Armani makes snowboard bindings?

I could not imagine getting any more lucky with my living situation here in Grenoble – my roommates and I all get along spectacularly well. They’ve become the brother’s I never had (at least around my age, that is), and we have an absolute blast together, from cooking to skiing to going out…

I came home for lunch the other day, and Denis bursted excitedly (in the reserved, very cool way he does) out of his room and asked me to come give my advice on his snowboard. I looked at him funny, as I know nothing about snowboards, and certainly not more than he, but he insisted.

He had just bought a new set of bindings for his gorgeous cobalt blue board, and wanted my stylistic opinion. You’d think he’d know better after living with me for the past 5 months…

The bindings were Burton, make no mistake, and a lovely clean white. Quite stunning on his cobalt blue board. But alas, they were a size just a little too big. Easy call for me – I said, “so exchange them for the ones that fit! I’m sure that’ll be safer and much better.” However, it was a little more complicated than that. They only had red in the size he needed, and that just is not possible with his blue board. He would look the fool in the snowpark.

* * *

The next day, he bursts even more excitedly through the front door at lunchtime, and I ask him what’s up.

“I exchanged the bindings.”

“Oh, you went for the red ones?”

“Well, no, you see, in fact, they’re actually burgundy!”

I smiled and nodded.

“And what’s even better is that the white ones would only have gotten dirty really fast, and the red ones show the B of Burton better anyway, and so can be seen better from afar.”

I couldn’t contain my giggles any more, and after a moment he joined me, appreciating the silliness.

“But seriously, these things are important in the snow park!”