#Beloved old rust bucked dad

[theflowerofthecommonwealth]

RoboDad being illegally snazzy in the streets of Boston.

[fashiontrendin-blog]

The Best Men’s Trainers Released In 2017

http://fashion-trendin.com/the-best-mens-trainers-released-in-2017/

The Best Men’s Trainers Released In 2017

Let’s be honest, 2017 hasn’t been a good year for many things. Economy = bad, sexism = bad, Donald Trump vs North Korea = apocalyptically bad. Humanity’s collective failings might have been all too great in 2017, but comfortingly the year did at least produce a bumper crop of sweet kicks.

If you weren’t one of the masses that camped out at the crack of dawn, sharp elbows (and occasionally fists) at the ready for the coolest new trainers, fear not, we’ve documented all of the best drops of 2017. Getting a firm foothold this year, we saw innovative new technologies, (more) retro throwbacks and a trend for chunky, ugly sneakers that has yet to go away. These were the greatest feats in footwear.

(Related: The Greatest Trainers Of All Time)

Hummel Marathona BLU

Nostalgia is nothing new in footwear, but 2017 got on a retro flex in a big way. Getting in on the action, Hummel dug into its archives to re-release it’s Marathona trainer, which first appeared in the eighties.

“The colour blocking and choice of silhouette give it the true retro look for those on the hunt for a less contemporary trainer,” says Patrick Dempsey of SneakerGrandpa. Like the best of this year’s revivals, it’s big on throwback love but low on bad taste with its mixed material upper comprising white and black leather and sky blue nylon panels.

Adidas Futurecraft 4D

Few trainers can actually claim to be revolutionary (though many will try) but Adidas’ Futurecraft 4D model boasts a 3D printed sole, which gives them genuine game-changer bragging rights. Futuristic tech specs aside, the geometric green soles paired with black knitted uppers make for an eye-friendly combo that will work with everything in your wardrobe. A limited release this year will be followed by much wider production in 2018.

“Their instant popularity stands to reason,” says Dempsey. “If you make something with a limited release and a futuristic aesthetic, there’s an increased potential for resale value and (of course) people will clamour for it.” We can hear the stampede already.

Titolo X Diadora Intrepid Five Almonds

Men’s pastels have have become a rare(ish) sight in 2017, but when Italian sportswear label Diadora and Swiss sneaker boutique Titolo put their heels together to produce the ‘Five Almonds’ trainers, ice-cream shades suddenly got seriously wearable again.

“It simply encapsulates sneaker culture at its most fundamental level, a limited release in a colourway you aren’t going to see on another sneaker this season, which makes it incredibly appealing,” says Callum Hill, merchandise director at retailer Soleheaven. “With releases like this it isn’t just the sneaker itself that people buy into, it’s the story and heritage of the brands which have worked together to create it.”

Premium suede makes this pair even more lustworthy. The delicate fabric means they’re probably not that practical, but when they look this good, who are we to quibble?

Nike Silver Bullet

Riffing on the instantly recognisable Nike Air Max 97 design, the Silver Bullet update took inspiration from Japan’s bullet train and – much like the efficiency of the service itself – sold out in minutes.

A silver bullet in the quest for the ultimate men’s trainer? Perhaps not, but it’s a pretty good shot. Expect lots more colourways to follow this one next year.

Reebok Exofit Lo Clean Vintage ‘Chalk’

2017 was the year that in-your-face design became hotter currency than bitcoin. In the world of men’s trainers, Reebok’s aptly named Exofit Lo Clean Vintage ‘Chalk’ was a welcome break from all that retina-searing colour.

Tonal cream and white with sparingly applied blue branding, this pair mashed up minimalism with retro design to create something you’d get a lot of wear from, says Hill. “The Chalk colourway isn’t going to clash with anything in your wardrobe, making it an easy choice every day of the week.”

Asics x Wood Wood Gel DS H7EVK-1512

Once beloved by dads and fashion-phobes, Asics has climbed the trainer brand pecking order and ended up on some of menswear’s most sartorially-savvy feet.

This year, a collaboration with Copenhagen’s Wood Wood took menswear world domination one well-shod step further with the Gel DS H7EVK-1512, when it rocked up looking like what would happen if the ugly trainer trend simmered down a bit and hit the sweet spot between style and function.

New Balance 995 ‘Rust’

New Balance trainers are notoriously loved by hipsters and homebodies alike thanks to their unpretentious, normcore aesthetic. So, when the New Balance 995 ‘Rust’ dropped we were shook by their rich, reddish colourway, which puts them firmly in statement shoe territory.

Featuring a streamlined silhouette, crafted in soft suede and – in our opinion – one the classiest way to wear colour on your trotters, these bronzed beauties bucked this year’s trend for ironically ugly trainers.

Balenciaga Triple S Sneaker

A tidal wave of tasteful minimalism may have engulfed the world of trainers for the past few years, but in 2017 some of the most-hyped kicks kicked back and put intentionally brash designs on the feet of men with otherwise impeccable taste.

The best example was Balenciaga’s Triple S Sneakers, which went big on proportions and colour but inexplicably didn’t look gross. Very far from it, in fact.

Nike x Acronym Lunar Force 1

In 2017, hybrids were hot property (see Vetements x everybody) and fittingly the Nike x Acronym Lunar Air Force 1s offer up not just one, but two hybrids.

The shoes mark German streetwear brand Acronym’s first footwear collab with Nike and combine an Air Force 1 upper with a Lunar sole and full zip opening. These trainers well and truly mixed it up, and it worked.

Nike Mayfly Woven

Fully woven uppers melded to thick rubber soles make for a Marmite pair of trainers: you’ll either love them or wouldn’t let your worst enemy wear them. This year, Nike’s Mayfly woven trainers flipped the script with the weave offering points of interest rather than hogging the whole upper.

A little bit biblical, a little bit hi-tech, these trainers made woven runners infinitely more wearable.

Vans x N. Hoolywood Slip-On

Vans classic checkerboard slip-ons were at the feet of any self-respecting alternative adolescent in the noughties. So Vans’ collaboration with N.Hoolywood was welcome news to grown men who weren’t ready to give up their skater status.

Keeping the signature checkerboard motif intact but swapping canvas for premium suede, this was the year your teenage kicks finally grew up.

PUMA x Overkill Disc Blaze Pfeffiboys

The second of two collaborations between German brand Overkill and sports footwear stalwart Puma saw an already fruitful partnership get even more heart-quickening with the release of the Pfeffiboys.

Inspired by Pfeffi (Berlin’s favourite liquor, apparently) these trainers didn’t bring to mind boozy nights but we detected more than a strong whiff of Back To The Future. And anything with Marty McFly vibes is fine by us.

Gucci Aces

Gucci has pretty much locked out the competition for good when it comes to horsebit loafers. Now, its trainers are inching towards cult status too.

The premise of a tennis shoe which is updated each year with different motifs and colourways sounds simple, but 2017’s crop of Gucci Aces are anything but #basic. One-part menswear, one-part sportswear, one-part minimalism: it’s a trainer holy trinity.

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star ’70 Woven High

Every year is a good year for Converse Chuck Taylors, which seem to be practically welded to the general public’s feet. Tampering with a classic is a risky move but it paid off in the Chuck Taylor All Star ‘70, high-tops which came complete with a textural woven upper.

“The profile of the Chuck Taylor All Star ‘70 is a timeless one – it’s recognised all around the world and with good reason,” says Hill. “2017 has been another big year for the model, especially with the update of a woven upper, which has been a nice addition that gives the minimal silhouette a little added texture.”

It was a subtle switch up, but it did mean that fewer men were (probably) trainer twinning with their teenage sister.

Common Projects Achilles Retro Suede

Common Projects has become a by-word for men with great taste, deep pockets and, until now, minimalism. The painfully cool brand’s spring/summer trainer drop saw more colour than ever before, with a number of bang-on-trend earth tones offered up.

Our favourite? The seventies-tastic Achilles Retro in tan suede. Discreet luxury trainers just got a little louder.

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[jmuwrtc-blog]

My Leather Throne- Profile of a Place

Being away at school really makes me miss driving. I feel so helpless not being able to drive myself to CVS or a supermarket, and figuring out how to get the shopper bus back home is somehow always difficult. I miss driving to the beach every week in the summer. I even miss the traffic through town. It makes me realize how much I took driving and my car for granted. The CRV helps me escape from any circumstance, even if that circumstance is, ironically enough, being completely lost on the road.

I got my license a few months before my junior year ended. I started off driving my dad’s old car because it was the oldest one we had. My parents figured that if I got in an accident, we could just get a new car since  it  was the most low-risk car price-wise. My dad drove a shiny, light blue Nissan Scion xB, the color similar to the blue text bubble of imessages. If you don’t know what kind of car that is, picture a toaster on wheels. With a license plate frame that reads “I’m Tuned Into NPR.” Now, picture a teenager driving that toaster on wheels. Of course,  I was thankful that I had a car to drive whenever and wherever I needed, but this  mode of transportation wasn’t exactly ideal for a teenage girl in a small town. Especially in a small town where everyone knows everything about you and can recognize your car by the bumper stickers on it.

Fast forward in time a little bit. My dad gets a new car. A brand new silver Honda CRV, but of course, with my family, he got it at a really good price. My parents sat me down on the couch in a very serious way. I knew a talk was coming, I just couldn’t think of anything I had done wrong recently. They ended up giving me a letter that said that they realized how unsafe the Toaster was for me to drive. I hadn’t really thought about that -- I mean besides the shuddering sound it made sometimes -- but it was alright for me. They said that after a lot of deliberation, they decided to let me drive the CRV because it was the safest of our cars. I had driven the CRV once or twice and it drove a lot more smoothly  than the Toaster. I remember being so happy and thankful that I started crying, in typical teenage girl fashion. I felt so incredibly spoiled by my parents, but thankful nonetheless, and to this day I still feel the same way.

In a parking lot full of other gray CRV’s I could describe mine exactly. Look inside the front windows- 90% chance there will be at least one old Dunkin Donuts cup and napkins all over. Check the back too; there is a water volleyball ball that I bought two summers ago and used for a whole ten minutes until the wind made it impossible to play. There are a total of five bumper stickers: a circular red and black one for my high school lacrosse team on the left side of my license plate, and another circular one on the other side for JMU. Another black and red one for my high school is on the left side of the back window. There is a set of three little red Hawaiian hibiscus flowers on the farthest back window on the right side, and a sticker that says ‘Pennsylvania’ instead  of “Patagonia” in the Patagonia logo and font. My parents got me a flip flop key chain when we went to Jamaica a few years ago. It says “one love” and hangs from my rearview mirror. It’s there in an attempt to remind me to keep my cool while driving, but I’m from New Jersey so it doesn’t really help all that much with the road rage. There are a few deep scratches on the roof  from last winter. I went to dig the car out of the snow and accidentally scraped the corner of the shovel on the roof  leaving really noticeable marks. I can’t even describe how heated my parents got, especially when I screamed back at them, “why is it such a big deal?” Since I scratched the paint off, if it rusts over it’ll compromise the roof  itself. Kind of is a big deal!

My car somehow makes music sound better. One of my favorite playlists that I’ve curated is designed for singing in the car. Aptly named, “Concert Car” assists me in the most difficult of South Jersey traffic. I always have music playing when I drive, even if I’m just driving down the street. My music choice is pretty much always perfect for wherever I am headed, except for the time I got so lost driving home from the PHL airport. What should have been a 15 minute drive turned into an hour of confusion and crying. I drove around the Philadelphia stadium district for about half an hour while my 2000’s playlist blasted Sean Kingston on full volume. Not ideal driving music for the moment, to say the least.

The amount of times that car has saved my life is almost comical. I (knock on wood) haven’t actually gotten in a car accident, but I’d attribute that fact to the brakes on my car. Driving is one of the things I miss most about being away from home: the freedom to drive, to escape, or get lost. That is why my beloved, smelly, homey Honda CRV is my favorite place to escape; it lets me escape to wherever I want to. Other than near death experiences, my car and I have had some pretty solid times. I remember the countless fights I had in it with the guy I dated my junior year. I can even recall the drive I took after we broke up. But one of the most memorable arguments my car has been part of was one that I had with my dad. I couldn’t even tell you what it was about, but I remember my mom was away and couldn’t be the mediator for us, which she usually is. I don’t fight with my parents often, but when I do, its bad. Tears, yelling, our dogs barking at us because they don’t understand what is going on. It got to the point to where my dad had to take my keys away, but I had left my car unlocked in the driveway. I went to my room and my dad kept coming in to have a conversation, while that was probably the last thing I wanted to do in the moment. My next move was to storm out of the house to sit in my car and lock it from the inside out. I sat there for a while wishing that whole day could just end. My parents know it's bad when I just sit in my car contemplating things, but it is where I can escape to at times where my own room does not suffice.

Since I love driving so much, I’m usually the driver for day trips to the beach with my friends. I could easily give you a detailed timetable of how those beach days go. Get up at 7, leave around 8 to get to the beach by 10 or 11, with time to get gas and Dunkin as we head out. The amount of sand that has made its way in and out of the CRV could build a new beach. Absolutely nothing makes me happier than driving down the residential back roads adjacent to route 73 with all the windows down and the sunroof open. That is my euphoria. Sitting in my leather throne with my friends surrounding me, screaming the lyrics to whatever song is playing into the salty air. When I first started driving it, the CRV only took $20 to fill up completely- I even used to say “Twenty buck fills ‘er up!” Driving to and from the beach took less than a full gallon, and although gas prices have gone up since Christie decided to tax us NJ residents on gas, putting  gas in my car is still never a pain.

Driving isn’t always fun and games, though. Last summer I got a job nannying for a family in town. They had a beautiful, huge house with a pool in the backyard. It was just three kids; the two girls were pretty easy to handle, but the youngest -- a boy -- was impossible. I hadn’t really driven kids around before nannying, so I made sure to be 10000% cautious whenever driving them. Of course they knew every song on the radio. Their favorite songs were “One Dance” by Drake and “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake. The latter was from one of their favorite movies: “Trolls.” They knew all the words, and I felt like we were little family every time that came on. I can still hear them singing the words, “I got that sunshine in my pocket, got that good soul in my feet.” It was like we became the Partridge Family for a few minutes every time their songs came on. Whenever I pass that house I think back to singing with the kids all sitting in the back like little ducks in a row. At times, they tested my patience, but in the end I enjoyed my drives with them.

Driving around my hometown is almost comical because of how small it is. There’s almost no need to drive anywhere at all! I did soccer in high school but it became such a political game that I quit and joined tennis -- a sport I’d never done. I was one of the only seniors on the team so, of course, I got stuck with carpool duty the whole season. Since we had so few girls who could drive to practice, I was stuck with an overflowing car every other day. The most I fit into my car was seven other people, when my car can only fit four others. A passenger, two in the trunk and four in the back. One of my parents’ only rules was  “everybody in that car has to have a seat belt,” I can still hear them reminding me. Sorry mom! Sorry dad! A lot of the girls I drove were freshmen. They looked up to me because I would always give them advice. They thought I was funny and a savage when in reality, I  just had Senioritis (what we called that lack of caring that hits you senior year of high school). A few of the girls clung onto me and we ended up becoming really close and we actually still are. Who knew a car could help me make friends!!

[irregularintrospection]

Today I lost my car.

(Not mine in the picture, but it looks exactly the same.)

Today I got the bad news that my ‘99 Toyota 4Runner has to be put down. The rust that was eating away at the underside of the steel frame was making it crumble like puff pastry. There were holes in the frame. If I had taken it over some bad bumps, damn thing would’ve snapped in half. The engine and transmission would just flop out and kill my car.

I know it’s not a living thing, but my choice of wording I feel is adequate. If not a bit over the top and silly. I loved that truck like it was a member of the family.

My dad got her in 1999. They were tearing up the road, trying to lower it and make it safer. Bloody steep hill to drive on, believe me. The whole section of road was a canyon, rocky and uneven. His Emerald Green Lincoln continental couldn’t put up a damn fight, and it was a piece of shit to boot. He brought some trucks to try out, most in particular was a Chevy Surburban. It was cool, but it was a GM car from the 90′s, and they were notoriously shitty.

He was always against driving something Japanese, but suffice to say he was literally blown away by how sturdy the 4Runner was, he bought it used in 2000.

During the years my dad got into a couple of accidents. Other then being blown off into the snowdrift a few times, because damn thing is a bloody big box and top heavy... He was rear ended by an eighteen wheeler, wasn’t a big crash or anything, but the back of the truck was caved in a bit. He walked away from those accidents scott free.

In 2012, I acquired the truck. Hell of an upgrade from a 1995 Mercedes C220. That thing couldn’t have handled the Canadian winter... had nice seat warmers though... But I had 4-wheel drive, in a car that literally could shrug off accidents, and walk away. It kept my dad safe, it would keep me safe.

In 2014, I got into my first and only accident with it. Not even a big one, no one was hurt. I slipped on a patch of ice making a right turn coming home. Skidded into a stoplight pole... Crunched in the bumper and broke a headlight. Though at least I was fortunate enough to crash into a stoplight, and not a hydro pole, that’s a difference  of 18,000 if it was a hydro pole... Insurance company wanted to scrap it since it cost 5000 bucks to fix. It had over 356,000 km on it, it was bloody old. And they wanted to sell it for scrap. My mom fought the insurance people to say otherwise. I cited, and she cited this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFnVZXQD5_k

The 4Runner spawned off of the Hi-lux. And that one shown on Top Gear was crashed into trees, set on fire crashed into buildings and even tossed around by the tides of the Atlantic Ocean. They righted it, put some diesel in it, used some tools and it ran. Then of course as you saw, dropped it with a building to be demolished it, righted it, put some diesel in, off it went.

My truck was built in that very same vein, and nothing killed it.

Save for the rust that ate away at the frame. I was getting the oil changed, but they didn’t feel it was safe to even work on when the frame keeping it together had holes in it... for bloody good reason. I don’t blame them, they wanted to keep me and themselves safe.

Honestly I can’t help but have it feel akin to a prize race horse breaking its leg, and being forced to put it down. It’s not an animal, or a beloved pet, but its the same situation I feel. No mechanical faults, everything was fine and peachy. It got me to the shop and everything else safe and completely sound. But the rusty frame was every nail in the coffin. It was a faithful and reliable friend to my family. It kept my dad safe, it kept me safe.

They certainly don’t make them like they used to. There are only three constants in the universe I feel. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Cockroaches can survive nuclear apocalypse, and the old Toyota Truck will survive with it. All steel, body on frame construction, brutally simple engineering... The damn engine came from a bloody Camry and it could take on whatever you threw it against.

It’s a sad day, I had a short but emotional cry, but that Truck has gone through much. It’s not its time, but sadly there’s no other choice.

As the people who built it in Japan would say. “Sayonara” to my 4-Runner”.

Get the fucking undercoating every time it’s offered.