The MacBitseach

You just got your first kilt and you want to look just right before you go out the door because you don't want to look like a doofus by wearing the wrong socks or some other such nonsense. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this and how many times I've told people it just doesn't matter! 99% of the populace will see nothing but a guy in a kilt. They have no clue as to what is proper with a kilt and what is considered 'wrong' with a kilt. As long as you've got the pleats in the rear, you're pretty much okay. Traditionalists will argue that. They'll tell you how high your socks should be and how you should dress to suit them. Other kilt wearers will tell you why your shoes don't match your belt, just to feel superior. Fuggem. Fuggem all. Nobody would dare correct what you wear when you're not in a kilt. Why let 'em tell you when you are in a kilt? Every day I see guys in black suits and brown shoes; a fashion blunder if...

I often see this busker downtown, while waiting for a bus. he plays guitar and sings a lot of folk music. You know; Bob Dylan stuff. He's seen better days. He's sixtyish, bad teeth, some interesting scars, and every now and then he rubs Rub-A535 on his shoulders. Today, as I got to my stop, he was singing Born To Be Wild, which I thought was pretty cool and he sang it well. Then he went into Universal Soldier. If you don't know this anti-war song, a lot of the lines start with, "He ..." While he was singing, a twenty something woman started asking him repeatedly, "Who are you singing about? Who are you singing about? Why won't you tell me?" In the middle of the song! He ignored her and finished the song because no matter what happens, you finish the song! She had moved off to talk to her boyfriend by then and she was waving her arm like she was irked that the busker hadn't answered her. Then she walked back. "Who were you singing abou...

This is Old Blue, the most comfortable bike I've ever owned and my favourite, including that purple mustang with the banana seat I had when I was 12 years old. (Close, though.) Old Blue is a lot like me. A little over 50 years old but still cool, a few dents and scratches, has some character, and is a bit too heavy for long rides. I have a 20k commute from Marpole to North Vancouver. (About 12 miles and 2 bridges.) I'd be hard pressed to ride that even on a very lightweight ten speed road bike! I can ride my unnamed mountain bike and put it on the front of the bus but Old Blue is too long to fit on the bus. I can take Old Blue on the seabus to North Van, which is a nice trip across  ...  but I'm also looking to stop paying the 2 zone fare. Old Blue will soon be getting a new lease on life. I've decided an electric motor will allow me to ride the 12 miles to work. (It will sorta flatten out the 2 really big hills on my route and shave off enough time to ma...

Standing on a somewhat crowded bus, having given my seat to a woman about my own age, I see an elderly man get on and look for a seat. There was none to be had, so he came to the middle of the bus and hung onto a pole unsteadily. His hands were shaking ... Parkinson's maybe ... and he just looked like he could fall over. There were no young guys seated nearby. Just young women. I waited a few minutes, getting angry as the old fella got shook around by the stops and starts, then almost fell as the bus stopped quickly. Enough. I had to say something. "Any one of you so called ladies want to give this gentleman your seat?" And they all looked away ... out the windows. I couldn't fucking believe it! And the old fella waved, as if to say, "Don't make a fuss. I'll be all right." "So much for equality." I said. Then, bless her golden heart, the woman driver of the bus announced, "This bus isn't moving until that gentleman gets a sea...

I'm onto something ... Back to the summer dress thing from a couple of posts ago. I was posting on http://kiltmen.com and it hit me what I was missing about girls looking at men in kilts and guys looking at women in summer dresses. It's about masculinity and femininity. It's about biological imperatives and the natural desire for a suitable mate. Propogation. Continuing the tribe. Improving the tribe. A man in a kilt is a powerful masculine image. A woman in a summer dress is a powerful feminine image. Add the current ideal of attractiveness, (healthy), to those images and you bring forth urgent biological imperatives that go back to the dawn of humanity. Whew! I've been wrestling with that question, (Why do so many women love men in kilts?), for a few years. I just had to mirror it, (Why do so many men love women in summer dresses?), to see the truth of it. It seems simple now that I've got it. Men love women confident enough to be feminine and women love men conf...

From Dr. Hook to The Pogues, The Halifax Wharf Rats tonight at Doolin's! It's Up Your Kilts Night! Up Your Kilts Night happens every Thursday at Doolin's Irish Pub. The Halifax Wharf Rats are always a good show and the foot stomping and dancing will be going all evening. This is your chance to see Michelle Carlisle for free before she becomes a big star and charges the big bucks! True Story! If you're in the area, pop by for a finely poured Guinness and the best weekly celeidh in Vancouver. Strap on your pleats or you might feel out of place. What else are you going to do? Sit at home and watch reruns? Again? The couch is evil! TV is evil! Kilted life beckons! And remember ... Kilted life is like a box of chocolates; once you lift the flap, everyone wants to have a peek. And you KNOW about women and chocolate!

You know spring has sprung in Vancouver when the temps reach double digits, the cherry blossoms start to bloom, and women start wearing summer dresses. For years I've been trying to figure why women love to see a man in a kilt. I don't hear, "Nice legs!" when I wear shorts, so I knew there was something going on in women's heads I didn't get. I get it. It's all about summer dresses. I can appreciate a woman's legs when she's wearing a pair of shorts, but put the same gal in a summer dress and walk her past me again and she might start my heart beating faster. There's just something in a summer dress that makes her more attractive. Now ... if I knew what that was, I'd be on to something! 

I've finally managed to get my days off changed to Thursday/Friday, so I no longer have to work Friday mornings and can once again attend Kilts Nights at Doolin's Irish Pub on Thursday nights. As it happens, Kilts Night is two days before St Paddy's Day, so it should be raucous, with lots of Irish drinks passing lips, dancing to The Halifax Wharfrats' Celtic tunes, and the weather report is naughty, with a 60% chance of kilt checks in the downtown area. Men ... strap on your tartan and let's show the ladies of Vancouver how real men have fun! Ladies ... see above. And ask before you kilt check. Proper etiquette is required in delicate matters. I think a new bargain should be made for kilt checks. How about a kiss for a kilt check? Sounds fair to me. And only the REALLY curious, (or fun!), gals will pony up a kiss to find out the answer to THE question. All these years, when asked THE question, I've answered, "How warm are your hands?" My new answer ...

... or maybe Kiltbook? Whatever you call it, I have a page on there for MacBitseach Kilts. (Facekilt ... Haha! I wish I could tell THAT story here!) Naughtiness aside, here's the page on which I'll be doing most of my updating and announcements. (And there are some interesting new products/accessories in the wings!) http://www.facebook.com/mbkilts

Okay everyone. The original kilt forum is seeing very little action these days and it would be a shame if it were to shut down because it played a HUGE part in allowing you ... yes, YOU! ... the freedom to wear a kilt, gave the knowledge of how a kilt is worn and accessorized, and it has a wealth of information regarding kilts in society. So, have a look at http://kiltmen.com and see where all the 'old hands' at the other sites learned what they now know about kilts. And say Hi to WDP and thank him for keeping the site up when things were nasty in the old days and when they're slow these days. Kiltmen.com was also instrumental in the beginnings and early successes of the first kilt businesses in North America. Many a kilt was sold through kiltmen.com! And get this: no ads. The only moderation I've ever seen was when trolls got so out of hand the whole forum was boiling over. Then WDP stepped in and stopped it. Otherwise, it's been a civil and pleasant place to talk ...

So, what I've been doing for a few days is narrowing the list of names for my new kiltmaking company, (I'm down to two names), designing a few new, (sure to be popular), accessories, deciding on what styles of kilts to make, (do I continue with the classic cut and grizzly cut?), and generally enjoying the process and thought of getting back into kiltmaking again. I'm going to have a line of tee shirts, golf shirts, and some shirts for the ladies, as well. I considered having a different business and website just for the shirts but as some of the shirts are kilt related, I'll just put them all on the same site. (One business is enough to handle!) A lot of the shirts will be very popular in pubs and bars! They're flirty and fun ... some of them are very daring and even ... well, why spoil the surprise? I'm debating whether to use a facebook storefront or write my own html for a site. I still need to research the facebook store and compare pricing and features....

Today on my homeward commute I sat next to a guy in a kilt. I Asked him about his kilt, (Utilikilt, grey, I think he said poly cotton?), and we got talking kilts, which I haven't done in quite some time. You know what? I miss talking kilts! We talked about Utilikilts, Bear Kilts, all the common questions we get asked, traded a few kilt stories, then went our separate ways. Graham, as his name happened to be, was like most kilt wearing guys. He was confident enough to wear a kilt naturally and without strutting like a peacock. You have to be confident in yourself to wear a kilt in everyday situations and Graham seemed a decent guy. He has been wearing a kilt under a year but he knew what he was doing regarding how do accessorize the kilt. From the Irish cap to the socks and shoes, everything fit just right. I invited him to Kilts Night. I bet he fits right in there, too.