New Belt

New as in "it was only a strap in Tandy Leather yesterday." 1.75", I did the work myself. The border stamping took almost two hours - - a lot of hammering. Also shown is my Randall bowie knife, which features basketweave stamping that I did several years ago.

Stuff That Works, Stuff That Holds Up

I happened to join the US Navy during a period when enlisted men wore dungaree working uniforms - - blue denim bellbottom trousers and pale blue chambray shirts - - and I found them to be the most comfortable clothing I've ever worn. I also like the look of the pairing, so I have tended to buy similar clothes for casual wear as a civilian. Having said that, I'd like to draw your attention to the work clothing made by Key Apparel, an American clothing company that's been around for more than a century. I can't claim that the clothing is made in the US - - like most manufacturers, they've shipped the factories overseas - - but they are well made and well-priced. I just picked up a couple of their short-sleeved chambray shirts for summer wear, and they're handsome indeed, with Western-style yokes and pearlized snaps instead of buttons, stitched with the same sort of gold thread seen in Levis jeans. They come in sizes all the way up to 5XL.

Folk singer Guy Clark is also a fan of chambray work shirts, and even wrote a song about them:



Lyrics:

STUFF THAT WORKS


I got an ol’ blue shirt
And it suits me just fine
I like the way it feels
So I wear it all the time
I got an old guitar
It won’t ever stay in tune
I like the way it sounds
In a dark and empty room

I got an ol’ pair of boots
And they fit just right
I can work all day
And I can dance all night
I got an ol’ used car
And it runs just like a top
I get the feelin’ it ain’t
Ever gonna stop

Chorus

Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall

I got a pretty good friend
Who’s seen me at my worst
He can’t tell if I’m a blessing
Or a curse
But he always shows up
When the chips are down
That’s the kind of stuff
I like to be around

Chorus

I got a woman I love
She’s crazy and paints like God
She’s got a playground sense of justice
She won’t take odds
I got a tattoo with her name
Right through my soul
I think everything she touches
Turns to gold

Chorus

A Sweet Deal If You Can Swing It

Clothing maker Abercrombie & Fitch is willing to pay Jersey Shore star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino serious money if he will just stop wearing their clothes during filming.

I'd be willing to try that myself, if only Abecrombie & Fitch made clothes in sizes that fit blimps like myself...

If You're Going To Own and Wear...

a shoot-me-first vest, it might as well be a cool one:

Meanwhile, In Japan...

...the Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, is turning heads with his distinctive shirt worn at a barbecue:





Unusual and handsome, isn't it?