I’m a hat guy. I adopted wearing hats when I had a piece of the bridge of my nose cut off due to Basal Cell Carcinoma. I now have a divot to remind me of my ill spent youth. Rather than wearing just one hat, I started buying a lot of them. I can’t pass a hat store. My wife indulges me.
My collection continues to grow. I have summer and winter hats, as well as dressy and informal ones. They may be made of straw, felt, beaver, leather, canvas and materials that only a chemist can identify. Some are city bred while others are definitely country or western. Their common denominator – broad brims – designed to shield my face and neck from the sun.
Today is “switch-your-world-from-summer-to-winter” day. After getting in my HIAH Get Big Phase 2A workout this morning, (can’t let my 52DC numbers slip) a friend helped me store away all of the pool and patio furniture. That was pay back for a summer of sitting around our pool.
My wife is going through her wardrobe in detail. With the kids out of the house, she has expanded into every closet. She is on hour #3 and far from finished. I moved my T-shirts from up front to off to the side and my long sleeve T’s and pull overs from off to the side to up front. That took me 5 minutes. Moved my shorts and bathing suits to the top shelf and my sweaters from the top shelf to eye level, that took another 5 minutes. That left the hats.
Went down the basement and got the large plastic container filled with winter hats and brought it upstairs. Rounded up all the summer hats and made the switch. Well over a dozen winter hats are out and about. While I put them out, I tried them each on to make sure that they were still wearable.
Some interesting – well at least to me – observations. Having lost 80 pounds and spent the last 3.5 years exercising in an attempt to do some body re-composition work, has had an impact on my head. Yes – it is swollen with pride, but that is not what I am talking about.
Some of the hats that had more modest brims, did not look right on me when I was at my heaviest. Those are fine now. Some of the broadest brimmed hats, now make me look like my 3 yo grandson is wearing one of my hats. My new thinner face is way to small for them. And strangest of all, a couple no longer fit. They are too big for my head. How the hell do you lose weight around your far head where a hat sits? But you do – or at least – I did.
Hats I can’t wear: Baseball caps. I look like my father – and that ain’t pretty. Brimless ones – just not functional. The latest fashion – the thin brimmed “pork pie” hats that you see on entertainers. I am just too old for those. Winter hats with pull down ear muffs – really screw up my hearing aids – the feed back is intense.
These hats have become my personal brand. When I go places, people look to see what I’m wearing. “What – no hat today?” And – most importantly – my grandsons – “Where’s your hat?” They love to parade around in them.
Ok – back to work – have to take the summer hats down the basement. The whole hat switch around took 15 minutes. My wife has another couple of hours to go.
Oct 24, 2010 @ 09:22:15
haha wow this was awesome to read. Who knew you were such a hat guy? You should change your avatar. 😉
Oct 24, 2010 @ 10:50:56
But – unlike some of the guys at the gym – I do not wear a baseball cap backwards while working out. I assume they are worried about the flourescent light damaging the skin on the back of their thick necks.
TNT Man a/k/a the Mad Hatter
Oct 24, 2010 @ 17:02:11
I’ve read somewhere that wearing your hat backwards knocks 10 points off of you IQ, don’t know if it’s true or not. I sport a modest hat collection my favorite was a “River Runs Through It” style that I wore trout fishing for years….now living in South Florida you don’t see many felt or wool hats, most are panama straw and oh yeah the backwards baseball caps.
Oct 24, 2010 @ 17:43:02
I’ve got a couple of hats down in our place in West Palm Beach. One is a big brimmed straw which I use at the pool/beach. Another is dress and then others as I pick them up. Needed to do that – or spend the plane trip with the damn things on my lap.
You are right about the reduction in brain mass by wearing the hat backwards, No question about that.
TNT Man
Oct 24, 2010 @ 18:11:39
If wearing a baseball cap backwards knocks 10 points off your IQ, wearing one flat brimmed, sideways or off center deducts 20!
TNT you are a multi faceted guy! So tell us, of all the hats, which one do you like the best? Your go to head dress?
Capt’n
PS; Missed the last post, not enough time in the day sometime. Great post, I especially liked how you ended it with Paul Simon. Too true, my self proclaimed alterations to the diet are my undoing.
Oct 24, 2010 @ 18:23:53
Which one do I like the best? Like asking a father which of his kids he likes the best. Each one has its day.
We were in Durango Colorado – found a hat shop with REAL western hats. 5X and higher. Thought to myself – this is it – I am getting a real one – Starting price – $500.00 up to $1,500 or so. Wah Who! Did not get one – stuck with my lesser ones.
I prefer ones that are affordable – arouind the $50.00 mark is my price point.
You are not the only one who “modifies” the program to his deteriment. That is for the day you get to the finish line. Then – and only then – Enjoy. We all trip up on this.
TNT Man