Thursday Tidbits

Posted on February 25, 2021 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

A genetic abnormality or just poor jeans?

(Thanks AMB)

It has taken me a long time, but I am 100% convinced that the world has gone completely and utterly mad. I could start with the incomprehensible (to my generation) notion of Bitcoin. I can’t begin to explain it let alone determine why Bitcoin was recently priced at a cool $50,000. I’m not sure if that’s per coin or every bit of it. My son once tried to explain this new cryptocurrency craze, but I suffered a severe case of MEGO. My Eyes Glazed Over.

I could give dozens of other examples, but I won’t, lest you think I’m just a cranky, old curmudgeon.

The focus of my incredulity today is blue jeans, and not just any blue jeans.

What do you think when you hear the words “blue jeans’? Correct. They were the clothing of our youth. They were practical, comfortable, incredibly rugged, cost effective, and very durable. I chose the words ‘cost effective’ on purpose. Many of us are Baby Boomers and as such, quite possibly grew up in large households. This was particularly true in a small, Catholic community in Nova Scotia where filling the schools was almost a moral imperative.

I grew up with seven siblings. Most of the new clothing in the house was reserved for the older ones. Hand me downs were pretty well all the younger ones would ever know. A pair of blue jeans might get passed along to two or more family members. We wore jeans to school and once we slipped them on in the morning, they never came off. After school and on weekends, we played outdoors. Our mothers made meals and did countless washes every day, including muddied jeans. They didn’t need extra traffic under foot. They insisted that we stay outdoors! And of course, after being worn thousands of times, even blue jeans knew when to give up the ghost but not before showing signs of wear and tear with rips around the knees all too common. I would like to attribute some of this wear and tear to getting down on our knees every lunch hour to say a decade of the rosary. Millennials will have to do a Wiki search to understand what I’m talking about.

Spotting a child with torn jeans was not a fashion statement. It was a badge of honor indicating that this youngster wore them out honestly climbing trees, playing unorganized baseball or Red Rover.

I was sitting in a teacher training session the other day. Because it was a day without students, many of the staff chose casual wear. I looked across the room and spotted one of our younger teachers. The knees in her jeans were ripped beyond repair and there were several other places where slits in the denim were apparent. Caution. Do not wear these types of jeans outdoors when it’s -40. I’m trying to imagine what a frost bitten kneecap might look like. I was sitting beside one of our more experienced (translation: older) teachers. She has a daughter who attends university. “What’s with torn blue jeans?” I queried. Then came this startling revelation. “They are called distressed jeans.” I sat on that nugget for about 5 seconds before asking the obvious question. Why does the younger generation wear clothing that has been purposely made defective by the manufacturer or the wearer?

I am a teacher so for those of you not aware of the subtleties of distressed jeans, read on. It is a style (?) of denim that is given a worn look through the manufacturing process. This is to give the denim a look similar to that found in raw denim that has been broken in by the wearer. Apparently, the manufacturers place the denim in giant wash machines and then put rocks in to beat the crap out of the jeans. If this wasn’t enough, once received by the purchaser, they can add their own touches but putting in cuts and slits wherever they choose. The only thing “distressing” about these jeans is the price. People will actually pay upwards of $100 to acquire this exquisite “look”. There are even rules for wearing distressed jeans. I am not making this up.

Of course, I am being rather cynical here and hope that all of my distressed jeans readers (one as far as I know) will forgive me for poking fun at this trend that really hasn’t gone out of style.

I wonder how long someone would have to sit at their electronic device, playing video games, before their jeans wore out? One would expect that the arse of the pants would be the first thing to go.

I must check the family tree to see if there are any distressed genes in my clan.

I’m guessing the answer is yes.

Obviously.

The missing link comes to mind.

Excuse me. I have to go and tie dye one of my white t-shirts.

Have a great weekend.