I Just Wanna Be, I Just Wanna Be...

Successful.

I feel pretty weird jacking this off a Tumblr blog and putting it on a Blogger one.  It's like putting on a Lacoste jacket over a Ralph Lauren shirt [you thought I was gonna use a Nike/Adidas reference huh?]  But really, that ish don't matter.  I don't give people funny looks anymore when they do, even if it happens with socks and shoes.

.

All My Plaques Still Say...

If you misspell it, at least misspell it correctly!  Rarely do I get this sabotaged version.

How come I thought of this first though - a Raglan Tee.

 

.

Mental Notes from the Past Year

After reading my 2010 resolutions [for some reason I didn't make a 2009 list - no wonder!], I'm not sure if I still should be concocting these blog posts haha.  But I'm slowly chipping away at personal goals that so happen to coincide with the new years timing.  This part of the year is like your annual check-up - but instead of being a physical, it's a mental.  I asked myself during this time - what have I accomplished this past year and what I do I want to accomplish in the following year.

Let's review the first half of that last sentence.  Umm...I kinda wish I took a mulligan this past year.  Too bad there's no mulligans in life though.  The past 12 months were a blur, but I'm not sure what I have to show for it.  Okay I have a lil more bread and am flyer, but that's expected with age.  While convenient to blame my impending lay-off as a reason, the onus ultimately falls on me.  No one else is making my bed.  Truthfully I wanted to ride out the year and have a succession plan.  Well Reeg, the year's over in a few, and the succession plan is not exactly in place.  I think I expect too much from me, but there's a reason why I have broad shoulders.  I don't know exactly what I yearn to do...I just want to leave my mark on this world somehow.  Have a legacy.  Achieve greatness.  Become Legendary [oh wait, that's a Jordan commercial].  I believe I have the foundation to perform such feats, it's just a matter of what/when.  Pisces are dreamers, and I'm no exception.  I just want to be exceptional.  That's not asking for too much!

Don't get me wrong, this year wasn't a waste by any means.  I grew spiritually, reinforced what I want in regard to my personal life, became closer to the familia, and realized what's truthfully important.  Once you cut out all the BS then you have a much clearer mind.  I built and continue to harness these pillars that I can rely on and to be able to weather anything.  I feel I'm in a good place, but if I'm questioning it, it's not yet where I want to be.  Which is totally acceptable, so I think I constantly strive.  Never just be complacent yo.  So as I'm running this marathon called life, I can only ensure I got the proper equipment during the journey.  At least I'll be prepared.

My bad, this blog was kinda heavy lol.  Guess I'm rocking the retrospective Reeg hat today.
.

Elimination then Consolidation

I'm not talking about journal entries, but rather my systematic method of reaching my goal of under 100 by the end of 2010.  And I'm almost there!  I no longer became a shoe enthusiast - rather, I became a shoe whoreder [whore hoarder haha].  And you know what?  I don't miss any of these kicks I got rid of.  I primarily sold them, bestowed them to siblings, or just donated some unwearable ones.  I peaked at almost 200 at one time - so that's almost half of my kicks gone!  How come no one told me I only have two feet??  So it took 3 phases over 2 years, and right now I'm hovering around 100 since I did add a select few over the past several months.

I'm not sure if I could get much lower though.  There are some that are sentimental, some permanently deadstock and some permanently beaters.  I just gotta learn how to let go.  However, I'm thinking of doing the In-N-Out method.  If a pair comes in, that means a pair would have to come out - animal style.  Maybe down to 75 by the end of 2011??  Hmmph.

"X" marks the ones that have found new homes.  Remember these pics? haha

Live Fast, Die Young

I swear for as often as I log into my Mint account, you would think I have a lot of money there lol.  But tell me why my Facebook password is more cryptic than my password here?  Anyway I was reading their blog about minimizing your 2010 tax burden, since that's what old people do now.  How do I reduce my tax bill come April 15th?

I chuckled when I saw this suggestion:

10. Die

If you’re lucky to have enough assets to be eligible for the estate tax, remember that right now there is no estate tax. And if Congress doesn’t do anything about it until the end of the year, on January 1, 2011, estate tax will be back. Will Congress do anything? Maybe. The bottom line is, after the end of 2010, no one knows exactly who it is going to apply to or what the rate will be. Last year, people joked about hanging on a few more days until the tax expired. It turned out not to be a joke. I suspect this won’t be, either.

Totally makes sense.  Every time I fill out a tax form, they prompt you and ask "did this person die in this year?"  Dead folks gotta file taxes too.  However not as your tax advisor, I suggest you don't do this.  Leave it to your heirs to figure out.
.

It's Dior Homme, not Dior Homie

Probably my favorite G.O.O.D. Friday track, and I'm kinda glad it was left off the album.  Funny anecdote: Pusha and 'Ye performed this song on a radio show, but they had to read the lyrics off a telestrator lol.  At least it wasn't in front of a crowd.  I guess that shows you have quickly these ninjas churn out music.

Listening to this song makes me want to get a pair of jeans.  And John Legend should mimic Nate Dogg and release an album with just him on the hooks - that would be an instacop.

2K10 Music Year in Review post coming next week!
.

My Holiday Wish-List, the Budget Version

Disclaimer: I'm not that materialistic.  Okay, maybe a little bit.  But hey, stimulating the economy creates more jobs and a better GDP, which would lead me to a job, which in turn leads to higher morale, which leads this world to a better place.  See - so there's a reason to go out and buy this crap.  While my original wish-list might have some items that are far-fetched, here are some realistic items that Reeg could use for a sub-Curtis Jackson.  And I'll probably just take care of the original list myself lol.

Sensor Soap Dispenser
BBB has this for $40, and that's before the 20% discount!  I remember when these came out a few years back, and they had some motion detection issues.  I assume now they've improved on that, so now it's time to improve on that plain Palmolive bottle. [Side note - I hate how dish-washing soap is either 1. tough on grease, 2. anti-bacterial, 3. anti-odor or 4. for dry-skin. I get so flustered when it's time to buy soap again.  Why can't they just be all of the above??]



Hooded Moto Jacket

I cheated a bit.  This retails for $58, but there's a 20% floating out there, bringing this to $46.40! I'm digging the asymmetrical zipper and the wine color.  I'm probably never going to ride a motorcycle, but at least I could rock the outerwear lol.

Decoded - Jay-Z
For the list price of $35 [and absoltutely no one pays MSRP on a book], I could add this to the coffee table.  Not really an autobiography, this book is a book of rhymes [no Nas] and memoirs.  Since it's selling for less than $20 here, might as well add The Big Payback to the cart too.  That's another book I want to peep.  Uh-oh, I might as well get an iPad now lol.

Titleist Pro-V1x Personalized Golf Balls
If I could afford it, this would be my ball.  But at $50/dozen, that averages to over $4 a ball.  My game doesn't justify that price point, as I currently play a $2.50/ball [Nike One Tour Ds].  It might not seem like a big difference, but it you play often the cost of balls could add up.  Or I could just get better and stop losing them lol.  Right not personalization is 20% off, so I could get them stamped REEGSTA for only $40/dozen!  Or maybe GETAJOB instead hahaha.  Tempting.

PlayStation 3 Dual Shock Controller
Currently $44, I figured if I have a controller, it would really really expedite the purchase of a PS3.  The default system only comes with one you know.  Then again, not sure if this really works.  I used to buy vinyl back in the day in anticipation of getting some turntables.  And I still don't have my 1200s.  I guess I can't really fool myself.

Giants World Series Collector's Edition 2010
I can't lie, I bought this as a gift for someone and I kinda want to keep it.  I probably wouldn't even watch it, and I sworn off buying media, but this should be the exception.  I got it below $40, but now it's $45?  Just like the Giants, they probably have a dynamic pricing model haha.  Now if only I cover find a newspaper cover for my edition of the Chronicle.

New Era Golden State Warriors Fitted Hat
That's a fugazi link, as I couldn't directly find somewhere to buy this particular colorway.  While typically not a fan of hats that aren't the teams primary colors, I figured if you already have that taken care of, why not get alternate color schemes?  But rival teams are a NO-NO, like a SF hat in the A's green/yellow.  That's just nasty.  7 5/8 please, and this shouldn't retail for more than $35.  Use my Lids card for an additional 20% off!

Kenzo L'eau Par Pour Homme
Before I settled on getting my YSL fragrance, this was a close runner-up.  And why not have a rotation of colognes?  I seriously think I still have Polo Sport and Issey Miyake in my bathroom somewhere haha.  Quick tip to the gents out there: for your scent to last longer, you should moisturize the areas about 5 minutes before you apply the spray.  I can't help you if you want other things to last longer though.  Cool looking bottle too huh?

Andis Cordless Beard Trimmer
If I had a stocking, I would want you to stuff it with this $22 trimmer.  If you have seen me in the past couple weeks, I've been rocking the facial hair.  Partly because I didn't feel like shaving after my tooth extraction, partly because it's winter-mode, and partly because I'm about to be laid off and I'm prepping for my unemployed look.  While it was cool after a week, it just became nappy afterward, if that's even possible.  Why this particular brand? Uh because theStyleBlogger uses it.


If all else fails, I would gladly accept gift cards to the following [in order]: eBay, Nike, Apple, *insert golf course*, Golf Mart, Nordstrom, Macy's, Chevron, Lucky's, Amazon, Target, Bloomingdales, BB&B, J-Crew, H&M, Coffee Bean, Peet's, Red Robin and Sizzler.  Just not Best Buy because I effing hate that store. [But I probably would still use it if I had one lol.]

See, contrary to belief, I'm not that difficult to shop for!
.

I Wear my Sunglasses at Night

You know how they say it's best to buy items off-season?  Yeah that doesn't apply to sunglasses.  With the calendar year winding down and having some excess cash in my flex-spending account, Reeg was on a journey to find a optometry spot that would allow him to use his money on some non-prescription glasses.  Gosh - I really hope WageWorks doesn't read my page.  Anyway, I had an eye appointment last month, and my Doctor was all like "yeah, you totally could use it here!"  Eye doctors I'm learning are as much as salespeople as Dentists - they'll do what it takes to get that buck.

I didn't mind however.  It's not like I wanted a 3 year supply of contact lens solution haha.  Before I used to throw on any shades that I had, and I've pretty much worn only brown frames/lenses for the past couple years.  I so did not accessorize appropriately.  StyleBlogger stresses to coordinate your accessories to your outfit, like don't wear black frames with a brown suit - think of it like a belt and shoes.  The belt and shoes part were pretty obvious, but to push that further, it could be applied to watchbands and sunglasses too.  Hence my visit here.  I needed some black frames, and I was only gonna choose from their selection.  I was thisclose to getting some Tom Ford's, but that would require some out of pocket cash, and I couldn't really justify spending that much fromage on some glasses.

So even though they sold for full retail [$240], I was able to get them for 30% since I got regular specs too [but those aren't as fun].  THEN I got to use my flex-spending on them, which is all pre-tax earnings for roughly another 30% savings! [If you bought them regularly, you would use your post-tax income so really you wouldn't be saving that much.]  And since this money was set to expire at the end of the year, it was totes a no-brainer.  I'm never going to Sunglass Hut again.

I ended up with these!  Askmen did an exhaustive review about them, but I only read this after looking for an image of them haha.  Felt most comfortable and fit my face, and their polarized lenses would be useful for those bright golf rounds.  Yes, all my purchases circle back to golf somehow.

Death of a Sneakerhead



Confession time guys.  ___ and I have joined forces like Voltron to make our own Tumblr page.  Inspired by Ty and Nacho, this page showcases our pick-ups and sartorial conundrums and essentially anything else related to gear.  Honestly I've been blogging here for a second, hence the crickets on this page.  Like a battered wife and/or a Warriors fan [they get treated the same anyway], I'm still loyal to Blogger.  Tumblr is dope, so follow us!
.

Kufuya, Kufuya Roll Call

Where: Kufuya

When: December 16, 2010

Who: [starting clockwise] Reeg, Tiff, Nick, Dennis, Sarah, Sarah's BF, Trish, Amy, Dan, Annora, Mike, Jaxson, Rach, Mark, Anthony, Stephanie, Benjamin, Alan

What: Shabu Shabu

How Much: $30

So from Brazillian barbeque to Shabu Shabu, I guess the prevailing themes for year-end foodies is all you could eat! 2K10 was no different, as the crew headed to this establishment to celebrate the holiday in addition to having our gift exchange there.  Mike ended up the big winner [or is it big weiner? dadadum!]  But Shabu Shabu to me is Japanese comfort food.  Comfortable setting, good folks and ideal food considering the weather.

Out of all the Shabu^2 places I've been to, this spot is P&G's shampoo above the rest, as it is Head & Shoulders above the competition.  Okay fine, I've only been to like 2 other ones, and the broth and Gatorade and sauce at their price point [$23 per person and $6 for AYCE sushi, but we opted against that option] make this better than Shabu House or Shabuan or Shabba Ranks [just kidding! making sure you're still with me].  Plus it has Trish's co-sign, and once you get a Japanese person to approve it, then it's definitely legit.

This foodie also marked Benjamin's debut, sp welcome to the club lil B!

So not only did I enjoy a good dinner, I also won a preparty! As in 10 of Dan's K-Townphilly's for whenever I choose.  Too bad I didn't get Agent's Zero signed shoe.  Well it was an Adidas one anyway.  He better be open for Christmas mwhaha.
.

Life Has It's Hurdles

This dude's an inspiration.  Eff jumping over my obstacles - I'ma pummel through them.  And I thought I didn't have any hops.  Guaranteed the best 36 seconds you'll have today haha [or 2nd best, depending what you plan on doing later.]

Yes I'm bored right now.

.

eBay Inbox, volume Winter of '10

I wanted to unload some gear and build on some feedback for my secondary eBay account for unforeseen reasons, so here is another volume of what's inside my eBay inbox.

***
Dear twpwarrior,
Do you know if this is the kind of jacket that can be zipped into the snowboarding shells? I bought a shell on eBay not knowing that it wasn't insulated and I'm not sure what is supposed to be used with it. It doesn't really seem like a fleece and the shell would keep me very warm on the slopes...? Thanks for any advice..Tanya
- teadkin

Dear twpwarrior,
I have to say that I love your taste in clothes!! You either live in Atlanta or went to Georgia Tech? I call Atlanta home, if you are from there, do you know Moores Mill Road? That is where my husband and I lived after our first child..we happen to have four teenage boys and three of them are 32x30, so I will definitely come back later tonight and bid on some more of your items. One more thing..I lived in Atlanta for years (nurse next to West Paces Hospital) but only went to the Varsity once! Is it still there? If you don't live in Atlanta or never did...disregard all of the above? I was just a huge braves fan, was there when they won the bid for the Olympics and had my first son there, so it was a great place to live while I was there! In regards to the jacket, is it very thick? I wish I hadn't bought the H.H. shell, then I could bid on your Columbia jacket! Tanya
- teadkin

OMG I know no one really needs a blog, but Tanya has a lot to say! I kinda feel sorry for her hubby. She must chew his ear out everyday. I imagine her voice being really loud too.  I like how she was able to incorporate her whole life story through a simple question about a Helly Hansen fleece.  With all the info she provided I probably could stalk her if I wanted to haha.  But I do appreciate she loves reegsta's taste in clothes circa 2006-2008.  Wait until she sees me now!

***
Dear twpwarrior,
 I don't know how but my bid was 15.52 for some reason it shows 1,552.00 there's no way I'd pay that for a shirt. Sorry!
- fireman2155

Maybe buddy because you forgot to hit the decimal point. It was an awesome polo shirt that you missed the boat on. Cheapskate. It was totes worth that bid original bid - uhhh it came from my closet!

***
Dear twpwarrior,
Please excuse me for winning your auction. I'm sorry but I was honestly mislead by way of your listing appearring after I believed I had filtered out all of the "used" shoes. I may understand the Jordans you're selling have been cleaned up and good to go, but I simply can't affored to play him in the shape he's in. They just won't fly while they're not brand spanking new. I know we both can pride ourselves on our records alone, please let me know how we can continue from here. Hope all is well, please excuse me, Happy holidays.
Sincerely,
Cohentrue
- conhentrue

I had to reread "can't affored to play him in the shape he's in" like 10 times. Cohentrue - are you aware this auction is for a pair of shoes and and not for Steve Francis [a washed-up former NBA player currently balling in China. Not Starbury of course.]  "They just won't fly while they're not brand spanking new" - it's not like they don't have wings anymore!  I only stated "shoes have been worn less than 5 times" [yes, reeg does have an odometer on his kicks.]  Damn those tricky eBay sellers =/.

***
Dear twpwarrior,

Sorry but I did a surge on what a b grade is and it's a shoe with damage, I know I was the only person that bid on them but I don't think is fare for me to pay that kind of money for this type of shoe. Sorry for the bid I put. Good luck

- miguel8272

LOL I did a "surge" - what did you power yourself up to attain enough power to Google that information? Hope you didn't electrocute yoruself Miguel.  It's not a shoe with damage, rather it's a pair with minor comestic flaws.  But yes, it's not 'fare', nor is it 'fair', but why do you think they were discounted in the first place duh?  Uhhh dislike deadbeats.
.

Need a Mint Alert - Gotta Stay Fresh to Death

Mwhaha if only Mint knew what my shoe spending habits were before I started using their software.  And while December is typically a cheap month for golf, golfers typically make up for it by purchasing items off-season.  At least that's my justification for me so I could sleep at night.

Seriously though, I might return a pair after seeing that.  And that's why we have alerts.
.

My 2K10 Holiday Wish List - Make it Happen

Hello Blog.  Since I had some down time for the past 3 months, I figured it would be a good time to update this piece before I forgot my password again.  Although my postings have been few and far between – one entry is for certain – no, not an entry about death and taxes but rather my 4th annual Holiday wishlist of things that I'm not gonna get!  Check here for last years, and I still didn't get a PS3 readers.  I guess my tastes haven’t really changed over the years – I usually want tech gear, golf gear, gear gear, and a random pair of kicks – they’ve more so evolved as I get older.  But just because you age doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more sophisticated, so I'm not trying to front.

Anyway, this list is in no particular order, just when it came to mind.

Nike Wool Destroyer Jacket
I could've asked for the Leather Version, but this is only $175 vs. $340!  That's almost half for the math-impaired.  I like how the blue zipper sets it off, and I don't like how the zipper is blue.  I am a walking oxymoron.  But I love the constrasting charcoal arms and black body.  Plus it doesn't even look like a Nike jacket.  [But that leads to the question - would I still want it if I wasn't the Swoosh? lol]  Can't wait til this hits the outlets!

Polo Richmond Quilted Jacket
But in green and not navy!  I repeat Green!  Why would I want a jacket that looks like it's inside out?  Because all my other coats already look normal duh.  I like the textured look, brass buttons and corduroy collar.  I actually tried this on at the Polo store downstairs, and frowned when my Polo gift card was only $20 and not $200.  I mean I couldn't even get socks with a $20 GC to Polo?  Why even bother having that amount in this denomination?  That would probably cover the tax portion of this jacket haha.

Dyson Tower Fan
Why the heck do I want this?  Simply because it's cool looking.  Yall buy Dyson products that suck, while I could get a Dyson that blows.  And what words are both antonyms and synonyms?  Suck and Blow.  "That sucks" and "that blows" can mean the same thing.  Can you think of another set of words with those characteristics?  Anyway, this thing is bladeless!  And if you drop the "l"s from 'bladeless,' it almost resembles 'badass!'  How awesome is that.     





Nike Stab Dave Whites
The first sneakerhead probably said "once a sneakerhead, always a sneakerhead." While true that Reegsta bought more desert boots than sneaks in the past year, it doesn't mean his love for kicks is any lesser than it once was.  Bobbito is one of the most revered shoeheads ever, and dude has less than 10 pairs of kicks.  I want these in a sz 10.  And there's only 400 of these out there released only in one store in the UK, so act quick!

Bedding Stuff
Confessions - I only have one set of lavender sheets with a bleach stain on it.  Well, at least I hope it's a bleach stain.  I have blue walls, a silver bed frame, and a tan duvet - so I guess any color would match my setup.  I think I just picked this Barney Stinson inspired image to match the kicks above.  I could use a QUEEN SIZE sheet set, or new pillows, or both!  I really need new pillows - the ones I currently own have more than seen their useful life.  They've probably seen their second life too. 

Callaway Golf uPro GPS
I know I asked for one last year, but it was a SkyCaddie and that recurring fee kinda scared me away.  I think the Cally is only a one-time fee.  One-time!  Plus this looks sleeker, is H20-Proof [no Ras Kass], and is consensusly the better device.  I know this isn't gonna make me a better golfer, but at least it would be a welcome distraction.  I did get a new driver recently, so I want to measure them bad boys now!

Nike Extreme Element Carry Bag
Okay promise this is my last Nike item I'll put on the list, but this is probably the coolest bag I've ever seen.  If the neon Air Max 95 was a bag, it would be this.  This retails for $160 and I actually found one for a good deal that I might just pull the trigger on.  I know my golf buddies would be relieved.  Although I walk like once every 5 rounds, but my current carry-bag is like 14 years old seriously.  I think I have a coupon book from 1997 in there.  Luckily no old banana though.




J. Lindeberg Golf Jacket

If you don't know me and you're just basing my personality on the imagery of this items,  you might think I'm very monochrome.  Quite the opposite! [No, not stereochrome hahaha.]  I just have mad pastelly crap and need some muted stuff to balance that out.  With that said, this jacket is pretty fresh.  I saw it at Golfsmith and scoffed at the $250 retail, but luckily for you, I found it at Zappos for almost half-off!  Extra Medium please.

Tag Heuer Carbon Fiber Strap
For the low price of $375, I could remove the bracelet from my current piece and add this one on!  Hope it looks as dope as I'm envisioning it.  But it's carbon fiber, which can match my engine, my driver, and some kicks that I have.  Hypebeasts and carbon fiber go together like kare kare and bagoong.  For that price it's probably bulletproof too, or maybe I'm confusing that with a Kevlar strap.  You know, for all thhose times I explore the hood.  I do live in the East Bay afterall. 

Filson Messenger Bag
I easily could've put a LV Damier Graphite bag here, but to stray away from the black and gray color schemes, I wanted to put something realistic in case Kris Kringle[s] reads this!  Plus I think any dude with a Louis is questionable, unless you're Pharrell, and you can't rock that bag with a Land's End vest you heard.  Anyway this is StyleBlogger approved, looks versatile and definitely isn't a man purse.  It could hold a laptop that has mega-gigabytes son!


Okay I think that's it for now.  So think of me when you finalize your Christmas shopping!
.