Bloomsday: The T-Shirts

Is it depressing that I have lived in Spokane practically my entire life and I've only done Bloomsday once? Maybe not so much depressing as it is disappointing. Its not that I don't think its a good tradition, but there's several reasons why I don't participate. First of all I'm not the biggest fan of crowds, especially ones that consist of individuals who are perspiring a great deal. Second, the event takes place in the morning. I've never been much of a morning person, especially when exercise is involved. I'd like to say that I can get up and go for a walk or a run first thing, and maybe this will happen if I gain the motivation, but in my life right now I'm far too lazy. Third, it costs money. I know it benefits the city, which is important and that you're guarantee a nice shirt at the end, but that seems foolish to me. Granted, I think that Ironman costs about $500 so I'm not quite sure why I'm complaining. I don't know. I just feel that if you partake in an event that you literally put your blood, sweat and yes, sometimes tears into that you deserve a free t-shirt. Enough of the rant. The main focus of this post was going to be a discussion of the Bloomsday T-Shirts.

At this link Bloomsday T-Shirt History you can view all the past Bloomsday T-Shirts from 1977 to 2009. Its interesting to go back in time, to the 80s in particular and see how the styles have developed and changed over the years. 2007 is probably my favorite shirt, but the only one I own in the 1996 Ken Spiering one which features all the used cups on the ground. I'm not sure who put it out, but a couple of years ago they did do a vote for what T-shirt people thought was the best, and 1996 turned out to be the winner. So I guess I picked the right year to enter the competition. Still, its funny looking at some of the others and recognizing them; it stirs up a lot of memories. My sister wore the 92 shirt for years as a pajama top, and I remember how many kids had the 98 shirt in grade school. That's one of the things about the day after Bloomsday... seeing what the T-shirts look like. It'll be interesting to see what the next decade brings. This is a bit of a side note, but it just occurred to me that advertising what the shirt is going to look like weeks before Bloomsday might give incentive for more people to enter. By that same token, it may prevent people as well.