Hear me out, a robe and flip flops. I mean, what could possibly be more comfortable? If it were socially acceptable I might spend the rest of my days in a robe and flip flops.
There would of course be the issue of the weather…
***
Today I was invited to a friends house to have coffee and listen to his new tube amp. The guy is a serious audiophile, and I have to say that he really does know good equipment. He also makes a great cup of coffee! I accepted immediately.
I looked at the weather forecast before getting ready. Cold. Very very cold. The kind of cold that demands multiple layers, and the essential winter paraphernalia – toque, mitts, jacket and snow boots.
I tried the automatic car starter, and was rewarded with the sound of a grumpy six cylinder firing up. While the car warmed to a safe operating temperature I assembled my wasteland outfit. Long underwear, pants, socks, t-shirt, sweater, toque, parka, boots and gloves. The final touch was a pair of aviators to ward off snow blindness.
I was off! Waddling like an overstuffed penguin, I pushed myself into the car and headed out into the snow.
The drive was not so bad. I was nearly side swiped in a school zone by some fool in an SUV with frosted up windows. Just a near miss though. Such are the joys of living in a sub-arctic climate. Not a snow cobra in sight.
Arriving at my friends house I crunched through the snowpack to his front door, where he greeted me in a robe. I commented on the unusual choice, to which he replied “Its Saturday morning, and I am chilllin!” “Awesome” I replied, pushing inside. I was suddenly envious of the robe, and wished I had chosen my own attire better.
***
At best I am a neophyte to the world of high end audio. I do not have the vocabulary to accurately describe the deep rich sound experience that comes from high end equipment. Every new song is a journey. Even tracks that I know well are a completely new experience when pushed through the various amps, equalizers and speakers. The whole setup looks like a steam punk experiment, and I love it.
In addition to being an expert in audio, my friend is also a connoisseur of fine coffee. His drink of choice is the latte, and he produced an excellent Americano for me. We soaked up the vibes from a Kruder and Dorfmeister set while chatting for a couple hours. It was a perfect morning visit, but it was time to go.
The process of suiting up did not take too long. After a quick bro-hug I was out the door and back into the deep-freeze. The temperature was around negative twenty five to degrees centigrade (-13F). I crammed myself into the driver seat again, thankful for the layers of clothing between me and the frozen upholstery.
Maybe one day I will live in a place where robes and flip flops are a practical everyday choice. Until then, stay warm!
The Wild 
Leave a comment