OMG, is she wearing a headband???

Today has been a bad day. Let me tell you about it.

I woke up this morning and stood in front of my closet, wondering what to wear. Finally I decided on a knee-length black skirt, a white peasant shirt, and a thick black headband. But I didn't look great. I futzed around a bit, trying different shoes, different jewelry... but something was just off. At this point I was running late, so I threw in the towel and headed out the front door shouting goodbye to J and thinking to myself, 'One bad outfit - no big deal. It's just for a day of meetings.' And that, right there, was my first mistake.

Well, in truth, the headband was my first, and without a doubt my biggest, mistake. The last time I wore a headband was on Easter. Boyfriend and I went to church at Copley Square and at some point that day, while still in our Sunday best, took some pictures. When we got them developed, I made Boyfriend solemnly swear that under no circumstances was he ever, ever to let me wear a headband out of the house again. He said I looked cute, but I held him to the oath which he reluctantly took. Sadly Boyfriend, and those photographs, were not at my apartment this morning to jog my apparently deeply repressed memory.

My second mistake I realized as soon as I pulled up my schedule at the office this morning: I had a presentation to give that I had forgotten about. Oops. Bad day for a bad outfit. But, it's orientation week for our incoming freshman class, so I put my pride aside and went down to the room where I was scheduled to speak. I walked in, and had started chit-chatting with some orientation leaders in the doorway when out of the corner of my eye I watched three students approaching in matching t-shirts and laden with audio and video equipment: the student news crew. "Oh dear God," I whispered to my boss as the color drained from my face, "They're going to film us and I look like Pollyanna."

Not only did they film us, but they interviewed me afterward. I've been on camera for the college station before, and I invariably either look awful or sound like a complete idiot. Today I sounded quite eloquent and well-informed. Hence... something had to give. I have no doubt that I looked ridiculous in my shiny black headband. Normally I struggle to look like I'm a college graduate; today, I struggled to look like I hadn't skipped out on recess in order to make my television appearance. I have no doubt that it's the most unflattering fashion choice I could have made. I called my sister after the filming and whined. "Why are you wearing a headband?" she asked, genuinely confused as a mother of two small children and someone who barely has time to shower, let alone keep up with trends, "Are they making a comeback?" "No," I sighed miserbly. "They're not. I don't know why I'm wearing it."

The show they were filming for is called "Fast Forward/Rewind." Oh, the irony. If only I could rewind back to this morning, and shoot myself.