Friday, April 17, 2009

On George Will's silly denim column

I love GW; he was my only lifeline on ABC throughout the 80s but his column is just nuts.

Lileks blasts the silly thing here.

For the record--I don't think I saw my dad in jeans until he was in his 70s. He never,ever wore shorts even here in Texas unless one counts bathing togs at the beach or lake. I don't think he even owned a pair of shorts. He mowed the lawn in khakis.

To Will's point I do concur a bit. Growing up and taking the train from Dallas to OK City to visit the relatives in the 60s, my brother and I may not have worn suits but we were dressed up. Likewise on SW Air in the70s.

My stodgy GW side does hate it when I board a plane and am surrounded by shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops.

6 comments:

Stephanie said...

My dad always (when not working) wore "chinos" and did not wear/own shorts or jeans ever (except bathing trunks for sailing). And we didn't have air conditioning until the late 70s.

Scooter said...

Dad called them "khakis." I think that was a product of his Corps days when one wore khaki instead of the regular issue green or dress blues.

I can still recall my Dallas home (I think it was the early 70s, maybe late 60s for us) and elementary school without a/c. Even in high school, the busses didn't have a/c (don't know if they do today).

The only time it was truly unbearable was in the summer--at night trying to go to sleep.

Stephanie said...

I always wondered whether there was something different about chino material, from Docker's-style khakis. They seemed denser and a smidge shinier than what I think of for khakis.

Grumpy middle-aged person admission: I hate air conditioning, except for about 3 days a year.

Scooter said...

In Denver I never used car a/c and used condo a/c for about two hours a day for about a month.

Stephanie said...

What's the humidity like in Austin? Is it as bad as Houston? I would make peace with A/C if I had to live in Houston.

Scooter said...

You'd probably have to do the same in Austin. As my decripitude approaches, the heat/humidity becomes less of a concern.

Central Texas is probably at its best between February and May and October-December.

There are hot times in my prime months (listed above) and very brief cold times ever.

Caveat: Ask Kevin Spacey about allergens (it usually takes 2-3 years to really develop the gamut of allergies).