Jack Straw

On Saturday I went to some kind of fair in a park with Ryan where I bought some pants made of bamboo. Seriously.

The real story, however, is Ryan's dad.

Ryan's parents were there as well, and when Ryan spotted them, his knee-jerk reaction was a lament: "I can't believe he's wearing that hat!"

Ryan's dad was wearing an awesome straw hat - the kind you see in gas stations near the cheap sunglasses. As they approached, we exchanged pleasantries and I was seized by a wild impulse to ask him if he'd purchased the hat at a gas station. Instead, deciding at the last moment that it was, at least potentially, an inappropriate question, I merely asked where he had found it.

"I got it at a gas station!" he cried, still clearly thrilled by the fact that such treasures could be found in such mundane places.

What is your excuse now? I had to ask myself. If he got one, how can you not?