Pickup: Merrell Trail Glove

This weekend I decided to try to start to work towards barefoot running. I've had extremely flat feet since I was in elementary school and always had problems with back/foot pain. I've used orthotics for that entire time and while I've managed to run a marathon and do a couple of triathlons they've always been followed by severe pain. Barefoot style running has become more mainstream in recent years with the popularity of Vibram's Fivefingers and after some research I found out that some people are finding positive results even with flat feet. I didn't think my body could take the shift from bulky orthotics to Fivefingers so I opted to get these Merrell Trail Gloves. They've been getting great reviews recently, both online and from friends. Even after only wearing them for an hour around the ravine last night I noticed less back pain but we'll see how that progresses. If I see enough success these will be my go-to shoes for my trip to Japan in August.

Thinking About: Dress Shirts

     Now that I am starting a more professional degree at school I'm starting to think I need more than one dress shirt in my closet. The only one that I do have I mentioned here, and while nice, not all the measurements were quite correct so it is a little tight in the chest and loose around the neck. Some of the details that I am looking for start with a solid light blue fabric. I have quite pale skin, being red headed and all, so I think light blue will look better than the stark contrast of white. As for the type of weave, I'm thinking a broadcloth, poplin, or twill. A slim fit but not skinny. A higher medium-spread collar for my long neck and skinny face. Barrel cuffs as they are more versatile. Mother of pearl buttons would also be nice.
     Realistically I will have to try some shirts on before I make any judgement and tailoring will probably also be necessary to achieve a better fit. Here are some I am looking at at the moment. Once I figure out my proper neck size and sleeve length, something I should have done a long time ago, ordering shirts online will become much easier. I will also consider another online made-to-measure attempt. I will post my findings here as they happen.

Polo Ralph Lauren Custom Fit Regent in a light blue

One of Eddie's, a local menswear shop, house-brand shirts

Updates

Some of you may know that Manav and I were both business students trying to get into law school.While this news is not very new I am happy to say that we have both been accepted to the law schools that we wanted. Starting this fall, half of the Up North team will holding down the fort in Edmonton, while the other will be moving out west to Vancouver.In other news, this summer we both have trips planned overseas. Manav will be gallivanting throughout Europe and I'll be roaming across Japan so you can expect some detailed posts on those in the upcoming months.