Kelsey Timmerman's Blog, page 80

Faces behind the labels

I'm haunted by garment workers. When I put on a shirt I see faces and families. Today I'm wearing a shirt Made in Honduras, which makes me think of a fella I met outside of a factory near San Pedro Sula.

This week I'd like to step out of the way and let pictures from my global quest to meet the people who made my clothes speak for themselves.

Where are you wearing today? Join the discussion on Twitter.

I hope someone remembered to pack the baby

I used to travel light…besides my cultural baggage.  I'd throw a pair of underwear in my backpack and hit the road.  I didn't write the book on Travelin' Light, but I did used to write the column on it.

But now that we have a baby in tow/in car seat/in jogging stroller/in arms, the packing list has expanded exponentially.  Could someone tell me why a 17-pound baby requires 500-pounds of gear?

Annie, Harper, and I are in Michigan on vacation. It's supposed to be a beach vacation, but sweatshirt wea

How can I have my midlife crisis if TransAm is dead?

I thought I had my mid-life crisis all figured out.

In 2029 when I turn 50, I'll start lifting weights, listen to nothing but the Goo Goo Dolls, dust off the ol' letterman jacket, and – this is the most important party — buy a shiny new TransAm to make me feel 16 again.

But now that Pontiac is no more, how's a fella supposed to get through his midlife crisis? Surely you don't expect me to buy a Mustang, do you?

On my 16th birthday my parents chipped in half for the TransAm I had been pining for.

A thousand words

I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

-William Butler Yeats

Harper and I - or rather our feet. What lessons will she have learned by the time her feet look like mine? A father can only wonder.

My All-American Cambodian Blue Jeans

(With the relaunch of the new blog I'm highlighting old posts. I wrote this one in May of 2007 while in Cambodia.)

In the USA we didn't invent the blue jean. We just made 'em cool.

Jeans were first worn by the Italian Navy. But riveted jeans were first produced in San Francisco by Levi Strauss. He was a German immigrant. So, maybe blue jeans aren't as All-American as I'd like to think, but I've got two words for you: James Dean.

Here's one more: Fonzie

Levi's has such a connection with the average

A fresh look at "Made in Italy"

Today, like every day, I'm wearing glasses.  They were made in Italy and I just made a horrible discovery: they are Dolce & Gabbana glasses.

That's not "horrible" you're probably thinking to yourself.

Obviously you don't subscribe to Esquire Magazine.

Anytime I see D&G on a shirt or handbag my mind is flooded with the image that greets me each month I crack open a new Esquire. There's this fella, who also looks like he was made in Italy, floating in what appears to be a life raft, but he looks too

And the winner of the iPod is…

Chuck!

Chuck wrote the song "Albino Sasquatch" (a great name for a band) which had the judges - Dan at Rule29, Larry, at Wiley, and me - rolling. I'll send out emails to the runners up in the near future so they can choose from the other prizes: ARC of WAIW, Moju Project T-shirt, or writerly advice.

Without further ado…ALIBINO SASQUATCH

Kelsey is dancing to an autobiographical song that he wrote himself. Kelsey wrote the lyrics and Elton provided the melody. He plays it whenever he goes to a new p

Zoo Rant: A tale of Two Elephants

I was walking down the street in Jhalakthi, Bangladesh, when an elephant asked me for a dollar bill.

The elephant's snout was smeared with red paint and two smiling locals sat atop his back.  The crowded streets managed to make way for the elephant. Kids smiled and pointed. Rickshaw drivers piled on the sidewalk.

They all stared at me.  The tiny proboscis at the end of the elephant's trunk wiggled with anticipation.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out some money, and the elephant ever so gently pi

iPod contest update

Okay, so I should have announced a winner last Thursday. What do you want to hear?

1. I should pay attention to my own contest rules and forgot that Thursday was the deadline.

2. There were so many great entries that it's taking awhile and I had to enlist some assistance choosing who should win.

3. I was busy on Thursday and went to the zoo on Friday.

Actually, I'm going to plead all of the above.

I'll announce the winners soon enough. Look, I should just keep the iPod for myself, seeing how the d

Faces of Honduras

I've been watching/listening/browsing the news a lot lately for updates on Honduras. Usually after talks of Michael Jackson and Iran the coup gets a brief mention. When I hear the stories, I think back to my time in the country in 2005, which I briefly mention in my book, and I see faces.

These are a few of those faces…