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Over the weekend, my son's high school jazz band performed at a festival. They did well. The trombone section has taken to wearing pink shoes as of late. 3 out of the 4 of them now wear such for every concert. Times have changed. There's no way a boy could have gotten away with wearing pink shoes and lived to tell the tale back in my day.

I went to a high school jazz band event over the weekend, and I chose to wear some coffee colored 11 cm pumps. The event was at a high school I'd never been to, and I arrived in the early afternoon of what was an all day event. Therefore, I had to park the car kind of far away from the building. When it was time to go home, I got turned around, and led us out the wrong door on the opposite side of the building from where I ought to have been. Me in my 11 cm heels, and my son lugging his baritone saxophone case. When I realized what I had done, my son said, "Well, at least you'll get in some good practice for your 12 cm challenge." We did get to check out a really cool 1950 Nash Rambler that was parked outside of the auto shop as a result of my mistake. I'd never seen one before in person.

Ohhhh-Kay! This seems like a good time to change the subject. At church on Sunday, and I am not exaggerating, I must have received a dozen comments on my necktie (all complimentary, of course). Even the pastor evidently really liked this tie. I agree, this particular neck adornment is whimsical and fun without being tasteless, but I don't understand its universal appeal.

No such thing as stiletto wedges in my view. I've seen what purports to be stiletto wedges, but stilettos, as the name suggests, are styled to resemble the lethal and needle-like Italian dagger of that name. "Stiletto wedges" are more like meat cleavers.

😀😃🙃😁 @Shyheels. I just bought a pair of wedges hopefully they fit. I love wedges, 25% of my shoes are wedges. Even have 2.5 inch wedge sneakers. What about stiletto wedges?

Been to Montreal, and I know which mall/stores you are talking about. Almost a repeat of stuff I did my previous visit, including looking for "sale" items. I'm pretty sure I have been to those L'intervalle stores (there used to be in Ottawa as well), and I'm quite sure I've also tried on stuff at that store. Keep doing this, it does get easier! Thanks for the story, brought up some memories for me...

I neither like nor dislike wedges. They look all right as sandals. But for me the are just not heels. They’re more like angled soles. To me heels are just that - a distinct identifiable style feature, sporty in the case of chunky heels, elegant in the case of stilettos

I use to be a size 10 (once 38"), but many of my size 10 jeans are now sipping off of me. So I got a size 8 and a size 6. Both fit. Go figure.

Sizing also depends on the style and brand of clothing. For most, I'm a size 12, but skinny jeans size 10 works well, and recently bought some flared-jeans that are size 7. Not sure what logic there is...

I'm not a fan of wedges, never really found one that felt comfortable, not sure why. I'm happy with the look, just didn't find them comfortable. As summer approaches, I'll check them out once more, but honestly, any trend that brings back heels would be good! It's ironic that usually I'm the one wearing the highest heels I see, and I'm a guy. No ladies wear them. Not that it influences what I wear, just saying...

The discussion with AI was more around color-choices, styles, etc. "given I'm a guy and wearing red knee-high boots, how should I style it". It gave me some good ideas, after which I put together what I wanted. It's great for generating ideas that I might not have thought of it, but the final decision is of course mine. The heels, I'm actually very happy that I'm getting comfortable with them, no more guilt, and enjoying things. It's good to be different. This is where AI helped with styling. I had 0 ideas on how to wear something so obvious and colorful! Told me "hoodie", I'm like WHAT? Hoodie with elegant red boots? But some google image searches showed women wearing hoodies with boots and they looked fantastic, so why not? This is why I appreciated AI, gave me an out-of-my-box idea. Much appreciate the support everyone! Will try to post more often.

But not with your blow-up dolly I hope!

On Valentine's Day I wore my black leggings with the pink hearts and the word love on them. With a red tunic top to just above my knees. With that I added my red leather knee boots with 3" small block heels. I took my wife out to dinner after doing some shoppinmg together. I did get a couple of compliments. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Your math seems correct. I guess the real issue is that keeping a vehicle long term requires some commitment from the owner, you can't just drive it until it breaks, you need to be proactive. Most folks are so busy with life and family, there isn't much time left over to devote to looking after a vehicle. The other issue is finding a trusted shop/mechanic who will be proactive without cleaning out your wallet. I laugh when some folks claim they drive a certain brand for 300K miles, doing little more than oil changes/brakes, etc. I'm not buying it, all vehicles have their trouble areas, some just have way more than others. You have to know when to "throw in the towel". Saying good bye to your CRV when the transmission started slipping seems like the right move. Used cars are a gamble, there is usually a back story, unless you buy directly from the sole owner who proudly supplies repair history. The used car I bought last year has slowly revealed its dark side, nothing terrible, but it obviously did not enjoy the same level of care I am giving it now. I'm hoping this will be my last car, we will see. And yes, stretching your budget to display a shiny new car is silly. But many people can afford the convenience of buy new, minimal maintenance for a few years, then trading it while it still has some value. So, I can understand that method of car ownership as well, provided your budget is not stretched by enjoying this convenience. I guess the problem is that many folks see new cars as "status symbols", and really can't afford them.

What's wrong with BOTH?

I buy new and maintain my cars, drive them to their death. I commute over a 3000 ft. mountain to work each way and I ski, so I need a four wheel drive. Hope to retire in 2 years, but I might go longer. What am I going to do for the next 35+ years?

Yes, I like the feel of being in heels. And while I like the forbidden aspect, if wearing heels was accepted I’d absolutely enjoy them just as much - perhaps even more because the market would be there for more styles and they’d be easier to find and buy. My tastes are also very classical - clean lines and simple elegance. That’s what I like so much about 12cm stilettos. They seem to me to be the ideal height - elegant, imperious, but without ever exceeding the bounds of good taste. That’s why I would love to be able to walk gracefully in them

That's an interesting question, and I think my answer might be a little bit different than what's been said so far. Rebellion, at least in the purest sense, has nothing to do with it for me. I think I would probably still wear heels even if it were a completely normal thing for a man to do. I just like them. I like the way they look (classic styles, anyway) and I like the way they feel. Most people can't understand that I actually like to walk in heels. It's not a sacrifice I make for the sake of fashion or sense of personal style. There is the athletic challenge side it also, but it's a smaller portion of the sum total. Yeah, it's nice to be able to say that I walked so many miles last year, but it's just something I actually enjoy.

My 2004 Ford Crown Vic has but 130,000 miles on it, and more importantly, no rust. The weak spot on these cars, if there is one, is the transmission. We've talked about manual swapping it out should it ever fail, but I hope I don't have to ever make that decision. I figure it will last another 7 years until I retire, then I won't care as much. My 2009 Yamaha Majesty scooter (400 cc) has 33,000, and there's a good chance it will last me until I retire. I tell you what, insurance is cheap on those things, even with a 17 year old driver listed on the policy. I don't even want to know what it would cost to insure a brand new car or motorbike.

Yes, this is by no means a full avoidance of the headaches of care and maintenance, but life on the cut seems a whole lot simpler than in the world of bricks and mortar and automobiles. As I write this I’m getting ready to take off my heels and head down the muddy towpath with my collapsible dolly to buy a couple of 25kg bags of coal …

Yes, motoring costs and the increasingly-draconian laws applicable to driving and vehicles provide no incentive to car-ownership, let alone motoring for pleasure. But you won't entirely escape their equivalents with a narrowboat, especially when it comes to maintaining a diesel engine. And public transport, when necessary, can come at quite a price. That all said, I can certainly see the appeal of your canal lifestyle!

I really don't have a high knowledge level when it comes to cars. Only a bit for the things I already worked on myself. My husband is a great help and guides me through so even I can manage some things 🙂

Well done you! I’m having to learn about diesel engines, solar power and electrical systems - and starting from a very low knowledge base!

Exactly this!

@CrushedVamp So true! What's funny is that my car now is worth about the same as when I bought it. With the help of my husband I'm even able to do some things on my own, so repairs can be surprisingly cheap. And it's a good feeling when I know that I was able to fix/maintain it (at least a bit) by myself 🙂