Random Rants
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This makes me want to vote for Bin Lad In in 2012
http://www.focusonstyle.com/Trends/Fashion/Lady-Gaga-platform-cowboy-boots-born-this-way-country
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Ok, so let me start off by saying that prior to enveloping myself with desires for Aero Leather jackets and Red Wing boots i was an avid (and occasionally still am) sneaker collector [sneaker head is the stupidest fucking term on the planet, but kids will be kids]. I have always liked wearing different sneakers than what has been popular with my peers through most of my life but really got on a role after having gotten the Jordan 16 Lows (the all leather joints with the magnetic fold) and the retro'd Olive 9's (sick as all hell people!). But it wasn't until i turn 15 or so that i got my hands on my very first pair of Air Flight 89s. the grey and grey patent leather colorway with a white sole. i literally wore those shoes to death! they had absolutely no grip left in them and were perfect for throwing on before washing the car or cutting the grass or some other task that required shoes which needed a lack of care for what you wore.
Air Flight 89
Anyways, what this shoe represented to me, aside from fucking awesomeness and perfection in a silhouette, was Me. Not so much exactly me, but the circumstances and the environment which i grew up in and how my parents have worked their way up their respective pay scales and reached a comfortable living for our family. But when the air flight 89 was released it was that struggle that really made it difficult for most of the working class to afford their children the "Hot" shoe of that year, Nike's Air Jordan IV (Lando, whattup!). And it was this difficult situation which made the air flight 89 the go-to shoe for the working classes in all of the urban neighborhoods around the United States. The Air Flight 89 and the Jordan 4 share the exact same midsole and sole. The uppers are different, with better leathers being used in the 4's and the obvious differences in the appearance, the Air Flight 89 was basically the same shoe as the Jordan 4, but at around $30.00 less! And with many of the current Air Flight 89 fans i've met, it was this sense of nostalgia, of being able to get a pair of shoes that your parents had to settle on buying you and you wearing them to near extinction; and now being able to buy that same pair again, along with the 4's; its been that feeling of nostalgia that makes the 89's arguably more loved by those who had them before and who are now able to buy the 4.
Ok, enough about that history lesson, lets talk these past 10 years. When you talk about recent phenomenons, you think of a handful of shoe designs that has changed the game drastically as far as consumption, and one of the key markets that has exploded (and since, slowed down a bit) is the Nike SB line. Prior to NSB, there was the Pro B, dunks with super thick tongues and sick colorways that were simple enough to not catch you attention but dope enough to warrant buying them all!!!!!! 1999 never looked so good, anyways, fast forward a handful of years and you reach another moment in Nike History, Nike Skateboarding signs Paul Rodriguez Jr to the Nike SB skateboarding team.
P-Rod Jr (his dad is the comedian of the same name)
Not only was this a first for Nike US to be sponsoring a young, mexican-american athlete, this was the first time the signing of a contract brought about talks of a signature shoe for that same athlete. Nike was getting into very unfamiliar waters, both with a Skateboarding shoe and with a, then, moderately known skateboarder. When Nike SB dropped the Paul Rodriguez Signature Shoe on the market in 2005, the frenzy for the shoe was nuts. especially when these were debuted at the X-Games…
In Action
On his feet are
When i first got my hands on a pair of P-Rods i knew i was in love. they were comfortable, light, great colorway (no, i dont own the J-rods…yet) and just an amazing shoe! these too would be worn to the brink of extinction, and i have no reserve of these, unlike an extra pair of Air Flight 89s. so i knew that i would have to buy another pair. Today i went online and went ahead and did that. i am quite the smiling individual. Soon i will have them in my hands and will be posting pictures, however, until that happens, here are a couple photos of the "Ones that got away" (hope you enjoyed the read, and thanks for doing so, your time is more valuable than anything else you can give. Cheers!)
Free-Rods
The ultimate goal…
