Gents:

Greetings and salutations from a straight up new guy.

I guess I could sorta kinda blame Doc Hudson for sparking my interest in kilts as something other than historical trivia, but I'm not sure "blame" is the right word.

As Doc said about a typical Southron, I'm Scots, Scots-Irish and English by blood, still a young pup at not even forty yet, married and a father (two very, very nice things to be). I'm just your basic reformed lawyer, former cryptographic Russian linguist, former Marine type guy. Wife is Natasha, daughter Maria Anasatasia (but we call her Masha because that's a handful of name).

Only have a couple of kilts so far---Utilikilt in olive and a purely whimsical Sportkilt in mad Hawai'ian red, oh yes and a Pittsburgh Kilts jobby in the MARPAT digital camouflage pattern. (How could I not?)

Loves 'em, I do.

I find I stand taller, I feel better, and the day goes by smoother when I'm kilted. Oh good gracious, why didn't I know about these before? Must be that vast matriarchal conspiracy to keep men down, I guess.

I go by Kid Cossack because I'm still an ignorant young punk, and because the Russian word "Cossack" (well, 'kazak' if you want to be technical) was lifted from the Turkic languages of Central Asia---it means Free Man or wanderer. I spent two years in Kazakhstan (which is 'kazakh' not 'kazak' and so entirely different) and really enjoyed it, to include wooing winning and marrying the team captain of the women's rugby team of the Central Sporting Committee of the Army of the Republic of Kazakstan.

I haven't done much genealogical research (gee, some members of the family lit a shuck for Texas under some somewhat dubious circumstances). Wasn't sure about a tartan, but I thought, "Four years in the Marine Corps, I'll get olive drab because those are MY CLAN COLORS right there."

We took an Alaskan cruise a few weeks back, and I was kilted every day. Reaction on the boat was pretty good, and ashore in Alaska VERY good. I'm proud of my heritage---but there's lots of different heritages to be proud of, and I figure anyone can wear a kilt. Living in the Gulf Coast of Texas, I believe in comfort, and the kilt gives me that. I'll wear a kilt with Tevas or hiking boots.

Additionally I like single action revolvers, single shot rifles, home brewed beer, Doc Hudson's pepper sauce, John Woo's Hong Kong movies, history and I'm also verging on being a libertarian, with mild anarchistic tendencies.

Like I say, I'm just a NUG----but everyone was, once, and I hope you don't hold my juvenile enthusiasms against me.

Best,

Kid Cossack