Robert Manners

A Matter of Style

I'm having more trouble with my watch. Regular readers will be wondering why I haven't name-dropped my watch yet...it's a Citizen, brushed steel and gold (plated...I don't like real gold, it's so expensive and it just wears away).



Someone once accused me of being a "label-whore." I took exception to the comment and denied it hotly. "So why do you always mention everything's brand name when describing every facet of your life?"



Well, darlings, when you talk about your friends, don't you use their names? My clothes and accessories are my friends, and I like to use their names. I mean, if I talked about my cordovan slipons and didn't mention that they were Giorgio Brutini kiltie mocs, it would be the same as if I was talking about my friend Shiloh and just called him "that red-head." I mean, my Hobé faux-pearl-and-rhinestone earrings are different from my Monet faux-pearl-and-rhinestone earrings.



Granted, I have a couple pairs of unsigned faux-pearl-and-rhinestone earrings, and I tend not to mention them because they don't have names. Why would I go on and on about some guy I saw on the street whose name I don't know, when I can go on and on about Daniel Goddard? I can even give you a link so you can go see if you agree with me that he's the Hottest Man on Television.



But I don't think that one label is necessarily better than another label, except insofar as one might be more recognizeable than another, and may cut down on further description. If I say "Gap chinos" most people know what I mean and I don't have to go into much detail. And you all know how I like to economize on words...



So anyway, back to the watch and it's problems. I mentioned the other day that mine is the kind without numbers, just the four cavalier little dots...the midnight/noon dot being largest so you can remember which part of the watch goes which way when you're putting it on. But the whole lack-of-numbers thing is causing me trouble lately. I don't know if it's a focus problem, or if I'm just getting stupider, but I'm having great difficulty telling time.



Today when I was at Susyn's birthday party, some Program friends were talking about going to an AA meeting at 7:30. I looked at my watch and figured it was a couple of hours until then...I could do a little shopping and grab a bite of dinner before the meeting. So I went to Tower Records on Market, and after buying a few CDs (Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee compilations, plus original cast albums of A Class Act and Wonderful Town), I went downstairs to look through the videos. While perusing a few John Waters titles, I glanced at my watch and thought "Oh, no, it's 7:20 already, I have to dash," so I left the store and absolutely flew to the Catholic high school next to Collingwood Park where the meeting was held (those readers familiar with SF's gay ghetto know that's quite a schlepp to do in ten minutes)...yet when I got to the meeting-room, there was nobody there! So I looked at my watch again...and it was only 5:30! It had been just after four when I'd checked at the party. Oy.



So anyway, I either have to practice telling time without numbers, or buy a watch that has numbers on it. But it took me so long to find this watch! It's a women's model but has an eight-inch band...so while it fits my wrist, it's not all big and bulky like most men's watches (some of which are so chunky that the face is actually wider than my wrist...like strapping a covered casserole to your arm). And even though I got my Citizen on a great sale, it was not a price that you pass off lightly and throw the watch away when it irritates you.



Oh, well...I imagine it is a concentration problem rather than a no-numbers problem. I mean, any idiot can tell the difference between 5:30 and 7:30, even if there weren't any dots at all. Most people can even tell the difference without looking at a watch, just by the lingering presence of daylight.



I have been having trouble staying focused of late. Shiny objects will actually make me forget what I'm saying. When noting a movement out of the corner of my eye, I totally cut off the people I'm talking with, completely forgetting they're there. I'll stop to look in a shop-window, and when I'm done will start walking back the way I came instead of heading towards my destination. I'll be talking to a passenger in the car and start driving somewhere completely unrelated to where we're going, like the office or my house. I hope this isn't some sort of degenerative brain disorder...I'm flighty enough as it is.



Maybe I'm just not getting enough sleep. I think I'll go get some now. À bientôt!