Well, What's In Your Drawer?
(OK, cut that out! I said 'drawer'-in the singular.)
I am fascinated by certain means with which we silently but so very surely declare our interests, allegiances and devotions.
Years and years ago, I was in a seminar in Washington, D.C. and a Superior Court Judge from Seattle was discussing creative ways to find out prospective jurors during questioning before being seated for trial. He touched on many things which mostly I'll save for another time but it spurred the following thought.
You tell me if you agree.
So very often, I can learn a whole lot about someone by just looking at the T-Shirt they're wearing.
Now, the T-Shirt is an American Icon, absolutely representative of our culture and it has become a walking billboard for what we care about. Popularized by the expansion of Hollywood's reach in the second half of the 20th century, the good looks of Marlon Brando and James Dean pushed the undershirt under (save for its recent resurrection as an emblazoned handlebar) and made the T-Shirt a permanent part of our culture along with its almost twin, the baseball hat.
(I'll leave the hat out of this save to say, "Take the damn thing off when inside or in the presence of a lady-It's good manners.)
We wear them because they're casual, comfortable, functional, cheap and fun. And we pick out the ones that show places we've been, places and things we like and things that are both serious and devotional to us. We tell the world about us when we reach in and pull the one out we feel like wearing on any given day.
So, this morning, I just pulled mine out and made a list of them; here it is. (And yes, I've got too many-Who doesn't?)
-3 different University of North Carolina-Hey, what can I say? Go Heels!
-Gus Y Gus 'Save The Taco', Mazatlan , Mexico
-UCLA, Westwood
-Kilauea, Hawaii
-Sportsman & Ski Haus, Montana
-The Salty Dog, Hilton Head
-Oak Hill Academy, Virginia
-Vickerys' Bar and Grill ( I like the Big 'V' on back), Mt. Pleasant
-Crooks Corner ( I like the Pig on a Post on back), Chapel Hill
-The Lodge at Whitefish, Montana
-High Point Panthers
-The Volendam (Holland America cruise ship)
-Big Fork Vikings, Montana
-Whitefish Bulldogs, Montana
-Riruta Shade Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya
-Blue Water Bait and Tackle, Hilton Head
-Costa Rica Tree Monkeys
-Wando High School
-Protect The Seals, La Jolla
-Kappa Delta, UNC
-The Greenhouse Bar and Grill, St Thomas, VIs
Sorry, no politicians or movie stars or cars or motorcycles. Nothing vulgar or crude. No Bart Simpson or Howard Stern. No Barry Bonds or Michael Vick. Just places I like, I guess.
Still, you just learned a lot about me, didn't you?
Pull yours out. They'll tell your recent story.
Try it. You'll like it.
