Rain today.

I had plans to work outside.

The A/C unit needs a scrubbing and there's some chain saw madness to partake of in the way-back, and I had best look at the gutters before old man winter sets in. Oh, well. Maybe tomorrow.

I'm looking at a ride in a hot air balloon in my fairly near future. It might get put off until the spring, as the Wx is rapidly going to hell in a handbasket. I recently asked a number of people what to wear on a hot air balloon ride.

Few of them seemed to know.

Jeans and a T-shirt seemed a common answer, and maybe for some people it is.

There are few areas that I really pay attention to protocol, but when I went up for a ride in a Stearman a while ago, I wore a leather helmut, goggles, a scarf, leather jacket, jodphurs and boots. Like I was supposed to.

Dammit! There are a few things I do right!

Damned few.

I am NOT going aloft in a hot air balloon in a pair of damned jeans and a fucking T-shirt!

No way! No way in hell!

The jeans and t-shirt are for just about any social occasion I can think of BUT that.

Meeting the President? Fine.

Going before the board of directors to make a multi million dollar presentation?

Cool. Levi 501's and a 'Save the Whales' T are just the ticket.

But you do NOT wear a pair of jeans and a T-shirt on your first hot air balloon ride.

I am pretty much an uncivilized bastard most of the time and I'll admit it.

The proper uniform for going up in a hot air balloon is a TOP HAT AND TAILS!!!!

This goes back to my childhood, I suppose.

My parents had moved into the town I grew up in, and there was a drive-in theather there.

The year was 1957 and I was about 6 years old. I guess it was probably a dollar a carload back then.

It was early in my parent's marriage, and I'm sure money was a little tight, but they decided to go to the movies. I guess I was probably expected to sack out in the car, whatever.

Anyway, the movie was 'Around the World in 80 Days' and I remember parts of it well.

It is one of those things that got stuck in my head at an early age, and I swear to God that to this day that there is only one proper uniform for a first time ride in a hot air balloon and that is a top hat and tails.

Period.

You can rent this outfit if you can't scrape it up somewhere else.

For women it should be a full length formal gown.

It doesn't mean you have to go to Dior or anything like that. Goodwill for six bucks is just fine.

Maybe more later.




Oh, yeah. One other thing. You do NOT shoot an oversized primate off the Empire State Building with a damned attack helicopter. You use an open cockpit biplane!





So sayeth the Gospel According to Piccolo