You might be wondering why I've been so quiet lately, and I have a very somber reason (get the tissue boxes reasy, cause it's a tear-jerker): I haven't been able to wear my gear as often as I'd like to recently, and you have to realize that "as often as I'd like to" means every moment of every day that I'm not naked.
Obviously, I still sport my kilts most of the time, but the few times I am unable are for reasons I really can't argue with. I teach yoga at a local studio, and as much as I want to encourage freedom, downward dog is not the place to do it, especially since it's a beginner's class and I don't want to scare anyone away. The only other time I have to grin and bear the discomfort is at the gym, a place I've seen a lot of lately. Innevitably I'll coordinate my errands with being out in town, so I have to shame myself in public by wearing pants - I'm just waiting for the day that some person runs up behinds me and "pants" me in public, just so I can stand there and enjoy the brief moment of freedom before pulling them back up to avoid public indecency charges...
Anywho, the lack of 24/7 kilt-wearing is the disappointing reason behind my laack of posts, in addition to my lack of a cameraman. It never occurs to me when I'm out with my friends to say "Hey, let's get a shot of us all - be sure to get my kilt in the photo." You see, it's become such a natural thing to me that it never seems to warant a spontaneous photograph, but for your blog-reading pleasure, this is my promise to try to keep the pictures coming, at least as often as I'm able to give you a written update. Come on, that's what you're really here for, right? The killer photos? (Speaking of which, if you just want to browse through some badass imagery, navigate over to the Utilikilts website and they've got more pictures than you can shake a fist at.)
So that's to let you know I'm still alive, and hopefully as the school year starts up, I'll have more opportunities to share the love. Peace, my friends.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Staircase of Doom
I can understand cutting some corners when it comes to realizing a budget, but whether it was for financial purposes or for reasons unknown, the previous owners of the house I live in thought it necessary to make a last-minute change on their floorplans, with specific regard to a staircase leading to a one-room second floor (or first floor, for all the Europeans out there.)
In retrospect, it seems like the stairwell in question was originally designed to house a spiral staircase, given the extremely limited space available. But for some reason - again, I'm unclear as to whether it was a money-pinching fix, a last-minute "oops, we did that wrong" kind of solution, or just poor judgement in the first place - the previous owners who presumably built the place decided to nix the spiral steps and install a normal stair instead, allowing a whole SIX INCHES of tread width per step.
To put that number in perspective, I believe the average stair width is about nine inches; any less can prove particularly dangerous, as our model certainly did. What's worse, some genius decided to carpet the stairs, detracting even more from the already scarce stepping room - to a guy with feet as big as mine, that's basically a death trap. (And it's true what they say about guys with big feet: they fall harder when they trip down the stairs. All that room under the kilt is actually for strategic parachuting purposes.)
Given the present danger, something had to be done (now that we've been living here for eleven years, of course - some projects sit on the back burner until they boil over) before it became a literal stairway to heaven; injuries have already ensued. It was time for remodelling, and time for me to break out the Workman's to aid comfort in repair.
I would've taken some before-and-after shots, but I figure my handiwork speaks for itself. Of course, when I say "my" I mean "our," as I had help with the project, otherwise it couldn't be finished in the five or six days we worked on it. Anyway, we tore up the carpet and replaced it with hardwood, alotting a bit more space for stepping, but we also extended the tread another couple of inches to give more foot room on the way up - it's no different coming down, but you can't expect perfection when fixing someone else's mistakes. Besides, it looks pretty awesome, if you ask me.
Also, more importantly than the finished product, I felt pretty badass with a pneumatic staple gun, which came in handy when the Russian spies showed up to steal our floor plan. When they saw I was wearing a kilt, they backed off immediately, aware of their instantaneous inferiority. Oh, and sorry for the delayed post: things have been busy lately, lots of home-improvement projects like this going on, but you can bet I'm the most comfortable handyman around.
In retrospect, it seems like the stairwell in question was originally designed to house a spiral staircase, given the extremely limited space available. But for some reason - again, I'm unclear as to whether it was a money-pinching fix, a last-minute "oops, we did that wrong" kind of solution, or just poor judgement in the first place - the previous owners who presumably built the place decided to nix the spiral steps and install a normal stair instead, allowing a whole SIX INCHES of tread width per step.
To put that number in perspective, I believe the average stair width is about nine inches; any less can prove particularly dangerous, as our model certainly did. What's worse, some genius decided to carpet the stairs, detracting even more from the already scarce stepping room - to a guy with feet as big as mine, that's basically a death trap. (And it's true what they say about guys with big feet: they fall harder when they trip down the stairs. All that room under the kilt is actually for strategic parachuting purposes.)
Given the present danger, something had to be done (now that we've been living here for eleven years, of course - some projects sit on the back burner until they boil over) before it became a literal stairway to heaven; injuries have already ensued. It was time for remodelling, and time for me to break out the Workman's to aid comfort in repair.
I would've taken some before-and-after shots, but I figure my handiwork speaks for itself. Of course, when I say "my" I mean "our," as I had help with the project, otherwise it couldn't be finished in the five or six days we worked on it. Anyway, we tore up the carpet and replaced it with hardwood, alotting a bit more space for stepping, but we also extended the tread another couple of inches to give more foot room on the way up - it's no different coming down, but you can't expect perfection when fixing someone else's mistakes. Besides, it looks pretty awesome, if you ask me.
Also, more importantly than the finished product, I felt pretty badass with a pneumatic staple gun, which came in handy when the Russian spies showed up to steal our floor plan. When they saw I was wearing a kilt, they backed off immediately, aware of their instantaneous inferiority. Oh, and sorry for the delayed post: things have been busy lately, lots of home-improvement projects like this going on, but you can bet I'm the most comfortable handyman around.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Oh, Bother...
"Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily..."
If you're familiar at all with my area, then you've probably wondered why Chicago was dubbed "The Windy City" instead of any of a number of cities in north Texas, because when it blows here, it BLOWS. If you didn't catch it, those opening lines belong to the wise old Winnie the Pooh, which makes me think the Hundred Acre Wood must have been down the road from me at some point. You know, aside from the fact that there are no trees in N Texas...
Anyway, I had to roll up the canopy of our camper parked out back so the winds wouldn't take the whole thing to Kansas, and one has to wonder how a kilted young lad could accomplish such a feat and remain humble in his attire (although, Winnie the Pooh was allegedly one of the humblest figures in literary history, and not only did he not wear pants, he didn't wear anything down there. He certainly must have been a wise bear, hmm?)
To save myself some effort, I'll refer you to an earlier post about getting to know my kilts, where you will find a description of the Workman's model, equipped with a built-in safety system. Basically the point of this post is to let you know that it stands up to the test of the savage winds of north Texas; show me a city-slicker from Chicago (say that five times fast) who can keep his cool in a windstorm on the open plains - quite literally, as my downstairs were able to enjoy the winds as much as the rest of me.
If there's anything I have in common with Winnie the Pooh, it is assuredly a sense of freedom unknown to the unimaginative, trousered folk out there.
Did they seriously use the word "lustily" in a children's show? And what's this "thrashing thrustily" business? I need to rethink my childhood... This might actually explain a lot.
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily..."
If you're familiar at all with my area, then you've probably wondered why Chicago was dubbed "The Windy City" instead of any of a number of cities in north Texas, because when it blows here, it BLOWS. If you didn't catch it, those opening lines belong to the wise old Winnie the Pooh, which makes me think the Hundred Acre Wood must have been down the road from me at some point. You know, aside from the fact that there are no trees in N Texas...
Anyway, I had to roll up the canopy of our camper parked out back so the winds wouldn't take the whole thing to Kansas, and one has to wonder how a kilted young lad could accomplish such a feat and remain humble in his attire (although, Winnie the Pooh was allegedly one of the humblest figures in literary history, and not only did he not wear pants, he didn't wear anything down there. He certainly must have been a wise bear, hmm?)
To save myself some effort, I'll refer you to an earlier post about getting to know my kilts, where you will find a description of the Workman's model, equipped with a built-in safety system. Basically the point of this post is to let you know that it stands up to the test of the savage winds of north Texas; show me a city-slicker from Chicago (say that five times fast) who can keep his cool in a windstorm on the open plains - quite literally, as my downstairs were able to enjoy the winds as much as the rest of me.
If there's anything I have in common with Winnie the Pooh, it is assuredly a sense of freedom unknown to the unimaginative, trousered folk out there.
Did they seriously use the word "lustily" in a children's show? And what's this "thrashing thrustily" business? I need to rethink my childhood... This might actually explain a lot.
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Whole Family & Wash Care
Just look at 'em. Don't they seem happy? I think so. One thing's for sure - a closet full of kilts certainly gets my spirits up! Just thought it'd be nice to have a group photo.This is also a good opportunity to give you an idea of how low-maintenance these beauties are. They only need to be washed infrequently, as they're pretty hard to get dirty enough to actually need a good washing (depending, of course, on how you like to spend your time. I can think of more than a few ways to dirty a kilt, but maybe that's because my mind is so often in the gutter.)
Anyway, I just run them through a cold cycle in the washing machine - after ensuring the labyrinth of pockets is emty, of course - and spread them out to dry. It's just as well to hang them up, but I find the pleats keep their form best when laid out to dry, maybe with a ceiling fan on. Just straightening them out by hand a bit aids the process, and keeps wrinkles out. Now I'm not that worried about the heavy-duty Workman's, so I usually just throw it in the dryer for a little while, not enough to dry it completely, and then spread it out for the rest of the process. The heavier material makes it nearly impossible to hang when it's soaked, cause it gets HEAVY.
As far as care goes, I also find that these things are built to last. I was more than a little turned off when I first saw the price tags, but you really do pay for quality and durability. I would've spent more on pants that wear out too easily in the time I've had my kilts, were I still living a shackled life, and I know folks who have spent years in one kilt with no complaints. I think it's a no-brainer.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Olive, Oh Love...
As promised, here are some shots of the newest addition to my collection, the olive Original Utilikilt.
The color is much richer than I'd expected, a very deep, almost forest green, which can be elegant but still retain its character. Like a delicious glass of wine, no? Aged to perfection in the Utilikilts warehouse, this beautiful garment has been blah blah blah AWESOME. Got some good shots of the pleats in here, that fresh-off-the-factory crispness that makes for a nice looking kilt. They do tend to soften after awhile, but we're talking months and months of wear and tear - especially if you wear them every day, like me, but properly kept they can keep this nice, sharp look (like my Mocker, if you haven't seen it in action yet.)
I also wanted to experiment with sizing, because my 34" waist I typically order (all of the kilts before this one) is a bit loose - but COMFORTABLY so. I went a size down with this one at 33" (still kept the 23" length) and it definitely sits higher, the top just below my navel. It makes it feel shorter, which is actually kind of nice - I might consider going down to a 21.5" length on the next one - but it also wears more noticeably on my hip bones. I wouldn't want to load the pockets with much, else it'd be a bit uncomfortable. Either way it's nice to have options and to notice how different the ride can be with a simple alteration in sizing - and only an inch, at that! I worked with Utilikilts at a fair earlier this year, and almost every time we got the bifurcated blokes' actual waist measurements, a size up from that did the job, so if you're in the market for one of these, keep in mind that you're going to need some room to breathe (unless you like a tighter fit, like this one.) Also gives some "pinching room" in the backseat, extra fabric to stretch about when you're sitting or being active and whatnot.
And I love the black embroidered logo above the back pocket - it's white on my black Original, for obvious reasons, but I like the subtle, stylish element this lends to the whole package. Oh, and speaking of packages, everything still breathes just fine in this kilt - try getting a smaller size of trousers without the choke factor! (Actually, just take my word for it and don't.)
I've been wearing it for a whole day, and already I've got a handful of compliments and weird glances. Apparently this look is popular in Germany (maybe the military-grade green?), because a girl stopped me earlier who had been to Germany and enlightened me that I'd fit right in. Anyway, to wrap things up, this was a good lesson in sizing, and it makes me want to reiterate the importance of actually trying one on, if you're planning on freeing yourself anytime soon. It's one thing to take your measurements with a tape in front of a computer screen, but to really get the full effect and know for certain what's your style, either look for a retailer in your area, visit UKHQ on your next vacation, or check out different Renaissance fairs and other conferences for a vendor.
Hope you've enjoyed the pictures as much as I've enjoyed wearing it today - now I'm off to fetch some groceries and enjoy the reactions of some townsfolk!
The color is much richer than I'd expected, a very deep, almost forest green, which can be elegant but still retain its character. Like a delicious glass of wine, no? Aged to perfection in the Utilikilts warehouse, this beautiful garment has been blah blah blah AWESOME. Got some good shots of the pleats in here, that fresh-off-the-factory crispness that makes for a nice looking kilt. They do tend to soften after awhile, but we're talking months and months of wear and tear - especially if you wear them every day, like me, but properly kept they can keep this nice, sharp look (like my Mocker, if you haven't seen it in action yet.)
I also wanted to experiment with sizing, because my 34" waist I typically order (all of the kilts before this one) is a bit loose - but COMFORTABLY so. I went a size down with this one at 33" (still kept the 23" length) and it definitely sits higher, the top just below my navel. It makes it feel shorter, which is actually kind of nice - I might consider going down to a 21.5" length on the next one - but it also wears more noticeably on my hip bones. I wouldn't want to load the pockets with much, else it'd be a bit uncomfortable. Either way it's nice to have options and to notice how different the ride can be with a simple alteration in sizing - and only an inch, at that! I worked with Utilikilts at a fair earlier this year, and almost every time we got the bifurcated blokes' actual waist measurements, a size up from that did the job, so if you're in the market for one of these, keep in mind that you're going to need some room to breathe (unless you like a tighter fit, like this one.) Also gives some "pinching room" in the backseat, extra fabric to stretch about when you're sitting or being active and whatnot.
And I love the black embroidered logo above the back pocket - it's white on my black Original, for obvious reasons, but I like the subtle, stylish element this lends to the whole package. Oh, and speaking of packages, everything still breathes just fine in this kilt - try getting a smaller size of trousers without the choke factor! (Actually, just take my word for it and don't.)
I've been wearing it for a whole day, and already I've got a handful of compliments and weird glances. Apparently this look is popular in Germany (maybe the military-grade green?), because a girl stopped me earlier who had been to Germany and enlightened me that I'd fit right in. Anyway, to wrap things up, this was a good lesson in sizing, and it makes me want to reiterate the importance of actually trying one on, if you're planning on freeing yourself anytime soon. It's one thing to take your measurements with a tape in front of a computer screen, but to really get the full effect and know for certain what's your style, either look for a retailer in your area, visit UKHQ on your next vacation, or check out different Renaissance fairs and other conferences for a vendor.
Hope you've enjoyed the pictures as much as I've enjoyed wearing it today - now I'm off to fetch some groceries and enjoy the reactions of some townsfolk!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Deep in the Heeaaart of Texas!
It's one wonderful thing to return home after weeks of being gone, but it's even better when you have a beautiful new kilt waiting for you to arrive! Soon as I get a few free minutes (probably tomorrow,) I'll get some pictures up. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Every Vacation Needs a Breakdown
So I mentioned the Prius briefly before, and it's a fantastic vehicle: been getting about 43 miles to the gallon on this trip, which has saved a bundle. The problem with vehicles, though, is that you still have to put gas in them - yes, even in hybrids - as we learned when we ran out of gas about 79 miles east of Pensacola. Luckily we've got AAA, so after their guy gave us a couple gallons we were able to make it to a gas station. Of course, it was still sweltering hot, and of course, I was still in my breezy kilt, which is a good combination, so overall it's just another experience to mark off the list.
I'm in Mississippi now, crashing with family for the night, and I'll be back in Lone Star sometime tomorrow - home sweet home, finally some dry heat instead of this humid, muggy stuff!
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