Banana Kit Kat
A banana-flavored Kit Kat? Tokyo, that’s why.
Unfortunately, this pairing isn’t one of my favorites. Bananas aren’t my thing, and the banana flavor is too artificial tasting. The crunch is good though.
Nordstrom Redemption and Air Jordan Color-blindness
Nordstrom has redeemed itself, partially at least. Last you remember, Nordstrom cancelled my discounted order for a pair of Air Jordan 1 mid, in a shadow-like colorway (I’ve since learned that these are not THE premium Shadow AJ1 highs). They just couldn’t fulfill the order.
But seeing the here-now-gone-tomorrow nature of these shoes, I persisted, checking the site’s inventory every now and then. And it paid off. One day, an AJ1 in an obsidian, game royal colorway appearend on-site. Not a premium model but still discounted, last pair, and my size. So I ordered it, expecting to get yet another cancellation.
Then redemption…
Thanks Nordstrom!
Oh, about that Air Jordan color-blindness. From the pictures above, you can see the shoes are a mix of dark blue and royal blue. On the Nordstrom site, I had thought these shoes were black and royal blue (see the image below).
If you remember, I had also bought a pair of Air Jordan 31 on clearance from Nike. I thought these were black and white when really they were dark blue and white.
I guess I’m just color-blind when it comes to Air Jordans? But really, I can’t complain after getting both at reduced prices.
Deleting Bulk Email from Gmail
With thousands of unread email in Gmail, it was time to clean house. But just how do you select more than one screen worth of email at a time in Gmail?
As a product from Google, I should have known better – you use search. Yup, in the Gmail search bar, you do something like this:
older_than:1y
After the search is done, you can select all those emails using that checkbox above the email tabs then mass delete them.
eBay Tip: Too New Isn’t Good
By now you know you can find completely random items at Ross. Most items are from last season or even older. But once in awhile, you find some newer items. In fact, some items are still being sold by retailers.
Take these Air Jordan Trainer 2 Flyknits for example. While this model is still available at Nike, Footlocker, and other shoe stores, this specific black, cool grey, and jade colorway is one of the originals. So seemingly a steal finding a pair at Ross, reseling them is too tough. You can still easily find inventory of the same shoe at a discount with free shipping included, and that price is very hard to compete with.
If you find a pair for yourself then great. Otherwise, it’s almost better if you found these shoes a few months later, or you have the patience and hold on to them until the online clearance inventory is cleared out with shoppers still looking.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this pair…
eBay Tip: Pass on the Nike Theas
Personally, I think the Nike Thea line for women look great, especially the Ultra Flyknit versions. I love the silhouette and the interwoven colors of the Flyknit add another dimension. But this doesn’t translate to sales on eBay. And at around $55 at Ross, the Air Max Thea Ultra Flyknit costs more than average.
Not sure why these just don’t sell when the going cost is $150 (or $127 on sale). I don’t see them out and about either. Maybe they don’t fit well? I do know that the weave of the Flyknit is very porous. You can definitely see your sock color coming through since the spacing in the knit is very giving.
So if you ever find a cool pair of Theas at Ross, just know that you may have a challenge moving them.
Lychee Monitoring at Target
First off, who knew Target stores in Hawaii sold lychee? Must be quite a few people knew since Target is now monitoring lychee sales upon checkout. Yes, Target cashiers watch how much lychee you’re buying.
And don’t think you can outsmart the system by going to self check-out. The POS systems are programmed to halt your checkout until the on-duty clerk checks and approves your lychee purchase. Simply put, don’t hoard the lychee.
National Donut Day One Day Late
It’s the day after National Donut Day, and I’m one day late celebrating. But when you know someone selling Krispy Kreme as a fundraiser, you end up with this.
Don’t mind the missing donut(s).
Historical Heat
Although it may not seem like it, I’ve only been going to Ross regularly since the beginning of 2018. Sure, I had been going in the past but not as frequently. Looking back at some of the pics I have, I had come across some heat back in the day. Check it out starting with the Nike TL2 from Marshalls in Fresno back in 2006!
Trying Out Orbi’s Mesh Network
Walking the lanes of Costco, I noticed a new pack of Netgear’s Orbi wireless networking devices. Instead of the three-unit pack I had seen previously, Costco carries a two pack (one base and one satellite), and the cost is good, right under $200. While a single Wifi router has been working in my household, speeds have been down and coverage was sufficient.
So far so good with this Orbi setup. Speeds (as measured by Speedtest) have been very good, and configuration was easy (a little too easy). Compared to other NetGear products, configuration of the gear seems too simple. Where’s all the “advanced” settings that I’m used to seeing? I can’t even assign IP addresses to specific devices. The settings must be there, I just gotta do some research. I think the Orbi is a keeper.
My SmartThings Experiment Is Done
I was an early adopter of SmartThings from its Kickstarter days, but my forray into SmartThings is done. My Gen 1 base unit still works but pretty much every accessory I own has stopped behaving. One motion sensor stopped responding a long time ago and the second sensor had been working then stopped. My on-off switch was reliable until one of the countless updates made it unreliable. Sometimes it would work according to my programmed schedule, often times it didn’t.
With all the UI changes in the app, I had a hard time figuring out where everything went. How do I stop the blinking light on the on-off switch? I had found it a long ways back but since an update, I can’t find the setting anymore.
During the days, I would get a notification that my base unit was offline, and I’m not sure why. Was my home Internet down? Who knows, but with all this aggravation and minimal benefit, it was just easier to unplug all the SmartThings and say good bye.
eBay Tip: Pink > Roger Federer
Usually Roger Federer-logoed items sell. If you see that RF logo, odds are it’ll move on eBay. There’s one glaring exception that I’ve observed though.
The color pink is greater than the great tennis player. I had found a Nike polo shirt infused with Nike tech and endorsed by Federer. But it did not sell. Heck, it didn’t even get many views.
So eBay lesson learned – say yes to RF gear except if it’s pink.
Missed the UNIQLO Preview Event
Yeah, I’m a little disappointed that I missed out on the UNIQLO Pop-up Preview event at Ala Moana this afternoon, but… kids finishing the school year and spending the day with them was the right call. The day would have been even better if JR Smith at least hoisted up a shot after his rebound, but there were many other factors before then – the reversed charge call on LeBron, Steph’s 3 to end the half, Hill’s missed free throw.
Anyways, UNIQLO opens on Friday, June 1. I forgot to ask if the KAWS x Sesame Street collection would be available (currently coming soon online), but the Barry McGee collection is certainly in store.
