My Blue Heaven

My Blue Heaven

Today is back to school day.  I know, not because I have kids, but I have a wife who counsels them.  The preceding weeks were not wrought with back to school items of notebooks and pencils.  It was clothes and shoes needed for the school year.  Not being a parent, and not being a student for a LONG time, a friend pointed out it is not all about the peripherals for the kids anymore.  While the recent Target commercial touts “Notebook and Jeans”, it is more about the fashion that tops the list of back to school items.

Kids these days need to keep up with the latest fashion trends…buying clothes at Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister…and $80 jeans that may not even last the whole school year.  Jeans may be the only thing that has transcended the generations.  Back in the day they cost a little bit less…and with patches, they lasted a little bit longer.   Along with a few pair of jeans we had some T-shirts and a pair of work boots.  Oh, and sneakers for gym days.  These were not purchased at some fancy store either.  Ours were procured from Sneaker Circus, a surplus store that was the "Island of Misfit Toys" for sneakers.  Most of them had manufacturer defects, but if you scoured long enough you could find the perfect pair.  For your efforts you would get a T-shirt from the shoe’s creator.  I would always choose blue.  If you were lucky your Mom was able to haggle a second one.  $10 for a pair of sneakers and two T-shirts…my back to school clothes shopping was done.

Growing up I was on the cusp of the 70’s to 80’s transition.  The 70’s still saw the jeans and cigarette packs rolled up in the arm of a T-shirt.  The 80’s…well, I blame the 80’s for the fashionistas we have today.  My friends would fall on both sides of that fence.  However, I still preferred the jeans and T-shirt look.  When I started junior high, I had come from a small grade school.  Most of the students knew the others in their classes since they had travelled up the grades together.  I however, failed to have any of my previous pals in my new classes.  It would force me to make new friends.  I remember one assignment about a month into the new school year.  It was designed so you could get to know about the other students in the classroom.  You were to choose the person sitting next to you.  Write everything down you know currently about them, and then exchange papers.  Then write down everything you want to tell that person about you and give it back to them.  While I thought this was a good way to get to know someone, it seemed like a recipe for disaster.  Luckily, I had gotten to know the student across from me and we had already started to become friends.  When I received his write up on me, one thing stuck out in particular.  “Always wears a blue T-shirt”.  Now my new friend was more on the fashion side.  He was always primped and pressed.  I, on the other hand, was not.  I guess he took note of my wardrobe.  I wrote down that the T-shirts are not always blue, and they ARE at least different ones.  We both completed the assignment and passed back the papers.  Soon the bell rang and we were off to our next class.  As we walked down the hall I repeated to my friend, “They are not ALWAYS blue.”  He said well, it seemed like it.  And how could they all be different anyway, how many did I have?  I told him I had plenty.  I followed with, “You think I always wear blue, well, now I will!”  And that is when the wager was made.  He bet me I could not wear a different blue T-shirt the entire month of November.  I responded, “You’re On!”

When I arrived at home, I needed to take inventory.  I checked the calendar and that November had 19 school days, taking into account holidays and weekends.  Right off the bat the first two weeks would be easy.  Being a Yankee and Islander fan, I had several T-shirts representing my favorite teams.  Of course, my Steeler ones would have to wait.  The blue that lies upon one of the hypocycloids was not enough for it to count.  I also had my collection of Sneaker Circus T-shirts from the previous years…of course all of them in blue.  Puma, Mark 5 and Converse…all good to go.  And I had a few of each brand too.  My friend never stood a chance.  For the next 19 school days our own version of the book, How to Eat Fried Worms - where a 10-year-old Billy must eat 15 earthworms in 15 days to win a bet, played out.  Of course, I was glad I only had to wear a different blue T-shirt.  Much easier on the digestive system.  Each morning in homeroom our group of friends inspected me.  They jotted down the details of the T-shirt so I would not try to sneak it back into the rotation.  By the time day 19 arrived the entire homeroom was wise to the bet.  Some rooted for me, others against…as their own wagers were formed.  That final day there would be no doubting the legitimacy of the last T-shirt.  My birthday falls in November, and one of my gifts that year was a new T-shirt…blue…go figure.  The Yankees had just won the 1977 World Series, and this was a T-shirt celebrating their victory.  I wore it proudly to celebrate mine.

To this day I still have quiet the collection of T-shirts.  A whole side of my walk in closet is dedicated to them.  I still prefer wearing T-shirts over anything else.  Over time only one thing has changed.

I now get them in other colors besides blue.