This evening I saw one of the most ridiculous fashion choices ever.

Ok, I'm not one to brag about my clothing. I wear a lot of military surplus and work-style clothing because that's what I'm comfortable in. It's generally on the loose side, which helps conceal some of the extra weight I'm carrying around. Deeper than that though, I grew up when hippies wearing fatigues were all the rage. I have little desire to espouse the hippie lifestyle, but in my head that look is equated to a certain level of rebellion.

So, now that we all know my clothing choices are 35 years out of date, I can own up to not understanding popular clothes of today. Maybe no single piece of clothing more exemplifies this chronological backwardness than the ultra-tight jeans with the ridiculously small legs that are the rage in the teenage set. I think they make kids look under-nourished, like models in training. They also have a very feminizing effect on young men. I 100% find them distasteful and unflattering. These are maybe the only pants I can think of that make me wish teenagers would show more underwear hanging out the tops of their pants.

Imagine my shock tonight at Starbucks when I saw a somewhat overweight man in his mid-30's wearing these pants.

The legs are so tight that they affect the wearer's ability to bend his legs. So, the wearer tends to walk in shorter, mincing steps. These pants would have been the rage back when the Chinese were binding women's feet. So, there I am reading and enjoying a grande drip when this guy prances by in his black constrictors and a black tee, the pants pushing his lower back upwards so as to emphasize a little pot belly in front. I wanted to laugh after getting over my disbelief. Did he look in the mirror and tell himself "Oh yeah!"?

/shakes head

So, I know you're all wondering, "What was John reading at Starbucks tonight?" I am deep into Anthony Trollope's The Warden these days. You'll recognize this as the first of his Barchester novels, from which sprang the book and BBC series Barchester Towers.

I love reading Trollope. (Well, it can be said that I have an over-fondness for the entire Victorian period.) Trollope is a bit heavy-handed with his narrator's voice at times— but not in a fatal way. Rather, the reader is always sure that there is a narrator present. What I find most remarkable about Trollope though is the way he defines his characters one by one and then allows them to dictate the plot. It's as if he were a master clockmaker who only needs to wind up his invention in order to have the entire drama play out. In this particular novel, the unwinding of the plot begins on the first page with the introduction of the first characters. It's masterfully done. I recommend it for anyone looking to expand his/her reading selection. I was able to buy a copy at Barnes & Noble in their handsome imprint for less than $7.

Speaking of which, yesterday I received a couple coupon stickers from Barnes & Noble in the mail. Ever since mentioning it in these pages, I've been burning to dive into Pepys' diary so I used the first coupon to order that. Can't wait until it arrives!

Until next time!

"They are best dressed, whose dress no one observes."— Anthony Trollope