Indoor Hat

I bought an indoor hat this winter. Yup, a hat that is meant to be worn inside your house, a bar, in Starbucks, or anywhere else with 4 walls and a ceiling. I became intrigued with the idea of an indoor hat while skiing in Vail 2 years ago. They were not popular, but I saw a couple of people wearing hats inside. The hats were not like other hats - they were different. I was interested in knowing the stories of the people wearing the hats. Were they ski bums? Trust fund kids? or just good kids having a blast for 1 winter in Vail before they got a real job. I decided they were the latter and I wanted their lifestyle. I wanted my own indoor hat.

I was 37 years old but wanted to live the lifestyle of an indoor hat wearer. Cool, hip, trendy, and it would even keep my balding head warm. I was in and I knew that I was one of the first to recognize the need to have one.

But I looked for one that told the world who I am. Brim or No Brim? Cotton or Wool? Reggae Style or Bomber Style? There were too many choices and not enough time to drag my wife and friends around from store to store in search of the perfect indoor hat. So, I left Vail hatless - but knew that I had to act quickly. I had to be an Early Adopter of the indoor hat. Nothing worse than recognizing a trend, but not taking action. (ie. Not buying an iPod back in 2001). But it was spring and hats were long gone from the shelves back home. Wait til next year.

The next winter came and went, but the indoor hat craze never materialized. Thank God. I looked around casually for a hat worthy of purchase, but they were still hard to come by and never found the right one.

Fast forward to the next winter. January 2006, skiing in Snowbird with some old work friends. Then I saw the kid who looked like he was out of college spending the winter chasing the snow, with the coolest looking indoor hat I had ever seen. Then I saw a girl working the register was wearing one. Then a ski instructor was spotted with one. That was it. I needed one and knew time was running out.

Next stop was the ski shop. Tried on about 5 styles and then I saw it - Olive colored, Cotton, Spyder, with the half brim. It fit my head perfectly. Here it is:

I am now the proud owner of my very own indoor hat. My friends poke fun at me...but I know that they will someday have one too.

I feel like I am in the Indoor Hat Early Adopter's Club. Kind of like the first kids to wear Teva's around. Nobody cool used to wear sandals - then some kids started wearing Teva's. A couple of years later, everyone had their very own Teva's. Then the inevitable happens, the quality of the product degrades, they go out of style, and the Early Adopters move on.....

Don't miss the Indoor Hat wave. I say 2008 is the breakout year for the indoor hat, which ensures us 2 years of "status". Like being a Platinum Medallion frequent flyer. I am wearing mine as much as possible, knowing the day will come when I will see Indoor Hats on sale at Wal Mart for $2.99. Don't wait - go get yours today.

The Olympic Sports Scam

Watching the Olympics is confusing. Are these events really sports? Well, let me clear up the confusion for you and give you some simple rules to decide if something is really a sport. Let's look at some sports and decide when is an activity a sport and when is it a scam sport:

Ice Dancing: This is fun to watch and the moves take stregth, skill and teamwork. However - Judges decide who wins and loses based on their costume, music, flair, and moves. RULE #1 - It does not qualify as a sport if Judges decide who wins and loses. Is Disco dancing a sport? Ballroom dancing? NO - and neither is Ice Dancing - Scam Sport. Why not put on a Broadway show like Phantom of the Opera and call that a sport? - Same thing here. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about....

RULE #1A - If you cry after losing and your makeup (male or female) gets messed up - then it cannot be a sport.

Figure Skating: See Rule 1 and 1A above. Scam Sport. It is one of the most popular events in the Olympics and that is why is stays with us. However, when Sasha Cohen falls twice and still wins a medal - that has to make even diehard fans wonder if this is really a sport or if it entertainment.


Bobsledding: This is a little trickier - so bear with me. Bobsledding is the most like a sport of these Scam Sports. It requires athleticism, teamwork, and speed. The winner is the team with best time. However, imagine the 10 year old kid sitting there watching on TV. He thinks the sport is cool and wants to get into Bobsledding and maybe get into the Olympics someday. He can't. He has no track to go to, no $100,000 Titanium Sled, and no other kids to do this with. He can take his Snow Disc down the local hill all day, everyday practicing - but that's it. He is stuck. Bobsled teams are handpicked and train exclusively to go to the Olympics. RULE #2 - If kids can't do the sport easily and compete locally - then it is not a sport.


Here are others which people might take as scam sports - but I believe that these should be sports.

Biathalon: This is a sport. X-C Skiing and shooting. Heck, we need sports for those kids that shot BB Guns as kids. Those BB Gun kids never played baseball and football, but were scary to hang out with - let's give them their own sport.

Curling: This one is tricky. It takes skill, teamwork and is decided by the players - not a judge. Also, there are local Curling rinks where kids can play. However, this activity involves home cleaning equipment (Brooms) which makes it confusing. I think this qualifies as a sport, but could be talked out of it....

Looking forward to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Summer Olympics are full of Scam Sports. Synchronized Swimming comes to mind and I think there is even some other sport where you run around a Gym Mat waving a colored ribbon. I can't wait.....