Clothing Sizes and Other Problems Writers Can't Solve

Thank you, Fitbay. Thank you for tackling one of the great first-world problems of our time: clothing sizes.

Yes, of course I mean women's clothing sizes. Really, if you can wear Dockers to work every day, you don't have a problem. At least, you don't have a problem getting dressed. While I'm sorry to set the women's movement back a hundred years or so, I'll say it: when you're a girl, sometimes solving the what-to-wear-to-work conundrum is the greatest challenge of the day.

Go ahead, guys. I'd love to hear you explain the difference between Junior, Misses, and Women's sizes. ... What's that? I can't hear you.

FitBay aims to fix all the sizing nonsense with an app (of course) and in the process, the company also

came up with a practical use for the selfie. Can a Nobel Prize be far behind?

The first round of VC (about $2 million) should help us all move closer to a more comfortable waistband and find a stylish sleeve in which to muscle our way to the top. Which would be so much better than having to muscle our way into said top.

I suspect the company will need a huge influx of cash before it takes on the shoe sizing situation. Until then, happy shopping. Er - I mean, back to work.

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This isn't the first time I've written about the devastating state of women's clothing sizes. My first essay on the subject is included in the 2014 collection, Dumb Things We Say to Dogs.

Eeyore Here

As luck would have it I just looked up H.W. Fowler (yep my life is that exciting) and saw that the Oxford-educated man called "a lexicographical genius" is also described on Wikipedia as a "not very successful" freelancer. 

And it gave me reason to recall, again, the look my DH gave me, and his response when I told him I planned to freelance. 

"It's just really hard," said the aerospace engineer with two patents. 

What's the allure of this stupid business, anyway? 

~Diane Stresing

Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs

It's a pangram, not a personality disorder. A pangram or "alphabet sentence" contains all the letters of the alphabet, and I've had the great pleasure of reading them while shopping for fonts lately.

The Dancing Pen Calligraphy website lists a bunch. Consider it your silly online procrastination tool of the day. (You're welcome.)

Of course I've added Pangram Developer to my list of dream writing jobs, next to Captcha Writer,  Pokemon Card Copywriter, and Bakugan Namer.

Well, that's why they're called "dream" jobs...

OK, on a slightly more serious note: smart font choices can make your website work better, your presentations more memorable, and you the envy of all your friends. Mmmm well, two out of three are proven.

~Diane Stresing