The Watch Makes the Man

I blame Kingston for this awful photo

So, yeah, I graduated from Queen's yesterday. No big deal. Unsurprisingly, the ceremony had nothing on what they had at Western last year. I tell ya - Queen's? No big shakes (or am I just trying to be different?).

Anyway, my folks got me a nice watch for graduation (hint to Colin: when you graduate the second time, this might just be your gift, so don't buy a watch). It's very nice, but I've never really been a watch person. The notion that you need to know the time at all hours of the day is silly. They're also bothersome. You are constantly aware they are on your wrist. You have to take it off at night, put it on in the morning. You also become acutely aware of the passage of time when you have one on.

I borrowed my brother's for first year, I think it was, and was pissed when he had the nerve to ask for his own watch back. But after a day or two without one, I wondered why I'd ever bothered to begin with. Son of a bitch, though, it's true what they say: the watch makes the man.

I wish it weren't true. I wish that stuff like cars and watches and rings didn't matter. I wish I was granted no extra notice just because I happen to have something I didn't even pay for wrapped around my wrist. I try not to be materialistic, and I've succeeded to a point. Certainly, a watch was one of those things I promised myself I would never get. But, Jesus Christ, I look pretty fucking snappy wearing the damn thing.

Look at me, I'm Alec fucking Baldwin at the start of Glengarry Glen Ross. This damn thing looks smart on me. It's like I'm saying, "look bitches, I have huge fucking testicles and I might let you touch if I feel like it". I can see how, when I become a teacher, the sight of a watch peeking over my cuff will say, "you shits better shut up and listen, because I'm the boss".

So, I guess now I'm officially a man who cares about watches. Never thought I'd do that. Wait, no... that's not right. Is it? Is it wrong to think I look sharper wearing a watch? Can you have a crisis of conscience over something like that? Stupid fucking watch.

I don't mind looking good when I'm wearing a tie, or a jacket. That's because ties and jackets (that is, the ones I get secondhand off dead guys) aren't too terribly expensive. It's not outside the reach of a person earning even a small amount of money to buy a tie. But there's something about the watch. It's like, "hey, if only the lottery of birth had placed you into a middle class family, maybe you could have a nice watch like this, Mr. Casio".

Also, if you'd like, be sure to check out the previous post again cause I added links to all the songs I was talking about. For your listening pleasure and such.

PS: The new X-Men movie is actually good.