Still Raining But Found Something In The Stash For A Rainy Day or The Nike Air Terra Humara

Nike Air Terra Humara

Still raining out there so still not rocking anything to special, but I did find these Air Terra Humara's in the stacks when I went upstairs to get the Air Max 90 Boots I originally planned on wearing today. After thinking it over I realized today was the perfect day for these outdoor, all weather running shoes. Only plans I have today are going to the grocery store later to pick up supplies for the dinner I'm cooking tonight. No need to break fly if the bag boys will be the only people to benefit right? These Terra's retailed for $90.00 but I got them from the Footaction Outlet for only $30.00 so not to upset when they get a little wet. The colorway on them is black / dark red / orange blaze / stealth which Nike also used on a Air Max TL 2.5 I have upstairs. I did pick up a few pairs to sell but only after having them sit for several months I had to sell them at a discount just to get my money back. I guess people weren't ready for a shoe that didn't look like a Jordan, AF1, or Air Max. I actually really dig the orange and grey against the black and love the grey speckled sole. They also had this same shoe in a all black colorway but it just didn't look right. To many different materials blended together, it was just off a little bit. I did, however, get a friend of mine a pair of the all blacks for her to wear to work and she loved them. They wear very durable and handled the rigors of working in a plant and she loved the comfort of them. She had several co-workers wanting pairs but by the time the asked the outlet was out of them. They shouldn't have slept on the shoe but that's a small town for you.

I do want to say thanks to my sister for babysitting last night since she does read this on occasion (including yesterday when I joked her about having no life). Thanks to her, my wife and I got to enjoy a nice relaxing dinner at a grown up restaurant and talk without constantly having to answer a children's question, tell them to sit down, or to be quiet and eat. I enjoyed a wonderful she crab soup and fillet while she had the mixed grill, salad, and a nice drink. Hopefully we can do that a little more often, even if it's just going to the local pizza spot. Just enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few hours. All in all, last night was a great night, alone time with my wife, great meal, and won my eBay auction for this beat up old Vision Marty "Jinx" Jimenez skateboard I wanted for the wall upstairs. Now if I just win these two old Powell Peralta banners I'm bidding on and Green Bay comes thru tomorrow it'll be a great weekend. Oh yeah, need this citrus rice salad I'm making today to turn out OK also. Let you know about that tomorrow, Cheapsoles

Not Messing Up My SB's or It's Raining Again And Not Ruining My Good Stuff

It's raining again so I had to say forget Nike SB Friday, I'm not about to ruin some of my good stuff out in this nastiness. Plus I'm taking my wife out to Ruth's Chris tonight for dinner and SB's don't really fit in with that vibe so even if the sun was beaming probably would have gone a different route today anyways. For those of you who don't know, Ruth's Chris is a high end steakhouse so you do need to be a little dressy for it. We usually try to eat there about 2 or 3 times a year, especially since my sister lives here in town now and has no life so babysitting is fun for her (just kidding with her in case she reads this, she does have a life and really just loves her niece & nephew). The food is excellent, but to be totally honest, I do prefer Morton's but only by the slimmest of margins.

I ended up just deciding to go with these brown Rockport XCS boots for the day. They're waterproof and just dressy enough to get by with a nice button up or polo shirt tonight. The official name for them is "Concrete Canyon" and they retailed for $140.00. I paid $19.99 for them at the Footaction Outlet as this was another shoe in their failed attempt to enter the dress shoe market. The really bad part is a few months after I bought these they went down to $9.99. Of course by then all the 12's and 13's were gone so I guess I shouldn't complain a whole lot. This is another shoe I bought for myself and really like but knew better then to jump on a bunch of them even when they dropped to $9.99. I knew from past experience with my customers that they just wouldn't sell, even if I priced them at $35 to $40. Guys down here only were two kinds of boots, Polo and Timberland. Even the few Nike boots I had at various times took a little while to move. The only other boot I ever sold in a decent amount were some old school Fila Wu-Tang Clan boots I came across (and yes I have a pair in my stash) which the old heads scooped up to feel young again. That's the drawback to living in a spot like this, people take awhile to except something new or different or they just take forever to let certain things go, like the AF1. Oh well, until later, Cheapsoles.

Rainy Day Shoes a/k/a The Nike Air Zoom Moire+ ST

Today's pair is based on the weather report I got this morning so hope you weren't expecting anything to spectacular. Went with the Nike Air Zoom Moire+ ST which is a winter running shoe Nike markets. They are extremely lightweight and are a waterproof rubber material which is what interested me about them when I saw them. Contrary to what a lot of people think about this area of the country, we get a fairly heavy amount of rain in the months of March, April, and May and that's when these shoes come in handy. The fact that they retailed for $110 and I got them for $16.50 at the Footaction Outlet didn't hurt either. This was during the lean times up there when they would have only one table of Nike's a day. Most people slept on this shoe because it does look a little weird and the bulk buyers (people who buy in bulk to resell) knew they would be difficult to resell. To be honest I looked at them for several days before I decided to get them. It was on of those things where I was there and wanted to buy something and that was all they had in my size so I said what the hell and went home with theses funky brown shoes. Technically they aren't brown, they are bison / harbor blue / olive grey with orange laces to really give them a pop. Of course that shoelace pop does make them kind of hard to match sometimes but that's part of the challenge of being a sneakerhead. Most people buy clothes then look for shoes to match them, guys like me buy the shoes then hope we can find a shirt to match them.

Well that's all for now. Going to run a few errands later and try to see what sales all jumping at the different sneaker spots and hope to throw another post up on here later today. See you then, Cheapsoles

Busy Shoe For A Busy Day or Today's Pair - Nike Dunk High Premium

Since today is going to be very busy for me I decided to go with a shoe that is a little busy too. Just a simple Nike Dunk High Premium but the use of so many different colors makes this shoe interesting. You have varsity red, marina blue, blur (Nike speak for gold), the bright green pop on the toe. Plus it's an interesting mix of leather and mesh. Not sure exactly when this shoe released but I believe it originally retailed for $90.00 and I got it for $27.00 at the Footaction Outlet. This is one of the shoes I bought to resell but after seeing it sit on the table for a few weeks I decided I might as well keep it for myself since it was my size. There are quite a few things in my stash I acquired this way. Shoes I thought were hot but the small town guys maybe weren't ready for. Then again since I got it from the Footaction Outlet, maybe I'm the one who's wrong.

When I saw these upstairs while putting away the Shox and TL4's from earlier this week I figured why not rock them today. I needed to pick out something last night since today is going to be so busy and these just fit. I have a early morning chiropractor appointment, a 10:00 dentist appointment for a chipped molar which will probably need a crown, and then a 1:00 massage appointment. Plus I have to hit up DTLR and the Footaction Outlet while I'm on that side of town. And did I mention I have to have my 2 year old daughter at her daycare by 8:30 to make sure she gets breakfast. Now I know some of you are probably thinking I'm a d-bag acting like the day is so hard for me and I can understand if you have to be at work at 7:00 AM and your kids have to catch a school bus at 6:15 in the morning. And you would be right to think that but I'm just saying for me today is a busy day. I know how good I have it and That's why you don't hear me complain about being in this wheelchair or other crap I have to deal with because of my back. I have a wonderful wife, two amazing beautiful children, and thanks to the VA a nice steady permenant monthly income (retired Navy). So trust me, I know I can seem like a d-bag to the guy struggling to make ends meet and hurting for a job and you might be right. But hell, I'll be that to you if it means me and mine are happy, healthy, and secure.

So if you think my busy day is a joke or my ranting and ravings about fake Jordans and bootleg Bentley Chrysler 300's is wrong, sorry. Well not really, I mean seriously, your reading a blog by a guy with over 200 pairs of shoes so what did you expect. Till tomorrow, Cheapsoles.

Today's Pair - Nike Air Max TL4 SL or The Shoe Everybody Claims Is Super Comfortable But My Dead Feet Can't Tell

So today's shoe is the Nike Air Max TL4 SL which I've been told by various friends and customers and even my wife is extremely comfortable. As I said before she is a Shox girl but she considers her TL4's to be on the same level. I have 5 pair of them because I like them since every shoe is comfortable on my dead feet. They retailed for $125.00 bit I got them for $40.00 at the Footaction Outlet. This was the last pair I purchased of the 5 pair and I believe I got them at the beginning of last year. The official colorway on them black / black / varsity red which really looks great together. The red is very subtle and well placed. One of the big reasons I love this shoe is the fact that I have never seen them in any store (aside from the Footaction Outlet) or on any website. The only people I know who even wear these shoes are my wife, on of my boys who got his 2 pairs from the Footaction Outlet with me, and my old customers who bought them from me. Maybe the rest of the country is up on this shoe but not here in Columbia. Oh well, we're always playing catch up here. Enough for now, be back later today, Cheapsoles



Things I Hate a/k/a Bootlegs & Holes

Ok so since I'm home with my daughter, who's no longer all that sick by the way, and the weather is kinda ugly outside I started cleaning up the closet along with all the other stashes and stacks of shoes around the house and started thinking bout what I really hate about the shoe game. I'm not talking about silly stuff Nike or the other brands do or some of the idiotic stuff I've seen Footaction do either. I'm talking about the really get you pissed stuff like bootlegs or realizing your missing that one model that leaves a hole in your collection and you can't find it anywhere online. Had that happen to me early, was cleaning up and rearranging the LeBron stack and realized I never did get a pair of LeBron Zoom 2's. Not only can't I find any on any of the sites I trust but even if I did I can't get them this year. That just means if I find them next year I'll probably have to pay even more. Also get mad at myself for skipping the Serena Williams Dunk Low from the Royale Collection Nike did with it Member's Only club a few years ago. I got all the other pairs in the collection but because the Serena was a women's shoe and I can't wear women's size's (I wear a size 12 / 13 men's) and my wife is not a sneaker person (unless they're Shox) so she wouldn't wear them I let them pass by. Now I wish I had got them for her just to round out the collection. Did the same thing to myself with the Wood Grain Pack, skipped the Dunks and got the Air Max 90's which didn't hold up well and I wish I had gone the Dunk route instead. Plus it seems as if there were two different versions of the Wood Grain Air Max 90 similar to the 2 different versions of the Dontrelle Willis Dunk from the Royale Collection (yes at one point he was big enough to have a Special Edition Dunk from Nike before his career...is died a good enough word?). The pair I have has a brown leather upper and the Wood Grain panel but I've also seen them with a black upper and Wood Grain panel on sites like http://www.pickyourshoes.com/ and those actually look a lot better. Now the Dontrelle's I have are the better looking ones to me. Mine are the actual Marlin's colors , black and that teal green, as opposed to the red and orange pair I've seen on various sites. Not really sure what the red and orange had to do wit him or the Marlins but I guess Nike did.

As I was cleaning I was also reminded of the shoes I should have keep for myself but didn't when I had my shoe business going. As I've said before, I used to buy shoes at the Footaction Outlet in Columbia SC (and sometimes in Cary NC) then go out of town and resell them to people who never knew they were over a year old. There were plenty of times during that 2 to 3 year period where I got plenty of blaze shoes in my size but usually ended up selling them instead of keeping them for myself (don't get high on your own supply) and looking back I really wish I had keep quite a few things. I had the Josh Gibson Untold Truth Dunks in a 12 but sold them, some black and white Air Max 97's in a 13, a ton of Air Max 90's in my size, and a 1 / 22 Countdown Package I got for only $50. I resold that for $125 but looking back now I wish I had kept it. I know that pack wasn't a huge hit with people but for $50 it was a freakin' steal and should be in my closet. But back then I liked making money and the hunt for more new hotness at the outlet more then I wanted those shoes so I have nobody to blame but myself.

But the thing that pisses me off to no end is the constant bootlegging I see online and on the streets around here. When you have to tell the new employees of Footlocker that they can't wear the fake shoes they have on their feet you know it's a problem. And it's not just bootleg shoes I hate, it's all bootlegs. Purses, movies, Cd's, clothes, shoes, cars, I hate all of it. And yes there is a bootleg car and it's all over the place down here. They perfectly illustrate what it is I hate about bootlegs and people who rock them. The Chrysler 300 is a BOOTLEG CAR! If you can't afford a Bentley then don't buy a fake ass bootleg Chrysler 300. The fact that you can't afford a Bentley is what makes them special. If everybody could afford one they would be a Ford. And to make it worse, people down here buy a bootleg car and then get even more bootleg and put a bootleg Bentley grill and emblem on the car to try and pretend it really is a Bentley. Of  course they don't bother to change any of the logos or emblems on the back of the car so they look even dumber when somebody walks around to the back of the car. Always wonder who they think they are fooling? It's like the girl who works at McDonald's flipping burgers then grabbing her Louis Vuitton bag when she gets off and walks out with it in her uniform. You work at McDonald's, we all know you can't afford Louis Vuitton, nobody believes you. And if that bag was real, then your a even bigger idiot working at McDonald's and blowing your paychecks on Louis Vuitton instead of doing something to better yourself to get out of working at minimum wage. As somebody who's wife has 3 LV bags, several more Kate Spade bags, and I don't know how many Coach bags it drives me crazy when I see people with fake bags, selling fake bags, or buying fake bags. As I said before, what makes her bags special is that she can afford them and you can't. Same with my Jordan's and other shoes, I can afford them and you can't which makes them special. And before anybody starts screaming and yelling, I'm not saying I'm better then you. What I'm saying is that her bags or my Jordan's or Bentley's are special because not everybody can afford them or have them. Making them exclusive makes them desirable. You feel special and good because you have something other people don't. You worked hard to get something really nice to reward yourself and seeing somebody with a cheap knockoff makes yours not so special. It brings the value down of yours and makes all that hard work and sacrifice seem pointless.

The worst is when you see grown ass people wearing some fake Jordan's or a fake bag. You should know better, especially when they are some blatantly obvious knockoffs. We all know there are no such thing as Jordan / LeBron Fusions so why would you by some? Or some clear Jordans? And the "my boy got them in NY they haven't come out down here yet" excuse doesn't work anymore people.  Also, if the mall is out of all-white AF1's, why in the world do you think the guy at the flea market selling them for $30 has real ones? I can understand some kid in middle school who doesn't know any better but a grown man should be a little more intelligent then that. And if you do rock bootlegs at least be smart enough not to wear them to the mall and act like you know shoes when you go in Foot Locker alright? Because trust me, we sneakerheads in there and our employee friends will laugh at you and make inside jokes to each other in front of you. And trust me, they're laughing at you in the club too. Later guys, gotta cook dinner, Cheapsoles.

Monday's Ranting & Raving's Plus Non-Nike Monday's Shoe

So I had this great plan for today that has been completely wrecked now. Was going to rock some nice white and green Stan Smith's for Non-Nike Monday and had a massage scheduled for today to help my neck and shoulder. Then my little girl started feeling bad last night and I knew to go ahead and reschedule the massage. Sure enough, she woke up this morning and my wife instantly decided she was staying home from daycare today and that meant I was staying home all day too. Then I got my weather report text this morning and it's supposed to rain all day today so the Stan Smith's were out. That was when I realized today was a perfect chance to knock out a pair of these old Timberland's laying in the garage. Went with some Timberland Havana's 6" Padded Basic Brown Boots. These things have been in the closet so long I can't even remember when and where I bought them and what I paid for them. I probably got them back when I was in my Timberland phase the first few years after my accident. Back then I had a pretty hefty Timberland collection that I slowly got rid of as I started buying sneakers instead. The stronger my legs got and the more confidence I got in my ability to stand the less I needed boots to support my ankles and feet.  Now I only have about 5 or 6 pairs of Timbs left and they usually only get worn on rainy days. But after pulling these out might take them to then shoe shine guy and get them cleaned up and looking new again. That's on of the fun things about this little project of mine, rediscovering shoes that have been neglected or forgotten about in your stash. I recommend all sneaker heads try this if they ever want a challenge and to remember what all they have and the fun the had in acquiring their collection.

Now as far as Monday's ranting & ravings go, the big news of the week was the confirmation of the long whispered rumors of the "Concord" 11's being released along with the "Black Cement" 3's. The only problem with the "Concords" is the fact that they're the Dec. 23rd release this year which is kind of getting old. I know everybody loves the 11's and the "Space Jams" & "Cool Greys" sold out instantly but how about we let this year be the last of the Christmas 11's and in 2012 drop a different model. I doubt that will happen for 2 reasons, 1st) everybody loves the 11's and thinks they are the greatest Jordan ever and 2nd) Nike  Jordan knows exactly what they are doing with that knowledge. They don't drop any 11's during the year, they spruce up the packaging, and they make the shoe as close as possible to the original as they can. Only subtle and slight changes to the shoe as opposed to other retro's (mainly the 3's where they have completely removed any and all Nike logos and replaced them with Jordan logos instead) which keeps the customers coming back year after year. There is no other model that hasn't been retroed to death that they can use as the Christmas shoe unless they go with a later model number and nobody likes those anyways. So I guess we're going to keep getting the 11's as our Christmas release for the next couple of years. Maybe in 2012 they'll surprise us with a brand new colorway. We can always dream right?

As for the "Black Cement" 3's, hopefully they will be better quality then the pair in the Countdown Pack from October 2008. Most people Were not impressed with the overall quality of that pair but were so desperate for a pair of the "Black Cements" that they overlooked that fact and the fact that they had to pay $310 for them because they didn't really want the 20's but were stuck with them. If it was up to me Nike Jordan would make them exactly like the OG versions with the Nike Air on the heel tab and Nike on the bottom sole plus the retro box (which is different from the "Cement" box from earlier this year).  If they did that I would probably beg my wife to buy them for me or just say to hell with my no shoes rule and cop them myself but of course it won't happen. We all know Nike likes to pretend Jordan is it's own company which is kind of like saying we're all idiots right? If Jordan was it's own company he wouldn't be the owner of the Bobcat's, he couldn't own a team and own a company that pays players from other teams at the same time. That should be all it takes to dispel that rumor right? Oh well, that's enough for now, going to check on baby girl and see how she's doing. Till later, Cheapsoles

Sorry If I Offended Anybody or Lazy Sunday's Pair - Nike Shox Experience

Just wanted to say that if your a recovering drug addict or alcoholic and you were upset at the way I was talking about having withdrawals yesterday, to damn bad. Not my fault you got hooked on something and screwed your life up. I know that me talking about being addicted to sneakers might not sit well with you but oh well. For sneakerheads like me, shoes are a form of addiction. We scour the Internet looking for the latest news and rumors. We make friends with all the employees at Foot Locker, Foot Action, Finish Line, and every other sneaker spot in our town. And we show up at insane hours of the morning to be first in line and to ensure we get our pair before they're gone. So I'm going to keep using words like withdrawals, shakes, and addiction and if you don't like it don't read.

As for today's pair, it's a lazy Sunday today so went with a pair of Shox that were sitting in the upstairs closet with other pairs I picked up on a whim and only have one pair of. I never was and I'm still not a big Shox guy, especially the basketball line. They just looked ugly and didn't flow to me. Now the women's Shox are a different story, Nike crushes it on the women's side but the men's just don't click with me. This pair caught my eye at Foot Locker because of the Air Max technology in the Shox "springs". As a huge Air Max guy I was instantly hooked (it didn't hurt that I was able to get them for half price thanks to a former Foot Locker employee and their employee appreciation 50% off discount either). They retailed for $140.00 (in case you failed math that means I paid $70.00 for them) and were released in 2009 if my memory is correct. The colorway is listed as black / metallic silver/ black and these are equipped with Nike's + technology which allows the wearer to sync them with their ipod during their workout. Since I don't exactly run around in my shoes, or walk in them for that matter, I can't attest to how well this function works but it must be ok since almost every Shox comes with it nowadays.

That's enough for now I guess, the second half of the game is about to start (Heat @ Thunder) and Lebron, Wade, and Durant are can't miss TV. By the way, want to give a special nod of respect to Kevin Durant for his signature model shoe with Nike. For a guy to have a signature model priced under $100 (the Zoom KD III is only $88.00) is refreshing and very surprising. Kobe's shoe is $130, LeBron's is $160, and Melo's is $130.00, CP's is $118 and Wade's (I consider the Jordan 2011 his shoe, he's the face of the signature model for JB) is $170. Granted the KD III might not be as technical as the the other guy's but it's a solid basketball shoe and actually looks great too. Just wanted to mention that while it was on my mind. Oh yeah, if you guys have Facebook (and who doesn't) or Twitter do me a favor and post the link for the blog for me. Would really appreciate it guys. Till tomorrow, Cheapsoles