"Sheldon Cooper"

   I was wearing the test pattern before Sheldon but my black t-shirt had a smaller frame of colours. In this new addition to the collection I've relented and chosen the larger design and as part of my latest effort to not just buy black t-shirts. I've chosen what redbubble now offer as a deeper brown colour than the one they used to sell. These are 'no sweat shop' online t's in their hundreds of thousands... there are always new designs tempting me to buy in...
   I like the monitor test pattern [and the TV version] because lots of kids I work with have no idea what it is... they've seen blue screen on a Windows computer [who hasn't] but don't know where this comes from. Anyhow, I just like the colour!!
I think this is my 60th t-shirt of the week post... nowhere near done yet!!

Apple "Genius"

 
   No, I haven't taken up a job at the Apple Store at Charlestown, but it might be fun to wear this in there one day!! This is one of my summer 2015 additions to the collection though it's not the same thick woven fabric as the authentic variety I think it'd be fun to go in answering customers questions with a range of less than helpful replies...

'Blue Sky Mining' 2

   Sometimes it seemed excessive to buy two or more of the alternative t-shirt designs at an 'Oils' show BUT this time around I was very glad I had when I stupidly hung the black version of this on the clothesline way too close to the public street... and predictably had it stolen during the day!! This album was huge follow up to 'Diesel & Dust' and we all queued in a huge crowd inside the old Workers Club in the afternoon for tickets to the Oils two nights of concerts held soon after... there were so many people they began distributing raffle tickets and calling batches of fifty to the counter... as my mates left they whispered that nobody was checking the ticket when you got to the front... I did have to get to Uni so I slowly chatted with heaps of people I knew as I sidled up the desk about 700 earlier than I should have... sorry!!
   I saw this gig at the Sydney Entertainment Centre as well... which is where this shirt came from... I travelled back down and went with a bunch of Sydney devotees...
   It was also a significant album because as a back up to D&D this could have propelled the Oils into U2 territory... but it's been well written about that the band instead took a year off to spend time with family and to set off the round about... the Oils doing what they do... deciding as a band and sticking to that!!

'21' The Most Premierships by any of the Clubs

    One of my favourite stories from this year's NRL Rugby League Grand Final was the tactic of the Bulldogs coach Des Hasler to hold back his team for minutes to leave the South Sydney Rabbitohs out on the field, to have time to reflect on the pressure of expectation that it had been 43 years and some very dark days since the last Souths premiership.
   Instead of this, the faithful and all supporters in the crowd embraced the team, cheered rapturously and both they and the team soaked up the atmosphere of opportunity instead of fear... it was actually palpable at home in the lounge room on the TV and evident in the players faces... even better, after the fact, the Bulldogs copped a fine from the NRL for breaking the rules...
   This t-shirt makes a nice compliment to my 20 premierships one from the Centenary of Rugby League collection a few years ago... Souths may or may not go back to back or win 2 of the next four years BUT this was a special year and special day... the last time I watched this club win was on black and white TV in the lounge room in East Maitland as a ten year old!! Next year's playing jersey will have 21 hoops of alternatively red and green as a celebration!!

'Recognise'

http://www.recognise.org.au

   It's not time to talk about holding off on a vote, its time to bring people together to make sure there's a bipartisan approach, a unified campaign and a clear articulation of the issues and positives in 'recognising' aboriginal people in our national Constitution... a step on the way to an agreement and financial compensation for history. Our history is a scar on 'the soul' of this country and it makes us less than we can be while our story is incomplete... read, ask, act!!

'Waratahs Super 15 CHAMPIONS'

   Yes, and I don't just mean of March... but the whole thing... and this is the newest t-shirt in my collection!! It arrived this week after enough people ordered it for the print run and I guess in case it was a Father's Day order.
   I've been a Waratahs Life Member since they capitalised on thee 1991 Rugby World Cup and the membership categories launched then offered a first buyer 'window' for Test tix when Bledisloe Tests sold out in 20mins to the public!!
   I've sat through 2-4 games a season every year since and whilst I wasn't there with less than 10000 in the pouring rain I was there with 12000 hardy fans who had pre paid tix when the Tahs were really awful!! Often a Brumbies game was a highlight because at least one team would play how the game should be and as long as it was a good game who cares!!
   Under Michael Cheika the Tahs were no certainty in the Final and South African teams still challenged their attacking style... BUT they played really well and deserved the win!!
 

'RWC Final 2011'

   This t-shirt rose to the top of the pile in a draw tidying exercise this week and represents my 50th year celebratory solo trip to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup 2011. I had never been there and was disappointed I hadn't made the trip 10-15 years earlier when I had the chance and could have taken up one of those chalk board invitations to play rugby at the local oval. Instead here I was at the Rugby World Cup third place playoff and Final plus a few days following to explore post RWC sights and sounds!!
   The whole city of Auckland was abuzz with the festivities, including the chance to follow a 'walk' from the CBD to Eden Park with signposting and bands along the way... a cultural festival!! There was a Rugby Photographic exhibit,a the local cinema and 'Burger Fuel' all within a good walk in the city... the harbour rugby zone was OK, best in quieter times with the genuine possibility of conversations with locals or tourists alike!!
   I had worked hard to lose some weight before I went and so I was tantalisingly close to some souvenir wear and bang on for t's such as this...
   I was struck by the nervousness of the All Black fans ahead of the Final v France... fair enough I guess, a two team contest of survivors and the ABs appalling RWC record since that first one in 1987... the French took it to them and didn't actually play their best... and were close but couldn't quite crack it... On Monday morning 30,000 turned out in the main part of town for a Cup Parade... it was a spectacular vibe and celebration of a folkloric win!!
 
 

"Head Injuries"

   This is one of two versions of this t-shirt that I own and is a catch up entry now into the mid 50s of my t-shirt collection!! It's not an 'original' as that went missing at some stage. My second one has the large Oils handprint on the back but this one mirrors the original signature look of the bands early years and the raw energy of a Garrett song delivery... 'Head Injuries' is part punk, part surf rock and certainly an aussie album.
   I am posting this one to be able to let people know that 'The Making of Midnight Oil' exhibition IS COMING TO NEWCASTLE!! In early 2015 BEFORE it heads to Melbourne/Canberra and taking up space at Newcastle Museum. Listen for promotion via ABC local radio as it'll be an interesting intersection between pub rock music in Newie, the earthquake and the Oils!!

The exhibition includes:
- a band merch t-shirts wall
- a full gig list
- original gig posters
- bios
- rare inages
- music
- background videos
- original handwritten lyrics
- journals, itinerary
- custumes
- instruments
- a full pub stage mock up
- the exxon protest banner
- the backdrop from the Black Fella/White Fella tour

And many more trophies, awards, tape decks, magazines and history/anecdote text

   The whole display utilises band road cases to show memorabilia which is a fitting way to show off the bits n pieces as the handprint cases are synonymous with the Oils!! I asked the curator how he broke into my house when I saw the t-shirt wall and magazine collections!! Most of mine don't fit anymore [one day!!] This t-shirt reminds me of seeing a huge band at the Bass, the Palais, Speers Point, the ISC and the old Newcastle Workers Club!! Great days!
 

"Vandelay Industries"

   'Seinfeld' is one of my all time favourite TV shows!! It's setting in New York, the humour of Larry David and the bizarre 'show about details' will make me laugh for years to come!! I also love how life is filled with 'Seinfeld moments' as the stories are so mundane and typical... the low talker, the parking space, the hire car and on it goes....
   Art Vandelay was one of George Costanza's invented characters he used in a number of tricky situations... he was in the import/export business for latex and latex related products!! I bough this t-shirt from red bubble.com but I bought my Vandelay Industries sticker from Kenny [the real] Kramer on his Seinfeld 'reality tour' in New York in 1998!! I visited the man and the stall that inspired 'The Soup Nazi' in 2000 and wow, that soup is amazing, complete with bread roll, fruit and milkshake cup of your choice of flavour... beef, jumbalaya... Everyone in the line trying not to talk or laugh about how similar the real life experience was...
   Art Vandelay was waiting for a call at Jerry's apartment, about a job, when the call came while George was in the 'bathroom' and Kramer had no idea who the caller was asking for... George ends up running into the room, pants around his ankles, spreadeagled on the floor, missing the call as Karmer hangs up!! I believe he does get George out of a tight spot at an open house inspection seeking to use the bathroom during a street parade in Manhattan!!
Vandelay was a legend!!

"Rugby" 52

   I'm too busy at the moment to keep up with t-shirt and PHOTO of the Week but here's a catch up!! This is a redbubble t that keeps my link with my favourite sport in the age of form fitting jerseys. I was complaining to someone at Rugby the other day that I have a significant collection of rugby jumpers at home... that stops at the advent of the skin tight jerseys.
   I suppose any side wants to nail the 10%ers but I'm skeptical about this development... especially as it separates the players from the punters for more than just someone like me... You won't see nearly as many old jerseys down at the pub as everyday wear.
   That said, the collection should probably be on the wall in my study, like the boxes at the old Randwick Rugby Club. Significant ones include:
- 1989 British Lions
- 1980s Steinlager All Blacks
- Ireland Cotton Traders
- ANZAC jersey
- Brumbies original Canberra Milk
- Auckland Blues Ranfurly Shield hooped jumper
- South African Springboks readmission jumper
- Baa Baas
- 1980s Wallabies Adidas jumper
- I even have a lightning strike Wallaby one...
- David Campese 50th Test try jumper

   So this t-shirt just reminds me and anyone who asks, that I love, played and coached "the game they play in heaven."