Happy St. Patrick's Day. Now give me 50 cents.

It is a beautiful day. I got out of work an hour early today, which was superb. I'm not really wearing green, though that is the requirement for getting your free cone at Stewart's. At least, that is what it always was for as long as I can remember, and I've lived in the Capital Region since I was little. When I asked for a cone, the cashier sort of looked at me funny, and then eyed me up and down, seeing if he could spot my green. I held out to him the translucent green circles hanging from long chains dangling from my ears. We had a brief discussion about how they were just barely green when he cuts me off--"you know that'll be fifty cents, right?"

"You're joking" I say.

This is not the first time today where someone asked me for a small portion of money for something that shouldn't cost anything. The security guard at the door of the school I subbed in told me he would let me back in (I had to go to my car), but for a dollar.

However, unlike the security guard, the man at Stewart's was not joking.

"Everywhere?" I ask.

He explains that because college students had exploited the free cone day last year, going from shop to shop, they now have to charge.

"But that's what you do." I replied, as I reluctantly handed him two quarters.

As he argued the value of this purchase I tried to explain to him that I don't really like ice cream, and that now I might not be able to afford beans. At this point he was no longer listening. Perhaps he thought I was joking.

Schenectady Gazette Article featuring Duto.

Pre-Duto Lark Street Free Cone Day: