This afternoon, after leaving work a little bit earlier than usual (I arrived much earlier than usual for a program I was conducting), I went on some errands. It was really hot, so I put on my USA Casual PV American Heritage kilt, red button-down shirt, and black Skecher hiking boots. (I was first thinking of wearing red docksiders and no socks, but thought better of it. I will save that look for Grandfather Mountain, if it gets beastly there.)

I made four stops:

1. The frame shop to pick up some artwork that I had framed
2. Michael's craft store, in search of silk dandelions
3. H. H. Gregg, to look at window mounted air conditioners
4. Home Depot, to do comparison shopping on air conditioners

At the first two stops, my kilt might have well have been invisible. The staff at both places (and the customers in the second) gave no reaction whatsoever. It was so refreshing to not have any attention drawn. I felt as though I could have been wearing a clown suit, and the only thing that would have mattered to them would have been their business of framing or crafts. That's been true the two times that I've been to the frame shop in the last two weeks. There was a third time I showed up in seersucker shorts, and there was absolutely no difference in how they treated me. Heaven!

At H. H. Gregg, the salesman there first attended to my needs, but then asked if I was going somewhere. "No," I said, "I'm just running errands." We looked at air conditioners. When I was on my way out, he asked if I was Scottish. "No, not really," I said. "Then why the...," he asked. "It's hot out," I said, "and this is really cool, you know what I mean?" Ho-hum.

At Home Depot: I was walking past a short line of people at the check-out area, and a bug-eyed gentleman blurted out, "Hey, HEY! I bet it is cool under there!" as he gestured at my kilt. I winked. "It IS cool under there!" The guy was all grins.

It's remarkable how each reaction affects me in different ways. The first made me hopeful. The second made me impatient. The third made me smirk.

What a crazy world we have created for ourselves here!

Regards,
Rex.