Finally the Rock has won the WWE Championship belt again!

Just Bring It!  What a match.  Sure the Rock wasn't the same young man he was 15 years ago, but he sure brought it to Punk tonight.  I'm happy to see him be champion again!

Air Jordan V "Fire Red" 2012

I didn't think I would buy another Jordan again, but these were so easy to get I couldn't pass on them.  I just walked into the store and asked for my size and they brought them out.  I guess my luck was based on the aftermath of the Christmas holiday and how broke that left people.  Sneaker collecting is seriously getting crazy with how many different shoes are releasing.  I know when I first started officially collecting, I wanted to buy as many sneakers as possible.  But back then all I cared about was Air Jordan retro’s.  Over time I did grow my collection to include other sneakers, but it was never as crazy as it is now. 

Today there are at least 15 pairs of sneakers a month that I really want.  Obliviously not having the money to buy them is what’s stopping me from getting them.  But at the same time, the need to buy them all has also subsided.  This has been the result of not investing too much time on sneaker websites to find out about the latest releases, and also being a little jaded with seeing the same thing being retroed over and over again.  It’s like once you own the sneaker you have been wanting for years, and then you see it be retroed again in 2-4 years that excitement to get it isn’t there anymore.  So for me, it’s more of a case where I have all the sneakers I wanted as a kid, and I’m happy with what I have and don’t need to look elsewhere.

From this point on if I do get a pair of Air Jordan’s it’s going to be a pair that I don’t already have.  The Air Jordan V white/fire red/black colorway has been a sneaker I have wanted for years, but had passed up on previously because I didn’t like the versions that had released (23 on the side, or patent leather.. gross).  These are probably my favorite Air Jordan's of all time because of how much I wanted them as a kid.  In my opinion the 2013 retro is made pretty well, I really like the quality of leather, and how it was stitched together.  Overall I’m satisfied with this release because it was easy to get, besides the Jumpman on the back it was true to the original, and because the quality was better than previous Jordan Brand retros.

The Air Jordan V fire red 2013 retro was released on January 26^th, 2013.  They feature a reflective 3M tongue, a P51 mustang fighter jet shark teeth design on the mid-sole, clear soles (the 2013 featuring a blue tint), and red lace locks. The colors used on these V’s are white, fire red and black, they also came packaged in a retro box.  My pair are deadstock, are a size 10.5, and the style number is 136027-100. 

Air Jordan:

www.jumpman23.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0A0ObmtDzQ

Nike AW77 Graphic Men's Sweater

Inspired by the 1977 Athletics West running team, Nike created a special collection of Sportswear in 2009.  The original designer was Geoff Hollister, the 3^rd Nike employee.  I was lucky enough to find this sweater on sale because it is made with exceptional quality; the French terry fabric is soft to the touch, yet strong enough to support athletic use.  I swear sometimes Nike makes the best clothing on earth.

Sneaker and Hat Cleaning Kit

When you become a collector, one of the first things you will notice is how dirty and banged up your collection can get as you use them.  While there are many people who don’t care, and will just buy another one as soon as it’s destroyed; there are others that want to get the most out of their collection.  Getting the most out of your collection will not only save you money, but will keep your collection looking pristine.  Besides if you’re going to devote your time and money to a collection, you might as well own something you can be proud of.  That’s kind of why I’ve always admired classic car collectors, because they like to keep their collection looking its best.

To keep my collection of sneakers and hats looking its best, I’ve developed a maintenance cleaning kit.  The kit was developed over time through a process of trial and error; between ruling out items that destroyed some of my sneakers and using items that actually worked to keep them clean.  I’m calling this a basic cleaning kit because it features many items that are easy to get from home, or that are sold in any apparel store.

1) Shoe Weather Protector: Before you start to wear any sneaker or hat it is important to spray them with shoe weather protector.  The brand I buy is from Tana, and I use the spray protector.  It helps to prevent water damage and resist stains.  You can also buy different brands at footlocker that work just as well.

2)  Suede and Nubuck Brush:  This brush is excellent for removing scratches from suede and nubuck leather sneakers.  The brand of brush I like to use is from Tana

3)  Mr. Clean Magic Eraser:  A magic eraser is great for removing stains from leather and rubber soles.

4) Manicure Set: Try to get one that includes small scissors and nail cutters for cutting loose threads, and some tweezers for pulling out threads.

5) Super Glue:  Super glue is wonderful for gluing loose threads together, however use it very lightly to avoid clumps.

6) Painters Tape:  I use this kind of tape to pick lint from my hats. It is sticky enough to remove lint, and still not leave tape residue behind.  You can also use a lint roller.

7) Lint Fabric Shaver:  This product is wonderful for removing clumps of lint that build up around the tongue and ankle padding of sneakers.  The brand I use is from Remington shavers.

8)  Lighter:  Lighters are great for burning down or gluing together threads.  I also use it on lace ends to make a lace tip.

9) Paper Towels:  Before I store away sneakers I won’t use for a while, I like to clean them with a paper towel and water.  A towel works just as well or better.  Be sure to let them dry before you store them away.

10)  Goo gone:  This is a wonderful product for removing glue and gum from the rubber soles.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser:

http://www.mrclean.com/en_US/magic-eraser.do

Goo Gone:

http://googone.com

Tana:

http://tana.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6DEijySYbo

Collecting Gift Cards

My collecting habit went a little over board last year when for no apparent reason I started collecting gift cards from stores.  It started with a few here and there; when I would be near the cash register and I would pick one up because they seemed interesting.  I liked collecting unique ones that I assumed would be collectable one day.  Eventually I wasn’t able to leave a store without making sure there weren’t any gift cards available.  Thankfully this week I started doing a little cleaning and decided to throw all my gift cards away, and I now feel grateful that I won’t become a future profile on the show Hoarders.

Radioactive Man

Title: Radioactive Man: Radioactive Repository Volume One

Author: Matt Groening

Publisher: Harper Design
Despite being a Simpsons fan I have never really consistently read any of the Bongo comic books.  In the past I had only read the Free Comic Book Day versions and the occasional comics my friends would lend me.  Keep in mind the first time I read it was back in high school in the 90’s and I laughed at my friend for being too old for comics.  Back then I would have laughed at anyone that collected comics, toys, sneakers, and liked to write.  It goes to show you, you never know what you’ll like in the future.  Anyway, over time as I would read the occasional Simpsons comic, the humour would be a hundred times better than in the real show (after the 2005’s).  Yet I still never picked a comic book up to read fully.

So as luck would have it one day I noticed that my library had a copy of Radioactive Man in a hard cover.  This version is perfect for anyone that is first a Radioactive Man fan, would like to know his story, or would like to read a boat load of stories collected in a easy to carry book.  Although the book is rather large, it’s better than having to carry over 30 comics at once, and the paper quality is really high grade.  As for the actual story, I would say I didn’t find it very entertaining.  Some stories were great, but the majority seemed like I was swimming through quicksand with how boring they were.  It felt like the writers were just writing stuff to fill up the pages, while others felt hurried and rushed in order to finish the story.  While the stories weren’t as enjoyable as I hoped they would be, I still recommend this book because it’s still better than the actual current show, lol.

Bongo Comics:

www.bongocomics.com

The Simpsons:

www.thesimpsons.com

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Radioactive-Man-Repository-Volume-One/dp/0062089927/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Nike SB Dunk Low Sequoia

The Nike SB Sequoia dunk low pro’s were released in December 2012.  The colors used on the dunks are sequoia green, metallic zinc, white and feature a gummy bottom sole.  The materials used are suede and tumbled leather and are part of the ‘from the future’ box.  They were made in Vietnam and its product code number is 304292-300.  My pair are deadstock, and are a size 10.5.

In a time when most SB’s are released with less emphasis on concepts, collaborations and nicknames it has become more difficult to get excited about a new release.  No one wants to admit that hype is what drives them to purchase sneakers, but without that hype many sneakers go unnoticed.  Yet this is what I have been seeing from the past couple of years as many SB dunks have been released without a nickname and have not sold well.  From a marketing stand point the head’s of Nike must have planed this with the intention of getting people to focus more on other varieties of SB’s (Koston, Janoski, Salazar, and P. Rod).  This has resulted in people buying even more sneakers than before.

I don’t have a problem with Nike being more creative in those other SB lines.  In fact I actually have been tempted to buy a few Koston’s and Janoski’s in the past.  But like most people, a light wallet is what holds me back from spending.  So my only alternative has been to stick with one sneaker line that I like.  I’m actually happy that I chose to stick with dunks because I think it’s a beautiful shoe that’s made with quality and is affordable when first released.   Despite all these reasons, the lack of hype for dunks has made me less interested in buying a pair.  In fact I have passed on many dunks that have had all the features that I usually like on a pair, simply because they didn’t have a nickname that made them popular.

It wasn’t until I saw pictures of the Nike SB Sequoia dunks that I thought, who cares about hype and popularity I really want a pair of those sneakers.  These shoes have everything I want from a sneaker, from a beautiful colorway to a gummy bottom.  Buying this pair also allowed me the chance to own the new box that has a slogan of “delivered from the future in a cardboard box.”  I would have preferred the red and white box, but I’m okay with this version because it still gives SB’s an exclusive box.  Other features I like about this sneaker is the metallic zinc color of the Swoosh.  The Swoosh and the sequoia green suede and leather reminds me of the colors used on a $20 bill.  I bought my pair online for less than retail which makes me reconsider my need for hype around a sneaker.  With hype, these sneakers would have been more difficult to attain and I would have had to pay a lot more for them.

Nike SB:

www.nikesb.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dF5UQCyJhE