kronin323
Font of Useless Knowledge
Hello, friends.
Today is my one year anniversary on the forum. Feels like longer.
This is also my 5000th post. Yes, 5000 posts in one year. I don't know whether that's impressive or pathetic; maybe both?
There have been some other recent milestone posts that were very well done. I doubt this will live up to the same standards, but I'll do my best.
I've had brand-awareness of Oakley for decades, but always had a "churn & burn" attitude towards sunglasses and used cheapos. Until October 26th, 2007, the day I tried on my first pair of Oakleys. Juliets, of course...
I had known of x-metals since their release, but this was my first time handling them. I loved the solid feel, fit, and look. And the optics... oh, the optics! They became my first pair, plasma / ice iridium polarized.
A few months later, on February 6th, 2008, The Wife went to the O store and bought an OCP Juliet in x-metal / fire iridium polarized for my birthday five days later. Then I had two pairs, one with a neutral base, one with contrast; a year or two later I swapped the ice lenses for BIP; our office was more conservative at the time and ice was just a little too flashy to go with a suit...
I ran with these for years, was so proud of their optics, near- indestructibility, and overall quality. I used them for everything.
Until one day in the summer of 2013. I was at the beach swimming in the surf. I dove into a wave and it tore my original pair, my plasma / BIP, from my face, never to be seen again. And I searched for hours.
Fast forward a few months; the pair of Oaks The Wife wore (and kept dropping) finally broke and we decided to get each other a new pair for x-mas. All I wanted was to replace the exact pair I lost but found they'd been discontinued. I'd heard rumors for years that they were going to be, but it never happened so I started ignoring them. And now they were.
Researching replacements led me to this site, not for the exchange but for information, of which there was plenty. At first I wasn't sure how long I'd stick with it - you know, sometimes you're all into something and then something else catches your interest. But a few months later I was upgrading to premium membership and the rest, as they say, is history.
But that's a common story here - fell in love with a pair of Oakleys, after much use lost my beloved first pair, found the forum. I've read it again and again. One of us, one of us...
And that's what this post is really about. You. Despite it being a bit of a sausage-fest around here, this is a pretty diverse group. And you've all made this place a pretty enjoyable place to be. I'm not going to do the thing where I tag a list of members - it seems like those sort of lists invariably omit some worthy people, and I don't want to accidently snub anybody. But you know who you are. Yes, I'm talking about you.
I have learned SO MUCH about the brand and its products over this past year, have even become a bit of an authority in some areas. But my Oakley knowledge is dwarfed by many members here; I will never learn enough to compare with such vast experience. Nor with such vast collections...
So, in summary, THANK YOU! Thank you for the experience, the knowledge, the interaction. And most importantly, thank you for the friendship.
Now, on to some pics!!!!
Today is my one year anniversary on the forum. Feels like longer.
This is also my 5000th post. Yes, 5000 posts in one year. I don't know whether that's impressive or pathetic; maybe both?
There have been some other recent milestone posts that were very well done. I doubt this will live up to the same standards, but I'll do my best.
I've had brand-awareness of Oakley for decades, but always had a "churn & burn" attitude towards sunglasses and used cheapos. Until October 26th, 2007, the day I tried on my first pair of Oakleys. Juliets, of course...
I had known of x-metals since their release, but this was my first time handling them. I loved the solid feel, fit, and look. And the optics... oh, the optics! They became my first pair, plasma / ice iridium polarized.
A few months later, on February 6th, 2008, The Wife went to the O store and bought an OCP Juliet in x-metal / fire iridium polarized for my birthday five days later. Then I had two pairs, one with a neutral base, one with contrast; a year or two later I swapped the ice lenses for BIP; our office was more conservative at the time and ice was just a little too flashy to go with a suit...
I ran with these for years, was so proud of their optics, near- indestructibility, and overall quality. I used them for everything.
Until one day in the summer of 2013. I was at the beach swimming in the surf. I dove into a wave and it tore my original pair, my plasma / BIP, from my face, never to be seen again. And I searched for hours.
Fast forward a few months; the pair of Oaks The Wife wore (and kept dropping) finally broke and we decided to get each other a new pair for x-mas. All I wanted was to replace the exact pair I lost but found they'd been discontinued. I'd heard rumors for years that they were going to be, but it never happened so I started ignoring them. And now they were.
Researching replacements led me to this site, not for the exchange but for information, of which there was plenty. At first I wasn't sure how long I'd stick with it - you know, sometimes you're all into something and then something else catches your interest. But a few months later I was upgrading to premium membership and the rest, as they say, is history.
But that's a common story here - fell in love with a pair of Oakleys, after much use lost my beloved first pair, found the forum. I've read it again and again. One of us, one of us...
And that's what this post is really about. You. Despite it being a bit of a sausage-fest around here, this is a pretty diverse group. And you've all made this place a pretty enjoyable place to be. I'm not going to do the thing where I tag a list of members - it seems like those sort of lists invariably omit some worthy people, and I don't want to accidently snub anybody. But you know who you are. Yes, I'm talking about you.
I have learned SO MUCH about the brand and its products over this past year, have even become a bit of an authority in some areas. But my Oakley knowledge is dwarfed by many members here; I will never learn enough to compare with such vast experience. Nor with such vast collections...
So, in summary, THANK YOU! Thank you for the experience, the knowledge, the interaction. And most importantly, thank you for the friendship.
Now, on to some pics!!!!
