~*...buying gear and video games...*~

yesterday i went shopping for snowboard gear with my friend karen. when my friends need someone knowledgeable to go with them to buy snowboard gear, i seem to be a popular choice. i'm not complainin. i love snowboarding, and i love buying snowboard gear, even if it isn't for me. i pride myself in knowing what i'm talking about, and my friends seem to rekognize it. if it means that more of my friends are on the hill to shred with, i'll do whatever it takes to get them on the hill faster and with the right gear.

we started at the source for sports at yonge and eligable (eglinton) and tried on some boots. ask anyone who snowboards and they will tell you that boots are the most important part of your set up. you can have the best board, the best bindings, the best clothing...but if you're feet hurt, you won't be able to enjoy your snowboarding experience. unfortunately, the source for sports didn't have the burton sapphire boots, so karen tried on this year's burton freestyle's. she liked them, but we had two more places to go and i knew that once the sapphire's were on her feet she would not want to take them off. burton makes some quality products...their boards and outer gear is a bit overpriced, but their boots and bindings are solid and worth every penny. i'm rockin the 2004 burton motos...they are the best burton bang for your buck, and i ride my shit hard!

on our way to coast mountain sports, we came across a nutcracker. it's the most wonderful time of the year.

coast mountain sports caters mostly to entry level snowboarders (the motos were the best boot they had, and that's just one step above the entry level burton boot). they focus on complete snowboard packages, so most of their boards aren't for advanced riders, intermediate at most. we didn't find much there at all, so we headed over to hogtown extreme sports. i knew we'd find what we wanted there...they've been around since i started skateboarding and the best selection of quality gear in the city.

karen and i walked the underground PATH to get to hogtown from the eaton center. the path links 27km of shopping, services, and entertainment in the downtown toronto core. its a great way to get around the city in the wintertime and stay warm. too bad most of the shops aren't open on the weekend...the path is used mostly during the week. as we emerged from the underground walkway at metro hall, karen decided she needed a rest and took a breather on a hammock.

hogtown had this year's sapphires, and had them in karen 's size. they were even cheaper than the listed price at the source ($288.99). its so fun seeing people's faces when they put on a pair of quality boots. there's no feeling like it. it just feels right. i've seen it so many times. the sapphires (and the hails for men) are worth every penny. they make your feet feel like should in a boot, heavenly. if i had the cash...;)

karen was very happy with her boot purchase. she didn't find any boards or bindings that really jumped out at her at hogtown, at least within her price range. i always recommend spending the most on your boots. the bindings and board aren't as important, and you can always upgrade those. comfy boots are essential, everything else, especially when you are just learning, isn't as important. we then headed to hells belles to try on a different kind of fashion *rraow*

i love trying on clothing, especially goth and cyber goth gear with hotties. who says you have to buy? try things on that you may never even buy. feel what its like to play the role, and take pikchaz of yourself in the outfit. so much fun. and daam did karen look hawt in some of the outfits she tried on. i'd post pix, but one of the reasons why i am allowed to take the pix i do of my friends in this kind of gear is that they are not to be shared with anyone else. sorry.

after playing dressup, karen and i met up with my friend graham at ho su bistro to grab some take out. we stopped at blockbuster video on the way home to rent two video games, soul calibur 3 and star wars battlefront 2. stupid xbox 360 has jacked up the prices of all video game rentals to $8.99! holy shit! at least i get it for a week, and then can hold on to it for a month for a $2 restocking fee.

karen czech'd out boards and bindings online at my place and ended up purchasing this board and these bindingz. sexxxy set up karen. i can't wait to see how hawt you look with your new purchase.

graham and i, being the geeks that we are, played some soul calibur 3. man, this game is the best fighting game evar. so smooth, wikkid graphics, and awesome characters. only available on the ps2, this game sets the bar very high for all other fighting games to beat.

i pulled graham away from gaming to join me in kensington market for a quick drink with my friend tahira. it was her 34th birthday and she was celebrating at the last temptation in the market.

then it was back to my place to finish the night off playing star wars battlefront 2. this game kicks so much ass. you can play as jedis too, including yoda and lord vader himself. we played until we were too tired to stay up, passed out, and woke up this morning to play even more before beginning our sunday. i love playing vids with graham, so much fun and he takes hi gaming seriously...well, not that seriously.

i'm sure gonna miss these kind of evenings with graham when i'm gone. what a great saturday night.

normaste