Death By Chocolate is much more pleasant

I've purchased a new suit--the Canadian suits just weren't cutting it in the Japanese summer. My new suit has no lining, and is made of tissue paper. If you took a suit like this home from a store back in Canada, you'd take it back and demand, "Where's the rest of my suit?"

Which isn't to say I'm as cool as a cucumber. Or even a zucchini. I can't even stand to do up my shirt and put on my tie (wearing a suit jacket of any sort is right out) until after I've taken the train to work and had a chance to cool down and air out in the air-conditioned goodness provided by Japan Rail.

The Japanese summer was specifically designed to kill Canadians--death by melting.

I came very close to purchasing a burgundy suit. That's right: burgundy. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Fool! How could you pass up an opportunity to get a burgundy suit? I mean, hello!"

Sadly, Kate was with me at the time and she put an end to my burgundy dreams. She wouldn't even let me try one on, not even when the grinning and perhaps slightly mischevous clerk kept bringing me different burgundy suits for my--our--appraisal. (This took a while. Apparently I'm an ambulatory stick even in Japan.)

And just today, I went shopping for new ties--in the 100 yen store, of course--and what did I see but a burgundy tie with diagonal yellow stripes. It was beautiful--how it ended up in a 100 yen store is beyond me--and it would have matched perfectly. Simply tragic.