Blue Coat

I had several coats growing up. They typically looked military in some way, as this was the unspoken agreement my grandparents had with me concerning coats.

That changed my freshman year of High School. We purchased a blue parka, rather spur of the moment. We were about to exit Harris' Gottschalks, before the Gottschalks, when I sighted it. The price was right. So began the notorious history of The Blue Coat.

It had more pockets than I was used to. depending upon your outlook, that could be good or bad. My grandmother, freak that she was, had emergency supplies crammed into every closet and corner of our property. I, in kind, had survival gear crammed into every pocket of my coat. Regardless of the rules of the schools, Everything from a Swiss Army knife to a butane torch. Dehydrated food, make-shift weapons, first aid, pressure bandages, tools, and a little yellow notebook I wrote all my favorite writings in --Poe to Longfellow-- for entertainment.

When I'd run away and live out in the desert, I would spray deet on my face, glove my hands, use electricians' tape to seal off cuffs, hood my head and bunk on the desert floor. All those supplies were in my coat. In the morning, I'd scratch a hole into the dirt, pour Carbide into it, spit on it to create acetylene and light it. This made fires a lot easier to start than the flint and steel (also in coat) on tumbleweeds. You'd be amazed at how could the desert feels in the predawn hours.

The insulation of this coat was so good that you could remain cool on hot summer days and warm on cold winter days. So why ever take it off? Therefore, I rarely did. I sewed patches onto spots where I wasn't faster than the stray dogs, or where the truck's tailpipe got me, and my coat seemed to perpetually emit a smoky aroma. All those barrel fires! Nate (Innuendo) never ceased to find amusement in the quirks of my coat. It has about as much history tied into it as my chain!

So, it should come as no surprise then, that I STILL possess this coat. When the cold New York winter hits in a couple months, I'll wear it yet again. Only now, my gear is in my Man Bag.