A Disturbing Encounter

My wardrobe is replete with a variety of T-Shirts...
I'm one for a unique logo on my quality shirtwear.
My man Pete is the man for always finding the perfect shirt to fit my persona, as is The Woman Who Knows Most Things.
I have T's from DeHaviland Aircraft, Cyberdyne, TBS Sports (Tokyo Broadcasting), several retro NBA team shirts, Goodwill Games, and a few unobtrusive Keys-centric T's.
I even have a novelty t-shirt from BeerTap Tees with the built-in bottlecap remover.
I have a shirt with the small logo from Weyland-Yutani, which no one ever recognizes, except for Chris Thorn who noticed it one Florida Georgia weekend...



CT: "Is that logo... Weyland Yutani?" he asked,  pointing at my shirt.
YT: "Yep."
CT: "Wow. Cool."

Another favorite t-shirt I wear occasionally is from a little trip to North Carolina I made a couple years ago, to renew a few old acquaintences and to discuss straategy, tactics & ballistics. As I was departing the facilities in Moyock, one of my old comrade-in-arms threw an OD t-shirt at me.
OCIA: "New name, new logo. They're dumping all our old t-shirts. This one might fit you..."

So...
A few weeks back We (JR/Fester DanO, Good Phil and Yours Truly) were sitting in a cut-rate lunchtime  pizza jont outside the back door if the Consol Energy Arena  having a bit of tiffin.

I was noticing two young men in the restaurant talking and gesturing our direction. I made a mental note and kept on with lunch.
As I got up to leave I was accosted by one of the youngish (late 20s) Middle Eastern men.
"I want to ask you. Do you work for these people?" he asked, in a rather surly tone.


"Excuse me? I not sure I understand your question." I answered, giving him the benefit of th edoubt, thinking he possibly meant the NHL, since DanO and JR were positively festooned with logowear.

"These people." he said - indicating the bearclaw logo of Blackwater on my t-shirt.

Now, young Mr Abdul Hassan Fuckinwitdawrongdood was edging dangerously close to getting an opportunity to visit a trauma center to have a crushed larnyx reconstructed, since he was holding himself in a  chin-up, indignant posture. He obviously  has an  issue with some function of Blackwater's activity in Trashcanistan or Iraq and was looking to find some redress by engaging in meaninful discourse with  a tired and crochety ogre.

This, as we say in the business, is a Bad Move.

He's giving me the Stink Eye for wearing a t-shirt...
His body language had "avenging my people" written all over it.
The guy he was having lunch with had already hit the door, were DanO, Phil and JR were also headed, somewhat oblivious to the tableau unfolding in the dining room...

A quick little evaluation exercise was in order.
Decisions to be made:
If the situation escalates-
Probability of positive (physical) outcome: 90%
Probability of police involvment: 99.8%
Possibility of temporary incarceration: 60%
Probability of NHL installation delay beyond reasonable limits: 75%
Possibility of negative reactions on behalf of client and employer: 80%

If situation is defused-
Negative probabilities drop to less than or equal to 5%.

Shit.

"This old thing? Hell, I got this t-shirt years ago at a training class. I havent even talked to these folks in 10 years."

"Well... Ah. This is a good thing then."

"Good thing" my aching,  dying ass... I hope he went and bought a lottery ticket. He's one lucky sumbich.

I guess I'm getting soft in my old age...

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE