Archive for December, 2012

thoughts on: ball and buck x new balance 574 in mountain green

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ball and buck’s collaboration with new balance is back, but this time they’re in “mountain green.”  hmm.  mountain green, eh?  interesting color choice.  i missed out on the grey ones in september and was looking forward to the second chapter of this collaboration.  i figured they’d stick with grey.  in all honesty, i’m not loving these.  the orange really throws me off.  it looks good on the grey kicks, but it’s a stretch here.  these will be available christmas day at ball and buck’s store as well as online.  what do you think about the new colorway?  would you drop $149 for a pair?  i might, but only because i missed the boat on the first ones.

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my christmas list

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we still make christmas lists in my family.  (how else are people supposed to know what to get you.)  i had a hard time coming up with a list this year.  i have everything i need and want in the world, so it came down to a few things that i’ve been hesitant about buying and a few things i could always use.  here it is in no particular order:

fjallraven greenland jacket: i can’t figure out why i don’t have this jacket yet

ipad mini: i have the ipad 2, but i’m ready to ditch it for something a little smaller.

ebbet’s field flannel twill ballcap: i bought a red one this summer and love it.  i need another one to add to the rotation.

camp socks: they will keep your feet warm in the colder months.

jawbone jambox wireless speakers: best bluetooth speakers on the market.

glenn o’brien’s book how to be a man: i’m a big fan of the style guy, but haven’t read his book yet.  shame on me.

patagonia kleen kanteen: we went green at work.  no more bottles of water.

ledbury shirts: i want them all.

titleist velocity golfballs: i should probably be playing pro v1s, but i really like these.

dog bones: it’s christmas for riley too.

pretzel m&m’s: my weakness.

 

new kicks on the cheap

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as mentioned a couple of times on to take the train, new balance is one of my favorite shoe brands.  you know you’re getting comfort and quality when you purchase a pair of new balance shoes.  lately they’ve been putting out a lot of collaborations and special versions of their popular models to please the sneaker heads and the casual fan.  (ps ball and buck if you read this blog, please hook me up with camo 574s.  i will be your best friend forever.)  not necessarily lost in all of the hype is the classic 574 which you can find pretty much anywhere for under $60.  i was close to pulling the trigger on a new pair of 1400s from j. crew as well as some of the new 998s from kith, but since it’s the holiday season and i shouldn’t be spending money on myself, i went with a cheap pair of 574s from zappos for $51.  i know you’ve seen nb 574s thousands of times, but these look too good not to mention.

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classic christmas album covers

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i don’t know about you, but i’m trying to get in the christmas spirit around here. usually i wait until the week of to start listening to christmas music and hanging lights and buying presents, but not this year. this year i’m starting early. (i’m actually listening to dean martin’s winter romance as i type this post.) rather than post a link to a mix you’ll never listen to on spotify, i thought it’d be fun to check out the cover art of some of my all time favorite christmas albums. kids these days ain’t doing it right. click read more for the rest of the list.

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app recommendation: mr. reader

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ever since i bought my first ipad, i’ve been looking for the perfect rss reader app to run my google reader through.  i’ve tried reeder, feeddler, flipboard, and a few others before settling on newsrack.  newsrack did everything i asked it to, but at a snails pace over 3g and wifi.  today it took almost 20 minutes to update my feeds, so i went looking for another app.  luckily, i stumbled upon mr. reader.  it’s everything i’ve been looking for in an rss newsreader app: clean, fast, and fully customizable.  if you’re like me and keep up with a ton of blogs, there’s no better app on the market right now.  it might be the best $3.99 i’ve ever spent.  download it here.

mr.reader

head games

i’m not sure about your weather, but we’re sweatin’ out here in nashville.  it was 77 degrees today.  it’s probably not the best time to be discussing stocking hats, but go ahead and get yours before there’s a run on them this holiday season.  here are my four favorite this year:

saturdaysbeanie

saturdays surf nyc

saintjames copy

saint james

jcrew

fair isle

carhartt

carhartt

the night i met pete townshend

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last night i had the good fortune of meeting one of my rock and roll heroes: pete townshend.  he didn’t disappoint.  he spoke to us for a couple of minutes and couldn’t have been any nicer.  being the observant blogger that i am, i noticed his choice of footwear.  he was rocking a pair of burgundy longwings.  i would almost bet my life (the who reference) that they were color 8 cordovan alden longwings, but i wasn’t about to ask or out myself as man that checks out other men’s footwear.

the who played quadrophenia in it’s entirety.  it was truly an unforgettable evening.  pete f**king townshend.  i still can’t believe it.  big thanks to the two gentleman that hooked it up.

here’s an oldie, but goodie of pete and paul weller.  i guess i side with the mods.  can you blame me?  they were much better dressers.

pete townshend

shoe fitting 101

brannock

this may sound ridiculous, but until last week i didn’t know my shoe size.  for those of you that know me, this is no surprise.  i’m constantly buying shoes, wearing them for two days, and then putting them up on ebay.  it’s become a ridiculous and expensive cycle, but a nice one for ebayers that like red wings and aldens.

the week before thanksgiving i called the closest red wing store and had them ship me a new pair of boots.  they didn’t fit.  they were too wide and too short.  i tried to ship them back, but they made me come to the store.  i’m glad i did.  the lady working at the store measured me on red wing’s machine and gave me the bad/good news: i measured an 11a.  i told her she was crazy and that i was 9.5 or a 10.  she then pulled out the brannock device and that’s when things clicked.  Continue reading