How to tie a bow tie (or: welcome to adulthood, learn a new knot)

OK. Bow ties are back in (sort of), I get it. But what is with the clip-ons? Why is it that we draw the line of learning fashion knots with the Double Windsor? Learning new things can be fun and - with the internet - so easy!

I don't want to hear "I don't know how to tie a bow tie" as an excuse to not wear proper adult attire. If you didn't know how to tie a standard neck tie, would you just give up and shop in the children's department for a clip-on? No, you would learn the old fashioned way, from your dad, girlfriend or some other source of such wisdom. As such, clip-ons are relegated to kids, who have yet to be educated on the proper technique of tying a safe knot around their own necks.

So why is the bow tie any different? It's just a blinking knot. If you couldn't learn a simple knot, you'd still be in Velcro sneakers - so you are capable of doing this. I have faith in you.

As always, if Google knows how to tie a bow tie, you know how to tie a bow tie. Problem solved.

I can hear it now: "but - I don't have a self-tying bow tie." Well you didn't have a clip-on before you bought it either, so smarten up and start shopping where people assume you have half a brain. I'm a fan of etsy for these sorts of things, as I could care less about brand names, don't like the sideways glances of sales people as a woman who shops in the "mens" department and also have a serious soft-spot for handcrafted accoutrement. I have bought several bow ties from xoelle - and would recommend that shop highly, as they used recycled fabrics (old ties, shirts etc.) and can even take your old neck ties and turn them into bow ties. I've recycled two old silk ties that were a little worse for wear and now they look fabulous - as will I, every time that I wear them. 

So there you have it - all you need to know to enter the world of the adult consumer of ties. Maybe later we'll talk ascots, as I'm starting to see those pop up in the queer community. That means it's only a matter of time to see them popping up in hipster bars and straight clubs.

n.b. Don't ever be caught in public by a very talented photographer wearing a clip-on tie if you are going to be commenting on the dubious nature of said item. Unless, of course, this is some kind of ridiculous child-like costume for a flamboyant parade - then, at least, you would have some kind of lame excuse for this mildly public contradiction.

Open doors for little paws.

This week was cold. I say that as a Canadian born in Northern Ontario and raised in Montreal. I've seen some cold days and weeks - and this past week was no exception. So on a late night walk home a few days ago, when I noticed, through the slit of space between the rim of my parka's hood and the top of my scarf, two kittens in a snow bank, my heart sunk. This kind of weather must be really hard on the animals that call the streets "home". It's been estimated that Montreal has about 1.6 million stray cats - and here were a few of the newest, most vulnerable cohort.

By the next night, they were in my bathroom, huddled in a corner - entirely due to the persistence of my partner, who, with great patience and daring had scooped them up just before the temperature dropped yet again. Her hands are a little worse for wear, but we both feel better knowing they are off the street and out of the cold. We are working to get them habituated to human contact - which is clearly a bit of a novelty, just like the regular meals they greedily lap up from our hands. We won't be keeping them, but will give them over to someone willing to but the time and resources necessary to get them comfortable as house cats.    

They are pretty sweet kitties and have already come a long way. If you know a responsible someone looking for a furry friend, please drop me a line.

UPDATE: the kittens have a new home thanks to the power of the internet! Thanks interaction between Twitter and Blogger - you're awesome! And to the lovely couple who took in these two fuzz-balls, well, you're awesome too!

Desautels Business Conference on Sustainability

I'll be speaking again at this year's Desautels Business Conference on Sustainability. This year's theme is "REdefine, REdesign, REbusiness". The conference is using the recent economic crisis and the ongoing ecological crises to revisit the concept of doing business, doing well and doing good. 

On Friday, January 21st I will deliver a presentation on "Creativity, Diversity and Transformation" where I will work with students to recognize some assumptions that many of us carry about - about change, the status quo and changing the status quo. I hope to communicate how important it is for us to harness the power of the wildly creative energies that surround us to make our business more human, while at the same time making them  more innovative.

The full conference will be held January 20-22 at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec - you can get more details on the full program at the website.