Stewart 5

Apparently, as you grow up, you are supposed to change your style of clothes.  Something about maturing, etc.  Of course, I have no desire to look like a teenager, or someone trying to look like a teenager.  But, you (or at least me) find clothes and styles you like, and stick with them.

This is all complicated by changing body shape.  That favourite shirt doesn’t quite fit the same way it used to (do you really believe the SHIRT shrank?)  You can’t quite get the pants fastened.  Sometimes I keep these clothes around – for that someday when they will fit again.

My wife thinks that I don’t have any pants that fit properly.  This is partially because I bought many during a baggy clothes phase.  This was due due to both fashion and my attempt to buy clothes slightly too big to cover up a slightly too big/out of shape body.  This was, of course, a long stretch of years – about 15 years – as I think about it.

Now, two big changes have taken place.  First, everyone wears really tight clothes!  My old clothes pretty much look old.  Second, I have lost some weight.  Yes indeed, I am probably in the best shape I have been in for years (and feel great, btw).  I have lost 20 pounds in the past 4 months (since we returned from our trip to USA).  So, things are looking a little big on me.

This is most evident in the pants department.  See, I usually wear my pants low.  Not “show my butt” low, but on my hips instead of my waist. And I don’t tuck shirts in – ever.  So, they all hang too low now (I am walking on them, or worse, have to cuff them!).  And, as Melissa will point out, the butt of my pants just hang empty.  No big deal (I don’t see this anyway).  But I am off the Andrew and Mariah’s wedding and Melissa thinks that I am not going to be able to wear my khaki pants for the aforementioned reasons.

Help me with my pants.  Where exactly in my middle section should they sit – waist, hips, other?  How long should they be?  I’m NOT willing to go too tight through the crotch and I have slightly bigger than normal thighs.  Taking this into account, and some amount of my style preference, I would love your advice.

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Sometimes, I look at the stars
and they seem so bright,
close,
warm.

Reminding me of all that is possible and powerful
in the universe and
in my life.

And I am full of hope.

Sometimes, I look at the stars
and they seem so far away
tiny,
cold.

Leaving me feeling
the gulf of space between me and you
endless, overwhelming darkness.

And I am lonely.

Come to me, star
let me hold you in the palm of my hand,
No more night.

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man, that title could have about 10 different meanings

When you write the date, how do you write it?

Seems like most (all?) Americans write month/day/year. Good job USA in getting us all to do it the same way.

My experience was always that other (European?) countries wrote day/month/year.  Makes sense as it is from smallest/most immediate to biggest unit. So, that’s how I learned to write the date in French class in high school and I’ve been writing the date since we moved to SA.

Here, I have found that people write the date all sorts of ways.  Seems like on hospital forms, they generally use year/month/day.  I’ve filled out bank forms one way, misc. official paperwork another way, and never know HOW an individual may write the date on something they give me.  I asked my son how they do it at school (where you’d think they’d be teaching the standard) and he told me that the do it one way (I’ve actually forgot which now) in all of his classes except math.  In math class, they write the date a different way.  What?  Maybe this has something to do with the changeover since Apartheid or some reality of Bantu education?  I don’t know, but I find it strange that everyone in the country doesn’t use the same way of writing the date.

Beyond making some clever societal observation, I am really interested in why this is done the way it is in different places.  There must be some meaning behind this…

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Tomorrow, Melissa and I are going to Victoria Falls to celebrate our 15th anniversary!  It’s a little early (our anniversary is the 15th), but some scheduling things meant that we needed to go now.  With everything we’ve had going on lately, the timing is just right.  So looking forward to being together, without the kids and much to do but have fun, rest, and take in the beauty.  It’s been too long.  Pray for us for the next few days and I’ll post more when we get back.

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