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canyonwalkerNapa Trade Show blog #2
At the hotel - Mon, 8 Sep 2025, 5:30pm.
I've joked various times before that Every trip, I forget one thing. It's a joke not just because it's amusing but also because it's not strictly true. I mean, there are some times I don't forget anything. And there are plenty of times I forget to bring something I thought about bringing but turned out to be inconsequential anyway. But occasionally I forget something that's a doozy. And that's when the joke is funniest... though that's also when I'm the butt of it. 🤣
I forgot something that's a doozy on this week's trip to a small software trade show in Napa. I'm planning to dress up as Jenkins the Butler part of the time at this show. "What's Jenkins?" Here's a reminder from a show I did in March this year:
The doozy is that while I packed my tuxedo shirt and jacket for this trip I forgot my tuxedo shirt pins, cuff links, and bow tie. The cuff links are the least important of that set. The shirt pins, medium-important; the shirt has buttons for people who don't have pins, but pins are critical to the overall authenticity of dressing in a tuxedo. And the bow tie is crucial. Jenkins isn't Jenkins without the red bow tie!
I realized the mistake when I was driving across the bridge over the Carquinez Strait Monday afternoon. Why there, on the bridge? No particular reason; that's just where it suddenly occurred to me, "Oh, crap, I forgot these important things!" And the bridge is a landmark on trips along that corridor. For Monday's trip it signaled that I was about 3/4 of the way there in terms of travel time.
It was too far from home to want to turn back. I'd add minimum 3 hours, likely much closer to 4 with rush-hour traffic, to my drive. I decided instead I'd have to see what I can find once I got to the hotel in Napa.
Once at the hotel I looked up menswear stores in the area and started calling around. One, a name-brand place you probably have in the big city nearest you, wasn't sure what "tuxedo shirt pins/studs" are until after I explained it— and then confirmed they don't carry them. With the help of the hotel concierge I found a local men's suit shop that was open 'til 5:30pm, called ahead, and drove to quaint downtown Napa. Shirt studs, cuff links, and a bow tie set me back $50. The things I do for my craft!
At the hotel - Mon, 8 Sep 2025, 5:30pm.
I've joked various times before that Every trip, I forget one thing. It's a joke not just because it's amusing but also because it's not strictly true. I mean, there are some times I don't forget anything. And there are plenty of times I forget to bring something I thought about bringing but turned out to be inconsequential anyway. But occasionally I forget something that's a doozy. And that's when the joke is funniest... though that's also when I'm the butt of it. 🤣
I forgot something that's a doozy on this week's trip to a small software trade show in Napa. I'm planning to dress up as Jenkins the Butler part of the time at this show. "What's Jenkins?" Here's a reminder from a show I did in March this year:
The doozy is that while I packed my tuxedo shirt and jacket for this trip I forgot my tuxedo shirt pins, cuff links, and bow tie. The cuff links are the least important of that set. The shirt pins, medium-important; the shirt has buttons for people who don't have pins, but pins are critical to the overall authenticity of dressing in a tuxedo. And the bow tie is crucial. Jenkins isn't Jenkins without the red bow tie!
I realized the mistake when I was driving across the bridge over the Carquinez Strait Monday afternoon. Why there, on the bridge? No particular reason; that's just where it suddenly occurred to me, "Oh, crap, I forgot these important things!" And the bridge is a landmark on trips along that corridor. For Monday's trip it signaled that I was about 3/4 of the way there in terms of travel time.
It was too far from home to want to turn back. I'd add minimum 3 hours, likely much closer to 4 with rush-hour traffic, to my drive. I decided instead I'd have to see what I can find once I got to the hotel in Napa.
Once at the hotel I looked up menswear stores in the area and started calling around. One, a name-brand place you probably have in the big city nearest you, wasn't sure what "tuxedo shirt pins/studs" are until after I explained it— and then confirmed they don't carry them. With the help of the hotel concierge I found a local men's suit shop that was open 'til 5:30pm, called ahead, and drove to quaint downtown Napa. Shirt studs, cuff links, and a bow tie set me back $50. The things I do for my craft!
no subject
Date: 2025-09-10 10:43 am (UTC)I definitely feel you about the frustration of realizing what you'd forgotten when it's really too late to reasonably get it.
~Sor
no subject
Date: 2025-09-12 12:13 am (UTC)Since starting the Jenkins cosplay I've dressed in black tie a few times. Thus I've considered learning how to tie a bow tie. But those black-tie occasions are fairly rare. And, frankly, none of them have been true "black tie" events where full formalwear was required or even expected. They're semi-formal occasions where I've decided to dress up because I like how it looks. And BTW, how it looks is like I'm a blend of James Bond and The Godfather. 🤣