I Like Bag Pipes

There's something about hearing bag pipes that makes me smile.

The only exception is when they play Amazing Grace because it reminds me of police funerals. The longer I work at my current job the more likely I've have to decide whether or not to go to another police funeral. I don't even want to think of that.

But back to the pipes. I have no desire to learn how to play bag pipes (which is unusual because if there's something I like there's a great possibility that I'll have or will soon spend way too much money and way too little time trying to learn it before giving up in utter frustration. See: my guitar. See also: my other guitar.)

We have calls at work from folks who find themselves living too close to the bag piper's practice field of choice. I load a call but always think "c'mon people, have you no soul?" It's like living in a brownstone apartment and having a guy on the floor above playing soulful saxophone on the fire escape. You have to love that.

Okay, so I've never lived in a brownstone apartment and after a couple nights of soulful sax I'd probably want to take a shot at the guy on the fire escape, but still.

This is why I don't own firearms.

On an odd side note, I was going to make mention of the fact that I loved the bag pipes but wasn’t so sure about the whole sporran thing.

Then I had to look up how to spell sporran.

Then I had to ponder why in hell, when I don't know exactly where I left my car keys last, I know a word like "sporran." For the love of dog, where do I even learn these things and why do I retain them when I can't reliably remember the name of our next door neighbor (who I refer to as "Jimmy" behind his back because I have no idea what his name is and I have to call him something when Kelli and I discuss the latest neighbor antics.)

If you want to get your learn on, here's the history of the sporran (from http://www.scotclans.com/story/img/sporran.jpg) :

The origin of the sporran goes hand in hand with the traditional highland kilt, since the attire didn't come with the convenience of pockets a leather pouch became a useful means of keeping together all those valuable items such as money, food, musket balls and the teeth of any unsuspecting rival clansmen!

The opening of the sporran (the cantle) was hinged and fastened at the top and this was secured to the sporran by leather thongs. These are represented by the leather tassels & chains, which can be seen in the modern sporran design.

Sporrans generally fall into three categories: Daywear sporrans, which are generally of leather and are worn as informal dress or hunting, dress sporrans, which are made from sealskin, musquash, rabbit, badger etc and are purely formal items and semi dress sporrans which are designed to be a compromise of the two.

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Be sure to click on my renter Erks. She's a kick in the sporran.