Today's Shirt

Description: "Tulsa Hurricane Futball Club" Soccer jersey

Origin: Purchased at a thrift store next to our motel in Tulsa on the Glee Club Trip to Hell. It was $2. I got a good deal.

Decision: I really love everything about this shirt. The internets have told me that the Golden Hurricane is the mascot for the University of Tulsa, a city known solely for its devastating hurricanes. I admit to being confused by the singular form of the nickname (Does the entire team make up one hurricane? How do you refer to individual players? Winds, maybe?), while the totally made up word "Futball," which I like to pronounce "Fuhht Ball," is such delightful Spanglish that I laugh a little every time I see it. However, without looking closely, it looks like I'm just wearing a soccer jersey, and soccer jerseys just make me feel about 60% cooler. Plus, I'm lucky number 7. If only I had a cool nickname on the back, this shirt would be absolutely perfect. You could say this is a keeper, I guess.

Today's Shirt

Description: Indianapolis Colts shirt.

Origin: I think it's a rule that when your favorite team goes to the Super Bowl, you have to buy one of their shirts. Plus, when you consider that God Himself guided the Colts there, not buying it is tantamount to sacrilege.

Decision: I don't own any other Colts shirts, so I guess this will be the one.

This weekend's Shirt

Description: Red Glee Club, with city names and dates on the back.

Origin: I got one of these every year before going on Glee Club tour. Although I didn't actually make it to this one because I had a class trip to Central America that spring break.

Decision: Even though I didn't actually go on this one, this is a keep, because it's the best looking out of the 4.



Oh, and I've been crashing with Jeff for the past couple of days, hence the lack of shirt updates. I've just been bumming around in what I had on. Also, since I returned, JJ the cat has not left my side. But he will now. Because I really, really need a shower.

Today's Shirt

Description: White with red lettering that says "This is what Awesome looks like!"

Origin: Rachel gave it to me for my date tonight.

Decision: Keep.



Oh, and how did the date go? It didn't. I was stood up.

Today's Shirt

Description: Black Michigan District Key Club Convention shirt. Slogan "Hooty hoo and a bag of bling bling"

Origin: Abby gave it to me. She got it at the convention, as she was the Indiana Key Club governor and made appearances everywhere at the time. She said it was too big for her.

Decision: I have very few black T-shirts, mainly because my mom was ideologically opposed to them. ("They're too hot to wear in the summer!") Plus, it has the slogan "Hooty Hoo and a bag of bling bling" written on it. However, if I keep one Key Club convention shirt, it'll probably be "New Jersey will blow you away," so I think this is a giveaway.

Today's Shirt

Description: It's blue.

Origin: One day a resident at the hospital decided he didn't want to take a shower after he got in, and the end result was me getting soaked head to toe. I went to the store at the first opportunity and got a very cheap shirt. It was blue.

Decision: It's new, so it's still really comfy. Plus, some days I really don't want to make a statement about my life story. And, it's blue.



Possible delay in shirt blogging, as I have to take my computer to the Lab for some repairs.

Today's Shirt

Description: White, with three blue squares with cool looking symbols whose significance has been lost on me for the past 15 years or so.

Origin: Nothing special. I think I got it for Christmas one year. Or a birthday. I can't really remember for sure. Really, Christmas and my birthday run together into one big holiday, called Birthmas. Anyways, I got it a long time ago. This is possibly the oldest shirt I own.

Decision: I think it's time to retire this one. I still think the blue squares look pretty cool, but it's feeling a little small, especially around the armpits. It's very billowy these days too, when there's a breeze it poofs way out from my body. It'll be painful to part with such a staple of my life over the past two decades, but I think I'll manage somehow.

Today's Shirt + Rare JJ Cameo

Description: "It's all good. Donate Blood."

Origin: It turns out you get one of these after you donate blood.

Decision: Keep. I have about a zillion of these things, but most of them have suffered some unfortunate stain. This one appears to be still good, and since I have so many bizarre and inexplicable t-shirts, I figure I am honor bound to keep the one that has a positive social message. Plus, I can put some fake blood all over it, get some fake fangs, and presto! Instant vampire costume for Halloween.



I tried to include a picture of the elusive Mr. JJ Flash, but just as I went to capture the image, he decided it was time to sneak up and pounce on his mortal enemy, namely everything on my computer desk. Next time, maybe.

Today's Shirt

Description: Victory Field Triple-A All-Star Game signed by Bob Hackett.

Origin: Because I was an "at-risk" student, I had to report to college a few weeks early for a special program called ALPS. We spent the time getting to know the campus earlier than the others, and then did some pretty cool charity projects in Indianapolis. One night, we went to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game, and, using my friend Bob's personal information, I applied for a credit card and received this T-Shirt free. This would not be the last time I performed such a feat. Bob, for some reason, had a sharpie on him, and wanted to autograph my free t-shirt, unaware that it was actually his free t-shirt. His autograph has mostly faded, but it's still visible over the right shoulder.

Decision: Probable discard. This is a good shirt, actually. Very comfortable, and signed by my friend Bob. People ask me all the time who signed my shirt when I wear it, and they look really disappointed when I tell them my friend Bob, even though they probably couldn't name any minor league baseball players anyway. But I think it can be spared.

Today's Shirt

Description: Hard Rock Cafe Beijing Shirt

Origin: Dad got one for each of us when he went to China. I somehow have two. I think the other is Aaron's.

Decision: Keep. It's a conversation starter. Granted, the conversation is usually lame ("You went to Beijing?" "No, my dad did." "Oh.") but still, how am I going to get another one?

Today's Shirt

Description: 2004 Levi Coffin Days 10K Run

Origin: Got it when I ran in the 2004 Levi Coffin Days 10K Run. Not much of a backstory on this one, really.

Decision: Discard. This one will be difficult to get rid of, since it heavily features green, which is my favorite color, and because I had to run a 10K race on country roads with no shade in sight on a frickin hot day in September. However, it's not as long as I like, and seems too prone to shrinking, so I don't think it cuts it as far as comfort goes. A resident at the hospital will love it, I'm sure.



Also, I don't think I understand the appeal of this blog feature.

Today's Shirt

Description: This is an odd one. The back says "Cyber bullets cause no pain." The logo features a peace sign superimposed on a crosshair. Or maybe a peace sign in a cross hair.

Origin: Jeff gave this shirt. He got it at the Million Man LAN nerd convention he goes to every summer. He said that Heat.net, the site it advertises, is a game site, which, according to its homepage, allows gamers to play the latest hits, such as Links LS '99 and High Heat Baseball 2000.

Decision: This shirt utterly puzzles me. I can't quite wrap my brain around the slogan and logo. Is it the premier game server for Quaker First Person Shooter gamers? Or is it suggesting that the cyber bullets are just training for real bullets, and that shooting peace squarely in its three-pronged sign the next objective? I don't know, but I do know that I'm a little antsy about walking around with a crosshair on my back, let alone walking around with a crosshair on my back while sending out mixed messages. This one is probably on its way out.




Also, I tossed a simple ash shirt that had an American flag surrounded by "USA Washington, DC" in the corner. It was a gift from Mom in the summer of 2001, when she, Abby, and Aaron went to Washington for vacation while I stayed home and worked at a gas station and ate Ramen noodles. Not really a cherished memory.

Today's Shirt

Description: Teal "New Jersey Will Blow You Away!" Key Club International Convention Shirt.

Origin: A gift from the New Jersey District Key Club Governor received at the International Convention.

Decision: Probable keeper. I don't much care for teal, but the shirt features an evil cloud blowing a parade of stick people down the side of the shirt. If that's not cool, I'm not sure what is.

Oh, and to clarify my methods, as I come across shirts that I know I have no intention of ever wearing again, such as my ugly high school after prom shirt, I'll put them in the Goodwill pile immediately rather than dirty them up first. I suppose I'll start mentioning that when I do it, otherwise it won't look like I'm getting rid of things. There won't be enough shirts in that category to effectively trim down my wardrobe, however, so I'll have to filter the remaining shirts down even further.

Today's Shirt

Description: White "Monopoly" Shirt.

Origin: Swag from the Hoosier Lottery I received while working at One & 70 Shell to promote their "Monopoly" themed scratch-off tickets.

Decision: Preliminary Keeper. I remembered this shirt was somewhat uncomfortable around the collar, and it's almost paper thin. However, a few washes seems to have helped it out. Plus, all my clients at work thought it was cool, and the damnable Hoosier Lottery logo is exiled to the base of the left sleeve, for easy concealment. Whether it will survive the second purge remains to be seen.

Today's Shirt

Description: Bright Orange "Digger's Cafe, Crawfordsville, IN"

Origin: Purchased on the last day I lived in Crawfordsville. Digger's was the local 24 hour diner preferred by the Wabash College students. The food was really good there. And plenty cheap.

Decision: Keeper, because I don't think I own any other orange t-shirts, and Digger's was almost a weekly institution for those 4 years. However, it's only got a few good years left, as it has those gross logos that stick and peel after they get washed a few times.

Urge to clean falling

Unbelievable news. I actually cleaned last night. A lot. Lots of clothes were sorted, laundry was done, dishes were done. I was a cleanin machine.

Tonight, while I was buying some shampoo and necessary groceries like cereal, Rock Star, candy bars, and chips, I found Civilization 4: Beyond the Sword.

Civ 4 sucks my life away from me. I am completely unable to walk away from it. I want to install the beautiful thing and play it for 30 straight hours.

Must do more laundry. Must clean the bathroom.

Must invite Jeff over. Must play 30 hours of Civ.

Oh, and I've also decided to keep a running tally of the shirts I'm wearing and the shirts I'm giving to Goodwill on this blog. Liveblogging my wardrobe. This will be thrilling, I'm sure.

Today's installment: an ash-gray T-shirt that says "Enjoy Coca-Cola".
Origin: I think I got it when I was 15, at my first job as an abused slave laborer at the local grocery store. I had the meanest bosses in the history of mean bosses, and I was a fragile 15 year old. I didn't last long at all.
Decision: Keeper. I enjoy Coca-Cola, and I want the whole world to know. If only all of them were this easy.

Plus, it inspired this fun-filled conversation:

Client: Andy! Y-y-y-you like Coca-Cola?
Andy: Heck yeah I do!
Client: I l-l-l-like P-p-p-pepsi better.
Andy: No way!
Client: P-p-p-pepsi is good.
Andy: No! You can't beat the real thing!
Client: Y-y-y-y-you should try P-p-p-pepsi.
Andy: No! You should drink Coke!
Client: I do!
Andy: And it's the best!
Client: N-n-n-n-no. P-p-p-pepsi.
Andy: Coke! Coke! Coke!
Client: Pepsi.

...it goes on quite a while like that. Rest assured, I don't take it lightly when people dis my colors. Respect.