T-shirt #202 - Pajamas: Tigers: Road to the Show

T-shirt #202 - Pajamas: Tigers: Road to the Show

Returned home late last night from the long trek that took us to Hawaii, Oahu, and Portland. The drive from Chicago was a bit trying. Remind me never to return on a plane at rush hour.

However, though I needed sleep, I did keep track of the Tigers game as we returned to Michigan.

Please note the Tigers shorts that function as pajama bottoms with the Tigers T-shirt that functions as a pajama top in the picture on the right.

Not much content today as we madly scramble to unpack, work, and acclimate to home and regular life after our trip.

I do have a few thoughts on yesterday's Tigers game.

Thankfully, they managed to get the win because it would have been an enormous let down for the Athletics to win the series in Detroit.

The ESPN highlights focused mainly on Scherzer who came on in relief of Doug Fister, and after loading the bases, pitched out of the jam, striking out two batters on ridiculous pitches. I loved Leyland's choice here. With the game and the series on the line, he brings in his best pitcher. Saving Scherzer for Game Five does no good if the Tigers had lost Game Four, they would have lost the series.

As for Doug Fister, ESPN focused so much on Scherzer that Fister's performance was overlooked. Fister only gave up seven hits and one walk in six strong innings. If one of those hits had not been a home run to Jed Lowrie in the 5th, the score may have been 1-0.

Martinez's home run was a home run. Of course, Josh Reddick wants the interference call and feels he would have caught the ball. But VMart's homer cleared the fence. It was a homer. It was clutch.

Austin Jackson's broken bat single is one of the biggest plays of the series.

The Tigers should have won game two. Verlander was masterful. To lose in the bottom of ninth, by one run, was very disappointing. Now Verlander takes the hill again for Game Five in Oakland. It's going to be a great game. I have another Tigers shirt lined up for tomorrow. Stay tuned.

- chris tower - 1310.09 - 11:33

T-shirt #201 - Thing One and Thing Two

T-shirt #201  - Thing One and Thing Two

Flying home today, so not much content.


MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - This shirt was a gift from my sister, who knows how much I love Dr. Seuss given our shared childhood experiences.

- chris tower - for 1310.08 - pre-written and scheduled.

T-shirt #200 - Crieff

T-shirt #200 - Crieff

Happy birthday to my mother, who turns 77 years old today.

We have flown from Hawaii to the Portland area to stay with Liesel's step-father and his wife in their lovely home.

Short today because so much to do. We return home soon when I will resume normal bloggery operations.

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - My mother's ancestors came from Crieff, Scotland, also known as the Gateway to the Highlands. I have been to Crieff (back in 1986). Scotland may be the next trip I take with Liesel. For now, this is a good way to honor my mother on her birthday. I love you, Mom.

Description text from one site: "Crieff is a lovely holiday town in the heart of Perthshire with a good range of restaurants, banks and shops including 2 supermarkets, 3 art galleries and a good deli. Due to its central location, Crieff is a great base to explore central Scotland with its many tourist attractions including Drummond Castle Gardens, Famous Grouse Experience, Stirling Castle, Wallace Monument, etc.
Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Glasgow are all within easy reach. 
Outdoor pursuits include great walking, golf (golf clubs in flat), fishing, riding, canoeing and cycling."

- chris tower - 1310.07 - 11:53 (8:53 pacific)

T-shirt #199 - People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo

T-shirt #199 - People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo
or
Adventures in Hawaiian Food

Aloha! I packed my white (cream) People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo shirt not just because I had not featured it yet on the blog but also because I wanted to represent. I knew that Hawaii was big on "local" food, though in Hawaii this means something a little different. Local food is a mix of traditional Hawaiian fare, such as poi, and food influenced by the U.S. military presence, such as Spam Musubi.

I was impressed with the numbers of signs I saw for buying local and buying organic in Hawaii, and the daily farmer's market in Hilo is a wonderful foody paradise. So I wore my PFC of Kalamazoo shirt in Hawaii on a number of occasions to "represent" my allegiance to these same beliefs of buying local, buying organic, eating healthy food, and so on.

The picture above failed somehow, so you cannot see the bowl of poi that I am about to try for the first time, which I did drown in sugar. Not my favorite taste, the taro, but not terrible. I do like the leaves wrapping what Hawaiians call Laulua pork, which is delicious pork wrapped in taro leaves.

Today I share a few adventures in food on Hawaii, the big island.

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - My second People's Food Co-Op of Kalamazoo shirt. I featured the first one way back in T-shirt #9.

Our beers at the Lava Rock Cafe in Volcano
1309.29

Me with the PFC shirt
about to try "local" food
Mac salad - Lava Rock Cafe
1309.29

Back at the Lava Rock Cafe
the morning of 1310.01
Trying my first Loco Moco

Loco Moco is a local breakfast food. It's a mound of rice, either white, brown, or fried, mixed with diced sausage and bacon, topped with a large hamburger patty, further topped with fried eggs and drowned in brown gravy. Picture above is a close up of Loco Moco with fried rice. The picture below shows the Loco Moco with a side of Portugese Sausage, a special kind of local sausage due to the large numbers of Portugese people in Hawaii.

Dinner from 1310.01: Laulau in the foreground, poi up and left, Kalua Pig up and right,
poke farther up and right
Pipi Kaula far up and left

Lava Rock Cafe in Volcano
on the big island of Hawaii

The Kilauea General Store
the covered walkways so common
in Hawaii

Kilauea quilting and gift shop
Next to Lava Rock Cafe and Kilauea General Store

Kilauea Lodge breakfast 1310.04

Dinner for our anniversary at Kilauea Lodge 1310.03
meatloaf "revisited" with mashed potatoes,
red cabbage, and greens

Dinner for our anniversary at Kilauea Lodge 1310.03
place setting and menu

Sunset on Mauna Kea 1310.02

- chris tower - for 1310.06 - 19:33 (4:33 Pacific, we're in Oregon)

T-shirt #198 - Ultimate Regionals 1998

T-shirt #198 - Ultimate Regionals 1998

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - This is a shirt from the 1998 Regionals competition that I attended with an open team from Kalamazoo. I have forgotten the name of our team. It may be on the back of the shirt, but I am in Hawaii and did not bring the shirt, so I only have the photo to go on, and I cannot zoom it enough to find our team name. I can't even remember how I managed to get to Regionals with a team. Usually teams I played with did not win tournaments. I do remember attending this tournament, which was held in Naperville. This was before the formation of our masters team Grey Area and then later Senior Discount. I remember we had a new guy on the team who went by the nickname "Ringo," but whose real name I do not remember.  I liked him. He was cool. This may have also been the first time I went to Regionals. I think we qualified through default. The top team in our section, Big Ass Truck, won the Sectionals Tournament. Our team won our bid to Regionals because no one else from our section wanted to go or could go.

And lastly, some pictures from Hawaii...

I am fascinated by the trees here in Hawaii.
I found this one at the Arnott's Lodge
where we gathered for our tour of
Mauna Kea on 1310.02

Also at Arnott's - this is not a gecko, apparently,
but it's a similar species.

Lava in the 1843 Lava flow, along high way 200
at Pu'u Huluhulu.
Lava is classified into two main types by Hawaiians:
' a'a and pahoehoe.
This is pahoehoe , the pudding lava.

One of the observatories on Mauna Kea
sunset 13010.02

Mauna Kea
sunset 13010.02

- chris tower - for 1310.05 - pre-written and scheduled.

T-shirt #197 - CWIS face

T-shirt #197 - CWIS face

Just a few pictures and captions today following the obligatory text. Last full day in Hawaii. More to come. Stay tuned.

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.

When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - This shirt is one I made during my days doing Creative Writers in the Schools (as mentioned in T-shirt #162 and T-shirt #105). I cannot remember the exact school where I made this shirt or what smart person with whom I was working showed me (and the kids) how to make it. I wore it a few times, and then it was relegated to the back of my closet.

Here's a few Hawaii pics. More trip report to come.

Where we are staying: the Ribbentrop front porch

Rainbow Falls, Hilo, Hawaii

Cool sign in wood working shop

Keck Observatory, summit of Mauna Kea
14000 feet, sunset, 1310.02

at the summit of Mauna Kea
14000 feet, sunset, 1310.02

- chris tower - for 1310.04 - pre-written and scheduled.

T-shirt #196 - TPTA-white dot

Me and Liesel at the Volcano
on Mauna Loa 1309.30

T-shirt #196 - TPTA-white dot

Happy anniversary to us. Today, four years ago, I married the love of my life, a Hawaiian princess, Liesel Marie Kanohokula Creager (now Tower). It only took me 47 years to find her. Actually, she found me in 1989 or 1990 when she was attending WMU and I was finishing my graduate degrees there. We did not meet again for another 20 years.

at Keith and Rochelle's
where we are staying

Those of you who have been married a long time may not consider a four year milestone a very big deal. But for me, whose average relationship length was nine months throughout my life, feel that this is quite an achievement. Being with Liesel four years marks the longest relationship of my life and definitely the most significant. After all, I am not just blowing smoke when I claim that she is the "love of my life." She is. Our love is a powerful force, like this volcano. I believe it was destined to be.

Here's the short version of our story. Liesel and I originally met in 1990, when I finished my graduate course work. Liesel does not believe that I remembered her years later, and I must admit that when I first saw her, I did not. BUT I had the same reaction years later as I did back in 1990. After she recounted her earliest memory of meeting me, I remember that I thought how perfect she was for me back then and how I got such a good feeling from her, good energy. I would think of her from time to time (she also does not believe this) as in "I wonder what happened to that gorgeous Hawaiian girl my friend was dating?"

Fast forward almost 20 years. December 2008. I am in a suit and tie in a local health food store. The suit is quite uncharacteristic of my usual attire, but I had just helped my friend Chris Dilley do a presentation for Kiwanis. I was hanging with my friend Ryan Walters, who worked at the store, Sawall. I had a couple of things to pick up, so as he went for his pay check, I located my items in the aisles. I spotted this stunningly gorgeous woman right away, and SHE SMILED AT ME. I was quite flummoxed by this, as I am rather shy when it comes to meeting women in situations like that, and I knew we would both leave the store and never see each other again.

at steam vents

I was thinking the same thing when I saw her in Sawall that I had thought all those years ago at WMU: "this woman is perfect for me. Why can't I meet and have a relationship with her or someone just like her?" So, after making my purchases, I am waiting by the entrance for my friend Ryan, and here comes the gorgeous woman. Once again, I am thinking about how perfect she is for me and how I will not have the guts to speak to her because I don't think "Hi, you're perfect for me, so let's get married" is a good opening line. I am watching her leave, kicking myself, when she says "You are Chris Tower." Not a question. A statement. Discussion ensues, as her daughter Piper, who is with her, rolls her eyes, especially when Liesel mentions being on Facebook.

It takes Liesel 26 hours to send me a friend request. During those 26 hours, I must have refreshed Facebook a thousand times. Because this is supposed to be the short version, I will speed up the narrative. A month later, we started dating. Three months later, we decided to get married. Four months later (all of these months later seemed to coincide nearly to the day), I officially asked her to marry me. And then nine months after we started dating, ten months after we met, we got married on October third, 2009 in the June M. Sherman Interfaith Chapel on the grounds of the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital with a reception  following at the Park Club. It was perfect. And for four years, it has been perfect.

Liesel is my best friend and the best partner I could wish for. Given my advanced age when I got married, I did not believe I would find the kind of love I have found so late in my life. But I have, and it is glorious.

Happy anniversary, honey. This is my bloggy anniversary card to you.

Liesel and I standing at the steam vent of the Mauna Loa volcano

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER'S OFFICIAL HIATUS TEXT - Mr. T-shirt Blogger (that's me) is on vacation in Hawaii until October 9th. Blog posts may be simple and brief during this time, or there may be many Hawaii pictures and updates. No promises. It's vacation.


When My wife an I got married four years ago (as of 10/3), we never took a honeymoon. With our difficult work schedules, there has never been a good time to schedule a trip. Given recent life events, we threw out caution and welcomed chaos and uncertainty. Carpe Diem! So, off we go (or by the time you read this, there we are).

Today's shirt - Today's shirt is a gift from my father. It is the simple white and black version of the best of the logos of his firm, known then as TPTA: Tower, Pinkster, Titus Associates. I have other TPTA shirts (in one the dot is red, which is why this is the just B&W version), and so stay tuned for a longer love letter dedicated to my father. For now, this is all.

- chris tower - 1310.03 - 15:54 ET (8:54 Hawaiian)