Steve's Holiday Gift Recommendation #4 - The Converse you need in 2018's Color of the Year

There are few things in life I enjoy more than some new kicks. I am not willing to admit publicly just how many pairs of sneakers I own. Let's just say it is somewhere between 'Man that's a lot of sneakers' and 'Wow, I think you have a problem with sneakers.'

But my tastes in sneakers isn't like the crazed 23 year-old sneakerhead chasing rare one-off collaborations or waiting for days in front of some pop-up shop in Manhattan to score a new release of Yeezys. I prefer the classics - Adidas Superstars, Chuck Taylors, Vans, and even some newer takes like Nike KDs or Kyries.

With that in mind, and since our pals at Pantone just announced the 2018 Color of the Year - 'Ultra Violet' - a deep, rich, blue/purple shade, I had to find something for the latest holiday gift recommendation that combines my sneaker aesthetic with 2018's on trend color.

So here you go - the classic Converse One Star Suede Low Top in a rich purple, almost Ultra Violet colorway.

Simple, clean, will go with just about anything you try and pair it with. Works for men and women, (and kids) alike. A step up in refinement from a simpler pair of Chucks but still incredibly affordable, (as I right this, they are listing for $64 on the Converse site).

I own a pair (or two) of One Stars and I can attest they are fantastic looking and exceedingly comfortable. Snagging a pair in 2018's Color of the Year for someone in your gift list, (or maybe just for you), seems like a no-brainer. 

Ok, that's it, I am out. Go shopping or sledding or something.

Reminder - I have no affiliation and receive no compensation if you purchase any of the gift recommendation items.

Have a great Sunday!

Steve's Holiday Gift Recommendation #3 - Sprinkles are for Winners

Almost two years back I riffed on the Progressive Insurance ad titled 'Sprinkles are for winners'. To save you some time and a click, I really liked (and still do) the spot.

Competition is hard. Trying is good. But there are winners and there are not-winners (losers), and in most forms of endeavor, the winners get the spoils and the sprinkles.

Here's the original Progressive adin case you need a reminder. Email and RSS subscribers will need to click through.

Pretty cool.

My affinity for the message and the ad is what brings you this weeks Holiday Gift Recommendation - a simple gray 'Sprinkles are for Winners' shirt courtesy of One 10 Threads.

Simple classic style, to the point, and available in men's, women's, and even tank styles, you will be the favorite uncle/aunt/brother/sister/cousin if you drop one of these beauties on someone who is on your holiday list.

I dig this shirt. You may see me in this soon.

Reminder - I have no affiliation and receive no compensation if you purchase any of the gift recommendation items.

Have a great weekend!

REPRISE: Christmas Past - Smokes, Guns, Chicken, and Beer

Note: The blog is taking some well-deserved rest for the next few days (that is code for I am pretty much out of decent ideas, and I doubt most folks are spending their holidays reading blogs anyway), and will be re-running some of best, or at least most interesting posts from 2014. Maybe you missed these the first time around or maybe you didn't really miss them, but either way they are presented for your consideration. Thanks to everyone who stopped by in 2014!

The below post re-runs my Christmas piece from a couple of years ago - a look back to a time when we were all far more innocent, less jades, and Christmas meant lots of firearms, booze, and smokes. 

Merry Christmas!

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Christmas Past: Smokes, Guns, Chicken, and Beer

Just a quick note to wish everyone a fantastic Christmas, Happy Holidays, and to simply take a well-deserved break from the hamster wheel.

Like many folks, sometimes I like to look back over the years and reflect on special occasions and holidays and think about what is different about them today, when compared to the sometimes sketchy recollections of wonderful and idyllic holidays of yore. Sometimes our memories deceive us, certainly, and we often color our memories to fit our pre-determined conclusion, whatever that conclusion might be.

After thinking about this carefully for some time, and trying hard to be as clear and unbiased as I could, I came to a conclusion: Christmas used to be WAY more fun. And here is the evidence that I submit in my argument that Christmases of year's past were much more of a white-knuckle ride of guns, booze, smokes, and chaos compared to the kind of tame celebrations of today.

Exhibit A - Nothing says Christmas like some unfiltered goodness. Ron Reagan would not steer you wrong!

Exhibit B - You know what is great to wake up to on Christmas morning? Guns!

Exhibit C - And after the gifts are unwrapped it's time to eat! Pass the bucket of chicken.

Exhibit D - Nothing like a cold drink to wash everything down. You know what would go perfectly with that bracelet? A cold Bud!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic holiday, even if your holiday doesn't include smokes, guns, greasy food and booze.

Happy Holidays!

REPRISE: Christmas Past - Smokes, Guns, Chicken, and Beer

Note: The blog is taking some well-deserved rest for the next two weeks (that is code for I am pretty much out of decent ideas, and I doubt most folks are spending their holidays reading blogs anyway), and will be re-running some of best, or at least most interesting posts from 2013. Maybe you missed these the first time around or maybe you didn't really miss them, but either way they are presented for your consideration. Thanks to everyone who stopped by in 2013!

The below post re-runs my Christmas piece from a couple of years ago - a look back to a time when we were all far more innocent, less jades, and Christmas meant lots of firearms, booze, and smokes. 

Merry Christmas!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christmas Past: Smokes, Guns, Chicken, and Beer

Just a quick note to wish everyone a fantastic Christmas, Happy Holidays, and to simply take a well-deserved break from the hamster wheel.

Like many folks, sometimes I like to look back over the years and reflect on special occasions and holidays and think about what is different about them today, when compared to the sometimes sketchy recollections of wonderful and idyllic holidays of yore. Sometimes our memories deceive us, certainly, and we often color our memories to fit our pre-determined conclusion, whatever that conclusion might be.

After thinking about this carefully for some time, and trying hard to be as clear and unbiased as I could, I came to a conclusion: Christmas used to be WAY more fun. And here is the evidence that I submit in my argument that Christmases of year's past were much more of a white-knuckle ride of guns, booze, smokes, and chaos compared to the kind of tame celebrations of today.

Exhibit A - Nothing says Christmas like some unfiltered goodness. Ron Reagan would not steer you wrong!

Exhibit B - You know what is great to wake up to on Christmas morning? Guns!

Exhibit C - And after the gifts are unwrapped it's time to eat! Pass the bucket of chicken.

Exhibit D - Nothing like a cold drink to wash everything down. You know what would go perfectly with that bracelet? A cold Bud!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic holiday, even if your holiday doesn't include smokes, guns, greasy food and booze.

Happy Holidays!

White Flag

Happy Independence Day!

Regular readers of the blog might notice from time to time that I drop in the occasional modern art image to accompany some of the posts I run here. On Independence Day I figured why not run a post that just featured probably my favorite American modern artist and one of his most famous 'flag-based' works?

Jasper Johns, (1930 - still happily alive and well), is an American artist born in Georgia, and who studied briefly at the University of South Carolina (my alma mater, go Gamecocks!), and went on to study and work in New York City where he began to produce some of the period's most iconic and interesting paintings and collages.

Johns often used flags and maps and targets as a basis for his work, and in 1998, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York bought possibly Johns' best known piece White Flag (below). While the Met would not disclose how much was paid, "experts estimate [the painting's] value at more than $20 million.

Here's what 20 large worth of White Flag looks like:

Jasper Johns - White Flag, 1955

You could, I suppose, read some kind of deep, political or philosophical significance into the re-imagining of the iconic American Stars and Stripes in this monochromatic manner, but art historians tend to think that really wasn't what Johns was intending with White Flag.

Rather, the artist challenges the viewer to think differently about an object with which they would be instantly familiar, and one they have only envisioned in the expected way. We've all, at least those of us here in the USA, have seen the flag thousands of times. It appears, always, as we'd expect it to.

With White Flag, Johns asks us to confront our expectations and assumptions - not so much about the actual flag itself, or our country, or its politics - but more deeply and fundamentally about anything with which we've grown familiar.

You 'know' what the flag means and looks like, right?

White Flag makes you question that, or at least think about it some, and perhaps think about anything that we believe we've already figured out, take for granted, and might not ever change.

Or maybe it's just something cool to look at.

Have a great day!