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.
Monday, August 25, 2025
In my past, my professional style consisted of a suit (purchased as a suit), heels, and a briefcase. Today, I have relaxed my style, probably due to the fact I do not go into the office daily.
I found the lined business suits I once held as the only standard I needed, gave way to a more causal business style which does not require the overhead costs of cleaning and maintenance.
So with my recent weight loss, I have been trying to add pieces that I can pair with existing coordinates, that "don't break the bank", and that do not require the high overhead costs I need to maintain my older styles.
I like pencil skirts, and many of my old suits consisted of a pencil skirt and some sort of blazer or tunic.
Today, I continue to use a pencil skirt and try to find affordable styles I can pair with existing tops.
Case in point, this recent acquisition of the Kate Kasin Black & White Plaid Pencil Skirt shown below.
Below, pairing descriptions in the order shown in the illustration of images (above).
- Black Silk Peter Pan Collar Blouse - 1985 or so
- Jones New York Black Double Breasted Blazer - 1996 or so TJ Maxx or Ross Dress For Less (Odenton, MD)
- Black Mandarin Collar Jacket - TJ Maxx Arundel Mills 2003 or so
- Bean Paste Purple Cashmere Crew Neck Button Down Sweater - September 2024 (To pair with an older pencil skirt)
- Red Cashmere Vest 1990 or so
- Wine Horn Buckle Cropped Sweater - 2024 wholesale item, shop research
- Black Buckle Cropped Sweater - purchased when I was in college, Ft Meade MD
- Long Black Turtle Neck Sweater - Holiday Gift 1990 or so
- Cashmere Short Black Turtle Neck - Christmas gift 1992 or so
- Black Knit Top - TJ Maxx, Bethesda MD
Below, a short video of the same pairings.
Note, some of my purchases were so long ago, I cannot now remember if it was a TJ Maxx or Ross Dress For Less.
Saturday, August 16, 2025
Ran several errands yesterday and wanted something easy to put on. I chose an old favorite which is slightly larger now, than when I purchased it- in 2020. The dress was under the brand name AcaciaFlowers, however, is no longer available.
Below photos of the outfit I had on Friday, August 15, 2025.
Below a short video of the outfit and a try on of the Vince Camuto jacket I
purchased in late May.
Outfit details...
- AcaciaFlowers stretch dress - Amazon no longer available
- Calvin Klein Slings - Amazon no longer available
- Jasgood Skinny Belt
- Timex Brass Watch
- Gold Button Earrings
- Brass Bangle
Earlier this year, I started posting videos about an outfit of the day (when I have to go out) or try ons because I lost enough weight to get into some of my older styles.
This project has been useful because I have learned a lot about video editing and how to showcase styles I want to add to my online shop. I have not done much with the shop, other than to order wholesale pieces, however, I have learned a lot and I am having fun.
Sunday, August 10, 2025
I had a couple of errands to run on Thursday, August 7, 2025 so I decided to wear one of the new Hybrid and Company pencil skirts (navy).
Though I actually wore the plaid tie top (see this post) over a tan tank top (shown above), before leaving the
house I also tried on several different jackets to see other options for fall
and winter wear.
The short video shows some of the styles I tried with the navy skirt.
Tuesday, August 05, 2025
With the recent weight loss and my usual summer wear not as comfortable as I would like, I decided to order several unlined pencil skirts in a style and shades I felt would pair well with existing coordinates.
Happy to report the Hybrid & Company Women's Premium Nylon Ponte Stretch
High Waist Pencil Suit Skirts I ordered from Amazon are exactly what I hoped
they would be.
The short video shows two of the outfits I tried on with one of the skirts.
The skirt fabric is heavier so I think I will also be able to wear the skirts in fall and winter (Maryland winters are typically mild).
FYI- The chartreuse or apple green jacket is a Jones New York lined jacket purchased 20+ years ago. A birthday gift. Last year I purchased a sweater in the same shade, purely by chance and owned the suede blue pumps that match the new navy skirt perfectly.
I like, I can dress this skirt style up or down.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
I had several errands to run yesterday, July 23, 2025. This week was the first time, since late June that we have not had mostly rain throughout the week. The humidity levels have also been a bit more tolerable.
One of the things I have been trying to do, keep the gardens in shape. I also needed a new gardening hat, in that my old straw hat fell apart after years of wear. I wanted a new one, just like the one I picked up in 1990 on Carolina Beach, while visiting my grandmother.
Although a similar hat has been in my Amazon Wishlist for several years, I
noticed Bass Pro Shops had the exact same hat for about $10 cheaper so I
ordered it last week and had it Fed Ex'd to the Hanover, MD store for
pickup. Yesterday, I picked up the order.
The Bass Pro Shops catalog also had size selection options, whereas Amazon's only had the one size.
To run my errands, I decided on an old brunt orange silk dress (size 6), purchased in the early 90s, tan
summer sweater, and Nine
West Caramel Menora Slingbacks.
Short video of the outfit I had on yesterday....
In the past, did I wear the dress discussed in this post to the office? Yes, however, not if I had a meeting. Back then, meetings were not virtual. I liked this dress and similar styles if I had plans after work.
Sunday, July 20, 2025
In July 2011 when I purchased the black halter dress I tried on yesterday, I was heavier. I purchased the dress because of the support the top offered, however, actually never wore the dress.
Below, illustration of the dress- back then and now.
Though, I like the fit better now, I also noticed the 14 years
that have passed since its purchase. See the photos below.
Below a short video of the dress and a pair of slacks I tried on yesterday with different looks.
As I lose more weight, I continue to pull old
styles out of my closet. I have a pair of GAP jean shorts and a pair of long GAP jeans. The shorts are
a size 6 and the long jeans- a size 4 (both purchased in the early 90s and
non-stretch). When I am able to wear the long jeans
comfortably I will consider my weight loss goals met.
Do I wear jeans? Not really. Since high school and then college, with office internships I preferred a more formal look or suit. For some reason, I never knew what to do with a pair of blue jeans, however, today a personal goal is to get into those size 4 GAP long jeans.
Are you curious about where I thought I would wear that black halter dress? Not sure. I think I was noticing styles on a Housewives... segment (2011) and thought I wanted to try it out. Today, I like it with the sweater, however, I do not have a early evening formal BBQ to attend so I am still thinking about it. If you have suggestions you can leave a comment here or on the associated Youtube video.
Friday, July 11, 2025
I had a couple of errands to run today, so I decided on an old black dress that until today, I had never worn and the tan/khaki summer knit sweater.
It was so hot and humid today, that by the time I finished my first errand- I had my hair in a ponytail.
Details about the black dress can be found at this link, however the dress is no
longer available. Shown below, details about the order I placed on June
25, 2019 for the dress. The Calvin Klein Women's Ninette Black Patent slings were purchased in September 2019 and
are one of my favorite summer heels.
Last week, I went by the King Cobbler shop in Columbia, MD to have taps replaced on two shoes. One of my Calvin Klein slingbacks needed a new tap. I am so very happy my Calvin's are wearable again. I could not get the tap out. The other shoe repaired was one of the Aerosoles Black Suede pumps. The tap was missing. Not sure when I lost it, however, happy it is ready for fall wear.
Below a short video of the outfit I had on today.
I have a busy day planned for tomorrow. Hopefully, things will get back on track.
Saturday, July 05, 2025
I have been staring at a problem with the WiredPages Business page for just over a week and for some reason I am baffled as to what to do about the problem. The problem relates to 3 applications on the Business page which use the Federal Reserve API resource.
Accessing the FRED API in my local development mode to make the same calls
(business page calls)
produces no errors. Accessing other online
applications making calls to the FRED API throughout many of the pages of
WiredPages are also not producing errors. Just the errors for the 3
applications on the lower half of the business page- illustrated below.
I have been looking into many problems over the past two weeks. Many of them I have been able to correct, however, I decided to sit down and not do anything else about the above issue.
Why? I do not like why this is happening. See the FBI category associated with this post. Can I do something else to fix this? Yes, however it is the wrong push and I am not sure why this was done again.
Instead, I am thinking about why I like being a girl. Recently, I noticed
Belk had an undergarment style I like for everyday use on sale for $16.99. I
ordered 5 of the items in various colors. The order total came to $84.95, so
to avoid the $10 shipping fee I also ordered the Vince Camuto top shown
below.
Styles I own that work with the new Vince Camuto top are shown below.
Styles I want to own to pair with the top.
Below some of the links to the items discussed in this post. Unfortunately the slacks are wholesale pieces and I cannot provide the links.
- Vince Camuto Shimmer Tank Top
- Beige Fitted Pencil Skirt
- Nine West Floree Woven Slingback
- Crystal Dangle Earrings
I would need to spend $39.00 (Nine West Slings) and $17.90 for the Amazon Pencil Skirt, however cannot justify the spend. If I come up with the girl logic, I will let you know.
FBI, I have been working with logic for a great many years. My applications should not have the problems I have outlined in this post. I am 'only' using logic in this case and sometimes the hats I buy are too small. Too much interference. I said no.
Friday, July 04, 2025
It was a long end to the month of June with more issues than normal.
The problems began on Sunday, June 22, 2025 when the air conditioning failed. One electrician, an HVAC tech, and two plumbers later everything is repaired, however, it was a very hot two days.
I have been out and about over the last two weeks, however, did not have a lot of time to post about outfits.
Yesterday, I was out again for last minute items for today, (4th of
July), and other errands, so I decided to share my outfit of the day.
As noted in the illustration above, I received a package earlier in the week, containing new undergarments I needed because of weight loss. I decided to get the Vince Camuto summer top because it was on sale and I need more short sleeve tops to wear underneath jackets. I think it is going to be a long hot summer.
Below, a short video of the outfit I wore yesterday.
Happy 4th of July!
Friday, June 13, 2025
I had a couple of errands to run on Wednesday, so I decided on the light-weight wrap dress shown in the photos below.
In the details...
- Banana Republic Black Wrap Dress purchased around 2005 from the Arundel Mills Mall shop
- Taupe Cami underneath the dress purchased from Charlotte Russe also around 2005- Arundel Mills Mall
- Summer Sweater Taupe purchased last year as a sample for my shop
- Nine West Menora Pump purchased Amazon 2025
Below the outfit of the day video.
The dress is larger on me now than when I purchased it, however, I still need the cami underneath- for the coverage I like with the dress.
Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Though I have indicated this post is a style try-on type post, which suggests I tried on an outfit, which I did, it is more about two pairs of shoes.
That said, the suit (dress/long jacket combo) shown in the start of the video, was worn to a family wedding in 1995. I liked the length on the dress for the shoe comparison, and also wanted to see whether it fit.
The skirt shown in the above photos (also the last segments of the video) is an H&M skirt I purchased in 2004 or
so. It is a little big now, however, the length, again what I wanted for the
shoe comparison.
Do you like the Nine West Peni Pump? Here is the Amazon link. I really love that shoe.
FYI: The folder (sitting on my new SanDisk Extreme 2T SSD) holding the
videos, graphics, and text files for this post and
the Youtube description is 785MB. I have lots of storage, however, think I am
going to move the files to the drive after I finish each project.
See the last post for more information about my new SanDisk Extreme 2T SSD.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
I went out yesterday morning, hoping to complete all of the errands left undone from last week. When I left the house it was about 54° F with weather reports claiming it would only get to 71° F for the entire day.
Though I have shown the outfit I chose yesterday as a try-on style
referenced in this post, I actually never wore the outfit, until yesterday.
I created the following short video (showing the style), with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, DJI Mic 2,
and Davinci Resolve, mainly experimenting with voice overlays.
I have to admit, I started experimenting with the voice overlay for the video yesterday evening around 6:00 PM and mostly worked on syncing the mic (DJI Mic 2) with the Windows 11 Pro system and Davinci Resolve 19, well into the evening.
I finally figured out how to sync the audio inputs with each element, however I am still working on the audio quality. There are a lot of features with Davinci Resolve and I feel I am learning more, each time I create a new project.
Am I trying to add professional video editor to my skill set? No, I provide this type of information to show my evolving skills in this area. Yes, I have a lot more to learn.
I am not sure that all who claim they do their own video editing, are actually doing their own video editing. I wade through a lot of tutorial videos that sometimes leave me in doubt.
Saturday, May 17, 2025
On Friday (May 16, 2025), I planned a quick outing and wore a black t-shirt dress. It was warmer than I thought it would be and by the time I finished with my first errand, unbeknownst to me it had rained.
I walked outside and it was so hot and steamy, I felt like I was in a sauna. My hair? Not every curl left, but almost. I waited to take photos of my t-shirt dress and jacket (did not wear the jacket) until I returned and my hair was a mess.
The larger photo below, shows what I put on after I took photos. I also pulled my hair up into a ponytail.
I also shot footage with my Osmo Pocket 3 (I am always going to use low res
settings when shooting selfie videos, so do not be fooled by what this camera
can do based on my videos). That said, I really did not want to use the footage (not happy with my hair nor the
outfit), so
I made an animated gif of the video to show the outfit.
Also, my beautiful purple irises have started to bloom. Below the first new
flowers
of the season.
I have been so busy lately, that I have not done much with my gardens. Hoping I get a chance this week to clear out some of the weeds.
Friday, April 25, 2025
I had several errands to take care of yesterday morning and when I left the house it was about 60°.
On Wednesday (April 23, 2025), I received a package from Amazon. One of the items in the package was a Hanpusen Wireless Camera Remote Shutter Release Control for my Canon EOS M50 DSLR camera. The following images show both the outfit I wore yesterday, as well as information related to the new remote for my camera.
I really love the Hanpusen Wireless Camera Remote. I have been using the camera's drive timer option with a tripod or mirror selfie and I now have the remote/tripod option. The remote activates slightly delayed timer shots, no delay shots, or video activation with the press of the button.
I had no problems pairing the remote to my camera (Canon EOS M50) via bluetooth, however did not initially notice the new option under the drive settings for the remote. Works perfectly. I show the new drive option in the illustration provided above.
Recent Amazon Purchases
Sunday, April 20, 2025
I love the little summer sweaters illustrated on the right and wanted to
offer them in my online shop. The problem? Limited sizing. Nevertheless, I
purchased 4 variations including what is shown on the right, and in black and
white- which are not shown in the
illustration.
Black is normally my go to color and works well with my skin tone. That
said- for some reason the black version of this sweater simply is not working for
me.
I thought about other items in my closet which I have not tried with the
sweater, including:
A pairing I like with the olive and beige versions is shown below.
What else have I been doing? Thinking I look tired, however I have been working a number of projects outside of "what can I wear with a sweater, I am surprised does not work for me".
