new years, and new eccentricity

It turned out, just as I had nothing pithy to say about Christmas, I had nothing much to say about the turning of the year, either. On New Year's Eve, we went to an open house at a Quaker friend's, then to the Lawrenceville Hogmanay Bonfire, where (in the not-too-cold) we wrote our 2016-related troubles on paper (I, of course, had come prepared with a bulleted list of nine items) and threw then into the fire, symbolically (if not effectively) consigning them to the ashes. We then enjoyed a hot dog from Captain Paul's, official caterer to the event; went into the Brearly House to hear the promised bagpiper (who had, by some process beyond my ken, transformed into a fiddler); and came home to be in bed by 10:30 pm.

There's nobody parties like Regina and Jim. Boy, howdy.

(If you're in the area, and you haven't done so, do go to Captain Paul's. It's not gourmet food, by any means, but it's the friendliest place [almost all of the staff are family of some degree or other], and both times we've gone, we've been accosted by amiable eccentrics of no mean entertainment value. The proprietors keep to limited hours in deference to their employees' real lives, so we can't always make the 40-minute trip in time to get there before they close, but I have yet to be disappointed by the experience.)

In other news, speaking of eccentrics, I've got a new eccentricity (I can hear the groans of, "Do you NEED another one?"). In the work Secret Santa giveaway, I received two Yule-related neckties, one of which was a not-a-clip-on bow tie. I've tied bow ties on others' necks, so I thought it would be a simple matter to do it for myself, but it's not as easy backwards and in the mirror. A Google search unearthed Alton Brown's video, so I used that method.

The bow tie got YONKS of comments, and I was smitten. I've already started a collection, and designated Wednesdays as Bow Tie Day.

But a day or two later, I happened upon Lindybeige's video. His method is different. It uses less of the tie's length. And I just couldn't get it.

(Lindybeige is cool, too. Let's start with this: he's a Lindy dancer with useful opinions on weapons, including medieval ones. Don't you find that intriguing? Well, I did.)

After trying (and failing) at this method, I found I couldn't replicate Brown's, either. So I went on a mad search for videos on tying bow ties (and their names are Legion). I've got a method, now (I've been practicing all weekend) that's mostly based on this:

... but don't ask me to teach it to you.

In other news, if you're stuck for a gift to give Plain Jim, a bow tie might do. I wear 'em with white shirts, so don't be afraid of the gaudy.