We’ve had a lovely run of weather lately that has kept me out of the house much of this week. Running some errands. Hitting some golf balls. Coaching and watching sports. Good stuff.
Today the weather broke a bit. It is warm and muggy, but there are thick, ominous clouds racing across the sky as steady gusts blow. Storms are supposed to hit soon. Which is a real pisser because we have a very important kickball game on the schedule tonight and we’d like to get it in tonight before the weather turns much cooler tomorrow.
More on that game after it is played.
I thought of another humorous story from the wedding we attended last weekend.
I’m lucky because I only have to wear a suit 1–2 times per year. Weddings and funerals are pretty much it for me. Thus I’ve been wearing the same two suits kind of forever. As best as I can recall one of my suits is 21 years old, the other 22. I could be off a year but, regardless, they are old.
Yet amazingly they still fit me pretty well. Since they were fairly conservative cuts they look decent. Well other than the very late–90s pleated pants which went out a long time ago. When I have to wear a suit I always feel a little self-conscious about the details that are out-of-date. And then I think of how much it costs to get a new suit vs. how often I wear it and I figure I’ll wait until the next wedding rolls around to invest in a new one.
Something was different last weekend, though. My suit felt big on me. Which is strange because I’m pretty sure I weigh more than I did 22 years ago; if anything you’d think the suit would be too small for me. I’m not talking ridiculously big. Maybe a half-inch everywhere. Likely no one but me noticed.
But as I sat there at the ceremony and reception, fussing trying to adjust my jacket, sleeves, and pants, I kept having a funny image pass through my head: Charlie Murphy in the Pancakes at Prince’s skit from Chappelle’s Show. Charlie in his big, blousy, double-breasted, mid–80s suit. My suit was nowhere near that big on me, but once I thought of Murphy’s, I could not get it out of my head. I started looking for people to play basketball with, sizing up who would be on the shirts and who would be on the blouses.