Emperor's got brand new clothes, and everybody but him knows...

With the weight loss I've had over the last 7 or so months, I've noticed my clothes, specifically my jeans, not fitting. And most of my belts are too big as well. I had been thinking of taking another trip to the 'fat man's store', which is what I've always called Casual Male XL.

Yesterday, I went to mom's for lunch, like I do nearly every Sunday. She got back from church, said Hi, and then said, "Let's go out to eat." And could I ever disappoint Mama Polt? So we got back into her car. She asked where I wanted to go, and I said I didn't know. Then she says, "You probably need new clothes, we should go to the big and tall in Gettysburg and then eat there." I looked at her and broke out laughing.

She and I do this all the time. And have for years. We'll be thinking about exactly the same thing at the same time. Yeah, I know, it could be coincidence...but it can't be when it happens as often as it does. Pretty eerie, that.

So anyways, we ate first and had a decent meal. Then we got to the fat man's store. I knew what my size had been, and when I shopped there before, I'd just grab that size off the rack and buy the things. But now, I had to actually try things on, to see if they fit. And I found that the pants dropped either two or four sizes (for those that don't know, men's pants come in even numbered waist sizes only...at least at the sizes I've used), depending on the particular pant. And the shirts that I used to wear were always a 4XL tall. I needed the talls to keep my shirt tail tucked in, but the 4XL was for my size. But the 4XL's I tried were simply too big. I had to go down to a 3XL tall. Which isn't a LARGE improvement, but it's the first time I can recall buying a smaller size in any clothing. I usually had to go a size higher.

And what a sweet feeling this new feeling was! Even if I never lose another pound, just buying these clothes gave me a proud feeling.

When I was done getting stuff Mama Polt said, "These will be your Easter presents and congratulations on your weight loss presents all in one." I tried to tell her she didn't have to do that. I tried to tell her I could pay for them myself. Honestly I really did. But when Mama Polt sets her mind to something like this, well, there's just no changing it. So she even paid for them.

So I snagged several sweet things: a pair of black jeans, black and khaki dressy-ish pants I can wear to work, a pair of tannish shorts, a black pullover shirt, a maroon t-shirt, a blue and white striped pullover shirt (the first horizontally striped shirt I probably bought in my life), a green button up, and a new belt. See for yourself!



And naturally, I couldn't resist a photo in the changing room.



(yes, those are grey socks I'm wearing, but they're my Totes Toasties, and they're thicker than regular socks and they keep my feet warm. And don't you judge me!)

All in all, a good day. But then nearly every day spent with Mama Polt is a good day.

POLT Listening to "20th Century Boy" by T. Rex Oil: 51.36 (-1.11); Gas: 1.98 (-.01)

A baby is not a fashion accesory. - Jeremy, Gutterboys