Tired, grumpy, facing another blizzard in the forecast and the end of my daughter's visit, I dressed without care for the drive to the airport this a.m. Gray fleece, black pants, red and green striped socks, blue suede shoes. Never thought how that would appear to Subaru service department which was stop number two after dropping off the kid at DIA.

Worse yet, problem with rear window defroster was merely this...I was pushing the wrong button. Dressed like a middle-aged frump AND pushing the wrong button! Am I losing my buttons here?

Turns out what I always told my children as they slinked self-consciously through adolescence is true: No one cares how you look. The service rep never even looked up from his computer screen as I sheepishly retrieved my car.