Hot Sneaker Brand

I never was one for combing my hair or dolling up my physical appearance but when I saw my first boutique sneaker shop I fell in love with fashion and style. For the first time I had entered a store that customized its products exactly to my lifestyle and shopping was revolutionized. Buying a product felt like buying an extension of my identity and that felt nice.

In a world where nearly anything can be customized I think the demand for buying products that feel like an extension of who we are will become increasingly important. People want to customize exactly what feeds they receive through RSS and customized clothing made by tailors is a growing business. As a result, I think boutiques will grow in popularity. Of course these places won't replace Wal Mart or Macy's, but the marketplace for boutiques like the ones pictured below will grow.

That being said, I recently found a one of a kind sneaker brand called Creative Recreation. I fell in love with a shoe and can't seem to find it anywhere. So if you can find a place where I can buy a pair of size 7.5 Creative Recreation Cesario Lo Platinums in black and gold like the item pictured below I will pay you ten of my own hard earned dollars. The shoes can't be inordinately priced ($120 is the most expensive I've ever seen them even though they're out of stock) and I have to be able to ship them to my home in the United States for a reasonable cost. I'll pay you via PayPal, cash, or whatever. Just call me or send me an email at Lproctor@student.umass.edu


Before I leave to pine over my dream sneakers I'll fill you in on my new musical affinity. The laid back Kelley Stoltz combines intricate weavings with genuine acoustic show tunes style to create a unique and beautiful sound. Best of all, his new album Circular Sounds is set for a February 5th release on Sub Pop Records. You can't go wrong with "Morning Sun," which you'll find on his myspace page jukebox.

The Highlight of My Week

I've been busy. This week marks the beginning of the last semester of my senior year and it seems like I'm going to love both Shakespeare and Journalism Law. Practice has been going well and the team looks good. I kissed my final graduation application as I dropped it into the mail, and in one week the UMass softball team is off to Florida for our first tournament. I'm feeling lucky in so many regards but the highlight of my week is sure to arrive on Sunday.

After Sunday morning's practice the UMass softball team is meeting Kirstin (you can learn about her by clicking on her name). Kirstin was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor two years ago and has been fighting ever since. Although I haven't met her yet, she seems like an amazing and inspiring girl. The team is welcoming her into our family through a program called Friends of Jaclyn, and she's welcome to attend anything team related as long as she's interested. As players flow through the program they'll meet Kirstin and then hopefully stay in contact with her for the rest of their lives. I'm delighted to meet Kirstin and hope she enjoys being a part of the UMass family.

In other news, I just started Josh Kilmer-Purcell's memoir I Am Not Myself These Days. I initially fell in love with Josh Kilmer-Purcell's column work and the memoir is bizarre but clever. Kilmer-Purcell can make me laugh effortlessly and I've caught myself stifling chuckles everywhere I go reading the memoir. If you're tolerant, liberal, and up for a light read he's worth checking out.

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When it comes to music I know I've recommended Vampire Weekend since August 2007 but they've pulled in tons of hype in recent months and their album released this week to much praise. If you haven't given them a listen yet, check out this video below.



And because I would hate to go out without giving a new recommendation, check out Jack Penate. He's perfect to start the weekend with.

I love his dancing Converses in the video below, and his beautiful accent more than makes up for the fact that it looks like he might wear a toupee. Give a listen to "Spit at Stars" and you'll know exactly what I mean.