It was raining yesterday, so I carried my umbrella when I went outside.

Seemed simple enough. Sounded like the intelligent thing to do, doesn't it? But I can think of a time when it wasn't that simple.

I don't know if things have changed, but when I was in grammar school, junior high, and to some extent high school, carrying an umbrella was just a "no-no". If you were a girl, that's a different story. It was OK to use an umbrella if you were a girl. But if you were a boy, forget it. "You have an UMBRELLA?!?" Not that it ever stopped me. I've never been one to base my happiness on the approval of others.

So if it was raining, I brought a umbrella to school.

Seemed simple enough. Sounded like the intelligent thing to do, doesn't it? Well some boys couldn't handle it. "You have an UMBRELLA?!? Why do you have an umbrella?!?" Um, maybe because it's RAINING, Einstein? Apparently being dry was too much of a threat to some boys' masculinities. It's one thing if you simply didn't like umbrellas and preferred other means to stay dry, like rain coats or rain ponchos. But those weren't the boys who had a problem with my choice of rain protection. One time in high school (which was open-campus with several small buildings, meaning you had to walk outside at some point) I saw one guy who noticed his "friend" carrying an umbrella, and half-jokinging shouted out to him "C'mon, get wet -- BE A MAN!" Getting yourself and your book bag soaked by choice isn't being a man -- that's being a masochist.

I remember another time in highschool when it was raining, and I passed by two teachers who had umbrellas. I looked at them and said out loud "Wow, TWO more intelligent people!" They turned to me and one of them laughingly said, "Yes, that's what WE were just saying! I said 'These umbrellas are great inventions, I wonder why so few students are using them?'"