I used to have this totally awesome umbrella that looked like it was made out of banana leaves.

But in that way that umbrellas have of doing, it went for a wander one day and didn't come home. :(

So I've been on the lookout for great umbrellas for a while. I've had some stopgap boring ones, but nothing really awesome. I'm actually kind of fussy about what I want in an umbrella. I want it to be big enough that it protects me from rain but not so big that it drives other people off the sidewalk around me. I want it to be sturdy enough not to collapse in the rain. And it must be a stick umbrella. None of this piddly collapsable umbrella crap for me.

AND I want it to be awesome and colorful. Because more than many other functional objects in my life, the brightness and quirkiness of an umbrella is essential to combating the psychological effects of rain. The umbrella should protect me from getting wet, but it should also protect me from being depressed that it's raining.

While we were in Montreal last month, moominmolly, N., and I went to the Insectarium, and I got a fantastic and colorful umbrella there. Today is my first day of truly serious to get to use it since buying it, and I'm happy to report that it's doing all of its jobs delightfully.