Three Kicks If I Could
If I could, these are three kicks I’d get for this summer season:
Classics in black.
Ultraaaaaaa….
For a pop of color.
Gee Why
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Reading About DreamPress 2
What’s this about the release of DreamPress 2? Dreamhost’s managed WordPress environment recently got revved with some cool features. Files are now stored and served up from speedy SSD drives. Automatic daily backups appear to be newly added, and of course, there’s all the other performance enhancing features that got even better.
Nice. Very nice.
Passed on the Adidas Techfit Response Boost Runners
Long story short, I passed on these Adidas Response running shoes I found at Ross. I was surprised to see Adidas decked out with their Boost technology already discounted. The shoe was comfortable in the heel and midfoot but tight in the toebox. Even after going a half size up, my toes still felt crammed in the otherwise wide-looking toebox. Also, there were only a few laces holes making a snug fit hard to achieve. Nice neutral colors though.
Passed on the Second Scoop of Saucony
I would have rather indulged in the first scoop of Saucony’s limited Scoops Pack. I sadly slept on the minty green chocolate chip, so when the second scoop of Strawberry Vanilla released, I was there. But then decided these pinky kicks just wasn’t my style so I passed on the second scoop.
Loving Leather Soul
Thanks to Leather Soul Downtown (LSDT) for a great shoe buying experience. While I don’t venture into Downtown Honolulu very often, I’m thinking I’ll be a more frequent visitor after learning of LSDT’s solid collection of New Balance sneakers. Making a name for their upscale and high class shoes, Leather Soul diversified their offerings with select New Balance lines. Periodically, New Balance releases models made in the USA, and there are some great creations. More recently, there’s been a NB collaboration with Reyn Spooner of the aloha shirt fame that redefines local kine business attire.
Don’t expect to find the entire New Balance line at Leather Soul. Think of Leather Soul and their brand, and you’ll understand what kind of New Balances you’ll find. Think Distinct Weekender and Connoisseur Guitar collections that exemplify quality in look and workmanship. I went coveting the pistachio-themed M996CPS but found so many irresistible choices.
There’s even discounted models (in limited sizes) to check out.
While trying on different NB models, I spied this last pair of 988 that I couldn’t stop looking at. Rich colors, an old school silhouette, a modern tech Fresh Foam midsole, and a last pair discount of 50% off was just too compelling.
Thanks to Justin at Leather Soul Downtown for a great shoe experience. Here’s my five-star Yelp review of LSDT.
Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Air Jordan Clock
No sense waiting to collect potential gift items for this upcoming holiday season. Like this clock of Air Jordan shoes. Any shoehead would love opening this on December 25. The hours of the clock are replaced with the corresponding Air Jordan model. Simply ingenious.
Resisting the Hurley Phantom featuring Nike Free
How much would you pay for a pair of slippers? What if these slippers were a collaboration between Hurley and Nike? Take the Hurley Phantom line of slippers aka sandals then add a Nike Free outsole, and you got yourself a $60 pair of slippers. I just can’t pay that much for slippers, even in that beckoning grey/orange colorway. And yes, they do feel very comfortable.
For $40, I’d be there. 😉
The Marcus Mariota Marketing Effect
Perhaps it’s only coincidental. Perhaps brands already had these items lined up for the summer of ’15. But have you noticed the Hawaii motif items coming to market? Is this due in part to one-local-boy-turned-Titan, Marcus Mariota? I’m not talking about custom made Nikes but rather the rash of kicks featuring Hawaiian camo, aloha, hot lava, and luaus.
Does the impact of the Pride of Hawaii transcend brand competition with all trying to capitalize on all things aloha? Have you purchased any Hawaii tanks, mesh tees, leggings, or track tops?
Old Navy is promoting their pixie ankle pants for women this summer. Due to the Marcus Mariota effect, this “blue floral” pattern is advertised as “The Pixie goes Hawaiian.”
Seemingly, anything floral is now all about Hawaii. I’m wondering if the Titans will somehow work in a flower into their NFL uniforms?
How Hard Is It to Make Color Copies?
Much too hard is the answer. So I wanted to make copies, actually smaller versions of a school photo. From a color 8×10 photo, I needed a 4×6 and some 3×5 sizes. First, I call Target to see if they have photo services. I was ensured they have a photo kiosk near Customer Service. I ask the rep if there’s a scanner to scan in images. Yes, confirmed. I go to Target to find the Kodak photo kiosk with a yellow sticky saying it’s out of order. Gee thanks customer service. You could have walked the 10 feet to the kiosk when I was on the phone with you.
Next I went to Longs. They recently got the same Kodak photo kiosk system I saw at Target. There was an attached scanner, so I started going through the steps. What a piece of junk that Kodak photo kiosk is. Maybe it’s the hardware, maybe it’s the software, or just that touch screen, but the kiosk would just bug out. At best you could touch the Start Over button and start again. At worst, the kiosk would get stuck in a loop – warming up scanner, capturing image, warming up scanner, capturing image, over and over. When finally one photo scanned successfully, I tried to rotate it. Is it just me or is timing the click on the okay button when the image is rotated correctly much too difficult?
Eventually the system just wouldn’t accept any more and was just hung. So I went to a different Longs. This location had the older Fuji system that was easy enough to operate. The cost of two prints is $0.41 or something like that, but then the clerk says he can’t print school photos due to copyright issues. He had gotten into trouble for doing this once already. I had no release consent form on me since the picture was taken at the beginning of the school year. Maybe I could call the photographer and ask for a release over the phone. Who took the photo? No clue.
Next I went to a neighborhood print shop. Sure, they could resize and print the image…after 24 hours. They needed time to scan and resize the image manually then print it out. 24 hours? Heck, I would have taken a printout made using PowerPoint.
So who could accomplish this seemingly daunting task? Walgreens. The store had two staff members working the photo services desk. A third Walgreens employee helped me with their kiosk system. Seems like the days of 3×5 photos is no more. A 20-minute print time was like 20 seconds, and I had to pay $0.78 for two prints. Woe is me. Thanks Walgreens!
Kicks with Aloha
Maybe it’s purely coincidental or it may be an effect of Hawaii-born Marcus Mariota, but Nike has been releasing several Hawaii-themed goods. There’s the Mahalo Marcus shirt, and now there’s the Air Huarache “Aloha” and Roshe One Print for the women.
Then there’s the “hot lava” colorways like this Air Jordan 5 for girls.
The feet of the wahine are well taken care of, but where’s the aloha kicks for the kane? I guess there is this upcoming LeBron 12 low hot lava.
And the Air Max Lunar90 Breeze Hot Lava.
Oh wait, it’s just not Nike. Looks like Hawaii is a theme destination for this season’s kicks designs. New Balance has their Luau Pack.
Adidas is featuring “Hawaiian camo” on the body of the Tubulars or just the laces.
I just can’t decide which of these is my favorite.
Mahalo Marcus
Nike is starting its marketing machine for young Marcus Mariota. No, Nike is not making Marcus’ draft day kicks a reality for all, but the brand is starting to sell Mariota merchandise. You can pre-order Marcu’s Titans jersey or pickup this “Mahalo Marcus” shirt that says “Pride of Hawaii” on the back.
