TMI: The unplanned regiment

Here's a thing they don't teach you in kilt-wearin' school: if the elastic in your underwear is shot, you are subject to the "granny effect," by which your underwear will migrate down to your knees over the course of your travels. (Traditional pants keep them in place, since they have nowhere to go.) To avoid the mortification of having them suddenly appear around my ankles in Harvard Square, I popped into the bathroom at Diesel, stepped out of them, and stuffed them in my bag. So I can now say that I have "gone regimental," for those who keep asking. No ill effects noted, apart from gradually diminishing self-consciousness and a bit of ticklishness.

Unrelatedly, I have never gotten so many sidelong smiles from Somerville girls as I have in this kilt. Seriously — I was outside the house for under four hours, and in that time four girls smiled at me. So, there's that.

Other news of the day involved bike shopping at Wheelworks near Porter Square. Despite helpful recommendations from carpenter and the fellow at the shop, I don't think I was swayed by the "hybrid" bikes I tried. I still like the full-mountain feel of the Gary Fisher Tarpon and its pricier brother, the Advance¹. It may just be what I'm used to, but they feel right beneath me. Tomorrow I'll go back to Wheelworks and choose between the floor model Tarpon and the Advance they're assembling for me in the morning. Also on the agenda: a taillight, a lock, a kickstand, a rack, and a pannier for carrying my Trader Joe's goodies.

[Edit: I forgot to say that I saw Dan Friedmann and his Peace Wave Generator for the first time in Harvard Square! He's a happenin' one-man band — check out this video: www.twitvid.com/ED808.]

¹ The Advance is basically the Tarpon with a nicer gear train, which adds $50 to the price. I normally wouldn't be swayed by that, but on my Tarpon test ride the one thing I felt I wanted was a little more oomph from the shifters. Also, the Advance is a pretty pretty blue.

At least he's fair about it

Scholarly Put-down of the Week Award (filling in for adfamiliares, who's out of town for the day):

Yet traditional cavalry persisted in many armies after Pavia, and it is worth asking whether this represented obtuse traditionalism or sheer irrationality in the face of the evidence.

—Bert S. Hall, Weapons & Warfare in Renaissance Europe