Parasols and other stuff that make me want to blog

So I've been meaning to start blogging for a while now. My husband Mike and I moved to Brooklyn about 3 weeks ago and I was intending to blog about our experiences here as a way to keep our friends and family posted of our exciting new life. But every time I sit down to write about what we've been up to, I am uninspired. It's not that we haven't been doing anything interesting, I just have a much easier time writing about the little oddities than I do chronicling a day in the life of Emily.

So I decided to write about the things I see that cause me to make up stories in my head. You know, the things that make you wonder why the hell someone would say/do/wear something? As an example and the inspiration for this blog, I saw a woman today carrying a parasol. I was walking behind her down 5th Ave in Park Slope (the nabe in Brooklyn we are currently subletting in) and I had a series of conflicting emotions about said parasol. First, judging by the back of her head & clothing, she had to be close to my age, give or take 10 years. (That's puts her between legal drinking age or just over the hill, for those of you who don't know how old I am). My first thought was "What makes someone decide to purchase a parasol (who is not 75 and wearing a caftan)?", Followed by "Maybe she inherited it from her great aunt".

It's pretty hot today, mid 80's, so I get not wanting the sun beating down on your face, but why not just walk on the shady side of the street? Holding something upright while walking in 80 degree heat can't be comfortable. Is a sun hat too sweaty? And why is it that a regular umbrella would look completely ridiculous while a parasol is whimsical and funky? So I know it sounds like I think parasols are heinous when I said I had conflicting emotions. Here is where that comes in...I can't fault this woman for choosing to accessorize with something that's unique and different and makes you stand out a bit. I was following her wearing one earring (a long feather) and I have one blond chunk in my chemically dark brown hair, so I get the hypocrisy of judging her choice to carry fashionable sun protection. I just feel like it's equivalent to an able bodied man carrying a cane as an accessory. Are you trying to fool people into thinking you are unable to bear your own weight on both legs? Or do you want us to think that there may be a chance at any moment you could bust out a song and tap dance routine? Either way, I think I have made up my mind on the parasol/cane carriers of the world. I like you and your ballsy choices - it gives me something to think about. Now please stop asking me if I lost my other earring.