Ploafmaster General

I'm breaking in my first pair of shoes from Camper, a Spanish shoe company that traces its roots back three generations to 1877. Normally I'd pass on shoes from this brand because of the price, but I caught the last pair in my size on clearance from endless.com. My verdict on the Camper Peu Ideal in aged leather? So far, so awesome.

There are two things that I really dig about these kicks. First, the shape of the upper is fairly close to that of the foot itself, so i feel like these shoes fit just right on day one without the need to break them in. I can't imagine how comfy these things will be after a few weeks of heavy wear. Additionally, each shoe has a single elastic lace. This means that technically I can slip these on/off (though I usually have to pop the lace out of the top eyelet to put the shoes on) but, more than anything, it enhances the fit and comfort because the shoe is never too tight on the top of my foot while it stays in place.

So first thing's first...I'm not a surfer, and I never was. I'm not likely to be, either, now that I live a fair clip inland. But growing up near the Jersey Shore I, like nearly every kid around me, wore surf wear brands like Rusty, Ocean Pacific, Billabong, and my personal favorite, Quiksilver.

Additionally, while I like a nice time piece, I've never been obsessed with fine watches the way many fellas seem to be...but today I saw The Ray:



I'm sure when this drop in November it'll sell out quicker than I can blink at a price I can't afford, but I can still appreciate the chrome and ebony.

Yeah. I'm sportin' it.

There's a story making the rounds on the Interwebs about Dunkin' Donuts pulling an ad in which Rachel Ray wears a patterned scarf. This scarf caused a furor because it apparently resembles an Arabic keffiyeh - a detail which enraged talking heads who are so xenophobically knee-jerk in their responses that they're practically kicking themselves in the face over this. Besides the corporate idiocy of Dunkin' Donuts' response, I'm pretty pissed that none of the apoplectic objectors bothered to look into what a keffiyeh actually is. But I guess that would require caring about people who don't look and dress like they do...

For the curious, the keffiyeh is cloth (plain or patterned) used by Arabic peoples to shield their heads from the sun. While it has become associated closely with prominent antagonistic Arabic figures, it's origins and meaning are no more harmful than a t-shirt.

So terrorists often wear sandals. Am I gonna draw angry stares from people here in the US because I sport a pair of flip flops? Puh-lease.

I just received my new kicks by way of Zappos.com. They rock hard, but what I'm really impressed by was my first experience shopping from this online shoe purveyor.

I placed the order for my shoes on Saturday and paid $15 for 2nd day shipping so I could receive them by this Wednesday before my trip to Paris (despite my flat feet running shoes, with their light weight and good cushioning, are ideal for trekking about an old city in my opinion). Well I received an email from Zappos on Saturday evening informing me that they were upgrading my shipping for free! Sunday I received my UPS tracking number, and they shipped it on Sunday afternoon! Now I'm wearing the new pair, and I'm so impressed by the seller that I may start buying most of my shoes from them in the future.

Rock on.

I think Jake will be pleased that I didn't go for the Aldo Hilarion :-)

These are my new kicks, and it's pretty cool to have some semi-casual shoes with real cushioning. They already fit very comfortably without having been broken in, so I expect them only to become more comfortable with time. And no, I didn't pay nearly as much as you might think - I got a pretty killer deal, actually.

Well? Should I? Shouldn't I? I'm thinkin' of doing for it this evening. This, of course, depends on whether the store in Short Pimp carries my size, and the shoe is as cool in person as I think it is on the web.