many a battle, these shoes have fought...
but finally, we were victorious.
First a background on the sneakers. Well, to start, they were free. Yeup. Not stolen. Not a gift. Just free. How, you may ask, did I score a pair of Flashes for FREE? Well, it was 2003. I was watching a pair of Forbes on eBay (my grails at the time, and another one of my all-time favorite shoes), but I was in class when the auction ended and missed them -they ended at something around $250 which was a decent steal at the time. I e-mailed the seller and told him I could offer him $270 and I could pay him cash since I lived in Riverside and he lived in Moreno Valley or Temecula or somewhere like that. It was a longshot, considering $20 wasn't a lot more than what the auction ended at, but much to my surprise he agreed.
I met with the seller near campus in Riverside and we got to talking about shoes and skating and just a lot of other random stuff. He asked if the Forbes were for me, and I said ya, I've been wanting these shoes for a long time. He was happy to hear I wasn't just another SB hype reseller trying to make a buck by flipping them. "If that's your size, I have another pair of kicks I've been skating in, and I don't really want anymore if you want em..." I was thinking he'd be giving me an old pair of Etnies or DVS or something, but I wouldn't deny a pair of free shoes. My eyes went wide when he pulled the pair of obviously used Flashes from his truck. They didn't have a box either (obviously), but they were free. The second SB series was still fairly new at the time and DS Flashes, Lodens and Sharks weren't fetching much more than $150 online, if that. I didn't even really want them except for the fact that they were Giants colors. I'm really glad that I got them though, because, as I said before, they're one of my favorite shoes in my collection. I told him I didn't have any change, but he said it was cool, he'd just take $260. So Forbes and Flashes for $260... Not a bad deal if you ask me.
Coincidentally enough, this was just a few months after the Giants had lost to the Angels in the World Series. Being a Giants fan in Southern California at that time was not much fun, but my friend Allen and I took it in stride. We'd be back and the next time we're gonna win it. Almost a decade later, I was at the parade.
San Francisco flooded the streets with black and orange
and not because of Halloween
The experience was indescribable. Just being a fan of a team that won a championship, I had so many friends and even acquaintances who knew I was a diehard Giants fan congratulating me. I really feel like all those years of fan-ship have come to fruition -we finally got what we've been waiting so long for. Combine all that with almost a million other people who all feel the same way, all crammed standing-room-only in front of San Francisco City Hall... As I said, indescribable.
The brewery tour was a lot more awesome than I ever dreamed it would be (and I expected it would be pretty awesome). It was definitely infinitely more interesting than the winery tours I've been on. There is so much science that goes into making beer -biology, chemistry, physics... Comparing beer to wine, beer is like soup and wine is like water -so many ingredients and so many more variables that can change the flavors. Then factor in the science that goes into the process... When you learn how something is made you can really appreciate the finished product that much more. As exhausted as we were from our early start and long day thus far, we were into it.
If a shoe-head had an official beer,
it would definitely be Dunkelweizen
Clark, JR, me, our tour guide
(and our free souvenir glasses!)
After the brewery tour, we decided to get something to eat. Since we were already so close to downtown, local fare was the choice of the night. When someone suggested Hukilau, we all immediately agreed. Awesome idea.
Directly across from Hukilau in Japantown is the local boutique brand Cukui. They've been getting a lot of attention considering how young they are, and deservedly so. Cukui does a good job of differentiating themselves from the common "street wear" brand. Unlike other brands who just seem to take a "clever" idea and turn it into a random t-shirt, Cukui's themes and styles are all cohesive, as a fashion line should be. You definitely know a Cukui design when you see it.
We ran into JR's friend Dan, part of the Cukui team. It was my first time in the store, but it definitely won't be my last. It's a beautiful thing supporting local businesses not because of obligation, but rather because you prefer them to the mainstream big box blah blah that other establishments offer.
Nike Dunk Low SB - Orange Flash/ Black ["Flashes"]
+ New Era SF Giants "World Series" 5950
+ Majestic SF Giants World Series Champions Tee
+ Levi's 501 STF
The Giants finally winning the championship was beyond exciting, the brewery tour was beyond interesting and educational, and finally visiting arguably the most popular local boutique we have here in San Jose was beyond inspirational. Today was a good day... no, it was beyond good. Today was a great day. Good friends, good food, good drinks, good times... Great times.
{currently in the speakers: Journey - Don't Stop Believing}
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