Nike Air Force 1 Duckboot

When the Nike Air Force 1 duckboot was first revealed, many people thought they were horrible looking.  It was also a time when many Frankenstein hybrid sneakers were releasing like Air Jordan mixed with AF1.  I didn’t like this mixture of iconic sneakers, so without much thought I also passed on the AF1 duckboot.  Luckily I went to a store one day and saw them up close, and that changed my mind.  I was amazed at their quality and their style.

To start off with it’s a winter shoe, so it’s perfect for people living in cold areas with significant snow and ice.  The soles have good traction which makes it essential for walking in slippery areas.  Next it has some really beautify leather that is nice and smooth, but will also be strong against the elements such as slush and wind.  And finally I have to admit it, when it’s cold outside; you don’t care what you’re wearing you just want your feet warm; but with these AF1 duckboot’s you get to stay warm and look good.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Sh4lv932J9Y

My Metroid Video Game Collection

 

Here’s my Metroid collection:

1. Metroid (1987 NA)

2. Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991)

3. Super Metroid (1994)

4. Metroid Prime (Nov 17, 2002)

5. Metroid Fusion (Nov 17, 2002)

6. Metroid: Zero Mission (Feb 9, 2004)

7. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Nov 15, 2004)

8. Metroid Prime Pinball (2005)

9. Metroid Prime Hunters (2006)

10. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007)

11. Metroid: Other M (2010)

12. Metroid Prime: Federation Force (2016)

13. Metroid: Samus Returns (2017)

14. Metroid Dread (2021)

Metroid: https://metroid.nintendo.com

YouTube: https://youtu.be/XG2VUwtkeo8

PlayStation Video Gaming Hunting

Last week I went to Winners (an off-price Canadian department store) and I found a cool looking PlayStation mug.  I bought it without thinking, and later on I felt a little weird because I’m not much of a PlayStation guy.  I do own a few consoles, and many games; but my love for PlayStation isn’t nearly as large as it is for Nintendo.  So, even buying a PlayStation mug felt weird to me.  Anyway, today I went out video game hunting and I went to a Goodwill that I usually look through but never find anything good inside.  I’m always jealous of video game hunting videos other people post and always seem to find treasure.  I always ask myself, why not me too? Lol

Yet today was finally my day (everything's coming up Milhouse!) and I finally scored an epic video game find.  Today I found; Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy VII, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Tomb Raider, Die Hard Trilogy, and 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge.  They were all on sale for $5, all complete with manual, and all were near mint condition with no wear or scratches.  I even used a coupon to get an even bigger discount on these games.  To be honest, I have never played these games nor do I know their current resale value; however I do know that they’re very popular and that I won’t be selling them.  With my new mug, and this new collection I figure this is the right time to start being a PlayStation guy (but Nintendo will always come first).

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzXcRD4VwA

Super Mario Bros 3 Remake

One of my favourite illustrators is Yōichi Kotabe.  Not only is he responsible for one of my favourite anime’s, “Heidi, Girl of the Alps”; but was also the primary artist on early Super Mario video games.  His work is simply gorgeous, colourful and groundbreaking.  When it comes to Nintendo, his most recognizable artwork is the cover and manuals of Super Mario Bros on the Famicom (Japanese edition), Super Mario Land on the Game Boy, and of course Super Mario Bros 3.  I have been mesmerized by Kotabe’s version of Mario ever since I saw the cover of Super Mario Bro 3.  His illustrations breathed life into Mario at a time when technology simply did not match Shigeru Miyamoto’s vision.  I would think to myself, why couldn’t Kotabe’s illustrations be the version used in the game? 

Thankfully we now live in a time when technology allows creators to put their visions into video games the way they dreamed of.  Even though video games with cartoon graphics have existed for years, (such as Dragon's Lair, Wario Land: Shake It! and Ducktales Remastered) this art style didn’t become popular until the release of Cuphead.  This game popularized the animated cartoon video game genre, and influenced other video game developers to modernize old classics into modern cartoon video games (Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom).  So my hope now is for Nintendo to do the same and re-master Super Mario Bro 3 in an animated cartoon version using the original designs created by Kotabe.

Yōichi Kotabe Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dichi_Kotabe

Toronto Blue Jays World Series New Era Fitted Hat

When you love a hat, you buy it as many times as you can.  The Blue Jays World Series patch is one of those hats that I need to own multiple times.  What’s funny is, I didn’t even know I owned this extra hat; but I just happened to find it in my collection one day and was pleasantly surprised.  While most people wouldn’t care that it’s an extra hat, for me it’s special because it’s slightly different from my other World Series patch hat because this one is wool.  I love wool hats because I find them more comfortable and their quality is best.  So if New Era releases this hat again in the future, you better believe that I will be buying it again.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wl2SC7oeDY

Nike SB Dunk Newcastle

The Nike SB Newcastle dunks are inspired by the beer Newcastle Brown Ale.  Even though beer inspired sneakers are usually very popular, these took a while to sellout.  Not many people were feeling them, and some even said the goldbox era was dead.  Thankfully their unpopularity allowed me to buy them because they didn’t sell them in my location.

The moment I received them, I was amazed by their quality.  They have the softest suede I have ever felt; almost like butter or lotion.  They also came with a lace bag still attached, one of the nice things about the goldbox era that I miss the most (I also miss the price of retail dunks too, $90 wow).

Newcastle Brown Ale: www.newcastlebrownale.co.uk

YouTube: https://youtu.be/G0z0jlnlc6g

Nike SB Money Cat Lows

The Money Cat lows were part of a three pair release which included a pair in high, mid, and low.  I only wanted the lows because they were the nicest pair in my opinion.  The Money Cat lows come in a gold colorway and has a mix of suede and metallic leather.  They were a pretty flashy sneaker at the time, but compared to today’s colorful sneakers are pretty subtle.  The sneaker is inspired by the Maneki-neko (beckoning cat) which is a porcelain statue cat that moves its paw up and down and that is supposed to bring good fortune or money to a person.  When these released, Nike also sent out some limited edition money cat statues to skate shops, but unfortunately most of them broke during shipping.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FePIDnbNoow

Michael Jordan Mitchell & Ness Chicago Bulls Jersey 1997-98

As a kid, I never owned a Michael Jordan jersey.  But because my birthday was coming up I decided to treat myself (very cliché) to a Jordan jersey.  And even though I have been writing this blog for years I never I thought I owned a Jordan jersey before.  And then I decided to do a quick video review of my jersey and as I was looking through my blog, I noticed that, yes I have owned Jordan jersey’s before, lol.  Getting older and being a collector makes you forget many things, lol.

Anyway I'm not much of a jersey collector anymore because of the cheap quality of jerseys today; they focus on light performance materials and not on tough and strong materials that will last you for years.  Thankfully, Mitchell & Ness still focuses on tough quality materials (to a point) and I was able to get this Jordan jersey from the 97’-98’ era.  While the price is ridiculously expensive, the quality is nice enough to ignore it and just enjoy the fact that I own the jersey of the greatest of all-time.

Mitchell & Ness: https://www.mitchellandness.com/authentic-jersey-chicago-bulls-road-1997-98-michael-jordan-ajy4gs

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4l3rZiVARg

Adidas Stan Smith End of Leather?

Over the weekend I went to the Adidas store and an employee told me that the Stan Smith leather model will soon be discontinued and replaced by a vegan leather model.  I actually yelled, NO WAY, That’s BS!  He started laughing and agreed with me because he didn’t want leather sneakers to go away either.  While I haven’t even tried vegan leather sneakers, I’m sad that we won’t even have an option to choose anymore.  And since that day, I have talked to a few people who have worn vegan leather Stan Smiths and they seem disappointed by the quality. 

 

Thankfully I was able to get this last pair of leather Stan Smiths that day.  And hopefully this vegan leather phase only lasts a few years.  (Yes, I’m aware of the damage leather causes to this world from cattle ranches, so in a way I hope the quality of vegan leather improves over time so that it becomes the best material to use on sneakers).

Adidas: https://www.adidas.com/stan_smith

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkQt9PiQJmg

Brandon Steen, Painter

2020 was an awful year for everyone.  Besides the people we lost, society also had businesses go bankrupt and shut down, some of these places historical landmarks of the city.  Add to that the condo gentrification of the city, and Toronto has significantly changed from what it once was.  2020 has taught me not to take things for granted.  I’ve been wanting to paint city landmarks for years to preserve these places but procrastinated doing so because I’m lazy.  Thankfully I saw Brandon Steen on TV today being interviewed.  Brandon is a local artist who paints Toronto neighbourhoods better than anything I could do.  His photo realistic painting’s capture the uniqueness of the city, and feel much more recognizable than the more famous landmarks of the CN Tower, Skydome and City Hall.  Brandon has definitely inspired me to appreciate this city more than ever before.

Brandon Steen: www.steenart.ca

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Continuing the long list of Wii U ports to the Switch is Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.  But unlike other Wii U ports, this version comes with additional new content which is Bowser’s Fury; a new story where you get to help Bowser Jr.

This game released on February 12, 2021.  I usually wait until games go on sale to buy them, but because EB Games (Gamestop) was giving out a pre-order bonus (gold collector coin) I decided to buy it on release.  The gold coin is beautiful and comes with an image of cat Mario, or Super Meowrio (sorry bad joke).  I’m a fan of these kinds of pre-order bonuses so of course I’m happy with my purchase.

Nintendo: https://supermario3dworld.nintendo.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F--vwbrYypE