I celebrated several hours, sporting a couple of bow ties throughout the day, posting a pic or two on the Twitter. In case you missed the bow-tie fun, here are two pictures of my ties, plus a Tweet from @kelseylink and one from @kayemjay6.

But here’s the thing. Most uniforms (literal or figurative) are cool. Waiter, cop, Maytag man, lawyer: the trend is for cool colors. Sure, some cops and lawyers wear brown, but you know what I’m saying.

So why did I buy a black shirt? Because the choral group I’m in wears all black, and I didn’t have a black shirt, and black is the uniform of large on-stage ensembles.

It’s for this. Which is, shall we say, cool.

I am learning that nobody that I know in LA has ever heard of Moab. This is surprising to me. I always figure that outdoorsy stuff is widely known, but even when I follow “Moab” up with “Arches National Park” I get lots of “huh”s and blank stares of incomprehension. People, just search the word moab on Google images, and you will behold nature’s wonder.

Bought some new shoes in preparation for the trip. My local Runyon Canyon hikes will also benefit from these lightweight hiking shoes, as the old shoes are, well, old. Let’s be honest, they’re just brown cross-trainers … but oh so comfy!

P.S. If I were buying a boot, not a shoe, and were anticipating cooler weather, I would be in love with this fine, fine piece of footwear.

Yesterday, I shared my apartment elevator one floor with a guy who complimented me on my clothes. Actually, what he said was, “Mmm, J. Crew, right?” As I looked down to see what I was wearing (no need to look down, but it’s an almost involuntary response, isn’t it?), I realized that I had on pants, tee, dress shirt and sweater vest from Banana Republic. Four from BR, but no J. Crew. I sized him up: well-dressed and chatting me up, probably gay. But not gay well-dressed, no gay mannerisms or stereotypes at all. Plus, what gay man doesn’t know the difference between J. Crew and Banana Republic? So, straight.