Bad thoughts on the Red Line

Here's another way to start your workday badly. Wear, for the first time, that $70 shirt you bought on Newbury Street -- the striped blue-and-white one that looked so daring, yet so right, that you knew you'd wear it enough to get your money's worth. Imagine the reaction of co-workers, impressed that by your combination of pinache and professionalism. Now, just as you've sat down and the subway doors have closed, bow your head and admire the shirt for the first time without preening in a mirrow. And realize why it caught your fancy: It looks exactly like the top half of the pajamas from Sears you wore through junior high.