Two recent fashion stories

When it comes to fashion, I've become pretty comfortable around my Tri Team. Perhaps too comfortable. I wear Guitar Hero boxers on my bike rides and my stretchy shorts on the runs.

The gym is a different story. I don't want to draw attention to myself. I believe that whatever you wear makes a statement. For example, picture in your mind what kind of person would show up wearing a "Satan's Gym: No Pain No Gain" shirt. Now picture who might wear a shirt with cute Mickey Mouse logos on it. See the difference?

I have four Disney Tri Team workout shirts. I wear them frequently, and since I do have some other plain shirts any specific Disney shirt might get worn once every 2 weeks. (they are washed after every workout.) If you saw them side by side they are very easy to tell apart; there have different trim colors and designs but basically they are all white and all have the same logo of a Mickey swimming, biking and running. So if someone were to see me at the gym frequently, someone like Joe the Trainer for example, they might always see me wearing a white Disney Tri Team shirt. They're going to remember the logo, not the trim.

Here was my dilemma: did Joe the Trainer think I was wearing the same shirt 3 times a week? If he did, then I would want to explain that I have multiple shirts and wasn't being gross. If he didn't, then I didn't want to look like an idiot by bringing it up. So of course I went with the idiot option and told him "you realize of course I have many Tri Team shirts, not just one." He looked at me funny and claimed he never thought about it. I may look like an idiot, but at least I'm an idiot with good hygiene.

Story 2: I showed up to the gym after work and realized I hadn't packed ANY shirt. I knew I could use an extra (non-Disney) workout shirt so I walked over to the Mall 2 blocks away and bought a new cheap one. I picked out a solid green shirt; I never used to wear green, but ever since Coeur d'Alene I've been adding CDA green to my wardrobe.

I went back to the gym, put on the shirt and then put on my shorts - my solid CDA green shorts. I never checked to see which shorts I had with me. I looked like a giant pickle. The only thing worse than wearing a coordinated outfit at the gym is wearing a coordinated outfit that looks bad. I felt ridiculous. Fortunately, this was a non-Joe-The-Trainer day so at least I didn't have to explain myself to him.