The End of the Obsession

[Alan H]

I would like a dark brown or charcoal herringbone tweed kilt jacket. That would look good with either of my two "fancy" kilts, the Capercaillie, and the Ancient MacNaughton that will someday be finished. I find that I only wear my black Eton jacket for the Nor Cal Rabble Burns Night, and there's really very little reason to even own it, aside from that. The only other possibility would be a night at the San Francisco Symphony, and we don't ever attend "Opening Night" so....not necessary. Besides, I'm *ahem* brawnier than I was when I bought it, and it barely fits any more.

A nice tweed jacket is the thing to have. Truly, I have no real need of anything more formal than that.

However, I find that I have a lot of other things that are more important to me to spend money on. So when it came out that a certain retailer was having a huge sale at the Woodland Highland Games, and hose and jackets were half or even a third of retail, I did not rush over to the booth, heart aflutter. Besides, its was warm and I was thirsty and there was only so much time before my friends were back on the field, throwing again, and I didn't want to miss it.

I think I am no longer obsessed. It seems to me that there's no rush, anymore.

[BEEDEE]

Alan - shame on you! What sort of example are you setting to our members?

Brian

[piperdbh]

If that vendor has a Sheriffmuir in a 44 long, a-flutter right over and buy it for me, please.

[Bob C]

Guid on ya, Alan, but Panache made out like a bandit at that sale.

[Whidbey78]

I can sympathize Alan. I'm pretty well "kitted up" unless another prince gets married and my invitation doesn't get lost in the mail like it did this last time.

About the only thing I'm "obsessing" about now is hose. I'm not really adding new stuff, just replacing items that are becoming worn...and waiting patiently for a good sale to do it. Maybe by Christmas time I'll order some...or just learn to knit.

[Alan H]

Guid on ya, Alan, but Panache made out like a bandit at that sale.

That he did! He wasn't the only one, either. MacMillans son scored a nice jacket, so did Smayniac and I think WalkerK also picked one up.

That lunch break came and went, with much talk about the killer deals to be had, and it was only that night that I realized that I was only vaguely tempted to go look. A couple of years ago I would have jumped up and at least hustled over there and LOOKED, you know? That saturday I was more interested in getting a cold one out of the cooler, saying hi to friends, and saving my money for a memorial trophy that I am putting together in memory of a good friend of mine, to be given out at the Enumclaw Games.

There's no judgement associated with this. It's not like I look down on the guys who bought a jacket on sale, you know? That's nuts. I was just interested to observe myself, nine hours later, and think back on how my thoughts/motivation/interests have changed.

[piperdbh]

Would you care to tell us the name of the vendor, so we can see if the sale is still on?

[CMcG]

<snip>I was just interested to observe myself, nine hours later, and think back on how my thoughts/motivation/interests have changed.

Priorities change but I imagine that you are also fairly well stocked in the kilt and kilt-related paraphernalia department too, no?

[Alan H]

Priorities change but I imagine that you are also fairly well stocked in the kilt and kilt-related paraphernalia department too, no?

Well, I have about 10 kilts, two of which are camouflage, and one in the cooker, if I'll ever get back to it. Actually now, it's eleven kilts, because WalkerK just gave me one of his old Stillwater Black Watch kilts but it's a bit small for me so I'm saving it for a new thrower. I might keep it for a "loaner" for a walk-on guy at a Games. I have three pairs of "nice" kilt socks, one of which is a killer-diller pair of hand-knitted hose. I also have some budget white hose which are too small for my calves and three pairs of solid-color athletic knee knee sox that I wear a lot, and that I throw in.

Two belts...no, three; two black, one brown. The black one has a shiny chrome buckle that I will replace with a solid pewter one, someday. I have three sporrans; one black, one brown (both are Buzz Kidders) and one cheap knockoff dress sporran.

I have an ex-rental Eton Jacket, with a backless inexpensive three button vest for black-tie dress-up, which I never wear except to Nor Cal Rabbl e Burns Nights, and actually I didn't wear it last year. I have a modified herringbone tweed day jacket, modified by me from a sportscoat. It's a tich too small, but not too bad. I have a Target wool/poly herringbone "tweed" vest, which I wear fairly often.

The Kilt List

Capercaillie knife pleat by Lady Chrystel
Xmarks, 6- yard wool kilt made by me
MacNicol, modern 7 yard knife pleat made by me
Lindsay 6 yard lightweight knife pleat by me
California, modern, box pleat by me
Gray Stewart 7 yard knife pleat made by me
Predator Camo X-Kilt made by me
Didgicamo rev-K made by me

Holyrood, modern 5 yard in poly/wool made by some company in Scotland that doesn't exist any more. It was always smallish, now it's impossible. I'm probably going to give this to a new thrower, soon.
MacNaughton, muted in Marton Mills PV made by this same company. This is my throwing kilt.
Non-tartan plaid lightweight wool kilt that I just made 'cause I was sick at looking at the material.

OK, eleven kilts. When/if the Lindsay wears out, I won't replace it. If the X-kilt self-destructs, and it shows no signs of doing so, I won't replace it. I have thought about putting the X Marks kilt up for sale, as I'm not as emotionally involved in X Marks as I was, but it's a nice kilt and it fits, so I'm keeping it.

I don't own diced hose. I don't own Argyll hose. I don't own a doublet or a Prince Charlie, or a black Argyll. 99% of my kilt-wearing is day to day stuff. Right now I am wearing the X Marks kilt with a Games t-shirt, the Black Buzz Kidder sporran and one of my belts. I have on the dark blue athletic hose and boots. This is basically "me", four days a week and has been for the past three-four years.

I don't need more kilts, and while once up on a time, accumulating more kilts was kind of fun, it's really not, any more. I have what I need. I don't need anything more.

If I could trade that Eton Jacket and vest for a decent tweed day jacket, I'd do it in a flash.

[Alan H]

The vendor...hmmm... it's the company that sells stuff in San Francisco.

William Glen & Son
http://www.wmglen.com/