Here's a letter I wrote to the Scots Magazine, the oldest continuously published magazine in the world. (since 1739)

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 21:18:56 -0500
From: Gordon Nicol 
  To: editor@scotsmagazine.com
 

Dear Wunnerful, Wunnerful Scots Magazine, 
 

     I'm from Edinburgh, but have lived in Dallas, Texas for the past 22 years. Living here in the U.S. it's so obvious how the vast majority of people here are proud to be Americans. I always remember when I lived in Scotland of  having a little chuckle when I might hear someone on tv saying, "I'm proud to be an American."  It seemed so anathema to this humble Scot for anyone to be so blatantly proud of themselves or their country. It's so funny but we Scots are so openly very non-patriotic. It takes a Falkland Islands crisis or an international football or rugby game to really bring out our Scottish pride (kept safely and securely hidden below the surface.)
    Back in April, I was very proud of my Scottish heritage when I received a proclamation from the Mayor of Dallas (Laura Miller). I went to City Hall, dressed resplendently in my kilt and met other members of the Dallas Scottish Society. This was a week celebrating Tartan Day ( April 6th ) and the mayor's proclamation was the official "blessing" from the highest official in Dallas. I had prepared a "thank you" which I read aloud for all the city council to hear and I could tell that the mayor was quite charmed as I saw she had such a big smile on her face when she handed me the proclamation. 
    Now, back when I lived in Bonnie Scotland, I used to play in a rock band Iron Virgin and wearing a kilt was the farthest thing from my mind. We were into all the heavy "cool" stuff like David Bowie, Elton John, Slade, Sweet and that kind of music. None o' your Scottish "nancy" music for these long-haired guys. It's so funny that, when the band split up, I went to work for none other than Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne who owned Pan Audio in Edinburgh..Even working there with the "upper echelons" of Scotland's folk music and the writer of Scotland's "national anthem." didn't warm my heart to the music and culture of my heritage.      When I moved to Dallas in 1979, I then truly realized what a beautiful country Scotland is and what a rich tradition and culture she has. The line from the Joni Mitchell song would continually ring in my ear, "Don't it always seem to go, That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone." I'm sure like most people who move from Scotland, I constantly feel a yearning for all the things that I miss about our wonderful country. But, it wasn't until last year, at the age of 52, did I finally don a kilt. And, I have to be honest, it was an Englishwoman who co-erced me into it. (Oh the barefaced shame of it). I have a recording studio and was helping my dear friend Grenda Walton find some music for her show and was lamenting the fact that business was so slow. I happened to play her a sample from my cd  Sweet Nothings.Words to whisper in your Lover's Ear  and she was very impressed. She said, "Gordie. We
have to get you in a kilt and get you out reading Bobbie Burns's poetry."  "Oh No !! " I thought. This was the last thing I wanted to hear. But Grenda (God bless her wee heart) insisted. "We've got to get you a kilt." she asserted. "Oh all right." I said (thinking to myself "No way, you won't catch me deid in a kilt.") So, it's 8pm on a Friday night in Dallas, Texas. Where do you think we could find a kilt???  Believe it or not, we found this amazing outfit on Ebay !! The internet auction. I continued to go along with Grenda because I knew I hadn't a hope in winning an auction. (my luck has never been much good at that sort of thing). I have to point out three very important "coincidences" at this point. First, we "hatched" this plot, I remembered in retrospect, on my birthday, the 4th of January. Secondly, the outfit was made in Edinburgh by MessrsWilliam
Anderson & Sons Ltd. (now Kinloch Anderson). in 1936 !!!  I'll reveal the third one in a second or two. Well, I put in a bid and left it at that, knowing that I wouldn't hear anymore about it. The auction was to end the next day around noon and, as I was going to be out and about, Grenda said I should call her at noon and she'd let me know what happened. I called her ..........."Gordie, you've got it."  I couldnae believe ma ears!!!  "Really ???" I said in disbelief. "Whit dae ah dae noo?"  Well,  I had to cough up the money and pay the piper ( although he wasn't actaully a piper). The owner of the outfit lived in Plymouth and sent the package by surface mail (costing a whopping $45). Now, I know that it takes 5 to 7 weeks when something is sent from the UK to the US. The package was sent on the 16th of January. And now, for the most amazing coincidence. 
Cue the drum roll................. 
The package arrived on the 25th of January ! ! !    And to add insult to injury, it was Grenda who had to remind me that this was Burns's birthday. "Oh my
goodness! Ah dinnae believe it!" I was intending to put the box in a corner (for just a wee while) until I was ready to try on the kilt. (Like maybe January 2008 or something like that) But this was just too much of a coincidence. I was destined to wear this outfit. It smelled pretty musty as I took each piece out of the box. The tag on the back of the kilt read "Dr. B. Blair 1936" and had a number as well. I had no idea how one even puts a kilt on. Do you put it o'er the heid like a jumper? Where are the holes for the legs? Eventually I turned once again to the internet for some "kilt etiquette" and finally got wised up. I put the kilt, waistcoat, jacket and socks on and thought, "I look kinda braw actually.". 
    Anyway, that was just the beginning of a whole "new life" for me. I had no idea in my "pre-kilt" days how much of an attention getter this piece of tartan was. And the effect it has on American women??  Wow! If I'd known this, I would have got off the Braniff airplane wearing one back in 1979. I've now been giving poetry recitals around Dallas and the audiences have just been delighted. I've also put together a grrreat web site and hope you'll take a wee peek and a listen to some of my work. Just gie a wee click on the green banner below. 
    Awrabest, awratime and thanks for one of my favourite magazines. The Scots magazine keeps me in touch with my roots. Roots which I now cherish more with
every year I'm away fae dear Scotland.You see, I don't even know if I'd ever read a Scots magazine before, but my twin brother George has given me a yearly subscription for my birthday for at least 15 years maybe more.