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Algorithms can either be good or bad, but for some reason on youtube I must have touched off one in the wrong way because I am constantly being bombarded by a trend I see starting. Or at least it seems that way. Men in pantyhose, or tights for those in other countries. Talk about changing up a mans typical drab wardrobe. I have no real opinion on the topic. When I first started transmission line work, I was in Montana in the winter of 1998 and it was cold. My foreman’s first words were, “buy pantyhose and wear them as it will keep you warm”. Like me, he was married and a mans-man in every way but openly wore pantyhose when it was cold out. I tried wearing them, and I think they do keep a person warmer, but it was too self-conscious for me. I worried about getting hurt and having to explain to medical professionals why I am wearing pantyhose under my work clothes. I do wear leggings though. They are often called “a base layer” but they are really leggings. My wife hates it, but I am not a front flap kind of guy, just downing the waistband when I need to go to the bathroom, so in order to look like I am wearing pants and not underwear with a flap, I buy the women’s style of base-layer, or leggings really. They are comfortable lounging at home, and keep me warm, although I think pantyhose did a better job of it. Without the flap, they look like black pants and so I can move in and out of the house with some neighbor wondering what I am wearing in semi-public! But it is all over youtube now, a drive to get men to wear pantyhose openly. I have no opinion on the matter except to point it out to people on here for discussion on whether its a new fashion trend they would embrace or detest. https://youtu.be/I1m0yWzI-jI?si=VJKkHfslddHSdGDG

Well, we do work inside of conduit more than you would think. Like the power coming to the island here is not run overhead, although it could be. The distance is not that far from shore to shore. Instead, it is dropped into conduit and run across the bridge that crosses the reach. But for the most part they are slung from poles or towers. The tallest towers in the world are in China at 385 meters or 1235 feet, or about the height of the Sears/Willis tower in Chicago. They need to be that high so they can span a 2 km, or 1.25-mile-wide river. But in the transmission line world, temperature is critical. Affixed solidly between two points, if the load increases, the wires heat up and thus expand… and sag… often times into tree limbs or vegetation. The newer lines have temperature sensors built into the wires along with signaling cable in the center of them so grid operators can know how much sag they are getting from high loads. That was part of the problem during the Great East Coast Blackout of 2003 which killed 100 people. As for your high heeled walk you did. First: you are a man of integrity so I think I speak for all of us when I say there was no need for a validating photo. While we appreciate seeing it by all means, it was not required because if you say you did something, I think all of us know you truly did it. But second of all… in the snow? Wow, are you brazen. Good for you! It is hard to say if you needed to do so with no one seeing you though. I think so many people are so caught up in their own worlds and problems they might not even notice a man walking in the snow in high heels. My case in point, I’ll be driving with the wife and say, “slow down for those deer”, to which she will say, “deer? Where? I don’t see any”. I say this because you would be surprised in what people do not see. Of course I say that with the full knowledge that some blooming idiots would drive into you in being so surprised to see a man walking in high heels in the snow too, paying no attention that they were actually driving!

Wow! Congratulations! That's really impressive! Those boots you bought are lovely and it will be huge fun to wear them out, I imagine. Certainly very stylish - and to wear them gracefully is an enviable accomplishment. Few can do that. Well done!

@mlroseplant You did great! 1,6 km in these heels sure isn't for beginners, and the snow doesn't make it easier. @Shyheels A different approach to practicing in heels, sounds adventurous 😀 I reached a milestone on the weekend - I wore my 13+ cm boots out for the furthest distance so far, to a location where I also wore the Hot Chicks before. It was around 200 m one way, a bit more than my usual walk around the block. The walk there was fine, on the walk back it was a bit more uncomfortable. I feel like I can finally step back on the practice walks and wear them out more for the "real things" 🙂

I'm glad that I'm not active on social media and only witnessing a few things via other channels. It probably gives a warped view on reality for many people. I also rarely seen Louboutins and any real high heels in the wild.

I do like my pour-over coffee - making it first thing in the morning is how I start off my day in my 12cm stilettos, my warm up so to speak

I have skinny calves too. I’ve two pair of stiletto boots from Italian heels - both are their Tina model, one (black) with 10cm heels and the other (chocolate brown) with 12cm heels. They fit very nicely around my calves. They were not cheap, but they are well made, real leather - I’d much rather have only a couple of pairs and have them fit beautifully. I’ve a pair of very beautiful, luxurious black suede OTK boots custom made by Jean Gaborit that fit absolutely perfectly, and their sturdy, slender 9cm heels are extremely walkable. But you do pay for that …

I profess to having a love of heeled boots and greatly prefer a pair of them (ankle to thigh-high) over a pair of pumps. For reasons I am unable to explain in a matter of a few simple words, boots, no matter the heel height, always seem to fit me so much better than pumps, loafers, etc. The problem that I face when trying to find that "just right" pair of boots is that I have slim calves and thus, I have had to pass on purchasing many of the gorgeous boots I have seen come the start of autumn. Based on my research, it appears that 15-16" (~38cm) top circumference is the "norm" and, unfortunately, I measure 14" (~34cm). If I wear of pair with a top circumference/shaft opening larger than 15" (36cm") they are obviously too large for my thin legs and can look rather awkward. Therefore when I am shopping for a new pair of boots, there are far fewer choices for me due to my narrow/slim calf size. I no longer shop for boots at shoe store as I know that what is available in my shoe size will be far too big in the calf area. Fortunately, I have been able to find a few brands that offer narrow calf boots for individuals like me. One brand that offers narrow calf boots with great quality/generally positive reviews is Naturalizer and I have two pairs of the Kalina model. They fit well and are well made, but the problem with this brand is that most of their styles have lower heels <3." Additionally, although the brand can be found at retailers outside of Naturalizer, as is often the case, once Naturalizer is out of a particular model, so is every other on-line retailer. So, as any Dutch members of this forum know, OP = OP! Another brand that I have found is Soleimani, which is sold via Slimcalfboots.com. Overall, the boots are well made and there is a fair selection of styles. I have a pair of black, 3.5" block heel pointed toe boots that have a "western" flair to them. They are comfortable and fit well through the calf but the ankle is a bit narrow which makes that area a bit tight. Although this does not affect walking in them, I can feel the leather pulling across my ankle when I bend it so my foot is pointing up. Likewise, the entire shaft is not leather as the part of the shaft in the back of the calf is a stretchy canvass-like material. Although advertised as "knee-high," some the their models are closer to mid-calf than at the knee. Despite this, I will probably be buying a pair of the same style boots in blue, and gray suede for next autumn. I very recently purchased a pair of boots from DUO out of the UK. I had added to a previous thread about DUO's self-inflicted missteps in the past and how the company just about went bankrupt due to an ill-conceived name change. As I had mentioned in that post, the number of different calf sizes available had dropped to eight, and the styles also changed. The elegant styles (with a great deal of sex appeal) which were once offered were replaced with boots that were far more "practical" and to me, bordered on "frump." The highest heel now on offer is ~3.5" (9cm) whereas in the past 4"/10cm styles could be found every season. Clearly, the audience at whom the boots were marketed had greatly shifted from "fashionista" to school teacher (No offense to any school teacher as my lovely spouse taught in a classroom for 19 years but she was always well put together). Also, there have been some complaints that the quality for which DUO was once known had fallen as well. Given the above, in respect to DUO, I was quite surprised to see the company offer a leather boot with a 3.5"/9cm stiletto heel in a snake print. To me, these seemed a bit "too" edgy for those to whom they would normally market their footwear. As my foot and calf size were available, I took a chance and ordered a pair. I was quite happy that DUO shipped these by FedEx as they only took a week to get to me (from the UK) compared to about three weeks if they were sent by post. Overall, the boots seem to well make and the calf size I purchased was perfect. The only draw back so far is that the ankle area is a bit large and the particular model I purchased was in whole sizes only (I am 9.5/US) so I had to order up a 1/2 half size. I am curious to see how comfortable they will be for a whole day. Next up...Other (usually very expensive) alternatives. The photo is from the DUO website...I will post a picture of how I wore them shortly after I do so! The black boots are from Soleimani.

Caffeine addicts understand. I once traded a cup of coffee for a bottle of whiskey while backpacking in the Sierra wilderness. They spotted the filter cone hanging from my backpack when we passed.

I cut quite a dash in my challenge heels this morning. As I was making my morning coffee I realised my gas cylinder was empty. Feeling a bit peevish - I wanted my coffee - I went out to shift to the other cylinder and then as luck would gave it had no end if trouble trying to screw in the nozzle to the other cylinder and, after that, resetting the regulator - don’t know why it was being so mulish this morning, I never usually have troubles. But I am sure I must have looked comical crawling over the bow if a narrowboat in 12cm stiletto knee boots, reaching down into the gas locker, trying to sort out the issue. But I got there in the end and went back in to finish making my coffee - my adventure in heels for the day.

Good for you! I would be afraid of slipping/skidding, but you handled it no problem!

I finally pulled the trigger and went for a walk in these shoes on this cold Sunday morning. The current temperature is -13º C, which is typical for mid January in Iowa, but I wanted to see if I could do it. I still haven't got a true measurement for the steepness of these shoes, but I am confident that the steepness is equal to or greater than 12 cm, de-rated and temperature corrected. Only electricians will get that last reference, I'm looking at you @CrushedVamp, although maybe you don't have a similar rule on the high voltage side of things, being as you don't try to stuff as many wires in a conduit as you can. Is it early on a Sunday morning here, and I didn't meet a single person on my walk. No dog walkers, no joggers. Only one car passed me in the street. That was my plan, because although in the end, I don't think I did too bad, I didn't want anyone to see me walking in these shoes. It was a vetting process, for sure. As usual, after about 1/4 mile, I began to find my feet. Really, a mile (1.6 km) was not too far. Maybe I'm beginning to get the hang of this. The attached photo shows circumstantial evidence that I actually did this. Also, I almost fell on my backside a couple of times, due to the dusting of snow that we got. It looks like somebody preceding me was wearing Birkenstocks, innit? How mundane.

Wind? Oh my do we have wind, but then we are sitting so far out to sea too. It’s about 15 miles out if you calculate the peninsula, then the first island, and then we are off the second island off that one. Perch a house out on a point and on a hummock of land and talk about the wind blowing. The wind just rips across the bay. In the winter we have gales 2-3 times per week! (Gale: 34-49 mph or 54-78 km per hour winds) Yesterday we had a gale, but today there is just a small craft advisory posted. I will go for my daily walks in heavy wind, but not if it rains. I did that one time in December and stepped on a root I did not see. Wet, I slipped and fell on my right side. It hurt, but I was not hurt too bad but stunned. Of course I had a 2 mile hike out and it was getting dark. I hobbled out in time, but it was VERY dark when I did. As was, the wife called me she was so worried. We are within sight of the Coast Guard so I was not to worried, but still who would want to have to call them? After that I started thinking about my walks with more caution. I always hated to be the “what if” kind of person, but as I got older, well… But walks are important. I sometimes sneer at going for mine, but then I think in way of second order thinking. “If I miss this time, then it will be easier to miss next time”. And I try and call my hiking time as “my power hour”. I am not saying you should or should not go, but for me sometimes I push-through and am glad I did.

In England it’s not so bad if it wasn’t for the damp. That’s what really gets you. Gets into your bones.

It is true! We will give you honest, real-life answers on here that you won't find on Instagram. It's strange that I have never actually seen a pair of Louboutins in the wild, but you'd think everybody was wearing them if you looked at my social media feeds. I am not sure that I've even seen 12 cm in real life either (non platform). There are only a handful of folks on Instagram who can actually walk well in 12 cm, and I can tell you I'm not one of them. Maybe I will be sometime in 2026. But yeah, I'm not going to blow smoke up anybody's nether regions about it either. It's not an easy skill!

Yeah, that sucks. Cracked heat exchanger, eh? Did it sound like a firecracker was going off in your basement/utility room every time the furnace kicked on? Adds a little too much excitement to life. I was offered a furlough, but I turned it down. Yes, contracts are signed for the next building, and prep work has already begun, but all it takes is for one engineer to change something, and then we're talking May or June before they need me, instead of March. I will not sit for a contractor anymore. I don't foresee not getting back to work before unemployment benefits run out, so the worst case scenario would be that I don't get to take the exact job I want, I would have to take what's available. I am seriously thinking about bundling up this morning and going for a walk, even though I don't want to. It is definitely weather where it would be problematic if the furnace went out, plus it's very windy. A famous saying in Iowa, and I imagine other parts of the Frozen North, "Ya know, this really wouldn't be all that bad if it weren't for the wind."

Yes, I understand. It surprises me too how a Pinterest Algorithm can set myself up to be bombarded with high heel wearing depictions. It is as if the whole world wears high heels and we have not seen that since the 1950’s and 1980’s. Yet we know the truth, but that is just the world today. No one actually does the things they claim they know so much about. Not to get into a tirade railing against “youtube influencers”… which I think is a misnomer because really, who the heck are they truly influencing? But I digress. It just seems so many people have an opinion on something that they never actually engage in… like having many depictions of how to choose comfortable high heels when no one is wearing them. I think it is why I come back to this site so often: most members on here are authentic. I appreciate and respect that.

Oh, how I can relate! I got a job when I first moved to the island, but I realized quickly taking it was a mistake. We were also doing a lot of work on two houses that were 2-1/2 hours apart from one another. Between the three, something had to give, so I gave up the job. It’s been nice getting so much done around the island house; I put in a new kitchen floor yesterday just as an example, but we are also hemorrhaging money. But now that I am ready to find another job now that things are stabilizing on the home front, I am finding there are slim-pickings out there. But, part of that is island life. Fishing is seasonal and so a lot of people are looking for winter jobs right now. Of course, they do not say they are going back to fishing in the spring to these employers, so it leaves me competing with a lot of other people even though I would be full-time. The other bad thing: our furnace cracked its heat exchanger which is a non-repairable part. That means we have not had heat for several days and have six days to go until they install a new one. That was $6000 which had to be paid up front. But it is also 13 degrees (-10 degrees C), so while not overly cold outside, it is still cold enough to want to have heat in the house. We got electric heaters going, but it’s not really working the best. I hasten to wish my life along, but Friday cannot come fast enough for me! That being said, I am sorry to hear you were laid-off from your job. Bitter-sweet by the sounds, but I hope the length of your work-departure is only as long as you want it to last. Best wishes to you @mlroseplant

I’m sorry to hear of this too - for both of you. I too am finding work hard to come by as the magazine world collapses around my ears. On the bright side I’ll have much more time to write that novel and to practice in my 12cm heels.

So sorry to hear this. Hoping you got some sort of financial/insurance benefits that might carry on for awhile. I was ready to leave the airlines as well, but didn't think this retirement thing through very well. I really need to find a little job to get me out of this house and keep my mind engaged. Would love to be able to wear my boots at work also.....

I totally get that last part. Go-go boots are just for retro parties and sold at costume shops. I would still love to have a pair, but the longing is based more on unrequited desire and fond memories than any practicality - what would I wear them with? I’m not really a mini skirt kind of guy

I have found the same to be true--as long as I'm on an even, hard surfaced walkpath, stilettos seem to be just as easy as any other heel. Better, in fact, sometimes, because you don't have the shoe directing you exactly how to come down on your foot--there is more flexibility and grace there. Add in a few cracks and bumps, however, and suddenly the disadvantages rear their ugly heads! In addition to stilettos, I have a fondness for wooden heeled sandals. This seems contradictory at first, but it's probably a result of the time I grew up in. Like @Shyheels and his go-go boots one decade earlier, by the time I came of age, all the cool girls wore wooden heeled sandals, and I wish I could have. Now all the cool girls are not so cool anymore, and I am the one wearing the wooden heeled sandals!

I can remember very clearly the first time I experienced this phenomenon, albeit on a slightly lower scale. At the time, I was wearing around 9-10 cm pretty much all the time, and got to where I felt pretty good at that height. Then one day I wore those 7 cm sandals that I just got rid of, and I thought, "Man, I can really zoom around in these things!" I almost started running everywhere, because I could. I never much advanced beyond the 9-10 cm range until recently, thanks to this challenge. I don't want to say I can zoom around in 10 cm, but they feel much less like heels than they used to.

I personally do not use earbuds when I am out and about. That is a foreign concept to me. Half the reason I walk early in the morning is to enjoy the relative silence of a small town. In addition, and I hate to think this is even a concern, but I wouldn't want someone to be able to sneak up on me unawares. As you know, I've had very few problems wearing heels in my locale, but not zero problems. I would like to take this opportunity to share the news that I will be laid off today. I thought this day would never come! I am very much ready to go, but I wasn't ever going to actually ask for a layoff. I have a list of things around the house that I've been putting off, and I hope I have the discipline to get them done reasonably quickly, now that I will have the time.

Oh, I was the Logger who saved Little Red Riding Hood from the Big Bad Wolf!