magic number: 42

so campers, here are a few fun facts about the number 42.

• the angle at which sunlight reflects through a raindrop (or more precisely, a bunch of raindrops) to form a rainbow.
• the atomic number of Molybdenum.
• the number of results displayed if a person Googles (or Bings) the phrase "the answer to life the universe and everything."
• number of generations in the Gospel of Matthew's genealogy of Jesus.
• one of The Numbers - 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 - featured in _Lost_.
• the jersey number of Jackie Robinson, the only number ever to be retired by every single Major League Baseball team.
• the number of spots on a pair of standard 6-sided dice.
• the last size in men's jeans that retail stores sell on the shelves outside of the Big 'n' Tall section.

Obviously it is this last trivium on which I would like to focus.  this past weekend, Susanne and I went beach camping in Rehoboth Beach, DE, and at the end of that [fantastic] trip, we made a stop at the outlets so I could purchase some pants to get me through the winter without exposing myself unintentionally when my pants inevitably ended up falling down.

Great was my satisfaction and delight when I approached the shelves of jeans with trepidation, selected a size 42x30, straight-cut jeans, soldiered off to the fitting room, and jumped right into those jeans.  Gone are the days of shopping online exclusively (because I couldn't find anything in the store that fit me) - I can literally walk into any store in the entire outlet mall (with the possible exception of Yankee Candle) and pick something that I can get into.

The very best thing about the number 42?  In all likelihood, this time next year it will be in my rearview mirror. :)