Week 5: SuperBowl Sunday

I am posting this one really early, because I may need to deal with some personal things in the next few days. No worries - If I miss a few weeks, I will make up for lost time to make my 52-week goal.

This T-shirt should not require a lot of description. It's Super Bowl Weekend, and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area: One either roots for the Raiders or the Niners - I like both teams, but the Raiders are not playing in the Super Bowl (Maybe in a few years). Obviously, this T-shirt did not come from The Pile, but it will soon be a member of it.

I usually do not post my team spirit online in fear of jinxing them. Technically, I am not rooting for my team in this post, just describing a T-shirt; so I think I am okay. Plus, the Niners have a 5-0 record in the Super Bowl. Lastly, they have awesome players who will be future hall of famers: Gore, Moss, (Vernon) Davis, Crabtree, (Justin) Smith. Even our kicker, Akers, is not bad; he's just having a bad year.

I love seeing the team roster in the back. The only sad point is seeing Alex Smith's name in there. For those who don't follow football, Colin Kaepernick replaced Alex as starter after Alex had a concussion. Alex had a fabulous season before this injury; but clearly Colin is a more athletic quarterback. I love them both; I just wish both can play for us.

Week 4: I miss Hawaii.

This is bad. Only one month into winter, and I already miss the islands and warm weather. So this week’s shirt is from Kona, Hawaii.

Kona holds a special place in my heart. That is where my Sweetie and I were married. I think I got this shirt at that time – which makes this shirt rather seasoned.

Of all the towns in Hawaii, Kona feels most like home – maybe it is because we spent 10 days there during our wedding and honeymoon, and we’ve gone back there twice since.

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are also my favorite; hence the shirt. They are called honu in the Hawaiian language. I remember seeing a whole bunch of them munching on moss at Kahalu’u Beach Park, close to the church where we were married. My husband has accused me, sometimes falsely, of chasing sea turtles when snorkeling or diving. There was the turtle at Makai Pier in O’ahu who swam to almost 60 feet of water (I was still a beginner then and he was fast!!!) and the fictional turtle in the Caymans (I was not chasing a turtle, but I did see three spiny lobsters and a couple of conchs - more on this later). Sweetie has done his own share of following turtles at Anaeho’omalu Bay, also on the Kona Coast.

Just remember, when you see these gentle creatures, do keep your distance. Although I am a notorious turtle chaser, I’ve never really been within 10 feet of them. It’s for your own safety, as well as theirs. Those turtle beaks – sharp – they feed on coral, you know.

For more info on honu, check out Wild Hawaii or Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Week 3: On aikido shirts and tai no henko

Since this weekend is aikido weekend, I think it is appropriate to wear one of my many aikido shirts. I already wore my dojo shirt yesterday (a regular part of my rotation). Since I went to Aikido of San Leandro today, I chose their 20^th anniversary shirt. I thought that this would go well with my gi (fondly called my angry white pajamas)… Well, any t-shirt goes well with my white gi. Think of it as dressing for spring every time I go to the dojo, even if it is in the middle of winter. Thank goodness I live in California.

I’ve been practicing aikido for almost 10 years, so I have collected a good number of T-shirts. This one is one of my favorites not because it has O-sensei, Morehei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, sitting solemnly on the front of the shirt, but mostly because it tells a story at the back of the shirt. Story tells that under 1 sensei (teacher) and 20 years, how many uchideshis (live-in students), dan promotions (blackbelt tests), classes, and tai no henkos in San Leandro Dojo. … wait, Tai no – what?

Tai no henko is almost always the first technique every class.  The footwork and turning in tai-no-henko the most basic movements that we do in aikido. That is why we start class with it. I also use it as a temparature check: How am I feeling today? How am I receiving my partner’s input? How am I attacking today? How do I like being attacked today? That technique, like all others, can take a long time to master: it has so many levels of complexity and subtleties.

I hope that my dojo can last 20 years, just like San Leandro. We are just a little over 10 years old, but we have a good solid foundation. In a few years, we can have a 20^th anniversary shirt too.

For more info on aikido, check out aikiweb.com. For our dojo in California, check out our website at aikido-hikaridojo.com

Week 2: Ski School Drop-Out, Bear Valley, California

We’re still skiing! This time back in California!

Bear Valley is one of our favorite ski resorts. It’s a fun easy drive from the San Francisco Bay Area and usually not as crowded as the slopes in Tahoe. Bear offers a very low-key, family friendly atmosphere – and the skiing is a lot of fun! I mostly stay on the blue slopes, and just rip through them. I love going fast (Note: Always safety first: I wait for an almost clear run, aware of intersections, obstacles and people, and wear a helmet. I’ve skied the back-side runs probably hundreds of times that I think I’ve memorized every turn.)

My husband occasionally ventures out and hits the diamonds. Quite challenging, I must say, since I’ve tried Porridge Bowl once – on a really good groomed day. That is one way of slowing me down.

I love this shirt because it's got a front and a back print, and they are both quite daring. You can tell its from The Pile, since its a bit crumpled. This T-shirt represents my goal in skiing: jumps and tricks! My knees, however, are unfortunately, now protesting. In a way, I guess I did dropout - but it does not prevent me from having fun! 

To check out Bear Valley, more info and coordinates are available at BearValley.com.

Happy shredding and Ski Bear!

Week 1: Mt. Bachelor (Oregon)

Yikes! Only a week into my project and I am already late for my first posting. I hope this is not an indication of things to come.

Since its winter, I decided to start with T-shirts with a snow theme. I think I only have a couple of these, so I may need to increase my collection.

I bought this shirt on a ski trip to Mt. Bachelor to commemorate the trip. At that time, I was in a black t-shirt phase, so I decided to get a brown one. For this week, this is quite fortunate because it matches my brown (warm) airwalks beautifully. With long johns, denim jeans, maybe a hoodie, I am all set for this unseasonably cold weather (and look like a snowboarder).

The skiing was excellent; I was a lot younger then and perhaps much more daring. I tried the Summit Chair and conditions were ice; not just icy, it’s ice. I was still a beginning intermediate back then, so I snow plowed my way down. Hey, there’s no embarrassment in that. At least we got the photo opp.

That said, I loved skiing in Bachelor. The runs were long and varied. There was one run that was just like a wave – up and down, and up and down. That was the most fun one!

As part of that trip, we also went to Crater Lake (snowed in at that time), Mt. Shasta, and Ashland (fogged in). Great road trip! Nice T-shirt… reminds me of how much fun skiing is!

The challenge

I love T-shirts. I probably have a stack that is 3 feet high, and it is growing. I have shirts from my travels, dive shirts, skiing shirts, hula shirts, and aikido shirts – the list is endless. Of course, I have my favorites, so I usually just go through the same two dozen shirts week after week.

Over the holidays, my husband challenged me to wear a different T-shirt from my stack every week. I thought it was a great idea! I can see what T-shirts I have and give me an opportunity to reminisce.

I would take a picture of the whole stack, but its not (ahem) at its best shape. I guess part of this journey is to stack them neatly. Maybe chronological order?

Welcome to my adventure this year!