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And now. . . for something completely different! Yesterday it snowed. Again. It's going to be one of those winters, apparently. It's not even Christmas, and I'm already wearing of removing snow. A couple of years ago, I got these vintage boots. Cobbies is the brand name. I got them because they are shearling lined, and I wanted some "heels" to wear when it was really cold. These boots feature 2 3/8" heels, which is right at about 6 cm. In other words, FLAT. Which suits me fine for the work I'm doing. I do consider them low heels in the grand scheme of thing, but they're flats. Let's be realistic. Where things get interesting is the coefficient of friction factor. The forefeet of these boots are quite grippy, while the heels, once covered in ice, are dangerously slippery. This leads to some interesting footwork, worthy of a ballerina or Latin dancer. Walking heel to toe on smooth concrete after walking in the snow can lead to catastrophe, so it's best to do the opposite--toe first. I demonstrated this to my 16 year old. He said do what you got to do. A reheeling with Vibram would probably solve this issue.

Is anyone interested in a "Best Dressed" contest for 2026? If so, respond and I will be happy to organize it all! I'm in with an intent to give others (i.e. @CAT) a run for his stilettos! The photo is a picture of some new pumps from this past summer.

Wish I would have purchased a pair before they sold out. I am a size 11.5 and they sold quickly. Great Boots and Great Look!

My parents bought a condo for my grandmother and aunt in Newtown in the late 70's, sold it 2010's. I bought my current house in 2014 and it has more than tripled in value. When I put a new house on this lot it will then quadruple in value. That's my 2026 plan.

I took a bus to a nearby town today to do some shopping. I had thought about bringing my practice heels and practicing but I knew I was going to be doing a lot of walking and carrying a rucksack full of shopping so I went in my chunky heeled knee boots. As you say, both for men and women trainers seem to be de rigueur these days That said, winter - boot season - is the time of year when you will see the most heels. As I was liked around the town I did see a number of women in heeled knee boots. The men, with the exception of me, were universally in ratty trainers. Although I wasn’t practicing in my 12cm stilettos, it was nice to walk about the town in my chunky heels - it’s all good grist for the mill!

I lived in a very down at heel inner city neighbourhood called Newtown in Sydney many years ago when I was at university. At the time you could get one of the dilapidated old townhouses there for about 60k. I was much too smart to waste my money there … Today they are well into seven figures

I do not know how we got here, but since we are here, that math really isn't mathing. Even assuming that you could actually deduct everything you put into your house, it's not like it's free money. It just means you don't have to pay income taxes on that money. I know people do it, but every time I've looked into buying a house to flip, the numbers just weren't there. It's one of those deals where if I actually lived there, yeah, it would be worth it, but as a means of making money on the side, it's a lot of work for very little gain. Plus, I don't have that kind of energy anymore. Having said that, I wish I could have predicted the insane increase in the price of houses in the last few years. I probably could have made some money off of that.

Because how much money you put into the house is immaterial because it can be wholly deducted off your taxes. It is however, a good way to show how much work had to go into a property. It is not perfect I realize, as it is possible to put in $50,000 worth of electrical work and be something no one would ever notice, but as a rule $50,000 generally shows a fair amount of work went into a property. $10,000... not so much. It is why I used the amounts to show how much work went into the place. But the actually amount spent has no basis on the profit of a house. It can be completed deducted off your income taxes.

Yes I think so too. Only in one video posted here about the Hot Chicks, I think the reviewer said that she already walked a mile in them? I can't imagine how much you must practice in them to achieve this. They probably must be your everyday shoes then 😀 Thank you for your kind words, they really made me feel better about my accomplishment 🙂

I don’t think anybody would be walking long distances in Hit Chicks or your new boots. They are strictly for going out when you walk only limited distances - and the fact that you can do that is really admirable. Hardly anybody can from what I understand, even people who consider themselves adept at high heels. So you can take a lot of satisfaction in your accomplishment.

Here is a picture of me at church, wearing 11 cm heels, playing the alto horn (or tenor horn, if you are British). On Christmas Eve, no less, in blatant violation of the rule. The other flat-heeled guy playing the trumpet is my son. It wasn't my best outfit choice ever. What's up with those pants?

I have a pair of Leviticus 2.0 Lug Heel OTK boots and I love them! Sizing is true to size but perhaps just ever so slightly a bit on the large end. Interestingly, sizes are only in 1/2 sizes (e.g. 8.5, 9.5, 10.5) etc. They are very well made and very much worth the price. I, generally speaking, have thin calves and thighs, so my boots shafts are a bit on the large side. Thus, I wear them over a pair of jeans and they are fine. They interior is not at all on the cheap material side, which is great, and the foot bed is very roomy (no cramped toes!). I plan on purchasing the new Kenzie model in a bit and if they are too wide in the shaft, I'll have them reduced in size a bit by a professional leather worker in St. Louis. I would make an out reach to Kristina (the owner/designer if you are full sized (i.e. 9, 10, 11) for her recommendation as to going up or down to the next 1/2 size.