"Give" more praxis t-shirt

   One of a series of shirts, this is from morepraxis and Age Greenwood's young adult network in the UCA in VicTas!! It's just an attempt to remind people that "it's not all about you" and instead we all have the opportunity to think about others... I bought this and one with the reminder from Oscar Romero that where we invest our time defines our lives... good fair wear reminders!!

'The Gold Brigade'

   The 'Rugby Championship' is just around the corner [after the Waratahs take out this year's Super 15 that is] and you may or may not have noticed that the Wallabies change jersey sponsors these days almost as often as they put them on!! Asics is the current mob, who mercifully fixed up the cow pat socks and the shorts that looked like nappies. This t-shirt is one I bought earlier this year.
   The Wallabies 'gold' is OK infield but ins't always the best look off it... hence the navy option with team colour in a logo or the name!! At least we've had the stylised Wallaby since the 1990's.
   I chose this t-shirt for this week as I am so excited at the brand of rugby the current Wallabies are capable of... with a forward pack chosen on form and with a blend of youth and experience, we have the parity to launch some attack through a stable back line brim full of outside talent....
Folua seemingly able to slice through any defence a couple of times
Adam Ashley-Cooper making line breaks
Kurtley Beale will get more game time and has such attacking outlook [no chip kicks please]
Bernard Foley knows his job and gets the ball to where it should be with good passing
Nick White is learning to run and does have a great kicking game

   In winter who would know you're wearing the Wallabies t-shirt, well the wearer would!! I have no predictions v All Blacks this year but I am genuinely keen to watch what's possible and believe we can compete... let's face it if the All Blacks choose their own blend of youth and experience they are at formidable anywhere!!

"Famous Brand Logo"

   I don't think I've posted this one already? This is a WORD brand shirt bought online from a graphic design themed set of t's!! It's the font that NIKE and others might use but reads like the draft text ready for the actual. I guess the 'humour' is that all you need to do is change from these draft words to a brand and apparently you've changed who you are... just do it! and the like, I suppose it could have said I'm fit, cool and can afford to waste money money on brand name shirts.
   It's a comment about the fact the humble t-shirt moved for being a military utility clothing item and now we pay companies to advertise themselves on our bodies... at a premium price in most cases. Not only that, unlike this American Apparel t-shirt [no sweat shop at least] we pay the shirt maker a few cents, slap on a sports company logo and charge anywhere from $40-100 for the privilege of wearing it around!! Or is that just what I think this one is saying? Of course it sits filed on the draw [or scrunched up in this case] next to my brand name ones!!

"Interpretive Dance"

   Do you need to have been around in the 1980s to truly appreciate the humour of this t-shirt... It was the time when communal singing led by acoustic guitars was replaced by ensembles with keyboard, woodwind, drums... using more grumpy people's gifts and not just leaving all the girls at the weekend camp to swoon over the guitarists... then came dramatic readings, drama, poetry and 'interpretive dance'... teardrops, hearts, arms swept to heaven, twirling circles... and satires of the same at many a concert!! Like many options at that time there was always an element of 'slightly less creative copy.'

Unfair? Either way it is a conversation starter at the shops and at boring meetings!!

'Batman'

It's not the usual colour [black on black] and that's why I chose it...
From the schlocky 60s TV show I watched every afternoon as a kid, to the brilliant Christian Bale reboots [let's just forget about Clooney and Kilmer] and onwards to Ben Affleck, there's something about the interplay between the villainous characters and the flawed hero that makes for great stories...
Christian Bale's movies allowed the story to be told about the alter ego and the way Batman was a divisive character. The late Heath Ledger deserves a mention for his hauntingly evil portrayal of the Joker and the way these stories lend themselves to toys, action, martial arts, intrque, tech and strong characters!! Love it!!

"Midnight Oil"

   This is a long sleeve Oils t-shirt from the second half of their long career!! I share an Oils shirt this week as I was impressed with the wall off shirts that form part 'The Making of Midnight Oil] at Manly Museum & Art Gallery until 7th September!! I asked the curator how he'd gotten into my house, given the extensive collection of shirts, magazines and photos I could have donated to the cause!! Band merchandise [especially the old acme t's] are part of the experience and many a young bloke leaves the venue wearing two or with the one he wore out dangling from a jeans back pocket... the old blokes visiting the museum were wearing their share of old classics and you could even buy some replicas in the foyer gift shop... the barcode, the yellow 'Head Injuries' silhouette and the rare drum pedal gray marle.... Lot's of good memories of Newcastle Workers Club, Selina's at Coogee, Manly Leagues, the Enmore, the Ent Cent and more...

"Event Staff"

   I've had this t-shirt for a couple of years and it never fails to get me funny looks at concerts, shopping centres, the Uni and weekend events!! It's not for any particular event so I can just make up stories of where it's from... or answer people's questions or... just enjoy their double takes while they wonder what the heck the bouncer is doing in the middle of the crowd... simple but fun!!

'Twitter'

   This is one of those red bubble t-shirts that after a while [some 3-4 years] the design wipes off the front, but this speech bubble said "no one reads your stupid tweets" and it has always generated shop counter, pub and friendly conversation with how much people agree when they see it!! It's also a departure from my preferred 'black' t and at a time when I weighed considerably less than I do today!!
   Of course I have been on twitter since before I owned this and laugh at the opinions expressed about what sort of idiots do that... now we are seeing mainstream TV media and newspaper content generated from viewer/reader feedback or input... masquerading as news!!
   I should probably be tweeting my current 'Life's too short' series!!... nobody reads it anyhow!!

'That Band'

   Tired from my t-shirts attracting all manner of U2 'bashing' a couple of years ago I bought one with the slogan "Everything You Know is Wrong" which is a reference to the messages onscreen for ZOO TV!! And this to the informed observer would be the same Irish rockers in 360 pose front stage 'unplugged' but to the average t-shirt observer it's just some band... in fact it's 'that band'!!

Newcastle Knights 1997 GF!!

   What do you say about the gutsy endeavours of a sporting team that united a town and region in celebration of working class success!! No seriously... community groups,businesses, even non sports fans were gripped by celebration of a team with a handful of world class legends, an 'immortal' and the will to be there in the moment the match would be won or lost!! Remember the red and blue weatherboard house that was reclad for free after the celebrations!!
   Sport teaches about life [it just shouldn't be our only lessons]!! Mad Monday, Team partying, Ticker tape parade... but before that 60 Sid Fogg Coaches to and from the game.... a last minute speculator try to Darren Albert, set up by Andrew and Matthew Johns!! People stepped onto the F3 to stop the bus and high five the team... and a few of my mates go to the front of stage at the Workers Club, with thousands outside... when someone standing near them started "New Car sull" New Car sull" and thousand of people chanted a team onstage who stage dove and shouted themselves silly!!
   Pride was the main thing... beating Manly helped!! Lots of surprising people had red and blue hair, bought these t-shirts by the truckload [literally]!!