings
- Brass Bangle
For reasons I am not going to discuss here, I have to be very efficient with my time. I check and double check things when I have issues and how to best resolve them. This was the case with the installation of a new car battery because somehow the original battery was tampered with a week earlier. I am told a process known as "flashing" may have been used.
The process I used to determine if I had to get a new battery is as follows.
The battery would not hold a charge after the errand on Friday, September 5, 2025. It would jump start, however, had to be jump started each 5 hour period. The percentage was about 30% after a 5 hour recheck.
So I reconditioned the battery and though it did hold after the reconditioning it only held to 50% of the power. Yes, the car would start at this level, and is garaged, however, I cannot afford to get stuck with an undependable battery as the weather gets colder so I opted to get a new battery with better percentages.
Remember, the car started the day before (09/04/25) I went out and in the morning (09/05/25) when I left the house without problems. After less than a one-hour errand, the car would not start. Privately, I was told the battery was flashed, however, cannot prove it. This looks like a big mistake on the part of the party who did this. September 5, 2025, parking lot surveillance will easily show, the car would not start and how long I was away from the car to complete the original errand.
The equipment I use to check, jump, and recondition auto batteries is discussed in this January 31, 2023 blog post.
Does anyone ever ask why it looks like someone would like to be able to sue me for libel? Too many recent events where I am left mystified as to why I am being subjected to a set of events. The only thing I can do is try to figure out why someone wants me screaming. I am not screaming. I am trying to figure out why? I am thinking libel suits. Those in the know? What do you think?
FBI, my trip to the auto center, yesterday, September 10, 2025 a whole new set of problems. There should be store surveillance. I cannot scream. I cannot cry. To do any of this while trying to resolve issues would waste time, time I do not have. Enough is enough.
Do you want to ask, why someone thinks I am worth enough to sue?
Sunday, September 07, 2025
When I was in high school, I loved pairing a vest and blouse with high waisted baggy pants or gauchos with boots. After college, when I did not have a suit on, I might pair a vest and blouse with a pencil skirt for a causal business look, however, not often.
Today's trend is to wear a vest sans blouse with slacks or skirts and sometimes a blazer. I am not ready to shed the blouse, however, I think I am going to start wearing vests again.
Friday, I decided to wear the new Pungdra Brown Vest, with the Black Hybrid & Company Ponte Pencil Skirt, however, the day before I tried other pairings.
Below a short video of the outfit I had on Friday, September 5, 2025 .
Friday, while out, I had a problem with the car battery. Not sure how that happened because it started right up in the garage that morning and the day before. I left the house around 7:45 AM and noticed the problem after my first errand around 8:30 AM.
FBI, I am known in this area. I am the sole admin for my high school's (local school) Facebook alumni group of about 6500 members. Sometimes employees of the places I visit, tell me not to leave anything in my car I want to keep. This is the second time in the last 3 months I have had a problem with one of the cars in that same parking lot. This should not have been an issue Friday morning.
Tuesday, September 02, 2025
As I lose more weight, I have been trying to incorporate inexpensive non-black pieces into my wardrobe. I have always liked black, however, a heavier version of me loves black because it is slimming.
That said, I recently noticed that sometimes too much black is more harsh. I am not sure if it is because my face is losing weight and I am not adjusting to the changes or because I am older and not used to my older face smaller.
With this in mind, I recently ordered the following items- in hopes of
using less black in my styling efforts.
Amazon Purchases
The following photos illustrate how I styled different items with the new Kate Kasin Plaid Khaki Pencil Skirt, which I really like.
I ordered a size 6 in the Kate Kasin Plaid Khaki skirt, because I ordered the Tartan version earlier (size 8) and it was a bit loose. The khaki skirt (size 6) is a little snug, however, I am not worried because I am having success with my diet.
Most of the pairings shown, I already owned including the brown leather blazer from my college days. That blazer too, is a little snug (Junior 9). The only exception of course, is the brown button down vest which was ordered at the same time as the plaid khaki skirt. The vest is a medium and does button without gapping. Just shows more curves than I want to show.
Below a short video showing the different pairings.
After watching the video again, I thought I should get the black button vest to also pair with the skirt. What do you think? Not sure if I am only kidding.
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Unforeseen issues interrupted my plans for Wednesday, August 27, 2025, however, I started the day with plans to take care of several projects wearing the outfit shown below.
I changed several times and finally decided on the old pair of baggie black slacks I wear when I do not like anything I thought I was going to wear.
After the morning issues, I finally completed all of the things I had to do outside of the house, and returned home to get much needed rest.
On Thursday, August 21, 2025 I tried on the Hybrid & Company Chocolate
Pencil Skirt with an old Saks Off 5th Autumn sweater I purchased over 20 years
ago from the Arundel Mills Outlet Mall. Since losing weight, I have found I
like the way some of my old items fit now, and this is an example.
Below, a short video of the outfit of the day, for yesterday, August 27,
2025 and the try on from August 21, 2025.
Note: Over the weekend of August 24, 2025, I retouched my roots. The try on video shot on August 21, 2025 shows the "before hair", while yesterday's video shows the after results.
