No raining on my parade

I whined earlier about losing my favorite umbrella in a bootleg cab in the city over St. Paddy's Day.

What I didn't mention is that I immediately placed an order for a new one as soon as I got home that night.

Yeah. So... here's a lesson kids: don't have your credit card handy if you've been drinking and if you're upset.

Yes, I ran up my credit card an unnecessary amount of money for a new umbrella. It arrived yesterday. I must admit I'm not feeling even a twinge of buyer's regret. Indeed, I think the entire losing-the-previous-umbrella situation may have been a blessing.

These folks have done some kind of upgrading to the design since my first purchase. The catch used to slip on the prior umbrella so it only stayed closed if I used the cloth fastener to keep the umbrella from expanding.

That statement makes more sense if you've actually seen the umbrella in action. Moving on...

Yeah, so the newer one feels different. It feels much more solid. And the catch seems better-constructed. The quality is impressive.

I like umbrellas with crooked handles. I find them easier to deal with when I'm negotiating carrying a number of items. I can just hook the umbrella on a limb (or bag) and go about my business. Plus it makes a dapper-looking walking stick/cane.

My martial arts classes (to which I hope to one-day return) offer "cane fighting" training at the black belt level. It would be ridiculously-easy to substitute an umbrella for a cane (which is sort of the purpose of this thing). Good reason for me to hunker down and aim for a black belt, I suppose.

I must say, I'm glad I made the purchase. Sure, this means I have to rein in other expenses (less beer *SOB!* and such) but I have a new favorite umbrella.