Knickers?

It’s fun to select and use different fonts even though all of them don’t have italics. “American Typewriter” does not have italics; but of course, typewriters didn’t have italics, you backspaced and underlined. But it does resemble the Pica 10-pitch font on the portable typewriter bought at Sears, Alexandria, VA in 1982 to type papers for classes at Virginia Seminary -- a typewriter with typebars that jammed when you typed too fast, and a strip of correction tape or bottle of WiteOut. 

Are typewriters even available these days? Yes, go on line and see. But -- Panasonic and --- Nakajima? Nakajima? Whatever happened to Royal, Smith-Corona, Remington and my father’s Underwood standard that no kid was allowed to touch. 

Just as nobody was allowed near mama’s black with gold trim Singer sewing machine. All my growing up years the machine sat between the side windows in our parents bedroom. Not only baby clothes, it made many wonderful shirts for me, right up through my college years.

But what was on my mind was the term “nerd,” which someone called me, most recently because of my footwear. Apparently a nerd is a socially inept person, oblivious to convention; as to fashion and style, without a care or clue. It is said that you can’t effect being a nerd, you either are one or you can't even spell it, and if you are one you probably couldn’t care less. Besides, my feet get cold, which is why I always wear socks in bed, spring, summer, fall and winter. 

As a boy going to Cove School, I wore knickers long after everyone else graduated to long pants. Knickers were great because the elastic band at the bottom kept your pants leg from being caught in the bike chain. When knickers were no longer available mama sewed me an elastic band to bind the right pants leg and guard against it being chewed up by the bike chain. 

But my next bike was a maroon Schwinn with a chain guard, bookrack, kickstand, white sidewalls, knee action spring fork, Morrow coaster brake, and a batwing headlight. Used, it was a present from Daddy Walt’s store, Gentry Brothers Loans & Pawns, 10 E. Intendencia, Pensacola, Fla. Est. 1909.

Nerd? Who cares.

Nakajima? I don't think so.

TW+