My Black Belt

How cool I think I will look Friday night.

This story has nothing to do with the martial arts and even less in regards to running.  It's just a funny story, maybe...

Melissa and I are going to a fundraiser on Friday night here in Aspen called the Flamingo A GO-GO put on by the Aspen Education Foundation.  Not really being sure what to wear and since I recently got rid of all but two of my dress suites (Yes I actually own suits) I decided to splurge and get a new suit for the occasion.  The one suit that I have and might have worn is just too stuffy and buiness like and the other one is linen best suited for the tropics, not November in Aspen.

So last week I went and got a really sharp slim fitting black pin-striped Calvin Cline two piece which I happened to get a huge discount.  I also got some new shoes, tie, and dress shirt to finish off the ensemble.  The only thing I didn't buy was a new belt since I have a ton of dress belts and just belts in general so no extra money needed to be spent for that.

A funny part of getting the suit is that I wear a 42R coat.  However, the pants that come with that size coat were a 36W... Way too huge and of course they needed tailoring just like the coat did. When the tailor was fitting me she seemed perplexed as she waved her hand at my midsection and exclaimed in broken english, "you have nothing here!"  I just smiled and thanked her for noticing.

So it is Wednesday and I am on my way up to Aspen and I am driving out of Colorado Springs around 4:40 in the afternoon.  I made it all the way from my house to 31st Street and guess what I realized that I forgot?  Yup... my black belt.

You know the scene in Harold and Kumar go to White Casetle and they leave their apartment and Kumar realizes he forgot his cell phone in the apartment and he decides to not go back for it saying "we have gone too far," even though they are like 20 feet from their apartment door?

Well that is what my decision making matrix was like when I realized I had forgotten my belt.  Of course I am pissed because I forgot it but to backtrack back to the house through west side rush hour traffic and then try to head out again... it just wasn't worth it.  I'd gone too far.

So I try to relax about it on the drive... I have two belts here in Aspen, both brown and they won't work.  I even tried to remember if one of them was reversible and of course it wasn't.  Plan B?  Well there aren't many places between COS and Aspen to stop to pick up a belt for a suit and I was in drive mode and stopping for anything besides filling the tank or a bio-break at the last minute wasn't going to happen.

But I get an idea on the drive up.  Aspen has a pretty cool little thrift store and I bet I could pick one up there.  There was plan B.  Plan C, try to find a men's store in Aspen where I could get a belt without having to pay through the nose.  Plan D, head back down the RFV to Glenwood and see if I can find something there.

I took a break today at lunchtime and walked to the thrift store.  The long and short of it, no luck.  What black leather belts they had which would have worked I could have made two belts out of for me as they were so long.  Damnit!  Now what do I do?

I really don't want to drive anywhere... I really don't.  The new commute to Aspen around Independence Pass is a tough drive and it really drained me.  I thought maybe I could con Melissa into driving me to Glenwood (in her spare time - like she has any) and see what I can find there.  But almost back to the apartment I had a brilliant idea!

Maybe, just maybe, Carl's Pharmacy might have something?  I have been in there a few times and though I never saw any belts, they have about one of everything that you could ever imagine in there.  It had to be worth the shot, right?

BINGO!  I walked to the upstairs of the store and boom, there was the belt display.  And they even had one that matched my new shoes and fit!  And it wasn't an arm and leg and I didn't have to drive anywhere else to get one!  SCORE!

To celebrate the win I went to the Grateful Deli and got a sandwich for lunch.

But closer to reality... But hey, this was an Aspen benefit as well....