... baby patrick, circa 1952 ... at that age, and with pa in the service, i don't think i would have had my own passport, but i'll bet that this photograph was attached to some sort of official document necessary for me to get into the united states after being born in japan ... even then, my hair was a mess, and, if you'll notice, t'was i who began the "hoody" fashion fad ...
... fifty some years later, my uncle vernon and i went into the duty free shop to look at watches ... he wearing his trusty timex and me with a $34 casio waterproof digital on my wrist, we both tried on a $78,000 patek philippe from switzerland ...
... the saleslady said, "this is the finest timepiece in the world" ... i asked, "okay, i'll bite, but does it tell time more accurately than my uncle's timex" ... "oh, this watch has a solid gold case, it takes the company over a year to build a single watch" ... "so ... so that would be a 'no' to my question, right" ... still, i'll admit, the band made of gold thread woven like fabric was exquisite ... this, you realize, is a watch that you have to wind every day, crafted for people who employ others to handle such mundane chores ... [sigh] ... and, yes, my hair's gotten a tiny bit lighter ...