Pants

Pants. I have been wanting to write about pants - mine of course. I taught for 38 years then added a couple more sprints into the part time world. Depending upon who you are and when we met (if ever) my clothing varied.

.

I couldn't tell you what I wore as a little kid. That is completely void from my memory bank. I am sure we wore jeans. I know I wore jeans in high school and throughout college. Sure couldn't tell you the brand or shade. Back then, when your pants faded to light blue they were tossed. Faded or torn jeans were not acceptable to my crowd. I can remember having an iron-on patch once.

.

There were not a lot of places to buy clothes in those days - none of these fancy smancy clothing stores for teens that we have today IN THE MALL. We didn't have Malls. In my family, I'd guess most pants were bought at JC Penney or Sears. In the Panhandle we could buy upscale clothes at Dunlaps in Lubbock - my family didn't get clothes at Dunlaps, I can tell you fer sure.

.

Trying to think how to write this next bit. We did not wear coveralls or overalls. Overalls had the bibs with straps over the shoulder. Coveralls were one piece suits which Covered All. I think back to those days. Most of the kids wore the same type of blue jeans - the colors were the same...no blacks, no grays, no white or brown - just blue - probably Levis or Lees or the Penneys or Sears house brand - whatever that was called. I can remember a particular shade of blue that some friends wore back then. It was a special and different shade of blue. I couldn't even tell you the exact shade - y'know, having something to compare it with. But, in Levelland H.S. few people wore that shade of blue.

.

In recent times when I pick out a new pair of jeans, if I see that shade of blue, I will not buy it. It is not what we cool guys wore at Levelland High School { there could be an argument here if I was really a member of the cool crowd - let's just say for the moment that I was - just for argument's sake }. Today I will buy faded jeans in a heartbeat - or colored jeans of different hues - but that particular shade of blue, I just won't get it. Now, that is dumb. I make fun of teenagers and their tastes in clothes today.... what they "must" have. Suppose I was just as bad. Dumb, stupid kid.

.

In my first years teaching, I wore slacks, dress slacks so to speak. It was the day of double knit pants and I had several nice pair. Leisure suits came later. I can remember my favorite was a very dark blue pair - this was before the flair on the bottom [bell bottoms]. Double knit was amazingly comfy. They would stretch when you bent over. I remember buying my first pair towards the end of college, it was a clothing store across from the Hockley County courthouse to the west. Not Penneys or Sears. I cannot remember the name of that store. It may have been COBBS Department store. My mom pushed me to try a pair. I resisted. People always have to push me to make changes and that includes buying pants.

.

Over the years I evolved out of double knit and double knit with bell bottoms into the Docker type pants. Many of my students would only recognize me in Dockers. My big hangup with Dockers had to do with squatting. I would rip the zipper out all the time. I can remember doing that once during marching band practice - I don't know if my students ever knew - when I got inside I used 4,000 safety pins to put myself back together before the next class came in. At times my wife would try to sew them back together - never worked right. Still today I cringe when bending in my trousers especially if they are Dockers.

.

Another pant stone. Teaching in Ardmore we were leaving on a trip to Corpus. We performed in the competition ( made a I ) and traveled south to Padre Island for our overnights. I knew that I needed to be casual for the beach but just couldn't see myself in dress pants on the beach [ shorts were out of the question for me ]. We went out and bought me some light blue jeans. I was cool in my light blue jeans (not faded, but actual dyed light blue). On our first day walking the beach, I found a nice big rock to use as a chair as my band students frolicked in the surf. When I stood up, some mouthy kid asked me what was on my pants. I looked. Oil / Tar. My entire "sitting area" was tarred. I was so cool in my light blue pants with the tar on the rump. Never wore those pants again. Never sat on a beach rock again.

.

Since my graduation { retirement } in 2004, I have evolved back into jeans again. Yessir - that circle of life again ... I still have a few pair of Docker types for church and special, semi-dressup times - but I wear jeans over and over and to most places. Sometimes I feel guilty for the casualness or appearance of casualness of it all. Most of my ex-students would not recognize me in jeans. I was raised that teachers do not wear jeans. It is the "old" in me.

.

Came up with a brilliant plan in 2010: retired and poor. My jeans were getting crummy. On tax-free day we bought me 3 pair of new jeans, 3 varied shades of blue. Using a bold, black magic marker, I wrote on the inside waistband the words "New 2010." Those were hung up with care and worn only on special jean occasions. 2011 tax-free day came = 3 more pair = all labeled on the inside band "New 2011." Last August I bought 2 more pair. Now I own 8 pair of fairly good jeans - the old ones are piled for work outside.

.

Yep, the Circle of Life thingy strikes again: this week one of my 2010 pair has a hole just above the left rear pocket. They will be moved into the work pile for use when I don't have company - nobody needs to look at an old guy's underwear glowing through a hole in the seat of his jeans ... now, do they?

.

Finally for all of you who look for drama in your blug / blog readings - is this not dramatic? Will he buy 2 or 3 new pair August, 2013? What colors will he choose? Will other 2010 jeans grow holes or become unwearable? This is almost as exciting as "Who Shot J.R." Others of you will wonder when I will get a real life. I don't know the answer to that either. For now, this will have to do. Now quit panting and go back to work.

mtz

A P.S. Was in Wal*Mart this afternoon picking up a prescription for the spouse. Stood in line behind an older gent; he climbed out of the store electric cart to move forward. A dappy dresser, he was wearing the skinny leg double knit pants. They had a checked pattern in 5 or 6 different colors - primarily red. His belt was brown with big black diamonds through accented with bright silver eagles within. He did have a gorgeous black gnarly cane. But the best part (if anything can be better than 50 year old double knit leftover pants) his shoes. They were the old black tennis shoes with a white sole...high tops, I believe. These were worn by many a high school athlete in my h.s. days. High top black and white tennis shoes, multi-colored double knit pants and a flash long sleeve shirt....no tie...dark baseball cap. I tried to take a photo without being obvious - didn't work. Now I am through. See ya.