Groundhog Day musings that have little to do with groundhogs

OK, I have to admit that I find the whole Groundhog Day euphoria hilarious. Growing up, we all followed the doings of Punxsutawney Phil, but then we followed the doings of Punxsy high school athletics also. I suppose the regionalism of Punxsutawney Phil exploded after the Bill Murray vehicle Groundhog Day, and now he's a national phenomenon, rating video coverage on the Washington Post and CNN sites.


But enough of that. Has anyone else noticed a trend of "dandyism" on campuses? This morning, after walking back from my class, I noticed two young men out for a stroll. One of them was clearly a dandy. He wore trousers and a jacket with a little silk handkerchief poking out of the breast pocket, a V-neck sweater with a tie tucked underneath it. He also wore black leather gloves. The silk tie was a vibrant shiny green, while the silk handkerchief was more of a turquoise or aqua tone. The other, I believe, was a dandy in training: he had the jacket, but his jeans marked him as something of a dandy wanna-be. Their conversation was about what one had written in his diary the night before.


Diary? My assumption immediately turned to the possibility that I'd happened upon two collegiate literary stars, you know the kind that are probably affiliated with one of the many literary magazines around campus. I though very much of Freddie Miles in The Talented Mr. Ripley: