You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh, I never understood the-fre-quen-cy, uh-huh.

Now that I have a little money, I’m zooming out to take a look at my material possessions and deciding what I can buy to make myself more desirable to all the new lady-types in my life. As you’d expect, I’m starting with my clothes. It’s funny, you work in a chemistry lab for two years and new holes never cease to appear weekly on even the best of Old Navy $10 T-shirts. I’d guess my average shirt has 20 sulfuric acid stylistic enhancements.

I bought some new stuff. Actually, I’m buying A LOT of new stuff. Actually, I’m virtually chucking everything but my newest shirts and favorite jeans. In some ways, it’s sort of sad. For example, I replaced my POS fleece with a Columbia jacket I found on clearance. The material is awesome; I think my new jacket even claims to be bullet proof (I’m trying it out the first robbery I encounter). However POS fleece was there when I was learning to tolerate the French as a greenie missionary (by “the Fench” I mean "my trainer"). POS Fleece was there when I saw my first sub-20 degree winter. POS fleece was there on rainy bike rides up to campus for my last two years at BYU. I really don’t want to see him go despite the fact that all but his main zipper have fallen apart and that his elastic drawcord broke in the first six months of ownership. Despite the fact that he’s too big and despite the fact that even my celestial mother said he was ugly. Despite the fact that he was never very good to start with much less be worth anything six years later.

POS fleece in many ways is like me. A while back, TB and I (and maybe Cinderella too) had a conversation about St. Exupery’s “apprivoiser.” “Ca signifie, ‘creer des liens..’” The world is always more beautiful in French. Literaly, the phrase means, “to create some ties/links.” The Fox and the Rose are special to the Little Prince because they are “unique au monde.” More accurately, they are unique to HIS world. I think real friends are similar. You hang on to them, not because they are particularly convenient or useful or even at all helpful, but because they have become special to you as an individual.

Where do such feelings leave POS fleece? In the closet for now. You'd better ask me again when I have to move back to Utah. Special things are great aids when I need to feel human, and on most days, there's nothing I want more than to remember the good times of the past. Nevertheless, nothing boots you back into reality like 12 hours crammed in a compact-pickup. It's only there that you realize what is truly apprivoisee and what is just a piece of crap you should have trashed years ago.
What's the Frequency Kenneth - Michael Stipe