In a way, hardly a man. In another way, too much of a man.

In the summer of 2001, as I worked at CVS/pharmacy, a coworker asked me how she should restyle her hair when she got it cut. This question surprised me, in part because she was Black and I was White. What would I know about Black hairstyles? I hardly knew any names for them. After thinking a moment, I said cornrows. It occurred to me later that cornrows seemed much more common among younger girls, maybe 14 and under. But she went ahead with my suggestion. I hope I remembered to compliment the result.

Only in the last month did it occur to me that she may have been trying to appeal especially to a White guy. Or, in particular, me.

Congratulations, Steve. It took you less than 4 years to come up with that.