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Alligator Hunting

No, not that kind of alligator hunting. I would never. (And it would be a little difficult in Arizona in any case.)

No, I’m talking about alligator shirts. As I wrote about a month ago, I’ve been picking up gently used LaCoste polos from eBay because back when they were the rage I couldn’t afford them at $25 and while I probably can afford them now, I refuse to pay upwards of $100 for new one.

I noticed, however, that the third shirt I bought seemed a bit…off. The sleeves were longer than usual, the fabric thinner, and for some reason it had three collar buttons instead of two. It was obviously a counterfeit, a knock-off that had an alligator sewn on the chest, but it was not a genuine alligator. That led me online of course to do my due diligence.

There are several markers of authenticity for the solid color pique shirts, including 2 (not 3) vertically-stitched buttons on the collar, a specific location and pronounced teeth and claws on the alligator patch, a multi-language use-and-care label on the lower inside seam of the shirt, and a two-part label at the inside collar. The buttons are generally white mother-of-pearl, but they also apparently used a dark mother-of pearl with darker colored fabrics and color-matched buttons at times. So…based on all this, of the 6 shirts I’ve purchased, four are most likely the real deal and two (including the most recent one I bought) are most definitely not.

Caveat emptor.

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The Dog Days of Summer*

I hate August in Phoenix. It’s this time of year I really miss Denver (or the Bay Area.)

It’s miserable. The “dry heat” disappears and humidity descends like a… well, like a wet blanket. Almost every afternoon we’re teased with the promise of rain, and yet nothing happens. (Or if it does, it’s just enough to dirty everyone’s cars.)

I’m really looking forward to winter.

*The “Dog Days” are based in astronomy. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days: the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.

The rising of Sirius does not actually affect the weather (some of our hottest and most humid days occur after August 11), but for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile’s flooding, so they used the star as a “watchdog” for that event.

Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time.

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Damn You, Discogs!

As I wrote on Instagram, it’s so nice to buy a sealed, never-played piece of vinyl! (Especially considering some of my recent luck in buying used.) And how can you not love ABBA? I was grinning through all four sides of this record yesterday.