It's a slow day @ work today.
I thought I'd post some general thought on becoming an aspring collector. I've just started getting into them. At first, I just wanted the one pair I'd wear all the time. The one magical pair that defined who I was, while making me look lilke who I wanted to be at the same time. Weird combo. Anyway, many Oakleys didn't fit the bill. Too exotic, too wild, too small, felt weird, too expensive. I had the benefit of a good friend that let me try several from his collection to no avail. I didn't find that one single magical pair. But I did find ones I liked. For some reason, a pair of Scars really took me by surprise. So after hunting them down on ebay, I made my first purchase, spending way more than I thought sunglasses should. But they were so freaking cool.
Along the way, I learned more about the O from my friend, and grew to respect the company more & more. I found a deep richness in the history, the future, and community (that's you) that formed a culture I thought I could get into. I have ties to another culture that has similar traits, and became a moderator of that community. Anyway, back to the glasses.
At this point, I thought I'd be happy with my overpriced shades. I started looking at other models thinking "those would be cool, but when would I wear them?". I also kept looking for my magical pair. Then I went to a Vault. Please keep in mind that my financial situation never changed. I was poor a year ago, and am stil poor. So it's not like a windfall enabled all of this! I found a set of WHY 8.0 that i simply fell in love with. It was perfect on too many levels to describe.
All of a sudden, I have 2 sets in less than 2 weeks. Wow. Now I'm doing more research, seeing more glasses, and all of a sudden I can appreciate all the styles I thought were "too wild, too weird, etc". I found cheaper pairs on eBay, craig's list, the classifieds, and other places. Now Oakleys are more accessable. Now I have a formal hunger. So many different styles I want to try. To see through. To have and respect the engineering. To know more about. To search for rarities. As someone said in their Spotlight, it's about the journey & search, which I've found true in many aspects of life.
So, now I have 2 pairs, and will possibly double my collection by day's end. I do consider myself a collector now because I'm looking, and not afraid to get styles I might not wear, but just areunique. I hunger for different lenses too. I can see the strain it puts on my wallet (not Oakley...yet) and understand the value in patience. I have satisfied my main need for getting an immediate set as a daily driver. I went from "Wow, those ugly things are way too expensive!" to "All Hail Oakley, in all their engineered, styled glory!" in 2 weeks flat. Looking back on it, it's rather surreal. Unfortunately, I think it's a one-way street.
I look forward to a long relationship with Oakley, and with all of you. And one cannot write a missive such as this without giving credit to Dann, making the Community and Catalogues (and everything else) possible.
Glasses
Goggles
Watches
Accessories
Alphabetical
Video Reviews
