As my fuzz halo becomes more defined – not quite yet a crew cut, but getting there – hat fatigue is setting in. I’ve become lazy and am grabbing only my most basic, comfortable, easiest-to-wear hats these days. I have not taken Yolanda out in weeks now. I no longer give a shit about covering the baldness, and am wearing regular, non-cancer hats whenever I feel like it. I’m not quite ready to go hatless, mostly because it’s chilly out and my bald pate gets cold pretty easily (how do bald guys do it??), but it’s getting close – in terms of weather, stubble length, and my own giveashit-ometer.

Before it becomes entirely a non-issue, I thought I’d post a quick homage to one of the best casual head coverings out there: the Buff. Long before cancer crept into my life, I was a big fan already, because Buffs are very popular in the hiking community. A Buff is a tube of stretchy fabric, most easily used as a neck warmer, but with a bit of practice can be worn in a variety of ways, including as head coverings.

I did not need to use cancer as an excuse to buy more Buffs in more colors, because I already own a half dozen of them, including one with a map of the PCT on it; a pink one with “Ride Like a Girl” printed on it (that I’ve had since my triathlon days); a cozy merino wool one; plus a few others.

For most of last fall, I wore the Buff on my head while at home or anytime I was dressing down. It was my lightest, coolest head covering option, and since I own so many of them, I had them all over the house. Since the weather has cooled off I’ve switched to a soft fuzzy beanie, but still use the Buff for yoga class or anytime I’ll get warm. I also took to keeping one with me at all times as a back-up head covering, in case a “fashionable” hat I selected for the day became itchy or uncomfortable.

Soon the day will come when my Buffs are no longer such a critical component of my wardrobe; but until then, here’s to the Buff.