Brand: Vans
Model: Half Cabs
Style: Blue and Red
Bought: Footlocker, Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
Price: $50
Date: June 20, 2010
Favourite feature: Wide toe and padding around the ankle
Most wearable location: Kicking around the skate ramp or riding a Vespa
Other people say: No one ever really notices them
What attracted me to the shoe: First vans I ever coveted were some basic black and whites old skools my cousin Leif’s that she was wearing when she came back from Chicago in the 90s. I then saw some in a Harley Davidson Iron 883 ad which made me lust for a pair again (as well as the bike). I spent a lot of time checking out Vans in Thailand but in the end found I was looking for a ghost shoe. I found these for $50 in the Vans store at Melbourne Central Shopping Centre but they didn’t have my size. They sent me down to the foot locker store in the same shopping centre cause their stock records claimed they had some. I had to wait about 30mins for them to find it but eventually I walked out with them. Which was great cause the shoes I had been wearing were killing me.
Why does the shirt match: Red, blue, Harley Davidson ad, Ben Sherman, Mod circle, Vespa. It’s quite a simple game of relations really.
All this sounds great but what are they like to wear: Super comfortable and roomy at the toes, but maybe a tiny little bit too spacious. I wouldn’t wear them on a long walk, but they make good daily kickabouts.
Brand: Converse
Model: One Star
Style: Silver and Black
Bought: Combined, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Price: $50
Date: April 16, 2010
Favourite feature: They are fancy enough to wear at most formal events
Most wearable location: Fancy restaurant or a not uptight wedding
Other people say: That’s pretty blingy!
What attracted me to the shoe: Firstly the price, Combined was having a sale and I was only down in that part of town for a training course for three days – so it was serendipity it was there. Plus I knew they’d go with my silver and black shirt – much more than the Nike Air Force Gold Quilts I had been wearing with it.
Why does the shirt match: It’s really kind of obvious. This is a formal shirt I wear at weddings and funerals and since I’m rarely seen in anything other than sneakers I needed something that matched but didn’t go too far out there.
All this sounds great but what are they like to wear: They don’t have the foot support that a nike shoe has so they aren’t good for long periods of standing still or walking, but they can last a few hours or so. The excel at the sitting down part and looking cool, but are way more comfortable than a converse all star that is for sure.
Brand: Nike
Model: Dunk Low SB Premium
Style: Teen Wolf – Yellow, Black, Blue and Brown Fur
Bought: Westfield Century City, Los Angeles USA
Price: $150 USD (maybe???)
Date: May 18, 2009
Favourite feature: They are a great winter warmer shoe thanks to the fur inside
Most wearable location: At night in winter.
Other people say: Do those shoes have fur on them???
What attracted me to the shoe: I had the mistaken idea that the LA Lakers Basketball Team wore yellow and blue (they are actually purple and yellow). I thought this could commemorate the fact that we had been to Los Angeles with a shoe that recognized the home team. Plus my sister was buying a pair of sneakers as well and I wanted some too! But really, it was that damn fur that sold it to me, it was just so unexpected.
Today when I was researching them, I discovered something even cooler about them. There are actually only 72 pairs in the world and they were released as a media pack homage to Michael J Fox for the movie Teen Wolf. Now I have loved Teen Wolf all my life – watched it millions of times as a kid and was even the first to submit the “unzipped jeans blooper” to the fast rewind website. It’s like it was meant to be!
Why does the shirt match: The t-shirt is a nike shirt that was bought in an outlet store in Hong Kong near the airport. It’s a “collab” with an artist. It works obviously because of the blue and yellow, but I also have a Nike Air shirt that works too if this one isn’t available.
All this sounds great but what are they like to wear: Certainly can’t wear them in the summer time and if I walk long distances the fur starts to smell. I was wearing them when I had my scooter accident so they are now scuffed on the front right shoe (from when I went over the handlebars). I won’t be wearing them much if at all now that I now how rare they are – although the scuffing ruins their value enormously. But I am a huge fan of Dunk Lows, they are so comfy to wear.
Recovering at home
I know this is a long blog post and selfishly it’s really just for me to read in a few years as a reminder of what I’m going through now. I could save it just for me, but why not share it? 
On the 30th of August I was discharged from hospital after breaking my leg. I was pretty scared to go home, not just because I had to get up some stairs, but because I was leaving the relative safety of nurses and guaranteed 5 healthy meals a day. The thing I would most miss though was the bed that tilted up and down plus went up and down – it was awesome. In compensation, I would be able to breathe fresh air again, see the sun and watch all the movies and tv I wanted to watch rather than be subjected to free to air. Unfortunately for Pauline she would be taking over nurse, carer, chef and carrier for the first week I was home. read more…
How I Broke My Leg
Over 5 weeks ago (12 August 2010) I was in an accident on my way to work. It was a little different to the usual ride because in a weird stroke of fate Pauline was actually with me on her scooter to meet a friend and go shopping. I took my usual route to work and as normal I got stuck at the lights at Glenelg Street near where the Prop House used to be. I was front of the lights in the right hand lane which was unusually empty. It was empty mainly because all the way down near Melbourne Street there was an arrow telling people the right hand lane was closed. This was over a km away mind you, but everyone had merged in to the middle lane early making that lane clogged. Now I’ve done my research and I know that you are meant to merge at the merge point since that actually makes the traffic flow better. I also know that people think you are an asshole if you do that, but if everyone did it there would be no asshole overtaking your spot in the right hand lane.
Warning, there will be some minor graphic photos further along in the post, so don’t scroll down if you are timid.
read more…
