success

As predicted, at this point in the year, this otherwise atrocious tie has been declared "not that tacky."

through the looking glass

A world of phantasms, mysteries, and delights. And Dacron.

silk road

Imported direct from Shanghai via an old college buddy. They don't have tariff on tacky.

one lucky necktie

Here's why.

der Krawatte-an-sich

Torn up raffle tickets: the shredded stubs of dreams.

Actually, they're just splashes of color with a strange paisley underlay. But the illusion is powerful.

a poem for Tacky Tie Thursday

I met a traveler with an antique tie
Who said:--Two vast and dec'rous neckwear racks
Hang in a closet. When the dawn is nigh,
A teacher clad in long-sleeved shirt and slacks
Examines each with a discerning eye
And, choosing one, with simple binding knot
Secures the artificial to his frame--
The polyester that the world forgot--
Bold patterns, bolder colors both declare:
"My name is Anderson, ye fashion-lame;
Look on my tie collection and despair!"
Thus still, within a world where slow decay
With silk combines to choke and throttle flair,
One teacher's polyester braves the day.



[Apologies to Percy B. Shelley.]

the old college try

A dash of pretension and an ounce of stiff upper lip.

as good as it gets

This is the least tacky tie I own.

I wore it while...

1. Teaching colons, dashes, and parentheses.
2. Correcting misspellings of "carnivore."
3. De-angsting students frazzled by IB requirements.
4. Driving past DuPont, City of Branding.
5. Judging speech rounds at Nat Quals.
6. Writing up a debate budget between rounds.
7. Surviving dramatic interps about eating, not eating, and hating those who eat without guilt.
8. Blogging.