Tuesday’s tie was surprisingly attractive. With all the ties I have worn, I still have some good looking ties left to wear. I am debating having an ugly tie week or two. Don’t they deserve a day in the sun, too? But back to this tie… It is a busy tie which really forced me to wear a solid color shirt. Any more flash or motion, and it might have given people seizures. Paisley combined with bright colors and diagonal lines really make this tie an attention getter. Not for everyone, but I did like it. It made me feel like a daredevil…
Monday’s tie had a lot going against it. Coming up after the 100th tie put a lot of pressure on this one to show up looking good. I really believe this tie followed the 100th tie with flair. Yes, I like paisley, and the tie has grey and brown in it. Of course I liked it! It is a bit on the thin side, but I think it is an acceptable width. All of these ties I have been wearing, combined with all those I have yet to wear, have made me realize that I am terribly uninteresting. I love the Dos Equis “World’s Most Interesting Man” commercials. Each time one comes on I shout, “They made this commercial about me!” My kids are very fast at pointing out that I am delusional at best, and probably need intensive psychological help because the commercials are obviously not talking about me. I guess that is my fault for not having dumber children. They must get all the brains from their mother’s side… Just one look at this blog should remind me how mind numbingly boring I am. But there is hope! Now I can join the Dos Eguis Most interesting Man Academy! With courses like, “Command of the Animal Kingdom” and “Rites of Passage,” I am certain to be become a more interesting man almost overnight.
I was shocked on Thursday when I released that it was my 100th tie of the school year. Of course, I have been keeping track of it every day, but that is a lot of ties! It made me feel like Steve Martin on new phone book day.
The tie I wore on Thursday is a beautiful silk tie. The design is large and very detailed. The colors are bright and jump right out at you no matter what you wear with it. I am sure the tie would have looked much better with a nicer shirt, but I wore the shirt more for comfort than because it was a nice dress shirt.
It has been kind of fun wearing a different tie each day to work. At first I tried to plan out what I would wear, but I fell back into the surprise a day routine where I would pick the tie and shirt on the fly each morning.
Wearing a different tie each day has forced me to think more about something that I never gave any thought to before. I haven't come up with any important insights into solving world problems, nor have I saved any lives, but it has been an interesting diversion.
I think I probably have 20 more tie days left in this school year calendar, which leaves about 30 more ties in the closet unworn. I am not sure what to do about the remaining ties, but I am sure I will figure something out.
Below is a little video I made of almost all of the 100 ties.
Tie number 99 for the year... Blue with what looks like tiny, microdot flowers in a ridgid pattern across it. The tie is too thin, too plain, and basically just ugly.
On Wednesday, in celebration of the 99th tie of the year, I was going to release 99 red ballons and blast the song 99 Luft Balons out of the windows of my house, but I wasn't sure that was a smart idea. Living near Naval Station Oceana, such a performance might have been interpreted as a terrorist attack and brought military action down on my house. I would have felt terrible if I raised the national threat alert to level Brown. Also, it seemed an excessive celebration for such an insignificant feat.
And of course, the tie was ugly. If it had been a better tie, just maybe...
Tuesday's tie was a fun tie. Fine Italian silk in a black and silver zig zag pattern. Up close, this tie is an attention getter because it has an optical illusion quality to it.
Thick and soft, this tie was begging me to wear black. It was a call I answered with pleasure. Wearing all black from head to toe made me feel like a ninja. My tie was the distraction that allowed me cut to the heart of problems and acrobatically eliminate the enemy. The enemy was, of course, ignorance which I dispatched with my imaginary katana.
This is the point in a conversation when my children will say, "Dad! Stop, you are not a ninja," and then roll their eyes. They are still young and don't realize that I have saved all my best material for their first dates.
Silk ties are very nice. This is not news to anyone, but maybe I have just started to pay attention and notice the obvious.
The tie I wore on Monday was a good reminder of all I had forgotten about a fine silk tie. The fine thread was so smooth that I barely felt it as I slid it around my neck. This particular tie is reflective and has a thick feeling to it. Thick and soft, it reminded me of a neck hug from my kids.
The conservative design is ok, but you can't miss the high quality of this tie. At some point in the past I am sure this was one of the finest ties in my father's closet, although the pastel colors were not something he normally wore. Somehow, the colors make me think of Easter.
Not really one of my favorite ties to look at, but it was truly a pleasure to wear.
I have been running a bit behind lately, so I am sharing last Thursday's tie on the following Monday... Like anyone is keeping records!
This paisley wonder is a little thin for me and I think it is some sort of a fabric blend tie. If I were to grade this tie on a "Ties I Like Scale," I would give it a 5, but only because of the intricate paisley.
Manufactured in the 80's, this tie has been hanging in my closest for a long time. My father gave this tie to me early in my teaching career. When I was first hired as a teacher in the early part of 1990, I was told I needed to wear a tie every day for work. When I told my dad about my new dress requirements, he asked me to follow him up to his room. I remember standing there in front of his closet with my arm sticking straight out as he draped 20, or 30 ties over it.
Every visit back home, he would give me a couple of more ties. Over the first 3 or 4 years in teaching, my tie collection grew incredibly fast. Pants and shirts you can grow out of, or wear out. Sometimes they even go out of style, but I have found that ties can hang around almost forever.
I am pretty sure my father was only making room for new ties and giving me the ones he didn't like, but that is how hand me downs work, isn't it? Perhaps all of the ties he gave me were of little consequence to him, but to me, they have made a lasting impression.
Tuesday’s tie was surprisingly attractive. With all the ties I have worn, I still have some good looking ties left to wear. I am debating having an ugly tie week or two. Don’t they deserve a day in the sun, too?
