One day, approximately eight or nine years ago, I was walking downtown on my way back to the ISP I worked for after picking up some lunch, and as I crossed de Maisonneuve street (I believe I was on Peel), a girl about my age passed me, headed in the opposite direction. It was a typical busy weekday in downtown Montreal so there were a lot of people – business folks heading to the office and students from nearby McGill College and Concordia University. However, she stood out to me. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. In the middle of her shirt was a red maple leaf and the words, “Canadian Girls Kick Ass”.

Many times I have been tempted to ask women, total strangers, where they got the awesome purse they’re carrying, where they get their hair cut, or where I could find the beautiful boots they were wearing (I nearly did that last one to a woman coming into our building this morning as I was leaving), but I never have because I’m too shy. With that girl, I’m honestly surprised I didn’t because in my head I practically screamed, “where can I find that shirt?!” Alas, I didn’t, and if it would have been weird to ask her in the middle of a busy intersection, it would have been weird to the level of stalker to suddenly chase her down the street to find out.

I regretted it immensely though. I talked about that shirt for days.

Then, about six years ago, I was in one of the shopping centers downtown. I don’t know why I was in that particular one, but while I was there I went into Quizz, one of my favorite stores. It’s very quirky and full of random things like lava lamps, beaded curtains, fiber optic lights that look like hair growing out of a metal head, 6-foot tall fake aquariums with neon colored plastic fish, the workds. And they sell t-shirts, funny or bizarre t-shirts.

I was browsing around when I saw it. A white t-shirt with “Canadian Girls Kick Ass” on it.

For some reason I had only brought a bit of cash with me, having left my wallet back at the studio. I didn’t have enough to buy it. When I got back to the studio, I hyperventilated as I told George about it. On our way home, we stopped at the shopping center so I could run in and buy it.

I wore it a LOT when I first got it and I loved it. These days I don’t wear it that often because although it’s not a cropped top it is a bit shorter than what I’m normally comfortable wearing now. However, I still consider it my favorite t-shirt (a close second is one I bought at the same store a week later – it has tiny, tiny lettering right in the middle of the chest area and if you get close enough to read it, it says, “nosey little fucker, aren’t you?”) and I do like to put it on once in awhile.

Today I was checking to see if there was an interesting topic in one of the photo groups I belong to on Flickr, one where they post a daily self-portrait theme. Today’s theme was t-shirts, and we were asked to show ourselves with out favorite t-shirt.

Well, really. How could I resist?

(And yes. Yes, we do indeed kick ass.)