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Forget the end of the year holidays and all that about being the "...most wonderful time of the year" nonsense. This is it - the start of boot season! So, this morning was an appointment with my dentist and this was the outfit I wore (never hurts to make a memorable 1st impression!). Do not get me wrong, I am already looking forward to the return of my warm season heels, but given the choice, I would always select boots over pumps as the former just seems to fit better. Unfortunately, today was just a preview as the weather will warm over the next few days making boots (and tights) a bit "too" warm. And the outfit with the orange skirt was the end of summer clothing day on 9/30.

Been public for many years and even at work. I'm not even queen as you put it. I love my heels, love how they feel and love how they look. I wear nothing less the 5 inch mostly stilettos yet everyone knows I'm masculine. Women have told me it takes balls, but I'm old enough to remember when if a guy wore an ear ring he was considered queen. Now women have tattoos and brush cuts so why should I not wear heels.

Funny you should ask, I have told my GF of 12 years the exact same thing, "You have it you should flaunt it" She says I leave that up to you! Shes usually a size 4 and 7 shoe, looks incredible in everything, BUT does not want to be the center of attention,,,,,Well I DO! She really wonders how I do it. I will say that my travels back and forth constantly from Chicago to Tampa I am always dressed up. I am in 4- 5" heels 99% of the time with a dress, skirt/shirt, Lulu Align or Groove pants used as dress pants. I did wear on my last trip down a Lulu Align skirt with a Lulu Define jacket and some Nike gym shoes, felt kinda weird to not be in heels but it was a great looking outfit, I thought, even went straight out to dinner when I arrived. We were commenting on boot season earlier and I will be out and about this weekend with a new pair of knee boots or otk boots. I have bought a few pairs of ankle to otk boots already this year. Back to the topic, I love to get an outfit put together and go out for an afternoon or evening. My GF says when it comes to the clothes/outfit and heels I am more of a chick then she is!!! Not sure if that is good or bad but I will take it as a compliment. Most of you know I could care less what people think or say, most people don't even notice. I wear what I like period. I wish it was easier to post pics here but it is a pain in the a**. Come to Chicago and I am sure we can cross paths somewhere! I'm not here for a long time, I am here for a good time!

If I had answered this question on the day it was initially posted (which, incidentally, will be one year on the day after I complete this post) I would have said "Nope!" "Nada!" "Nein!" "Nyet!" etc. This was still in the time when I was wearing heels in private. As of today, however, my answer would be "You bet I am wearing heels!" I see it as a matter of confidence coupled with an utter lack of concern about what others may think and if they should have a problem with it. As noted yesterday, I went to the dentist and it was the first time I was out wearing boots and a skirt while not in the company of someone who knows me. Then in the late afternoon, it was a visit to the (new for me) nurse practitioner, but dressed much more business like in a pair of Aerosoles pumps due to the warmth of that time of day. Today, it was the eye doctor in a pair of ridiculously cute Naturalizer slingbacks. Each and every time I entered the building for these visits, I did so without so much as the slightest sense of hesitation or fear. I marched right up to the desk, and stated my name and appointment time. I did not stop to look around at any of the other individuals who may have given me a second look or felt it necessary to do so. If anyone muttered a negative or disparaging word under his/her breath, giggled, or whatever, I did not notice and more importantly, I did not care. Then, when I got home, I had a bit of a walk from my garage to the front door my place. As today I was carrying my computer bag, bag of my case files, lunch bag, purse, coffee cup, and fumbling for my keys, I thought I had passed by hundreds of people and guess what, I truly did not care if anyone saw me. In fact, I hope some of the women around my complex did as they could sure use some fashion tips! I have progressed to the point where I actually WANT others to see me wearing heels and when I have an appointment, I make sure my heels are fully visible. I can not explain it, but there is a huge RUSH (favorite band, btw) that comes over me knowing that others can physically see my heels. I guess that it comes from always believing that I would never be able wear heels out it public to now, actually doing so. Several weeks ago, I was out grocery shopping while wearing a pair of what pants (trousers for my UK friends) with white Espadrilles. A young man stocking shelves noticed me and then gave me a very obvious second and surprised look. I made nothing of it and went to the next aisle. As I thought about this encounter on the way home, I came to the realization that my approach to such reactions is simple: "I'm queer...deal with it." I have not had to use such a strong approach and I hope that I never will. There are two points that have really helped build confidence - accepting who I am and fully expressing that beyond just wearing heels, such as what clothing I wear, accessories, and the like. I realize that how I approach this may not be for everyone and that's totally cool - I'm completely down with that.

We've been saying for years that the forum is dying, and thus far it hasn't happened. At any rate, I'm doing an about face and posting some pictures. At church on this past Sunday, I wore a traditional men's suit with black pumps. I was running a little bit late, so I picked the shoes I thought I would have to fuss with the least. That did and did not work as I planned. It's been a while since I've worn either my gray suit or my Vince Camuto Carra pumps, and I had forgotten a couple of things. Number One, the pumps may look boring and conservative, but they're 4 3/8 inches steep! Higher than I was mentally prepared for that morning. Number Two, my pant legs kept getting caught on the back of the shoe, especially my left. I might consider some dressy looking ankle boots next time.

I have a couple of bits of news, and a thought. Number one, I am on to yet another new job, which is quite a bit like my old job. I am moving back into the world of data centers, at a company known for being small and squidgy, at least by name. I am not 100% sure exactly what I will be doing, but I am close to 100% sure that I will be cold this winter. I have been spoiled by several years of working inside during the winter. Number Two, I ordered me a pair of Devious Domina 101s, which is a Pleaser mule with a supposed 6 inch heel. From the pictures, I don't believe that for a second, but if it were a 5 1/2 inch heel, that would be perfect for training. Or at least the concept of training. If I don't get my right foot and ankle issues straight, there will be no training. I'm doing just fine, but there is still some definite weirdness going on down there. And now for the thought: Elsewhere, I reported a sighting of a woman in heels, but I was only able to get a very brief glance, to the point that I couldn't really tell you much about this woman except for the shoes she was wearing at the time. This got me to thinking that yes, I do have an unusual focus on footwear (or lack thereof) compared to most people. However, I really dislike pictures of feet and/or shoes only, and there are a TON of those out there. My focus is on the feet, but it's the total person, and how they present themselves that catches my eye. I suppose that's why you'll rarely see me post a picture of shoes only, unless it's for a very specific reason. It's because I fundamentally dislike those pictures. I may be ugly, but you got to see the whole me to get a sense of the foundation upon which I stand.

I went through a minor shoe reshuffle yesterday. With all the new hires and all the failures I've had this year, my old system of organization was not working well anymore. In the process, my first two pairs of heels, which I keep for nostalgic reasons, were once again relegated to the upstairs closet, where they will be rarely seen. To recap from years ago, the black, thicker heeled mules are Söfft Aviano, my very first pair of heels. Let me clarify that. My very first pair of heels I bought with the intention of wearing them in public, and not hiding them in the crawl space or something. I always say they are low heels, but putting a tape measure to them, they're actually 3 3/4" tall, with a 3/4" platform, so they're not super low. I'd put them at the low end of mid-heels for me. As I recounted fairly recently in some other thread, that first walk in them, which was approximately one mile, and not all at once, was perhaps one of the longest walks I've ever taken in my life! The other pair, Sbicca Hutton (made in the USA, by the way), I keep because I think of them as my first "high" heels. This is mainly a visual characterization, because the tape measure says otherwise. Yes, the heel is a "high" 4 1/2 inches, a height that was inconceivable to me at the time, the platform is 1 1/4 inches, making them a rather tame 3 1/4 inches. Even my ex-wife could handle that for a few hours. I wore them a lot, to the point where they were not very nice looking anymore, and I bought another pair. By that time, I'd lost interest and never wore the new pair much. In my time of convalescence, I decided to take the old girls out for a spin one last time last week. Yeah, they feel low. Not only that, I shattered both heel tips in a one mile walk. I guess they are over 10 years old. They feel like 10 year old shoes that are plain worn out. It's either the bin or the back of the closet.

This week is the week of non-mules sandals, it would seem. My choice of the Söfft Ivory sandals this week is partially because they are among the lower shoes I have, and I'm trying to take it easy lately, so as not to injure myself. As I said elsewhere, my Achilles tendon is bothering me a bit, and I think it's because I overdid it on the heel training a couple of weeks ago, and then I overdid it on the walking the last two weeks of August, trying to catch up and make my monthly goal. Which I somehow managed to do, but that was not smart.