Boo Pants: A Manifesto in Blog Form

Honest Abe knows how to live

2011-09-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal:

And a man from Florida will show the way.

2011-09-13T12:46:00.001-07:00

While I'm all for happiness and freedom of expression and fashion, this is not the correct way to celebrate 9/11.

Damn you, Henry VIII

2011-09-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

So it's all Henry VIII's fault

2011-06-13T12:15:00.001-07:00

I'm not a fan of a lot of top 40 these days and I really don't care much for much of Bruno Mars. But this song is catchy and the video is cute.

This should be the theme song of this blog:

SCIENCE!

2011-04-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

From Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal:

2011-04-18T08:36:00.001-07:00

This is awesome!

2011-02-04T15:22:00.001-08:00

Courtesy of Failblog, although I'm not sure this is fail. It's how I do some of my best lounging.

see more funny videos

2011-01-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the fine folks at GOOD, here's some video of this year's No Pants Subway Ride. Enjoy.

2011-01-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

From the New Yorker:

Evolution and such

2011-01-04T10:40:00.001-08:00

Cyanide and Happiness yet again gets it right:

2011-01-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

For those of you in major metropolitan areas with subways, this article informs us that the No Pants Ride Will Ride Again!

Awesome.

TSA

2010-12-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

Been busy with the holidays, mostly lounging around, eating too much, and definitely not wearing pants.

Fortunately, I didn't travel anywhere over the holidays. I didn't hear much about during the busiest travel day of the year, but prior to that, I heard a lot of grousing about the new TSA body scans and procedures. (I hate traveling by plane anyway. This may be the straw that convinces me to stay on the ground.)

One woman has found an appropriate method to get around the problem. Sort of.

2010-11-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Finally, someone sees the light.

Top 10 Reasons to Go to Work Naked

The struggles of clothing

2010-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today, I had to go to work. So I am wearing pants.

But I felt so lazy about getting dressed I didn't feel like wearing anything with buttons. I wore a cashmere sweater, even though it's probably a little warm for it (hey, isn't it the end of October, btw?).

My laziness knows no bounds.

How to Celebrate a Soccer Goal

2010-10-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Autumn's arrival

2010-09-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

I was just saying the other day that I was finally ready for it to be fall. It had been unseasonably warm here, with bright sunny, even humid, days. The calendar said September; the weather said July.

However, fall has arrived in Tennessee. Today, at least, feels like fall. It was in the fifties here this morning. It hasn't warmed up all that much today and there's a breeze. I wore a long-sleeve shirt and it still felt chilly.

It is perfect sleeping weather, and my body is not providing much resistance. I could curl up a cool stretch of floor right now.

Tonight, after work, I will go home, change into boo pants, lay on the couch with a book, and, probably, fall asleep rather promptly. I'm drinking darjeeling now so that I can make it that long. (Two and a half hours to go! *sigh*)

While my wife is back on the road and I'm waiting on my monthly paycheck (come on, Thursday!), I am devoting this week to just going home after work and catching up on reading. Simplicity beckons.

बार वस. Zucchini

2010-09-24T08:49:00.001-07:00

This story has nothing to do with boo pants, but it's so awesome I needed to share it.

Woman scares off bear with zucchini

Not our greatest champions

2010-09-23T08:05:00.001-07:00

I have Google News track the phrase "no pants" and the word "pantsless." Sadly, most of the news stories I receive in my email involve criminal acts. They can usually be categorized as amusing tales of drunken idiots.

Today, for instance, in addition to the one I posted in my last entry, there came this story from Wisconsin of a man driving intoxicated with wearing pants or underpants.

Sigh.

Nudity and pantslessness are wonderful things, and I completely understand the need to be free when you've overindulged. But please never drink and drive. And don't do something else stupid that will wind up in the newspapers when you're not wearing pants. It only makes your life comedic.

Excuses, excuses

2010-09-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

At least he had an excuse. Not a good one, but an excuse.

Lady Gaga and Style

2010-09-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

A new book is coming out that focuses on Lady Gaga's sense of style.

You can read about it here.

I point this out, because as the writer of the article states: My favorite section of the book is "Going Pantsless" because, honestly, does anyone do it better than Gaga when it comes to showing some skin? Clearly, this person has not met me, but otherwise she's probably right.

News Anchor Caught without Pants

2010-09-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

You've always suspected and, in Slovenia, it's true.

A Brief History of Nakedness

2010-08-21T13:28:00.001-07:00

I just read a book review in The Economist (yes, I read that sometimes, preferably without pants) of a book that sounds intriguing. The review, which you can read here, calls it "thought-provoking, if somewhat frustrating" for what it overlooks.

There's so much in our lives that just assume or don't think about that it's important to step back and think about such things some times. We are born naked. Someone, somewhere, some time decided you should wear clothes, even though they never knew you and never would. Why?

Despite its described flaws, I've added this book to my very long reading list.

Here's the obligatory Amazon link.

NUDITY!!!!

2010-08-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

I had two thoughts related to nudity late in the day today.

1. I wish I could go to work naked. I could be more relaxed, even as I performed drudgery, if I were pantsless. The main problem is that I can't think of a reason my co-workers wouldn't/couldn't be naked, too, if they so choose, and that would make going to work even more dreadful.

2. Today, I was listening to the record that defined my generation. The cover says it all.

Yes, it's Nirvana's "Nevermind," with the naked baby, winkie in full view, chasing Almighty God-Dollar. The watershed moment of my generation had absolutely nothing to do with pants.

I was doomed, of course.

I just started taking guitar lessons and one of the first things I learned was the riff from "Come As You Are." (I play it considerably slower - so much so that you'd have a hard identifying it as that, even when I don't screw it up.)

That naked baby, Spencer Elden, just turned 18. We're all so proud.

Actually, we're Gen-Xers. We define aloof. We really don't care.

Meh.

Boo pants!

Wrong headed people

2010-08-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not posting in awhile. Sadly, I'm busy at work. Which means wearing pants. Which is just depressing.

Speaking of depressing, I just found this article describing these pants that punish and demean you for eating too much. While I hate pants, and I hate that feeling when your pants start to get tight because you've eaten too much, haven't exercised enough, or both, I cannot approve of these.

In happier news, Ned needs your help. His goal may be questionable, but I like to think he's just out to recover his hard-earned property. Poor Ned just needs to relax and stop wearing tighty whiteys.

But we'll help No-Pants Ned along his way here in this fun little free flash game. There are a couple of (disturbing, though perfectly safe for work) click-throughs.

Too Long in the Wasteland

2010-07-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

There are times you need to wear pants. This may seem antithetical to the movement, but it's not.

For instance, last weekend my wife and I picked blackberries. I wore shorts. I have the scratches to prove it. While it was my time to do with as I pleased, pants should have been required.

Boo.

When I started this blog, I hoped to highlight the positive about pantslessness. I track news stories that use phrases such as "no pants" or "without pants" or "pantsless." However, far too many of the stories that arrive in my inbox are ones like this one:

Woman finds pantsless stranger sleeping in her bed

Perverts set our movement behind. Drunks set our movement behind. The insane set our movement behind. Drunken insane perverts really set our movement behind.

Although they all are amusing at times.

Pants must be seen for what they are - a necessity at times, but also a powerful sign of the hegemony under which we all live.

Are you going to wear pants this weekend?

From the Twitterverse

2010-05-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know @blondediva11 in real life, but I follow her (I'm assuming her) on Twitter because she's very entertaining. For instance, she uses a cheeky picture of Marilyn Monroe (at least I think it's Marilyn though it's hard to tell in that little box) as her icon.

Then today she posted this:

"Stupid fashion gurus. I already know "What Not to Wear." They're called pants, people. Get with the program."

Yesterday, all my troubles were in my pants!!!!

2010-05-14T08:13:00.001-07:00

While I write about the evil that is pants here, generally this blog is meant to throw a humorous light on the hegemony of pants, particularly in the workplace.

Yesterday, though, my pants couldn't have been more irritating if they'd be made from porcupine quills. I couldn't wait to be home and be rid of them.

Sometimes all a man wants is to lay on the couch in his underwear, watch TV, and eat Cheetos.

I didn't watch TV. I didn't eat Cheetos. But I did crash on the couch in my boxer briefs and let the AC wash over me.

Our cats looked on in terror.

With apologies to the Beatles

2010-05-07T13:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, my wife came home (Hooray!). She travels a lot around the state for her job.

Anyway, she was driving along the highway when she saw something she said would have made me very happy.

A discarded pair of pants just left on (and in) the road.

I envision jeans or blue work pants. I like the contrast of the blue against the gray of the pavement.

Anyway, the fun part of this story is imagining how they got there. With the recent flooding, unfortunately, there are a number of possibilities, some quite sad.

However, I choose to think of someone casting them aside as they sped down the road in a convertible, with the top-down and wind flowing through their hair and whipping the pants legs around. A beautiful moment of audacious freedom from the hegemony of clothing!

Woohoo!

One of the problems with Singapore

2010-05-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Reason #5892 not to move to Singapore:

You can't be naked in your own house:

http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/2837

From our future ruler

2010-05-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

There's a guy on Twitter who calls himself @CobraCommander, after the old 80's cartoon.

He posted this the other night to my great amusement:

Drunk. Hooded. Listening to ELO. No pants. Typical Friday evening.

Celebrity?

2010-04-22T07:37:00.001-07:00

I agree with this article.

It doesn't matter if you're pantsless in Esquire. That shouldn't make you a celebrity.

2010-03-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Amusement from the college I used to work at.

http://www.dailyillini.com/blogs/different-perspectives/2010/03/17/ladies-wear-your-no-pants-with-pride

Here, here, ladies!

Mad Props to Lady Gaga!

2010-03-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

Far, far, far too long since I've posted here. I've been busy not wearing pants. :)

For awhile, I resisted Lady Gaga. I resisted the pop hooks and irresistible dance grooves.

I'm done resisting. I'm down for the count like I would be in the ring with Ali.

Who knew she would lead a fashion revolution? I had hoped it would be me.

Of course, my pantsless agenda was less about fashion than about a way of life - distinguishing between the moments that are genuinely yours and the moments you give to Almighty Dollar and working hard to keep them distinct. Our work lives have been eroding our private lives for far too long. "Work-life balance" is a lie meant to keep you thinking quality time and work time are the same.

Anyway, that's a rant for another day. Today we celebrate Lady Gaga and her movement that keeps lovely ladies out of their pants. This article pretty much says it all.

Thanks, Lady Gaga!

Inspiration

2010-01-19T08:05:00.001-08:00

I've already mentioned the annual No Pants subway ride here, but it has taken off in strange and interesting ways.

Activists are seen on a "No Pants Subway Ride" in an effort to call for a low-carbon lifestyle in Guangzhou, in south China's Guangdong province. -- PHOTO: AP

More information about this story here.

An annual tradition

2010-01-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

I'm late (again) in posting this, but I hope everyone got to enjoy Global No Pants Day!

Manhood = Pants? I think not.

2010-01-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Dockers has a new ad campaign about wearing pants. Something about being a man means wearing pants.

Fortunately, there's much criticism about it, and this page is full of it. It's also covered with pictures of attractive women who aren't wearing pants.

What more does a man need?

On Casualness

2009-11-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

This post on Ben Casnocha's blog is enlightened. Boo Pants, after all, are about being comfortable and casual.

Enjoy.

2009-10-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that this blog is potentially about fashion (although really it's about a lot of things - i.e., taking one's time, savoring moments away from work and other stresses of contemporary living, the lost art of relaxation, etc., I don't consider myself a fashion expert at all.

I think I dress well, and I'm often complimented on my dress. I prefer classic looks. I don't follow trends. I also have the luxury of being a man. Menswear does not change as dramatically as women's. In fact, fashion has always been something I felt occupied the time of uninteresting people.

But, apparently, fashion is interesting enough that it warrants coverage on the Huffington Post. So I came upon this brief rant by Alexandra Sinderbrand. I've never heard of her before, but like I said, I don't follow fashion, either.

Despite a lot of what I say in this blog, I agree with most of what she says here. As a man, I appreciate the sight of attractive women not wearing pants. Of course, there's danger in that. If you're in the public eye, you're subject to paparazzi and the dreaded wardrobe malfunction while cameras snap. If you're not in the public eye, there's the impressions of others, no matter what you intend or whether those opinions matter at all.

But there are limits. Comfort is important - in fact, if it's not comfortable, why the hell are you wearing it? - but it's not everything. Like all other trends, the pantsless trend will end, probably sooner than most because really celebrity is the only excuse for it. Then pantslessness can return to where it belongs - the privacy of one's home, the comfort of the living room, or the occasional crazy that Fark finds me.

On leggings

2009-10-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

Some entertaining fashion advice from the students of Vanderbilt.

Bacon & Boo Pants

2009-10-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Like peanut butter & chocolate, like coffee & doughnuts, like bread & butter, two great things that go great together in this fabulous chart:

From http://lowereatside.wordpress.com/

Old men in Florida kick ass!

2009-09-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not posting recently, but, if you haven't already heard this story, I think it makes up for the long dry spell.

Naked Man, 91, Holds Intruder at Gunpoint

Bravo, sir, bravo! Everyone deserves to be naked in their own home and not to be bothered by anyone, especially by someone intruding with malicious intent. It's a cliche that a man's home is his castle, but it's at the very least his own nudist colony.

2009-08-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

LOLcats is often good for a laugh, or at least cuteness. Here, however, are a couple of recent posts that remind us all about the importance of the boo pants movement.

Enjoy.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Cats are wise.

2009-07-21T18:24:00.001-07:00

A shirt fitting many of my moods!

Summer fashion trends

2009-07-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

This article indicates that no pants is a fashion trend this year. Of course, the article comes out of Minneapolis, so I doubt the no pants trend will last more than a couple of months there. :)

2009-07-06T18:11:00.001-07:00

Leave it to Phil Hellmuth to do the World Series of Poker right.

Rugby, anyone?

2009-07-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

The way to play rugby - not safe for work, unless your employer doesn't mind you looking at bare bottoms!

At peace in the wilderness

2009-07-01T10:37:00.001-07:00

The true wilderness experience

A new link to my Facebook

2009-06-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

James Kelly

Create Your Badge

2009-06-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

This post, entitled "Stuff that 2-Year-Olds Can Get Away With," from another blog is brilliant. (Man, I wish I was still 2. You even get the designation "terrible.")

Please note the part about parts: Who wears pants when they're home?

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-19T12:20:00.001-07:00

To all the dads out there and the sons and daughters who appreciate them, this year the day to celebrate happens to fall on Naked Hiking Day! Woohoo! That ain't a snake in dem bushes! Still, don't piss it off.

For more information, go to the Naked Hiking Website: http://www.hikingnaked.com

Surprisingly, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has come out against nature: http://www.appalachiantrail.org

I never thought I'd see the Appalachian Trail Conservancy on the same side as FOX News.

Going out with style (or trying to)

2009-06-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, this woman completely failed. This is not how to go into the Great Beyond without pants encumbering you on your journey.

This guy fared much better. If that was his goal. If not, why else would he be walking pantsless in the street at 3:30 in the morning?

2009-06-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Alas, not all of us are fit enough for the revolution.

This is not me. Besides, I don't need to be nude to make little girls cry. :(

Meanwhile in Idaho

2009-05-01T15:22:00.001-07:00

Oregon may disappoint, but across the border, the awesome happens!

Oregon disappoints

2009-05-01T15:19:00.001-07:00

And here we thought Portland, home of the wonderful Powell's bookstore, was a cool city.

And then this happens.

Boo!!!!

Fashion news

2009-04-30T14:54:00.001-07:00

In for the summer, boo pants!

Of course, if I was a woman, I might never wear pants.

Golf news

2009-04-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hooray for John Daly! These are awesome!

Hey, you never know

2009-04-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

So if you're naked or pantsless in Boulder, Colorado, how you're treated may depend on who catches you.

This is bad.

The ACLU is working on fixing it.

Good for them and the fine people of Boulder, who occasionally need to drop trou.

Boo Pants make the Trek

2009-04-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Those who've seen Shaun of the Dead now that Simon Pegg rocks.

But in case you need further proof, here it is.

"When I smoke crack, I always take off my pants"

2009-04-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

So this story tells us that boo pants are indeed a privilege. Rehab or prison will keep his pants on.

Stay away from crack if you want to drop trou now and again. Or else stay home and do it.

In other words, this guy's got it all wrong. He does not understand the philosophy of boo pants.

The joys of academia

2009-03-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

From the New Yorker:

http://www.cartoonbank.com/item/128382

My type of vacation

2009-03-24T15:20:00.001-07:00

Thanks, CNN, for the cutting-edge news you always provide:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/03/24/naked.travel.recession/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

On ties

2009-03-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

I like dressing well. This may seem in contradiction to my boo pants philosophy, but it's not. When I have to go out of the house, I want to look my best. When I don't, I clearly define that it is time for fun and relaxation by wearing casual, comfortable and sometimes, I admit, ugly. Ugly has a place.

So I'm browsing the Internet and come across some Burberry sale items. Burberry has nice stuff. And I am a fan of ties. A tie is one of the ways a man can express himself when he dresses professionally.

But I'm not paying $108 for a tie. It's a nice tie, but I can do a lot for $108.

Likewise, this fantastic cashmere muffler. Gorgeous, but $300 is just outrageous.

Sure, I'd look great. I'd look great as I walk into bankruptcy court.

The Man oppressing the bus drivers

2009-02-24T15:45:00.001-08:00

The Man wants to keep the bus drivers down, making them not only wear pants, but buy them.

The Man is a Bastard.

2009-02-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

Pantsless protest at Harvard

Overlooked

2009-02-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

Dammit, where am I on this list?

More on kilts

2009-02-11T11:33:00.001-08:00

An entertaining piece about kilts and how the ladies like them

Follow up

2009-02-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

So Lady Gaga explains her pantsless ways to Rolling Stone. I'm not sure I believe it, or if this is a good reason or not.

Thoughts?

Bruce Campbell in Boo Pants

2009-02-10T09:14:00.001-08:00

Bruce Campbell embraces the boo pants movement:

http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/newsfeed/2009/02/08/grave-heart-78057-21105708/

Celebrity fashion faux pas - Boo pants as bad idea!

2009-02-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

I support comfort. I support people not wearing pants in the privacy of their own homes or in the homes of others who have explicitly allowed for the wearing of boo pants.

Sometimes not wearing pants is a political statement. Or at least entertaining. (Some of these occasions have already been chronicled in this blog.)

But this I just can't support. It's just a desperate cry for attention from a lonely person desperate fame. Put the panties away.

I don't follow that kind of music. So I don't know who the hell this is. All I know is that she should be picked up for indecent exposure and possibly solicitation.

Apparently, though, this is a (disturbing) fashion trend among celebs. Note that it's also all women. When men don't wear at public events, it's called flashing. It gets you registered as a sex offender.

I think the writer of the article gets it right with the last line: "Who needs pants when you have stardom?" Answer: You!

For your amusement

2009-02-05T12:10:00.001-08:00

underwearcops2.wmv

Friday and the weekend

2009-01-30T15:06:00.001-08:00

Not much to say.

It's been the longest week ever. Tuesday night felt like it should be Friday. Last night felt like Friday.

This morning, getting out of bed was torture.

These are the times that are made for boo pants.

Have a great weekend.

Comments about underwear

2009-01-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there is nothing I like better than lounging about in my underwear. During sweltering summer days, when my apartment lacked central air conditioning, I would lay on the bed, every fan I owned swirling about me, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

It was something like heaven.

This does not mean I would go outside in just my underwear.

Especially if I was on the run from the cops. In New Jersey. In January.

Damn.

2009-01-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

Some news about kilts

Boo Pants as an Economic Force

2009-01-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Copied from the Clovis (NM) News Journal :

We don’t know who wears the pants in Sen. Bill Sharer’s family, but we do know the Farmington Republican wasn’t wearing any when the Senate convened Tuesday.

Sharer wore a tuxedo kilt that he said as a reminder to his fellow legislators to go easy on the spending.

“The Scots are world renown for being frugal,” he said in a news release Tuesday. “In our current economic situation, ‘frugal’ should be the watchword of our session.” He promised to wear the kilt occasionally in the days to come to remind lawmakers of the need for frugality.

Senate Chief Clerk Lenore Naranjo said Sharer’s tuxedo kilt complies with the Senate rule requiring a jacket and tie to enter the Senate Chambers.

Venn Diagram

2009-01-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

2K9

2009-01-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

From humble beginnings

2009-01-20T08:26:00.000-08:00

“Boo pants!” I announce when I arrive home.

***

I had just come home from a job interview. Of course, it wasn’t a job I wanted. With my unemployment scheduled to expire in another few weeks, I couldn’t be choosy.

I slipped off my suit jacket (the tie had already been torn off during the drive home) and dropped trou right there in the living room.

I had been unemployed for six months. I spent whole days in front of the TV in nothing more than a T-shirt and a pair of lounge pants.

It was my apartment. I lived alone. Sort of. My former law school roommate sat on my couch watching television. He was staying in my apartment for a couple of weeks while he found a place of his own.

He was horrified. I stood there in my gray boxer briefs, triumphant. It had been so long since I wore slacks that they felt confining. And now they were gone. I felt great.

In that moment, a movement was born.

***

“Boo pants” is both a catchphrase and a description. It is an attitude and a product. It is a sentiment, a demand, and a celebration.

This blog celebrates “boo pants” in all their glory.

If this were a dictionary, there would be two definitions:

“Boo pants” /interj/ - an exclamation against the hegemony of pants. It celebrates that moment when your life truly becomes your own again, when you leave the pressures and demands of the world behind. Belts are shackles. Pants are the symbols of repression.

“Boo pants” /n/ - The “pants” or other clothes you wear on your lower extremities when you have “boo pants” moments. Generally marked by an elastic waistband. “Boo pants” include lounge pants, pajama pants, shorts, skirts, kilts, lingerie, underwear, nudity, etc.

There are not so much rules with boo pants as there are preferences and encouragements. Personality and comfort are encouraged. Ugly is encouraged. Soft is encouraged. Silliness is encouraged. Being unfashionable and out of season is encouraged. Being you is strongly encouraged.

DISCLAIMER: Of course, boo pants should only be worn in one's own home or some other very casual atmosphere (say, a friend's house belonging to one who encourages boo pants). Wearing boo pants in the wrong situation may cause you to be fired or arrested.

Besides, boo pants should be for you. Wearing them all the time (which, I admit, I did while unemployed) is not a way to go through life. Wearing them all the time diminishes the comfort level of boo pants and reduces your bold statement to “I'm lazy.”

In other words, wear pants when you must. It will help you savor the moments you don't have to.

This blog is about those moments.