T-shirt #342: Kalamazoo College - White Long-Sleeve

T-shirt #342: Kalamazoo College - White Long-Sleeve

Welcome to blog entry #342. Wow. Just give me a minute. THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO. That's almost a year, which is funny because that's my goal: a year.

Indulge me as I revel some more.

 THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO (342) in a row, daily, consecutive, no breaks, blog entries, some of which are quite long.

Yeah, yeah, nay-sayers. I know some of you are regular readers and you're wondering: "So, Tower..." (I hate being called Tower but I have grown accustomed to it as everyone in the Ultimate world calls me that... so I guess I no longer HATE IT...I just do not prefer it...) "what's your current unfinished count?"

Right, true. But even though my current unfinished count is at SEVEN posts (not counting an eighth one that is currently "finished" but that I want to revise), these are only unfinished in MY ESTIMATION. Because, after all, something is posted for those "unfinished" entries. Granted some of the text spells out "this is unfinished," but hey, I could take that down and then just leave them there, like sketches. Nah... I will "finish" them soon, even the one originally posted in January 19th (my birthday). Feeling a bit of shame on going live with that one before I had it "finished."

Anyway... back to the regularly scheduled programming.

Keeping with my "hiatus" from the long, endless, live in concert jam session and drum solo blog entries, I am confining myself to one subject today. I was going to explore two subjects and continue with yesterday's ruminations on my plans for the blog, but I am saving that for another day. It's these "add ons" that cause these blog entries to grow. How much can you all read anyway? Are you even reading these words now? How do I know you exist? How do I know I exist? How do I know that this instrument through which I am communicating with you exists? What is "existence" anyway? How is it defined? Who defined it and when?

Obviously, too much NIGHTVALE (see a repeated item to follow).

ONWARD.

As you all know (and if you don't check out the handy KALAMAZOO COLLEGE category located to the right), I attended a small private school called Kalamazoo College. This is a supposedly well known school, though I have to question: "with whom?" After all, I could take a random poll of my students at either of the online schools for whom I teach and I bet money that none of them have heard of it.

In fact, when my father suggested I consider going, at the age of 17, I had not heard of it. I had to go see it for myself and got caught trying to go the wrong way on a one way street (Lovell).


Watch how I tie all this content together.

Questions of existence and knowledge of Kalamazoo College's existence reminds me of a unique property of the school. It's a small school. Most students lived on campus and ate in the cafeteria, so everyone pretty much knew everyone at least by sight. "Oh yeah. that guy who always wears the army coat" and "oh that girl who never wears shoes." But the Kalamazoo College schedule kept some students off campus at all times. All four of the classes (freshmen through senior) were never on campus all together, mainly, because the campus was not big enough. Long periods of time would pass between seeing people of different graduating classes. But when these folks returned, there was always this moment: "Oh, I had forgotten you exist. I used to see you around all the time, every day, and yet it's been at least half a year, maybe longer, since those times. I missed you even though I have never spoken to you and don't know your name. I am glad you exist and have returned to my orbit."

Granted, there were plenty of people you knew and remembered and were in contact with the whole time they were gone (not as easy to do in the pre-email/ smart phone/ tablet era). But there were others who were either nameless but familiar faces or people whose names you did know but had only the occasional contact with.

This phenomenon, which I call Recursive Memory Recurrence, is still happening today.

How many of your Facebook friends do you only communicate with once a year when their birthdays pop up on your home page. And then you're like "Oh yeah, THAT person."

Same thing.

Class reunions make this more dramatic. Not long ago (as time is measured with advanced age as it was four years ago), we had our class reunion (25 years), and I saw people whom I had not thought about in twenty-five years. Same effect: Recursive Memory Recurrence. All those memories flood back. Some of these people are actually "good friends" with whom I drank or played games or ate meals or had long, existential conversations about the meaning of a particular line in a Monty Python movie. Others were those people whose names I knew or did not know but knew their faces. I still know their faces, and I know most of their names, too. But the memories recur and are applied again to the recurrence until the next iteration.

Is this like reincarnation?

...yeah... yeah, some pictures are just more fun if seen three times...

HIATUS TEXT: REVISED 1402.18:  I have been trying to maintain a hiatus from large or over involved blog posts beginning with the start date of my hiatus on January 20th (almost a month ago) during which time I logged 21 posts, which I consider "Hiatus Shirts." By this term, Hiatus Shirt, I mean the shirt is not one that would cause me to write a great deal on the subject it features. These are shirts about which I can write anything, either a lot or a very little. The hiatus will continue, though as it has for the last few weeks, not consecutively as I will continue to mix Hiatus and Non-Hiatus shirts. The blog's year (365 shirts) draws close to a close. (I like the double word use in that previous sentence.) I hope to finish strong with some good entries with high quality content and imagery on some beloved subjects. To earn this time, I will need to intersperse shirts of little consequence, what I have come to call Hiatus Shirts.
My original goal of working ahead remains. I need time to write the enormously lengthy text to complete the extensive love letter to certain beloved popular culture icons featured on my many special shirts. Even with "Hiatus Shirts," I will try to share some worthy content as I have either an idea, a new suggestion of something to read/look at/listen to, or another installment of my various features, such as the WHY T-SHIRTS item, the WEEKLY COMIC BOOK LISTS, and the SHIRT I AM ACTUALLY WEARING TODAY among others. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.
Thanks for reading. I am always honored that people have taken some of their valuable time to look at my ongoing web writing project. Keep checking this address. I promise to make it worthwhile.

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REPRINTS BELOW

I may reprint the next two items (edited from the original versions that were posted in T-shirt #339: DEAD CAN DANCE) until everyone is infected. What if my digging, egg laying, slime-oozing spores did not properly bore under your skin and spread their terribly delightful influence the first time.

Do not close the browser.

Do stop reading.

Trust me.

I'm a doctor.

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WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE

COMMONPLACE BOOKS: WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE

Welcome to Nightvale is described as
WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.

Do Not Approach the Dog Park: Welcome to Night Vale
by ALEX BROWN: a snippet:

In the darkest spaces between nightmares and hallucinations is a place unlike any other. The town is populated by hollow-eyed messenger children and ominous hooded figures, haunted by non-existent angels and towers of roaches in deer masks, and tormented by a tiny underground army and wheat and wheat byproducts. A hellscaped sky stretches its gaping maw over the Sand Wastes and Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex, and citizens who aren’t busy battling their evil doppelgangers or being converted into buzzing shadowpeople defined only by the absence of light in the vague shape of a torso and limbs go about their daily lives and try not to get on the bad side of the City Council or the Sheriff’s Secret Police.
Welcome to Night Vale.

WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE WIKIPEDIA

THE STRENGTH OF NIGHT VALE'S LIVE SHOWS

WELCOME TO NIGHVALE: Where David Lynch meets the Twilight Zone

WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Check it out!
Trust me.
I'm a doctor.

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This comic, CTHULU SLIPPERS, is a very divertisement. Updates every Monday. Here's the latest reprinted without permission. I am sure creators Andrew Jack and Natalie Metzger would not mind. I am spreading the good word of the great work. ENJOY.

It's really good stuff.

Trust me.

I'm a doctor.

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And now, just because, with no purpose, no order and little explanation, I present to you:

THE OBLIGATORY COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 23 shirts remaining

- chris tower - 1402.26 - 18:33

T-shirt #335 - KUDL 2007 Mandarin & My Friend Abby

OFFICIAL INCOMPLETE BOILERPLATE TEXT: Thank you for coming to my blog. If you have been here before, you know why I post unfinished blog entries. If you are new to the blog, and came here by an Internet search or some other nefarious means, you may be wondering why someone would post something incomplete to the Internet. The shirt (ha ha.... leaving in that typo: I meant "short") answer is that I must post something every day because of the goal I set for myself when I began 365 T-shirts in March of 2013. And though there is a way to post backwards in time thanks to Blogger's scheduler utility, I would rather post an incomplete entry when the daily chaos of work, family, and the universe prohibits me from completing the blog entry for that day. Sometimes, I need a few days to complete the entry, and readers who check may see a work in progress slowly bloom.

In other words, more tomorrow. Thanks for checking.














T-shirt #335 - KUDL 2007 Mandarin & My Friend Abby + others

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 30 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.19 - 19:23
final publication - date - time

T-shirt #322 - Curious George Space Monkey

T-shirt #322 - Curious George Space Monkey

I clicked on the 1970s Nostalgia simply because I discovered Curious George with my sister when she was little starting in 1969. I do not recall having Curious George stories prior to her birth (though I may have) even though Curious George was published from 1941-1966 by "H.A. Rey," aka Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey.

I was never a huge fan of the TV adaptations or films.



But I do rather like the Jack Johnson album Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George (2008). This is actually a good impetus to post some videos. Check them out farther below. I was a fan of this album even before meeting my wife, though she is a huge fan because is from Hawaii.


I have been in delay mode because my friend the Lord of Chaos has been visiting (seen in in pictures today and yesterday).

Because of his ties to the chaos realms, the Lord of Chaos also likes Curious George. When he was last here we reveled in our mutual affection of Underdog -- T-shirt #288 -- and it was from him that I obtained my QUISP shirt -- T-shirt #90. I group Curious George in a similar category of these types of childhood things.

Once again, I add to my category about letting go and growing up. Being adult does not mean that I stop liking Curious George.

In fact, Curious George is an excellent template FOR BEING ADULT. Many of the lessons that we need to guide us in life our found in our stories that are enjoyed by BOTH children and adults: Curious George, Winnie the Pooh, and Calvin and Hobbes.

Today's entry (mostly written two days later) is dedicated to things about which I am CURIOUS. Or more accurately, things about which I have been curious and sated my curiosity by investigating.

Or another way to express this theme is just all the stuff open in my browser right now and a few comic book covers.

Because there always must be comic book covers on this blog.

Is that a surprise?

Various thoughts....

I like pictures of the stuffed animals in the extreme foreground.

Liesel already owned a Christmas Tree ornament of the picture on the back of this T-shirt.

Right now, I feel like typing the following title because it pooped in my head (a typo I am not fixing):

The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

My dog just barked randomly. This happens sometimes. It should not happen when I am trying to take a drink of a full glass of liquid.

I am easily startled.

I have a spilling disorder.

I do not like dishes in the sink.

I often do not like to go buy groceries.

Today, the day I am writing this, which is Saturday, I had a massage.

The little stuffed Curious George has been stationed atop the daredevil toy box to the right of my current position in my office for sometime.

The larger Gund Curious George now sits atop the Kingdom Come Hawkman toy the left of my position.

I need little shelves high on the walls of my office to perch these toys. Once perched with toys, I will need the spray cans of air to blow dust off the toys.

I have not yet unpacked my small bobble head and plush beanie collection.

I have four bobble heads in my office: A Sleestak from The Land of the Lost, the Vision from The Avengers, Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet, and The B-9 Robot from Lost in Space (mint in box). I have a Harry Houdini and an Albert Einstein bobble among those packed in a box downstairs.

And now more curious items.

AMC Sets ‘Preacher’ Drama Adaptation With Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Sony TV

I have not read Preacher, so I am not sure how I feel about this. The news item simply provokes me to read Preacher. I have the first volume around here somewhere.

From the link above: "Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith, has learned that God has left Heaven and goldbergrogenabandoned His responsibilities. He finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, demanding answers, and making Him answer for His dereliction of duty. Accompanying Jesse on his journey is his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire who seems to prefer a pint in the pub to the blood of the innocent. On his tail is an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers – a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse."

Did I mention The Vision already?

Paul Bettany Cast as The Vision in THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

I am super excited that the VISION is going to be in the next Avengers movie. As I have already claimed, the Vision is one of my top five favorite non-franchise Marvel heroes.

As explained here: T-shirt #119: Doctor Strange.

The Doctor Strange blog entry was so huge that it bears repeating.
 The superhero list I made in that blog is important to this item and my excitement about the prospect of the Vision in the Avengers movie.

The story of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch falling in love and all the ramifications this pairing had in the Marvel Universe is the kind of story that the current Avengers comics are all lacking.

Trusting Joss Whedon to execute this properly as I do, I am thrilled to learn that these characters (plus the Witch's brother Quicksilver) will be in the movie as reported by your source for all that is nerd (and more): the blog of Charles Skaggs as linked above.

MARVEL TOP TWENTY NON-FLAGSHIP SUPERHEROES - MEN
Yes, here it is, the list you have been waiting for. It was difficult to make this list. I had to confine myself to male Marvel heroes who either did not have their own books or who had/have solo books but are not considered the pillars of the Franchise (like Spider-Man and Captain America). Doctor Strange heads the list.

1. Doctor Strange
2. The Silver Surfer
3. The Black Panther
4. The Vision
5. Adam Warlock
6. The Black Knight
7. Son of Satan
8. Iron Fist
9. Killraven
10. Falcon
11. Ka-Zar
12. Deathlok
13. Hawkeye
14. Black Bolt
15. Ghost Rider
16. 3D Man
17. Machine Man
18. Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu
19. Quasar
20. Captain Marvel

While I am delving, I noticed that the entry for  T-shirt #119: Doctor Strange also contained some content about the great game Magic the Gathering, which I have played three times in the last week due to the visit of the Lord of Chaos and my step-son Ivan's enjoyment of this particular game. I think that content bears repeating too.

MAGIC NOT MAGIC THE GATHERING

Given that I have written about my affection for and current playing of Dungeons and Dragons on this blog before, it should come as no surprise that I also played Magic the Gathering, the customizable "trading card" game. Though I think re-sale is a more accurate term as I have not seen so much trading where this game is concerned. I am not going to write about also playing Magic the Gathering, at least not today. In the mid-1990s, I was quite obsessed with the game. I made decks. I planned strategies. It all ruined a relationship (which was best in the long run).

So, at this point, I do not own a Magic the Gathering shirt, but you never know. If you have not figured this out, I like T-shirts.

Now, why am I mentioning MTG? Well, Dr. Strange is one of the most magic-oriented of superheroes, and magic makes me think of Magic The Gathering as well as the magic spells in D&D, the latter I borrowed many of the greater spellcaster/creators, such as Oshtur, Hoggoth, and the Vishanti for magic in the game. I mean, really, the "Crimson Bands of Cyttorak" and the "Flames of Faltine" are just too cool not to swipe and use in D&D.


DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING LINK OR CONTENT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ RED SHIRTS.

FX Adapting Sci-Fi Novel ‘Redshirts’ As Limited Series

I am very amused that Scalzi's book about how a 21st century TV show warps the reality of a future starship and its crew will be made into a 21st century TV show.

Is your mind blown, too?

OKAY YOU CAN START READING AGAIN.

For safe content on Red Shirts, check T-shirt #13 or read on. I am reprinting again.

If you have read to this point, then you are to be thanked. Whether you are a new reader or a returning reader, I am thankful for your patronage and for following my project. I promise not to keep you too much longer.

Scrolling back through the blog, you will find T-shirt #4 (The Gold Command shirt) and T-shirt #11 (The Blue Science/Medical shirt). As I confessed in those blogs, when the ad from NoMoreRack on Facebook snared me, I bought all three shirts. And, so, today April third, I feature the red shirt.

This shirt has special importance as I am just now finishing the audio edition of John Scalzi'sRed Shirts, which is  narrated by Wil Wheaton. The novel has been nominated for one of SF's most prestigious awards: the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Scalzi is an excellent writer. With a fusion of influences from Star Trek to Heinlein, he is a funny, original, entertaining, and deftly-skilled writer of some of the best science fiction being published today. He is releasing his latest novel, The Human Division, as a multi-part series of episodes released via Kindle each week on Tuesday. I am also reading those and enjoying them immensely. Check out my Good Reads page for more information and mini-reviews.

Red Shirts, the novel, is hilarious on its own. Wil Wheaton's narration amps up the hilarity to 11 (on a scale of 1-10). If you take my recommendation and check out this book (and audio), then you may also love the retread of the inspiration for the Ewoks: Fuzzy Nation (also by Scalzi and also narrated by Wheaton).

For more from SCALZI himself and his fun blog called "Whatever" (and please note, Scalzi enjoys pie), look here:

SCALZI ON RED SHIRTS TV SHOW

It's actually safe to read the Scalzi bits if you have not read Red Shirts because Scalzi, unlike FX, does not SPOIL plot elements of Red Shirts in his blog post.

Okay, here's the last thing. I am burying this here because I am concerned about offending people. I don't think what I share should offend people. But I did not post to Facebook because I am just not interested in comments or fall out. Though do not let such an admission stop you, if you want to leave a comment here. I get so few.

I am just being lazy and pasting in the Wikipedia entry on Porpentine (which is archaic for porcupine).
It also provides contrast to break up my sections as it's the Wiki page. For references, follow the link to Wikipedia.

Porpentine (game designer)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Porpentine is a feminist video game designer, writer and curator. She is primarily a developer of hypertext games and interactive fiction.^[1] Alongside VVVVVV developer Terry Cavanagh and several others, she is an editor for freeindiegam.es, a curated collection of free, independently produced games.^[2][3] She is a columnist for online PC gaming magazine Rock, Paper, Shotgun.^[4]Game design[edit]Porpentine's games are mainly built using Twine.
Howling Dogs[edit]Porpentine's 2012 Twine game Howling Dogs incorporates themes of escapism, violence and religious experience, though she has stated that it should be open to interpretation.^[5] It won the 2012 XYZZY awards in the "Best story" and "Best writing" categories.^[6] The Boston Phoenix listed it as one of their "Top 5 indie games of 2012".^[7]During the 2013 Game Developers Conference, game designer Richard Hofmeier vandalised the booth he had been given to showcase his award-winning game Cart Life, spray-painting the words "Howling Dogs". He stated he wished to give greater exposure to Porpentine's game.^[8][9]Jump up

I came across the following via, who else, WARREN ELLIS. This person, who goes by the Twitter handle of PORPENTINE is selling a "cute cyber book" called MY WITCH ANCESTORS DIED FOR MY RIGHT TO FUCK SATAN, I think, mainly, just to get your attention. Did it work?

The book itself (at least so far) is a strange collection of art images and writings that meld computer game lingo, strange colors, sex talk, and other ephemera into an eclectic and quite strange whole. I was curious so I purchased.

Check it here: LINK TO CUTE CYBER BOOK.

"WRONG TURN" - JACK JOHNSON

"THE SHARING SONG"- JACK JOHNSON

HIATUS TEXT: I am taking a short hiatus. A "hiatus" for the 365 T-shirts Blog does not mean that there will not be shirts or that I will skip posting on any forthcoming day. There will be shirts. But the shirts will not be exciting or the featured shirts will not require me to write a small novel to properly generate the content I feel is sufficient. I created a category for my hiatus so as to group together those "easy" shirts that I consider to be "hiatus shirts." The goal of the hiatus is to fill in many blog days with easy shirts in order to complete longer love letters to beloved popular culture icons on more special shirts and to write more complex entries AHEAD OF TIME. The daily grind is becoming too much and causing me to fall behind and to be forced to post incomplete entries. I am hoping that a series of hiatus shirts will allow me to catch up, get ahead, and stay ahead. Ideally, I would like to be writing the bulk of each entry three days ahead while always working on at least one other. I have a lot of great shirts to share before the end of my blog year (after all I was just given SIXTEEN shirts for my birthday). Stay tuned. I promise to post the more interesting and longer T-shirt entries as I finish them. Thanks for reading. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

COVER GALLERY

These are just covers (and one splash page) that I downloaded lately from various sources. Random set. No theme. CURIOUS? Enjoy.

Iron Fist #11 - John Byrne art - today's posts - Blogger

Jan 20, 2014

Iron Fist v1 #11 - John Byrne art: Rating and review by Pencil Ink, a vintage comic book artists blog & checklist.

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

NEW AVENGERS (2010) #11 (THOR HOLLYWOOD VARIANT)
Published: April 13, 2011
Rating: T+
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Cover Artist: Amanda Conner
The past comes crashing into the present as the secret history of Nick Fury and the Avenger Initiative has come to haunt the New Avengers in the modern day. As one of the Avengers lays near death ... more

Power Man and Iron Fist #50 - John Byrne art - today's posts - Blogger

May 10, 2013

Power Man v1 #50, 1978 - The masthead heralds the beginning of a new partnership between the two heroes. Having his innocence finally proven, this special issue briefly retells Power Man's origin from Luke Cage, Hero for ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

X-men #63 - Neal Adams art & cover - today's posts - Blogger

Feb 03, 2014

X-men v1 #63, 1969 - Magneto reveals himself as he begins his conquest of the Savage Land. In response, the X-men join forces with the jungle lord Ka-Zar. Neal Adams' cover hints at the birth of a newly created mutant ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

Jim Starlin cover - today's posts - Blogger

Nov 23, 2011

Astonishing Tales v1 #16 featuring Ka-Zar, 1972 - Bursting through a comics page, Ka-Zar and his saber-tooth tiger Zabu reach out towards the reader in true heroic fashion. Jim Starlin's figures appear more cohesive due to ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

House of Mystery #203 - Nestor Redondo, Bernie ... - today's posts

Jun 08, 2008

House of Mystery v1 #203, 1972 - Nestor Redondo's lengthiest DC tale yet tells of a crooked real estate tycoon and a rotund, mysterious old woman. Nicely illustrated in his classical style, the story's highlight is a montage ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

Iron Fist #10 - John Byrne art - today's posts - Blogger

Jan 30, 2014

Iron Fist v1 #10 - John Byrne art: Rating and review by Pencil Ink, a vintage comic book artists blog & checklist.

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

Witching Hour #21 - non-attributed Nestor Redondo art - today's posts

Jan 28, 2014

Witching Hour v1 #21, 1972 - After finding treasure in an old Italian church, two GIs vow to return after the war to claim it. Nestor Redondo opens with an exceptional opening splash. The incessant barrage of enemy artillery ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 43 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.06 - 9:59
Final Publication - 1402.08 - 20:22

T-shirt #321 - Zoo: Kalamazoo College

T-shirt #321 - Zoo: Kalamazoo College

Eventually, there have to be some short entries.

My best friend the Lord of Chaos, also known as Tom Meyers, has been visiting, again, for the last week, which means less time for work, for blog, but more play time and time for family.

For instance, yesterday, after we visited my parents, Tom and I played Magic the Gathering with Ivan.

We already managed one stint of Dungeons and Dragons (IE. Pathfinder) as noted in Sunday's short blog entry. Assuming I can blow through my work in record time, I am hoping to secure time to play more tomorrow before he flies back east (Massachusetts) on Friday.

Tom and I went to Kalamazoo College together, and even though I am a year older, we graduated together in 1985.

It was meant to be. I was meant to graduate with the 1985 class. They were the better class (sorry Elaine! Not you, obviously...).

I have written about Kalamazoo College already, and I will surely write about it again as I have more K shirts to share. So that's all for now.

T-shirt #100 - Kalamazoo College

T-shirt #258 - Kalamazoo College Grey Under Armor

More to come...

HIATUS TEXT: I am taking a short hiatus. A "hiatus" for the 365 T-shirts Blog does not mean that there will not be shirts or that I will skip posting on any forthcoming day. There will be shirts. But the shirts will not be exciting or the featured shirts will not require me to write a small novel to properly generate the content I feel is sufficient. I created a category for my hiatus so as to group together those "easy" shirts that I consider to be "hiatus shirts." The goal of the hiatus is to fill in many blog days with easy shirts in order to complete longer love letters to beloved popular culture icons on more special shirts and to write more complex entries AHEAD OF TIME. The daily grind is becoming too much and causing me to fall behind and to be forced to post incomplete entries. I am hoping that a series of hiatus shirts will allow me to catch up, get ahead, and stay ahead. Ideally, I would like to be writing the bulk of each entry three days ahead while always working on at least one other. I have a lot of great shirts to share before the end of my blog year (after all I was just given SIXTEEN shirts for my birthday). Stay tuned. I promise to post the more interesting and longer T-shirt entries as I finish them. Thanks for reading. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 44 shirts remaining

- chris tower - 1402.05 - 19:03

T-shirt #319 - Ultimate Centrals Regionals 2001 Orange Shirt

T-shirt #319 - Ultimate Centrals Regionals 2001 Orange Shirt

Yes, another Ultimate shirt. And why not? It's Ultimate Mondays.

I featured the blue version and long sleeved shirt of this design and from this tournament in T-shirt #277.


I am still in hiatus mode. But I am also still behind schedule and struggling to work ahead.

Is there really anything to say about this shirt? Not really. It's a nice burnt orange color, unlike the blue one I shared in T-shirt #277.

Today, a bit of text to make a post-Super Bowl point and a bunch of pictures. Atop the blog today, a stack of shirts waiting to be photographed (with me in them). Just a little preview of what's to come because this is the 365 T-shirts blog. I like having a lot of pictures in the folder ready to go. I also like choosing a shirt just for that day and getting the photos once the inspiration strikes. But as I close in on the end of the blog year, I suspect I will be a little less motivated by inspiration. In fact, soon, I may have an accurate count of how many shirts I have left. I suspect I have more than the number remaining in my year, which is forty-six.

On winning and attracting and receiving

The Super Bowl from last night was very disappointing, especially since I picked Denver, and Seattle spanked them 43-8. I feel badly for Peyton Manning.

People claim that prayer works. There's actual evidence that focusing positive energy on an outcome affects the outcome. This concept reminds me of a movie called The Secret, which I have seen several times. The film purports to be a documentary about the secret to prosperity, which is the law of attraction. There's some good content in the movie, and I have written about it the times I have written about gratitude (such as here in T-shirt #252).

I am more interested in the way to attract love and positive things rather using this secret to attract money. However, one person interviewed described envisioning checks in the mail rather than bills, and when he did, checks started to arrive, money for him in his mailbox, rather than bills to pay. I always thought this was an  stupid example, especially since the guy is an INVESTMENT BANKER.
So, of course, he's going to get checks in the mail.

Lately, I have been waiting for a check to arrive. I visualized daily, and ever day, for over a month, there were no checks. Then finally, today, there was a check. I think this shows that the mind attracts when it is NOT FOCUSED on the thing desired. Serendipity is much more powerful than visualizing and attracting and receiving consciously. This connects to how I met Liesel. I had been looking for love so much and had received so little. And then, when I did not expect it, when I was not looking, my life totally changed.

There's a power of the Collective Unconscious at work here, but the attraction, the magic, happens as a result of the consciousness turning AWAY from the thing desired and not actively desiring it. Only when the mind is occupied elsewhere can the thing materialize.

This also proves that Denver may win the Super Bowl next year.

And now some pictures.

On the left, a "selfie" from today. This is the shirt I am actually wearing. I am anticipating the release of the Veronica Mars movie, which is March 14.

Below, I have included a picture of my pal Tom Meyers (the Loc or Lord of Chaos), my wife Liesel, and me at Food Dance from Friday night January 31st celebrating good news that Liesel received that day (which may not yet be for public transmission) and Tom's imminent interview with a prospective employer.




Next, because I am a bit obsessive about documentation, I have several pictures of my birthday cards (also Ivan's cards as he is a "grandson"). My family has always been big on cards. I wrote about the card Liesel gave me in T-shirt #302: Green Lantern.

The next two pictures document the upcoming T-shirts to some extent. The first picture shows the stacks in my office and the recent gifts of cool, retro, re-issue toys and a Star Trek game.

There are not enough Satchel pictures on my blog. The last image is one that I found on the Internet to go in my first computer program in my C# programming class.

HIATUS TEXT: I am taking a short hiatus. A "hiatus" for the 365 T-shirts Blog does not mean that there will not be shirts or that I will skip posting on any forthcoming day. There will be shirts. But the shirts will not be exciting or the featured shirts will not require me to write a small novel to properly generate the content I feel is sufficient. I created a category for my hiatus so as to group together those "easy" shirts that I consider to be "hiatus shirts." The goal of the hiatus is to fill in many blog days with easy shirts in order to complete longer love letters to beloved popular culture icons on more special shirts and to write more complex entries AHEAD OF TIME. The daily grind is becoming too much and causing me to fall behind and to be forced to post incomplete entries. I am hoping that a series of hiatus shirts will allow me to catch up, get ahead, and stay ahead. Ideally, I would like to be writing the bulk of each entry three days ahead while always working on at least one other. I have a lot of great shirts to share before the end of my blog year (after all I was just given SIXTEEN shirts for my birthday). Stay tuned. I promise to post the more interesting and longer T-shirt entries as I finish them. Thanks for reading. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 46 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.03 - 20:11
final publication - 1402.04 - 8:11
(ooooh... weird synchronicity. Blog entry and update published 12 hours apart!)