2- Jeans at work.

I've worked in offices for most of my working life- going back to the sunny days of July, 1989. I got my first job as a kind of a fluke of nepotism- my dad was a teacher at the soulless company that stole my youth, and they were short one day, so he suggested they call me. They did, in fact, call me, and before you could say W-2, I was on the schedule. That job was interesting- we weren't prohibited from wearing jeans, but it was usually reserved for Fridays, when we were closed, and the weekend.

I was there for a few years before I took an opportunity at a friend's company, a very relaxed place. I wore jeans everyday. Of course, I didn't last long there. I made my one and only dip in the company ink and paid for it. I quit and went back to my previous job, now under new management. I still couldn't wear jeans during the week, but my career took off. Next thing I knew, I was traveling the country as a systems administrator/tech trainer/database specialist. Job offers came in from all corners of the U.S., and I settled on moving back to Chicago.

Suddenly, I was the boss of a small team of workers, and I made the executive decision that it was perfectly acceptable to wear jeans. I even, once or twice, wore sandals to work. Hey, I was the boss. A big part of my job was heading to New York for weeks or weekends, depending on what I could swing. It didn't hurt that I had a friend who was constantly suggesting that I do beta testing, so I got a lot of free trips to New York City. Eventually, I got a job there.

I figured my wardrobe would have to change, but it didn't. I can remember days when I wore concert t-shirts to my first corporate job. Hey, I was 25, and life was good- t-shirts to work, jeans underneath, and a nicely paying job in the hotbed of life that is Midtown Manhattan.

After I quit and ran away from that company and got back to Chicago where I could get a handle on my life, I didn't work in an office for a while. Then I did, and in that office, jeans were a very strict taboo. Even on casual Fridays, which was the only day I wasn't expected to wear a tie.

Anyways, today is the first time I've worn jeans to a job in years- call it about 8, and I have to tell you, I feel pretty good.