Mike Tomlin: Fashion designer, “Project Runway” judge
Obviously, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is something of a fashion plate. So it’s an obvious decision that if he were on another career path, it would be in the sartorial arts. He’s obviously in possession of a gifted eye, as evidenced by his decades of producing some of the most forward-thinking garments to walk the runway. His merger of American street styles with sleek, traditionally Japanese lines has obviously been an major style influence on both celebrities and the general public alike.
With that prowess, Tomlin was recently tapped to serve as a permanent judge on the popular reality competition show, “Project Runway,” where he’s obviously very opinionated in the signature Tomlin way. “Obviously, taste level is an issue,” he’ll commonly refrain on garments he disapproves of; when he’s pleased, he’s just as likely to say that the work is “Very fresh, obviously,” with “an obvious attention to tailoring.”
His work will be shown in a career retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in July. The name of the exhibition? “Tomlin: The Standard is the Standard.” Obviously.
Marvin Lewis: Librarian who wants you to quiet down
Even in an era where so much information is available to so many people at their very literal fingertips, libraries are still crucial and important spaces for learning, community-building and working. Librarians are guardians of knowledge and the buildings they work in are hushed for reasons of respect for the materials as well as the patrons.
And, oh boy does the head librarian at your local branch, Marvin Lewis, understand that well and take it seriously. His is the quietest hall of books and reference materials you will ever experience, a point of pride for Lewis. And while his dedication is to be admired, it’s also frankly annoying. A cough results in a glare. Turning a page too loudly elicits an angrily-whispered, “Hey!” And woe be upon those within mild earshot should a child dare to enjoy him or herself among the infinite engaging and imaginative worlds of the kids’ section.
Indeed, the most valuable part of a library to Lewis is its silence: Its interminable silence.