The MacBitseach

There comes a time when kilts are so ingrained in one's everyday life that people don't see it as a costume on you, when it is a natural garment, when you can wear it and forget it. I can spot these guys in a crowd of kilted men. I was stopped on the way to the bus yesterday evening by a bunch of twenty-something costumed party animals. "Nice kilt!" I heard from a (pirate?) girl. There wasn't much costume with which to form an opinion of what she was supposed to be. "You're not dressed up for Hallowe'en, are you?" " No, I wear one everyday." Turns out she is a highland dancer and attends the same BC Highland games that I do. I found it refreshing that she could see that I wasn't dressed up for Hallowe'en. Will a guy in a kilt be thought to be wearing a costume on Hallowe'en? Probably, by some. But some will see the kilt as a garment. So, don't leave the kilt at home when you go out trick or treating. What b...

I delivered a kilt today, to a customer who is leaving for Hawaii in a few days. Laurence got a lightweight Maple Leaf kilt, which will be perfect for Hawaii. He was quite happy with the weight. I delivered the kilt to him where he works, a huge camping/hiking store. Other staff members took pictures of us two kilted guys. (He usually wears a kilt at work.) They thought it odd that there were two guys that wear kilts all the time. Until I showed up, they only knew about him. We are both bearded, though Laurence's is long and forked. (Mine forks when it's that long, too.) He looks like the Viking that is his ancestry. Tall, wide shouldered, fork bearded, tattooed, and huge bone earrings. There's going to be a LOT of people seeing his kilt! He stands out in a crowd, even when he's NOT wearing a kilt!

There are questions I get from the newly kilted or soon to be kilted. It's the same questions over and over. "How do I sit without showing everything?" "What do I wear to a wedding/office/pub?" and other fashion questions. "What are some good smartass answers for 'The Question'? And a ton of others. I'll address some of them now and then but I want to start with a comment I ALWAYS get after the first few kilted outings. "I wish I had started wearing kilts years ago! All those years and I could have felt like this! Why did I wait so long?" That's what it's all about for me; getting guys in kilts and sharing that feeling of natural freedom. I say natural freedom to distinguish it from any kind of political or flag waving freedom. This is a feeling of walking down the street and feeling natural for the first time; noticing things you never noticed before, just because you're in a kilt. Some changes are personal; others...

A guy standing next to me at the bus stop asks, "What's with the fancy dress?" I'm wearing a Black Watch kilt, work boots, pushed down socks, tee shirt, Irish cap, and team jacket with leather arms. I figure there's no need to explain why I'm not dressed up. "Nothing, I wear a kilt every day." "Okay. Just curious." A few minutes later I overheard a snatch of conversation between the same guy and a woman on the other side of him. The only word I heard clearly was metrosexual. Metrosexual? Me? Hah! As I understand the word, it means a man who is overly concerned about his appearance; every crease perfect, every colour matching, fingernails polished, hair perfect, and every pose calculated. Metrosexuals used to be called dandies. Before that they were fops. Wearing a kilt makes a guy look, (to the uninformed), like he is dressed up. Most people won't notice if your pleats are messed up a little. Nice, huh? I can dress like...

The backlight on my iBook turned off. Everything worked but I could barely see what was on the screen. I did some research on the internet and found that with my iBook 500, this is a somewhat common problem. Apparently, the wires travelling throught the hinge to the lid become worn with time, causing the backlight to go out. The solution? Take it to the shop, or take the entire iBook apart, snip out the 4 worn parts of wire, and solder in 4 patches. The sites on the internet recommended taking it to the shop and rated the job 'Very Difficult.' I found a site that shows how to take the iBook apart but not how to replace the cable. Close enough. It was a huge job and I wouldn't have tried it without the step by step, on-line, disassembly instructions. It entailed taking apart the whole of the iBook, right down to the bare bones. Now that the job is done and the iBook is working just fine again, it dawns on me that most people wouldn't think of trying something that...

I have started using a free program called Site Meter. It tells me how many people log onto this blog, how long they stay, where they're from, etc. I can't say enough about this product! It does exactly what is says it will do and provides you with detailed information about your site and it does it free. There is a paid upgrade available but I haven't looked into it, yet. I had someone read The MacBitseach blog from Turkey today. I happen to remember a customer getting a kilt for a wedding, who was then going to Turkey to live, so I know who he is. The point is, I can actually know how many are reading my blog on a daily basis. It's nice to know I'm not just screaming into the wind. I've had several people tell me they keep up with the blog but Site Meter tells me the numbers are getting bigger than I thought they would get. I now get more referrals to Bear Kilts from this blog than from anywhere else. Not bad, considering I just wanted someplace to spea...

I have a cold. I've got the whole sore throat, sniffly, shivering, headache thing happening. I can't remember the last time I had a cold. I can remember starting to get a cold several times but they always seem to go away. I'm pretty sure it's been over a year. Here's my question; why are kilts healthier to wear than pants? I'm just talking about colds, flus, etc. I have heard of all kinds of skin/rash/heat related maladies (ick!) being cured by donning the kilt, but let's stick to general healthiness. I've been told by more than a few people, (people trained in all kinds of non-medicinal fields), that the temperature difference in different parts of the body will make you more susceptible to illness. Others equally well trained have told me that allowing more skin to breathe fights off illnesses. Or being cold boosts your immune system the same way it increases sperm motility. I think, (and I am equally trained in medicine as those others), the reason m...

Bear Kilts and Utilikilts are having a kilt fashion show Saturday, October 1st, at Doolin's Irish Pub. The show starts at 6PM. The show should be a nice mix of styles between the two companies. I'm taking a few extra kilts along in case of extra models. Utilikilts is bringing a wide range of their kilts, including a leather kilt. There will be a pipe band and possibly a great fiddler by the name of Doug Medley. I hope all you local guys can make it out to see the show. It will be followed by a large and boisterous Kilts Night . If it's anything like the last fashion show we had at Doolins, it should be a very fun night!