The Meeting Is Over, The Cup Is Empty

I decided to see what would happen if I showed up at the Board of Adjustment meeting wearing suit and tie. Back in the seventies and eighties when I was vice chairman of the North Miami Planning Comission it was common practice for board members to be properly attired, but things seemed to get more relaxed as the years went by.

After a dozen year hiatus of being on city boards Councilman Galvin talked me into accepting a couple of board appointments again and I thought it was cool to be able to wear jeans. Actually, I kept trying to push the envelope, looking progessively more and more unkempt, dressing more and more like a college kid, and as my ex said, wearing my hair like a "street person". No matter, I still have to tell new city staff "I'm Al, not Mr. Kaplan". Time to have some fun. I showed up wearing a suit and tie! Most of the city staff had never seen me dressed that way. I might have to start reminding people that "I really am Al".

The July board meeting was a short one to start with and a couple of the items on the agenda were postponed. The one item we did hear was quickly dealt with. I walked back across the patio to Starbucks for more coffee. In the photo my jacket is draped over my left arm and my agenda packet is in the manilla envelope tucked behind my empty cup. You can see the shadow of the camera and my right arm on my chest. The girls at Starbucks were impressed by my wardrobe but they still called me Al. I guess that's what I like about the place.