Men and Umbrellas

We have had a decent amount of rain in Wisconsin this Spring.  Rain gives plenty of chances to bring out the trusty old umbrella.  I'm a fan of the umbrella (I keep one in my backpack at all times) but as a man you have to choose when to use one, and when to keep it packed away.  Below are my thoughts (in no particular order) on when a man should keep the umbrella on the shelf.

When there's only one umbrella...
     ...and you are with your wife, girlfriend, or child.  I experienced this one last week.  My youngest son and I went to watch our local minor league baseball team play two innings in the rain.  After calling for a rain delay we decided to leave, as the forecast looked like it was going to rain all night.  Upon leaving the stadium I pulled out the trusty umbrella and we started the two block walk to the car.  Very quickly I realized that my height, being much more than his, made it impossible to keep us both dry with one umbrella.  I gave him the umbrella and I walked the rest of the way to the car and got soaking wet.  We did enjoy some Culver's frozen custard afterwards.  Usually the air conditioning is nice, but not when you are soaking wet.

Walking to and from the parking lot
     My work cubicle faces the parking lot of the company I work for.  Sitting by the window gives you the chance to see what's going on outside while being in a temperature controlled building.  Who uses the basketball hoop, who goes out to smoke, who goes out to lunch on a regular basis, etc.  One of the most entertaining parts of a window seat is watching people get to and from their car in the rain.  As a man, there are 3 (possibly a couple more) ways to protect yourself from the rain when going to and from the parking lot, and an umbrella is not one of them..
     -Newspaper.  For the few people that subscribe to the newspaper this is a time honored way to keep your head relatively dry.
     -Briefcase.  Not many people use briefcases these days, but for those who do it's a classic way to block the rain drops.
     -Clothing.  This could be a jacket, t-shirt, or other form of clothing.

     This afternoon I witnessed a real man's man walk from his car (which was parked in the very last row of the lot), to the building.  He casually strolled through the rain and made no attempt to cover his head.

     Feel free to add to the list.  I'm sure there are more out there.