Stirred, not Shaken...

There are many types of kicks out there: running, tennis, basketball, casual, fencing; all of which are important in facilitating the function of whatever you do in life.

You wanna look fly? Have good grip on the court? Have an appropriate degree of slide during your fencing match? Are you a studio jazz dancer?  Do those jazz shoes really help?

WELL….

Because I’m a BBoy and I do prefer to shit on cornballs  - for me, personally, there are a few questions I ask myself when I go on my sneaker safari…

1. Is this going to be something that I break in?
2. After I rock these for a bit, is this going to cycle into the breaking sneaker bin?
3. Do I already have these?
4. Does Jacob Hill already have these?
5. Does Joe Son already have these?
6. How can I flip these so I don’t look like another consumer clown?
7. What would Jaamal Benjamin do?

After years of field research, I’ve always gravitated towards a few certain makes, models & brands so-to-speak; brand not overshadowing functionality or comfort in the practical sense [if you see me in crocs it’s b/c I just turned 102 years old and don’t give 1 shit, none-the-less 2, about what you have to say].

So below are my favorite Kicks to break in, these have been my faves since I started in ‘95 to date.

Adidas - Top Tens. 

Potentially one of the best sneakers out there, not too sure how good they are for hoops though.  They make them in high and low top, mostly flat bottom soles and the tongue is husky enough to tuck your pants behind and stay in position: that is unless you’re doing some crazy moves that bring you upside down.  They’re more on the heavier side but they are also durable, which is good if you’re hurling your skeleton around at break-neck speeds.

Grade: A-

Adidas - Campus.

Personally, I think the Campus is one of the better models Adidas put out.  They still have the flat bottom but the sole is thinner and thus more flexible, providing a lighter shoe overall.  The tongue, however, is NOT brollick so you gotta lace them up correctly to get your pants to fall right but then the tongue gets squeezed if you tighten ‘em for bboy/bgirling purposes in certain cases.

Grade: B+

Puma - Suede. 

My personal favorite at the moment.  They look good with jeans, sweats, swishy pants, shorts w/ & w/o long socks and come in a variety of colors that can be found year round.  Flat bottom soles that are thin so they are light but cushioning is sacrificed as well as support for the bottom of your feet.  They’re also a bitch to keep clean so my only advice is keep your breaking clean so you don’t get your suedes all grimy.

Grade: A+

Puma - Basket.

I don’t really know what the difference is between a Basket and a Suede aside from obvious material usage; I do like both though.  Sometimes wearing a buttery soft suede shoe isn’t the most advantageous choice especially when I’m going to be dancing in a spot with a notoriously grimy floor, a bar or the third level of Hades.  I will however sport baskets instead of suedes in said cases respectively.

Grade: A+

Nike - Dunk Hi. 

Dunk Hi’s are my favorite sneakers on the planet.  They have that flat bottom sole, classic design and Nike is always coming out with a new colorway or material and you can find them year-round as well.  Great ankle support if you tie them; I don’t tie them but that doesn’t mean you have to follow my lead.  Good cushioning on all fronts, slightly on the heavier side but I don’t care, they look good, they feel good and they provide great support and cushioning.

Grade: A+

Nike - Air Max 1. 

This is more of a running shoe in origin so the sole is more curved and less flat.  This does affect how bboys move and also increases the possibility of rolling your ankle.  If you’ve ever rolled your ankle, then you know that shit sucks.  If you haven’t rolled your ankle then ask my roommate Joe Son how that shit feels, I saw him punch through a brick wall one time upon rolling his ankle.  Kittens everywhere cried.  The cushioning IS really good, they’re really light and they look great, BUT Nike only puts out a couple runs per year and they haven’t been coming out with any that made me hit the ground running to get two pair.

Grade: B-

Nike - Air Max 90.

Another running shoe so the precautionary measure to not roll your ankle is needed.  Light, sexy, good cushioning and classic.  This is another make that the Nike Gods haven’t been putting many out that impressed me as of recent times.  So if you find a pair with the colors you like then you best to cop two and put one pair on ice if you ever wanna see em again.

Grade: B-

Pro-Ked’s - ANY of ‘em!

Any Pro-Keds [hopefully NOT the Rocawear releases] are dope. P-K’s are the bboy/bgirl samurai shoe.  They are low to the ground, slightly heavier due to the thick rubber soles, not quite as flexible BUT they are as durable as a tank on steroids and come in a wide range of colors.  Good luck finding them though, and if you find them, cop THREE pairs.  One to break in, one to lose in your closet for a few years and one to sell to a European or Asian BBoy/ Bgirl b/c they DO NOT get them out there AT ALL!  Another one of my go to kicks; they look good with just about anything, and after your break them in they are like wearing an extra foot.  They also are easy to keep clean BUT the two little stripes on the side ALWAYS get burnt off - at least with me - and if you crack the heel then they begin to get loose.

Grade: A

Puma - XC Low  [No Photo Available]

So in the late 90’s and early 2000’s Puma released these running sneakers that were drenched in the reflective 3M tape that everyone, including myself AND my mom dukes, got down in!  They were light, low to the ground and for a running sneaker didn’t have an elevated heel that would allow one to roll their ankle as many other running sneakers would allow.  They weren’t all that durable, maybe b/c I’d practice in them until the soles turned to molten lava and fabric resembled Swiss cheese but they did look good and in photos the 3m tape lit up, added some much unneeded flash to your feet.  These were the first kicks I had on when I tried and actually succeeded in doing a flair…. one flair….  All-and-all, if you got down in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s then you had a pair and you thought they were dope, just like we did…

Grade: A++

Nike - Air Jordan I [basically a Nike Dunk][with the Jordan stamp on it]

SOOO…  never been much of a Jordan brand enthusiast.  I was around to watch my peoples nap ALL day after school/ work so they could wake up at 11:30pm to go stand on line at the sneaker spot to get the latest Jordan brand release.  NEVER have I gone that far!  Especially for a sneaker that I KNEW EVERYONE WOULD HAVE by the end of the week.  And aside from the O.G. Space Jams, they only came out in Chi-Bulls colors until later when the sneaker industry flipped the script.  THEN- in my 30th year of life, they re-released the II….  I previously had been denied by my folks who were less than enthusiastic about dropping what was then $100 for a pair of II’s that I would undoubtedly wreck and, having a job since the age of 8, had also been thwarted by above mentioned parents when I was going to make the purchase with my pay, a  purchase that I thankfully did not make at the time might I add.  Furthermore, I DID proceed to try some J’s on this May that just passed and really did like how they felt; I then purchased several pairs of Jordans which are shrink wrapped and on ice, boxed up in my basement as we speak.  Of these, the Jordan I began rising to the top of my list of Breaking Kicks, but only in the sense of socially dancing, not throwing down crazy hard b/c I’s are too fly to destroy.  Great support, cushioning, grip, and style no matter how you try and chop em up.

Grade: AA+++

And there you have it, my top 10 list.

Other Honorable Mentions are:

The Air Huarache - Many other BBoys/ BGirls love ‘em, I don’t like to break in them b/c my BBoy-style requires a shoe that gives more support/ resistance and they are primarily made of royal elastic design and are more sock like than I prefer.  I do rock them on my civilian steeze though…

Cole Haan - They are Kenneth Cole design, Nike Air cushioning.  Not something you wanna dance in unless you’re doing a two-step because they usually are dress shoes and are expensive.  They used to have the G-Series which has been out of production for some time.

The Air Nike Cortez - Personally I don’t like them very much, the flap on the toe always separates from the shoe and that’s never a good look.  I actually don’t like them at all, for breaking, being on my civilian steeze or even walking on the sun.  No thank you!

Nike Air Trainer I & II [Bo Jacksons] - Although I love ‘em, I prefer to save ‘em b/c they don’t come out very often and the inside of the right heel always becomes a mass of shredded material that turns abrasive and ultimately uncomfortable.  I do, however, NEVER tie the laces on them for good measure; maybe that’s why the heel gets all crazy?

Nike SB’s - I simply don’t like the big, fat tongue.  Primarily because I’m not going to be on a skateboard.

The Adidas Superstar [Shell Toes] - I don’t like these kicks that much aside from everyday civilian wear.  They are heavy and I’ve sprained my ankle many times dancing in them.  Still a good look on the fashion tip though.

And that’s it!  For all my people that have been hitting me up asking what type of sneakers to get or what are the best sneaker to buy for breaking, or if you’re an aspiring BBoy/ Bgirl then here’s 10 little tidbits of info to get you started. 

Hit me up, let me know what YOUR favorite Breaking sneakers are!

Mister Jones over and out.

So it’s happened… Many major changes

So the Mrs. has been talking about the Pork-Belly Steamed Buns and Ramen at this place in NYC since she and I really began dating.  She is a fellow food-snob and this time around my counter part is also a carnivore thus making my decision making for eatery destinations a  more simplified algebraic equation…

We had walked by this place on New Year’s Eve for a snack before she hit the nail salon but, alas, they were NOT open.  Therefore, I would have to wait before trying the Steamed Pork-Belly buns which was fine by me as I had not intended to eat pork on New Year’s eve; it may have turned out badly.

This particular Sunday after some errand running, the Mrs. finally got me to try the steamed pork-belly buns at Ippudo…

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It was kinda packed when we got there; around 2:15pm on a Sunday.  The hostess said there would be appx a 1-1.25 hour wait so the Mrs went and found us some standing room at the Sake Bar while I used the facilities.

One thing that I always look at to determine the cleanliness of a restaurant is the cleanliness of their facilities…. I gave them an A for cleanliness, and an A+ for having a chic yet masculine bathroom.

This is me at waiting at the Sake Bar for our table, the Mrs didn’t want me to tag her b/c she’s shy and also is embarrassed of my ugly face.

Anyhow, when I got back she had ordered a bunch of things; one of which was a half bottle of delicious Negori [Unfiltered Sake], a sesame oil Cucumber appetizer, a roasted sweet pepper appetizer and of course…. Steamed Pork-belly buns…

The Sake Bar was right by the door and WAS packed but it was ok though, we talked about pending travel plans and etc while sipping sake.  [PS the Sake Bar is Cash ONLY!]

Everything was unsurprisingly delicious, I say unsurprised because the Mrs. clearly has good taste…. lol

So we finished our goodies and were promptly called to be seated- about 20-25 mins of a wait as opposed to a 60-85 min wait.  Upon being ushered to our table the servers, line cooks and assistant line cooks began shouting at us in Japanese.  In translation they were telling us that they were going to take care of us.  Now I’m all for shouting and being obnoxious so I knew I was already going to like this place.

The decor was pleasant and they sat us a communal table that looked like they cut a slab out of a 200 year old tree with a hand saw, hand sanded it and lacquered it by hand prior to the the 19th century’s technological advancements.

At our table was the g/f and I, a solo guy who sat across from us, an older lady who sat near him and a couple that looked like they stepped out of the Reagan era and just bought their new clothes up the street.

After some careful consideration, I ordered the Karaka Miso Ramen- A special that they supposedly serve only on the weekends.  It was a spicy Miso-based broth with all kinds of goodies and fixins.  They splashed a gob of minced ginger on the top of it and shouted at us, again, when they brought us our fare.

Now I must say…

The ramen was amazing!  I couldn’t finish it but it made me understand why Naruto from the Naruto series is always talking about ramen.  I immediately associate Ramen with instant ramen, THIS however was completely different.

Top Ramen? Oodles of Noodles?  Pssshhhh!!! Never Again!!!!!

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Ippudo
65 4th Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-0088

$$

Bar is Cash only. 

Credit is accepted in seated area.

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2010

“2010 is gonna start out rough but end off really well”

-Mr Jones, at the beginning of 2010

So 2010… a seemingly disasterous year on numerous fronts; American Pop Culture though flourishing by appearances, really only got worse and worse, the American Economic Climate got scarier and scarier as did unemployment and the unemployed.  “High” Fashion took a spill with the Hunter/ Farmer look and now every city kid in America looks like they work on a farm while farm kids try to look like they live in the city; the outcome- pure bedlam.  On a positive fashion note, Ugg boots [finally and thankfully] are being diffused- not the best female footwear fashion choice and don’t tell me it’s because they are warm… SO are timberlands and long-johns…

Media, ughhh!  For one, music sucked- the slew of unintelligable rap music never ceased all year long with many rappers employing faulty accents or drawls to accomplish what I could only imagine to be the “dumb-down effect”.

Dumb-Down Effect [adj] - The process of selling one’s self, art form, culture, intellect or anything under the sun completely short in order to achieve a more lucrative outcome. [ps - you still suck]

My whole gripe with the rap music trade is that it is both over flooded with  poor talent and that people don’t care about the culture backing the whole movement.  It’s merely a scheme for people to make money.  Early MC’s, even those who could be considered innovators, were potentially less educated and much less informed as rappers are today through use of technology [internet, smartphones, etc] and yet the content of rap music is greatly declining for the worse… and this is my positive outlook on the whole thing!

I mean, how many Rap LP’s can I listen to that focus on selling crack, the projects, guns, cars, the size of male genitalia, asses and other uninformative droll.  Hiphop music stemmed from people that had pizazz & finesse.  Rakim?  C’mon! Informative,educational, positive: a role model to many.  KRS? C’mon son!!!  We can name a whole era of a MOVEMENT, now you can’t name more than one single that a rapper put out… wait they came out with a whole album??? lolz!

There were a few home runs in 2010 though, and I must cosign at all costs;

MUSIC

1- Fat Joe - The Darkside… Ok Ok it WAS about crack, guns etc BUT it was way better than 95% of the crap other people put out and I didn’t hafta endure a corny accent or drawl

2- The Roots - How I got Over…  Auto-Classic.  A few joints that didn’t hit home 100% w/ me but it was still a good overall piece of music from start to finish.

3- John legend - Wake Up!… In a word, Awesome.  John Legend, should he continue in the same stride, will be looking at some serious longevity in the music biz.

4- Ghostface - Apollo Kids… Another dive into the well of coke/ crack and crime but it’s Ghost and unlike Ghostdini which was a love-song lp, it’s a real hip-hop LP and it’s super-duty tough-work.

5- Budos Band - Budos III… NOT a Hip-hop/ Rap LP but it was decent, a few new joints for the Bboys, Bgirls and Breakdancers to get down to.

And that’s my top 5 picks from 2010, if you have any that really touched you then let me know, maybe I should hear what you have.  But don’t tell me Justin Bieber or the new Backstreet boys album, that’s not for me.

TV

I don’t watch TV, maybe the news which is always bad.  I did watch Oprah when the Prez was on- much he was a slippery fish but played his cards well.  I did however watch the Yankees NOT win this year which sucked as I was in Philly when that fiasco went down.

MOVIES

I didn’t really go to the movies much either, ever since I discovered how to get bit torrent sites to work I’ve been keeping it close to home.

The new Harry Potter was cool though it was confusing.  Nerds around the globe were either pleased or really offended that the movie didn’t adhere to the book word-for-word and the chat-rooms exploded with petronus charms accordingly.

Inception was cool but was also hard to follow, Leo D is a beast of an actor though and whatever role he plays I usually like him in.  There were a few moments where his dead ex-wife showed up that sent shivers up my spine b/c she was a total nut-case.

Shutter Island was dope too, I liked it even though others didn’t.  On Blu-Ray it was visually amazing and I followed the storyline well.  Again Leo D is a beast.

RED was another that I thought was pretty good, the old woman was great and Malkovich was hilarious!  It was also cool to see the mom from Weeds on-screen for some reason.

Ironman 2 was dope, I like Downy Jr as a pompous ass so that worked out great, cgi and effects were cool though I’m not too sure how close the story was to the comic in origin.

Machete - a horribly terrific pulp film.  It had all of my future ex-baby mamas in the same room and was greatly comical.  It was good to see the lead character in something other than a secondary role even though I don’t know his name.

IP Man 2- I watched IP Man 1 & 2 with my girlfriend, who is seriously into martial arts, and I thought they both were great!  I’m inspired to take wing-chun and bash people’s faces off if they try to invade my turf.

Movies that sucked:

The Town- boo, I already saw Point Break 20 years ago and no I don’t care about Boston AT ALL!

The Social Network- womp, womp.  It was interesting to see how the whole social network thing got started but that could’ve been outlined in a 5 minute short film entitled “Lonely Shunned Nerd creates Facebook & now onto your local Weather Report”

The World

If you haven’t noticed, things are kinda effed up globally, but not as bad as living in the US and being of the “Upper” Class.  If you live in the States and are of the “Upper” class, 2010 sucked for you.  It really only paid to be poor or worse, how’s that you ask?  I don’t know but I made more money in 2010 than I had before the economic shit storm and I was self-employed in 2010.  And yes, I am poor.  And yes, I somehow managed to make some money, and by some I mean just enough to eat, support myself and buy a drink for my homie occasionally.

My Life

All and all, 2010 was probably the scariest, hardest, best year of my life.  My mother’s health was rocky for a bit, it was really hard to travel back and forth to NY try and see her and my pops, help out around the house, keep spirits high and THEN come back to Philly and do shit that I WANTED to do instead of being home in NY doing the shit that I NEEDED to do.  I honestly cried everyday at some point from August 2009 to about April 2010. Momma Jones’ health took a turn for the worse and then she got back on the mend which was a relief to say the least.  She was released and cleared to go back home for the first time in almost a year, an idea that was both a relief and frightening in the same breath.  Alot would need to change in the house, construction, organization, etc.  She came home and we made the best of it… still are and she, pop dukes and I have been staying positive since.

Also, a long term relationship between myself and my ex-g/f was brought to a close. 

At first that really sucked, then, the summer came and it got better.  There were a few sad moments, a few relapse moments, a few embarrassing moments but that’s all part of it.  All and all the hurt was worth it b/c the happy moments were worth it too.  In hindsight, that breakup was the best thing that could’ve happened to me.  It cut the ever present umbillical cord that bound me to Philly and had me re-evaluating my reasons as to why I hadn’t moved home to help out my pops and help rescue my family.

That and this was gonna be the first summer I was single since I was 19…. ok 14… no seriously….

I visited my Kru, the Breaks Kru, a bunch over the summer and helped support our Kru’s Soul-Train Line Party.  It was great stomping irresponsibly around Brooklyn with my Kru- I introduced “The Stumbler” and history was written.

I also for the first time went and visited a long-time friend at his place on Long Beach, in Long Island NY- which is about 15 mins away from where I was born at.  We killed the Long Beach scene hard, 4th of July weekend and on & on, this summer I’m learning how to surf and am gonna work on not getting a ticket from the beach patrol for acts I will not mention publicly.

I also toured the US with my theatre company and we made alot of great friends, new students and memories.  Ate at alot of really great places, and not-so-great dives too.  I really bonded with the Members of olive Dance Theatre this summer, probably b/c I needed them more than I could realize at the moment.

I turned 30 while we were on the road at a Performance Artist Retreat/ Sleep-away Camp.  That was the best birthday I ever had, spending it with MOST of my dearest friends, i did miss my roommates, my moms and pops and my Kru, but there is next year.  They gave me a water gun and pelted me with water baloons, I mooned everyone in retaliation. Then we ate cake and partyed till the sun came up…. every day!

This was by far the best summer and birthday I’ve had since I was probably 8.

Mom dukes started moving some fingers and kept working at getting her strength back, it brought new meaning to the phrases “I can’t” vs “I’m gonna”.

We capped off our summer tour in NYC which was awesome.  I got to perform with my co and we made the most of every moment we could.  I made really strong bonds with some newer company members that were brought in for the NYC series and I will never forget how great it felt to share the stage with them, my existing co members and one of the only BBoys I ever looked up to, Ken Swift.

During my NY tour I was [re]introduced to a woman that had really caught my eye during one of our post show hang-outs and I promptly employed the full court press to try and holler.  Really… all i did was ignore her at the post-show meet-and-greet, spark up conversation during our walk to the restaurant we all went to after, park myself next to her at the table and then systematically tell her my phone number every time she pulled out her phone to check a text etc.

I don’t know how but it worked.  Jones 1, universe zero….  Even though she still, to this day, says no when I ask if she’ll “go steady with me”, she knows she mine ;-b.

When I got back to Philly, I started back up with school at the University of the Arts which was the only thing keeping me in Philly at that time.  It was cool, I didn’t get much out of one of my classes, actually I learned more from my company director than the instructor but my other class was informative and engaging.

School was over; I finished the semester with a 3.7 gpa, a new personal best.

The opportunity to see the G/F perform arose so I went to go see her.  I must say I was amazed and impressed!  I didn’t know she was at the level she was at and found myself feeling something I hadn’t felt in 5+ years…. inspired….

I soon after found out that my scholarship was NOT going to cover my school-related expenses in full…  This, along with the constant travel to and from NY, the difficulty my pops was having dealing and coping and upkeeping the house for himself and my moms had me thinking long and hard about what I should do: stay in Philly where I AM ALMOST completely unhappy?  Or move back to NY and help take care of my family, cut down on costs and travel time and do what I feel is right?

So I gave myself 3 weeks to make a decision. 

The holidays came and it was Mom Duke’s first X-mas back home, we had a good time.  Pops whipped up some good eats, as usual, and we just chilled out.  The next day was a pending blizzard so I had to hit the road to Philly early, I did get stuck in the I-95 crawl which was @ a breakneck speed of 1-3 m.p.h. on avg for about 6 hours straight.  It was during this time I pondered what were my reasons for returning back to Philly in the first place?  What are my plans?  Why am I doing this to myself?  One more week I said to myself….  One more week…

For New Years the G/F and I had made plans to go to the Price Fix dinner in NYC with some friends and then go out to a party to dance the new year in right.  Dinner was great, her friends were pretty fantastic people to be around too, it was refreshing to be around people that clung to a positive outlook on things.  After about 5 courses and a $1000 bill we headed to Brooklyn to hit this party up before the ball dropped.  The g/f looked so cute!  When we got there it was pretty jumpin’ and we fit right into the already sweaty crowd.  I thought to myself during a moment alone, this is what I’m missing in Philly…. Inspiration.

Moving back to NY would be my next plan.

The ball dropped, the best worst & scariest year had come to a close.

My only regret… not moving back to NY in August of 2009.  My resolution for 2010… none b/c I’m on the right track again.

So look out NY, Mr J is coming back!

Next chapter -> Mr Jones takes over Manhattan.

So this its going to be my first post. This cyber space thing its crazy. You mean to tell me that I can talk about anything? The responsibility is overwhelming, it’s enough to make me call out sick.