Tie a Day, Number 108

Last Thursday’s tie was one that I think is seriously ugly. It has a lot of blue in it so I have plenty of choices to go with it, but the design it where it goes wrong for me.

I think this was one of my father’s hand-me-downs because I don’t remember receiving it as a gift. I am certain that I have never worn it before last Thursday.

The only redeeming quality of this tie is that it reminds me of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” album cover, which is one of the greatest albums of all time. Although I must confess that hearing any of the songs now depresses me. Nothing against the music, it is wonderful, but the album is a tribute to a founding member’s struggle with mental illness. It is not the most uplifting music you will ever hear.

But back to the tie; ugly! Just because I wanted to do something I haven’t done before, I wore it.

Tie a Day, Number 89

Finally, I am caught up for the week!

Thursday's tie was a solid blue silk tie with a paisley pattern that you just can't make out from the picture. It was more of a texture than something you could see anywhere but close up.

It was odd, but yesterday an email was sent out from someone looking for 5 ugly ties. I have no idea what the project was, or if I would ever see them again, but I was happy to help out!

The ugly tie search began with tie number 51, this was the tie made of wool that I swore I would never wear again.

Next tie on the list, number 78, the tie with the Alien face design that I hated. I will not support the overthrow of humanity!

After that, I went to the unworn tie racks in my closet and picked out a really cheesy silk tie that I hate, a linen tie that is a train wreck and the only other wool tie that I think I own.

Five ugly ties have left my life. I will not miss any of them. I hope they have fun with their new owner!

Tie a Day, Number 82

Sometimes I look for reasons to wear ties, because to wear them without a reason is ridiculous. Many ties must have a purpose behind wearing them, a theme, a holiday, or some kind of meaning. Monday’s tie was one of those ties.

I am not a big fan of wearing plants, and I particularly dislike flowers. It is purely a preference thing. I prefer to be seen driving a Porsche 911, but life has decided that I should drive a minivan. We must accept the moment and do what is required of us. Now I like driving my new Kia Minivan. It has lots of buttons, and it fits the needs I have for a family vehicle. We make the best of things and move on.

I prefer not to wear flowers, but my plan for wearing a tie a day for the entire school year demands that my flower ties make an appearance. I am not concerned that wearing a flower tie diminishes my masculinity in any way. In other people’s eyes it might make me seem less manly, but I can’t help what anyone else thinks. If something as trivial as wearing a tie with a flower on it makes me less than an ideal man, I am in trouble because I like quiche (especially if it has bacon in it- bacon makes everything better), too!

So on Monday I chose to wear this tie as a celebration of the arrival of spring. I liked wearing this tie. The blue background has large daisies covering it. It is bright and bold, and I must say that this tie is appropriate for the kick off of spring. It was a good tie day.

Tuesday’s tie will be another flower based tie. It was a rough winter and I want to bring in the new season right. My tie wearing project does not allow repeats, so I must find a way to work in all my ties (Except, of course, the one Christmas tie I missed. That one will not be seen this school year!).

Tie a Day, Number 80

I have been in a pretty good mood all week. Maybe it is because I have been picking my favorite ties to wear, or my perhaps good mood causes me to pick ties I like. I haven’t figured out the cause and effect relationship between my mood and my ties yet…

The tie I wore on Tuesday has been one of my favorites for a long time. I remember wearing this tie when I was first hired as a Kindergarten teacher in 1990. I would wear this tie, and at 23, I felt like a serious grown up going to work. I know, I am old now.

Kindergarten, as I have explained before, is rough on ties, and this tie has suffered through its share of wear and tear. The back tie loop that holds the skinny part of the tie in place is gone, and the white silk backing on the tie is discolored from dipping the end of the tie into coffee, water, paint and whatever else it collided with in its travels.

But still, this tie shimmers in the light and looks pretty good with the amoeba like paisley designs scattering the deep blue background. I have no idea if it is in or out of style, but I do know that I love this tie because it reminds me of when I was young and foolish. It always makes me smile.

Tie a Day, Number 78

The tie I wore last Thursday was a new one for me. I should define new since I am sure I have had this tie for at least 15 years. I have never worn it before and I am not exactly sure I know how long I have had it (this might be part of the Alien plot, more below). I chose this tie because I decided that the blue in the tie worked with the shirt that I have that is the most blue, so I gave it a shot.

I think it worked, but the tie’s pattern looks like some sort of Alien Face that is trying to come out. The picture did not come out so well. It is kind of blurry, but that is what happens when you are hurrying in the morning trying to get out the door (or it could be an Alien plan to hide their intentions to overthrow humanity. By appearing as harmless patterns in our clothing, the Aliens are acclimating us to their presence so that when they do make themselves known, we will accept them as friendly while they herd us up like cattle to the slaughter. It could be that the image is impossible to photograph clearly due to some sort of Alien technological advance to keep people from seeing the truth.).

I really did not notice the Alien Face thing at first. I think it was about halfway through the day when I noticed that the tie had something on it. While looking at the pattern it came to me. Rows of bulbous headed Alien faces with insectoid overtones. I really kind of gave me the willies.

I will not be an Alien puppet manipulated to cause the downfall of humanity. I refuse to wear this tie any longer! It must be destroyed. Plus, it is kind of ugly.

This is the Alien Face. Can you see it?

Tie a Day, Number 71

I must not have learned much last week with the blue drapes tie; I think I did almost the exact same thing today. I wanted to wear a blue tie and shirt. So I picked out this blue tie with grey plant like pattern on it. Then I decided I had to wear a shirt with alternating thick and thin blue stripes separated by white stripes.

The difference is that today’s tie looks like fabric that might cover a sofa and the shirt has vertical stripes of differing widths. I do think this is a better shirt and tie combination than last Wednesday’s car wreck, but still, there is something not quite right about it. I think it might have to do with the shades of blue not matching.

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. When you think about it, close should also count in nuclear war, plagues, natural disasters and maybe curling (because being closer to the bull’s-eye could win for you). But close never counts in ties…

I am at approximately the half way point in my tie collection. I realized that this morning as I looked around the closet and suddenly remembered a whole rack full of ties that I had forgotten about. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all still waiting for me.

Past the half way point in the school year, now I need to reconsider exactly what it is that I want to do with this tie a day thing. Should I just wear a different tie each day this year (with the exceptions of casual or spirit days) and be done with it? Or should I try to keep wearing them until I run out (into next school year)? I think I will have about 40 ties left over after the school year is complete.

Tie a Day, Number 67

Looking back on Monday’s tie I think it was a mistake. I was going for a study in blue, but the blue shirt with blue vertical stripes along with the tie with light blue to grey paisley pattern just doesn’t look right to me. The tie’s pattern reminds me of drapes that you might find in an old mansion that is dusty with sheets covering the furniture.

This tie also bothered me because ties are supposed to have a keeper tab on the back to hold the back thin part of the tie in place behind the larger front part. This tie didn’t have a loop. It seems that the loop was lost in the tie’s travel from the 80’s to today. I can only guess at the excitement that could result in a missing tie loop.

I like to think my father was engaged in a battle with a group of rogue ninja assassins when this important part of the tie was lost. Or maybe it was because of a bear attack that the tie’s aft restraint system was ripped from its rightful place. The world will never know.

People have asked me, “Hey, why don’t you just get a tie pin, or a tie clasp?”

The answer is simple, I hate them. While it can be annoying at times to have your tie flapping around like some sort of man flag, most of the time it is fine. I don’t work with heavy duty machinery that the tie can get caught in and result in me being pulled to a grisly death, and I rarely hang upside down like a monkey so that my tie is in my face.

Monday’s tie was not my favorite, the style was wrong for me, and the front and back see-sawed all over the place the entire day. The best part about having so many ties is that I can stick this one in the back of the rack and wait till a better shirt comes along.