Sunday, April 10, 2011

What We've Become

Tobie and I reached a new low in our relationship this weekend.

We've been feeling a little downtrodden lately, both of us dealing with the usual frustrations / stressors of school, lack of finances, and upcoming exams. I partly blame those reasons, and partly the fact that when you are in a relationship long enough you start to lose the need to 'look your best' for one another at all times. Mind you, I have always been just this side of completely hopeless when it comes to fashion sense, but Tobie usually looks rather dapper. As a result, I attempt to lift my game somewhat when he's around.

Friday night we both wanted to just go out for dinner so we could bypass all the razmatazz of cooking/cleaning, but then after the realization that there still is nowhere decent in town to eat on a student budget we decided to just splash out and buy some steaks and make ourselves something good.

One delicious steak, mushrooms, homemade ceasar salad, and baked potato later we were about busting our jogging suit waistbands, so we headed out for an evening stroll. Tobie had the decency to put on some pants. I stayed in my pit-stained t-shirt and unfortunate lycra capris.

Though, for the record, he chose are the pants we call "the frontal butts" because they make him look like he has a butt, in the front.

The 'triumph' of a frontal butt.
Almost home, walking back on campus, we were discussing what movie to watch. Tobie suddenly stopped and said, "Look at us! Look what all the stress and lack of sleep has done to our fashion sense and ability to live it up on a Friday night. We've basically given up. We've become those people who go out in jogging suits with mustard stains their shirts, then sit in front of a television set after a hard week."

We both started howling as we took a look at ourselves. Yep. We then started playing out 'worst case scenario people' that we could run into. We both thought of our friend Kris who (IMHO) is by far one of the most beautiful, well dressed (and sweet) women in my class. Her Manfriend is also a snazzy dresser. We imagined going around the corner and running into the two of them, both dressed immaculately and stylishly...then...pan to us.

Shorts cut to make legs as unattractive as possible.
Us [spoken with awkward lisp]: "Hey guys! Fancy meeting you out here on a Friday night! Hey, you guys want to come over for some seven-up, beans on toast, and chicken wings dipped in ranch sauce?? We're probably going to watch a documentary later!"

K & G [smelling good, looking great]: "Um, that sounds great but we are going out for martinis at a new bar that just opened downtown".

Us [mindlessly kicking the dirt with our orthopedic shoes]: "Suit yourselves!"

Maybe it is a good thing that Tobie and I are going to be apart for a little while, and that we're both heading into professional-ish roles again soon. Lord knows, we've fallen so far already we may never return to baseline. In the meantime, you might be able to catch us on an Irish version of What Not to Wear.


11 comments:

Grumpy, M.D. said...

Saturday nights here.

1. Find a sitter. Anyone with < 5 felony convictions will do.

2. Go to dinner at some restaurant without a wait, because the sitter only gave us a few hours.

3. After dinner go shopping at Costco, because the kids aren't with us to slow things down or fight over what THEY think we need.

4. Go home. Kids are still up, because they can outlast any sitter.

E. Greene said...

Haha, I love the frontal butt pants!

NPO said...

Maybe it is also the work clothes carrying over to home?

Docs wear lab coats running around the hospital, and some of the things they wear underneath should probably not be seen in public.

Nurses wear scrubs for 8-12 hours a day, which are nothing more than pajamas. So were bred to wear pathetically fashion challenged clothes.

Plus, some of us don't like to spend a lot of money on clothes when most of our daily uniforms cost less than a decent pair of jeans, well maybe not Tobie's.

Red Stethoscope said...

I completely approve of the lycra capris, but are you wearing socks with the flip-flops? Nooo! Just say no to the socks! Lol!

I think everyone's style declines significantly in medical school. Even on clinic days, I refuse to wear anything nice enough to require dry cleaning. I figure I'm going to have to wash those clothes immediately (lest I contaminate my poor roommate with HOSPITAL GERMS) and I'm definitely not putting out the money for dry cleaning!

By the way, I am adding the description "frontal butt pants" to my vocabulary, because it is awesome!

Albinoblackbear said...

Grump: does that mean Friday night are your wild ones?

E.Greene: Tobie says wearing them makes him feel like he is not working when he goes to rehearse on Sundays. Not quite sure of the rationale.

NPO: I had that exact thought today! I cannot be blamed as I've been wearing shapeless pj's to work for the past 5 years! Hahah. Yeah, God I hope those pants stay in a mens shelter in Ireland when he heads home to Canada.

RS: Hahah! In my defense the flip flops came on when I got home, I was wearing runners when we were out. Tobie calls the flipflop+sock my 'cloven hoof' look.

I am the same about work-related: if it can't be stripped and washed immediately upon entry to the house then it is not worn to MRSA-shack.

Now you are going to see Frontal Butts everywhere---consider yourself warned! =)

OMDG said...

Hey! What's wrong with wearing lycra pants out in public?

My usual Friday night of late consists of me staring at a computer screen and doing (more) work. I really need to get better about this.

Albinoblackbear said...

OMDG: Dude there is NOTHING wrong with lycra pants in public, case in point 90% of the time that is my lower half fabric of choice.

It's the lycra-capris that I am sporting which are particularly bad, the cut seems to fall right where my lower legs are of largest diameter, making me look like I have tree stumps for calves. They. Are. So. Bad.

Yet I love them. And still wear them in public.

Nature Nerd said...

Socks with flipflops?!?

Dragonfly said...

But it could be worse...on a Friday night you could be unfashionably dressed and at work rather than out on hanging with your partner :-)

Absentbabinski said...

Hey ABB, sounds like you've got a pretty sweet deal. The trick is to combine home life with a fancy-pants wardrobe for the wards. Let's face it, doctoring is going to force you into pencil skirts and slacks for your work life - don't be afraid to slob a bit when you're off the clock.

Albinoblackbear said...

NN-Word.

DF--True!

AB--Holla! The only dude I know who is aware of the phenomenon that is the 'pencil skirt'!!!