I don’t get this Lebron thing. Yes, he moved teams. Why has he turned into the ‘most hated man in sports’ all of sudden? I understand if you’re a Cavs fan – you’re best player just left and you’re looking at a 30 win season next year (and that’s being generous). But what’s everyone else so mad about?

First up, the show. My view of Lebron is tempered by the fact that I didn’t watch the decision. But no one else had to. Logic should’ve told you that an hour-long show about something that takes ten seconds to say would have some padding. And if it annoyed you so much, why didn’t you just change the channel?

Secondly, all these ’sometimes taking the stairs is better than the elevator’ arguments. I don’t know where to start with these but I’ll give it a go – that’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. If you were offered a better job with better workmates, prospects and location wouldn’t you take it? Or would you, as this analogy implies, say ‘nah, I’d rather work my arse off for next to nothing, it’s character building’. And that’s ignoring that Lebron took the stairs for seven years – when your second best player is an over-the-hill Antawn Jamison, that counts as taking the stairs. Actually, that’s taking the stairs while someone throws bowling balls at you.

Thirdly, the whole loyalty thing. Loyalty in sports is an odd thing – players are supposed to be unfailingly loyal to their teams but teams can trade players without a second thought. Lebron was at the Cavs for seven years, more than long enough for them to build a championship worthy team around him. They didn’t do it, so he left and created his own team. Despite all the hyperbole, it’s no different than the Big three at Boston or Pau Gasol being traded to the Lakers for a chicken sandwich.

And lastly, onto the dumbest part of this argument – the ‘winning doesn’t necessarily make you a champion’ argument. I felt my IQ drop 20 points just typing that sentence. Again, I feel for any Cavs fans, but can we quit the nonsensical arguments? you’re making yourselves look bad.

This blog/column can get a bit rant heavy at times, so here’s a rundown of some things I’m loving right now.

- The jealous/forlon ‘what about me?’ look on bystanders faces in street style photos

- Olivia Palermo’s hair. I’m convinced she uses the Prince Akeem recipe of juices and berries.

- Rick Ross’s compulsive lying. I don’t believe rappers who boast about their criminal dealings anyhoo, but I’m sure Rawse actually thinks he’s met the real Norieaga (and is owed a hundred favours). I’m still convinced he should name a future album ‘Cocaine and Crabmeat’.

- Ordering things in foreign countries in my pigeon version of French/Spanish/Italian. It always devolves to me shouting ‘excuse moi, dos stellas, prego grazie’.

- The look on people’s faces when they realise they’re on TV during the world cup. ‘Shit, we’re done 3-1, this is awful. hang on a minute, look, I’m on the big screen! Wave!!’

It’s rare that I look forward to anything on the internet, not because I’m a curmudgeon, it’s just that the flow of new things is so constant I don’t have time to get excited. An exception to that rule is Street Etiquette’s ‘Genesis of Style’ project. While I am excited about the project itself, what I’m really excited about is the shift in menswear blogging it represents.

Last year was all about craftsmanship; we got treated to endless factory tours and studio visits. Somewhere in all this gusset and yoke talk, the relationship between wearer and clothes became secondary. Don’t get me wrong, I like the details, but there was a point where it all got boring. I love music too, but I don’t want to know how Thom Yorke tunes his guitar.

It goes without saying that workwear took shit over last year. Chambray shirts, indigo denim, brogues and a hastily grown beard was the unofficial uniform of the new workwear aficionado. An annoying side-effect of this rise was the increased amount of negative comments on anything that was deemed as feminine. I wouldn’t mind this if we spent all day featuring frilly skirts and dresses, but the idea of feminine clothes stretched to anything that wasn’t blue, grey or black.

While these comments annoyed me for a few reasons – ignorance, homophobia and general stupidity to name a few – what really ground my gears was that comments like these totally ignored the relationship between clothes and wearer – the most important factor in clothing. As a wise man once said, it’s never what you do but how it’s done. Maybe we’ll get back to that this year.

Has there ever been a worse time to be Nigerian?

Being Nigerian has never been as cool as, say, being from the Caribbean (I was reminded of this constantly as a youngster) but it’s taken a few serious knocks lately. Firstly there’s the whole online scamming thing – I’ve no sympathy for the numpties who fell for that nonsense – but this wannabe bomber has taken it to new depths.

Aside from the obvious issues here, what country wants to be known for a failed bomber? At least if he’d pulled off he’d have shown some initiative, and drive – but he failed and he’s forever tarnished his country as the one that made the guy who stuffed explosives into his boxers.

The news reports haven’t helped either. I know they have to report the news, but do they have to mention that he’s Nigerian in every news report? That’s negative reinforcement on a grand scale. Before you know it the BNP will start talking about Nigerians in the same way they do about, err, every race, gender, colour and creed different from themselves.

And that’s not to mention how hard it’ll be for any Nigerian to board a plane. We’ll be subjected to those random checks that were carried out on anyone vaguely Middle Eastern. I’m lucky I have the double whammy of a British passport and an English sounding name (which, as the old joke goes, shows that my parents wanted me to have a good career). Any Olufemi Adeyemi’s out there might not be so lucky.

2009 has been the year of the blog. Bloggers are getting front row seats, flown to Japan and hanging out with designers (although that’s just Tavi doing all that). But one thing people just can’t seem to get right is how to approach us in the first place. So here are some do’s and mostly don’t’s.

Do offer a slightly personalised approach: Obviously you don’t have to read the entire archive before sending over something, but I get far too many inbox-clogging emails about shit I’d never write about. A little research goes a long way.

Don’t send news you’ve given to another blog weeks ago: In case you hadn’t noticed, blogging is all about newness. And chances are I’ve already seen it and have no interest, hence why it’s not on the site already.

Don’t say ‘I love your blog’: Even if you mean it, I hear this phrase so often it’s in one ear and out the other. It’s the blogging equivalent of telling someone they’re beautiful (and lord knows I hear that enough).

Don’t send us a press release about a party without an invite: Why the hell would I want to write about an event you don’t even have the courtesy to invite me to?

Don’t CC emails: BCC’ing isn’t that hard to do.

Don’t tell me you stock Nom De Guerre: So what? So does everybody.

Do stock pieces other stores won’t have: If you are gonna stock the likes of NDG, at least take some chances in the buying stakes. It’ll pay off in terms of blogging coverage. You can always sell the ‘guaranteed sellers’ in store.

Don’t tell us about your online store if the pictures are awful: This should go without saying. Why would I feature a badly shot piece from your store when I get a great shot from elsewhere?

Don’t stock brands that established online stores already stock: No one will buy the piece from you when it’s already available from a retailer they trust.

Don’t follow our lead: This is at odds with the previous point but consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. I’m starting to see stores that are stocking things on the basis that they’re ‘blogging favourites’. Words can’t describe how boring this is. Surprise us sometimes.

Everything’s relative. While I wouldn’t balk at spending more than £200 on a pair of well made shoes, I wouldn’t spend £12 on a DVD. Sound crazy? Well it is a bit nuts. But think about it. Ever since I started obtaining all my DVD’s via my good friend Mr. Rent (first name: Bitto), even spending the most miniscule amount on a DVD is too much for me. My mind says, “£3?! You could go home and download it for free ask your mate for a copy”.

But sometimes my relative cheapness comes back to bite me. Last week, I came across a film by Shirley Clarke called ‘portrait of Jason’. The first thing I noticed was that this dude was quite a snappy dresser, the second was the price – £12 – so I passed. Went home to ask my good friend Mr. Rent, but he didn’t have it. And the now the cheapest price I can find anywhere is £12. Just my luck.

I might have to just spend the money though, the film looks to have far more going for it than just his dress sense. The film is basically one long interview, something never done before at it’s time of release, focusing on the life of hustler Jason Holiday. Holiday was also black and gay, two things which really weren’t looked upon favourably (to put it extremely mildly) in the sixties.

I would tell you more, but I need to cough up £12 first.

Call this a pit stop post. I’m just tying up a few loose ends before I start updating this once a week. Or whenever I get the time. I’m making no promises. Here’s some loosely related topics that were all too big for a twitter but too small for their own blog post.

Like Monocle, Man About Town also had a predecessor. I could bore you with the particulars, but Magforum has all the info. Just take a gander at the amazing covers they did back then.

I’ve developed a real hankering for big, thick soled boots lately. An odd obsession to get in July, but you can’t control these things. That’s also the reason you’ve been seeing so many boots on the main blog lately. Right now these Lodger desert boots are my weapon of choice, although I’ll probably add this pair of Grensons to the team when they ‘drop’.

While I know my boot lust is workwear related, the workwear love is spiralling out of control. People are genuinely talking about wearing sandals and socks, ferchristsakes. Everyone loves a heritage story, but there’s nothing wrong with just looking good.

Here’s what’s been keeping me going these past few days.

For all the detail-aholics out there, the Cardigan is COS, the Jeans APC new standard and the desert boots are by Lodger. The book down there is ‘writing for journalists’ by Wynford Hicks. I’ve had this ever since I studied Journalism (about three years ago now, I’m getting on) and I still use it as a reference when I need to polish up my grammar. Without firing shots, there are plenty of blogs who could do with giving this book a read. I know building an empire is the thing to do nowadays, but there’s a lot to be said for focusing on the fundamentals.