my nice hat

As requested by Shane, here's a picture that shows my hat. I don't think this does it justice, but you get the idea.

There were a few factors in deciding to get a truly nice hat. One was the 90-year-old man who comes to church every week wearing a fine hat. I always like the way he looks, and I like to see pictures of times when men wore hats, like this:

Looking for the above hat-wearing-era picture, I also found this article speculating as to why hats went out of fashion. It raises some good possibilities. In any event, I will be wearing a hat when I can and as long as I like to, which feels like it will be a long time. I wear the above hat with any suit or formal coat, as well as more casual jackets. It increases my desire to take a walk by at least twice. Finally, my vanity can be channeled into a possible benefit.

Also, reviews of the hat have been overwhelmingly positive, in family, church, and political circles alike. Kiyomi's folks and the older church members all love it because it reminds them of the old days. Mimi loves it for unknown reasons. People at the Boss's office commented that it makes me look a mafioso, in a positive way. I have a hunch that wearing a hat when appropriate will be a subtle way of winning the hearts of older voters in my Japanese political career.

I have worn the hat to interpreting jobs, of course doffing it when entering the building. People seem to like the image of a foreign gentleman literally showing up hat-in-hand for a rate negotiation or actual job.