out with the old

My mission to find a new bandanna to replace my old, faithful one was successful:

Today, I went to the Dongdaemun (East Gate) district, where you can find all sorts of clothes and clothing-related items. It was late on a Sunday afternoon; many of the stalls in the open market were already closed, but the big stores were still open, so I slipped into the crowded Migliore building, asked a convenience-store lady where the bandannas were, and escalatored my way up to the fifth floor. I found a handkerchief seller, but she said that, if I was looking for the truly large bandannas that you can wear on your head, I'd need to try a hat seller. So I found one, and sure enough, she had the black version of my current bandanna—or something that was close enough.

Now I'm good for another few years. Meanwhile, I'm thankful to my old bandanna for its faithful service, but I could tell that its time was at an end once the fabric began fraying and tearing not long after I had gotten back from my long walk. You'll note that, on Day 26 of that walk, there was no hole at all in the middle of my bandanna, which goes to show that the new holes represent a cascade failure in the fabric. This is the same way in which human beings who are in good physical shape die: they're healthy as horses until, one day, they're suddenly kaput when all their systems crash at the same time. If such people are lucky, this happens in their sleep. I'm not sure whether my old bandanna is now asleep, but it's certainly in or near the grave. I might get it patched up and use it until it really is just rags, but it may be better to go full-on "Blade Runner" and simply... retire it.