radiodave

Agreed!  Flats can be stylish too, and if we discuss heels worn by guys, which usually come from the "other" side of the store, then I see no reason we can't discuss the other shoes that come from that side of the store.  Maybe they don't make the same noises or take the same level of skill, but they are comfortable. 

I got kind of curious, and just ordered a long denim skirt.  I might actually venture outside with this, maybe with some tall boots.

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/style-co-denim-maxi-skirt-oxford-wash?ID=1520859&CategoryID=131#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D16%26kws%3Ddenim%20skirt%26slotId%3D3

Some friends of mine have used them when they go running in the colder months, supposedly they work well.  I don't know how much thickness they add, however.

Lots of guys shave their legs for various reasons.  Bicyclists and runners often do.  Nothing wrong with getting rid of unwanted hair, and there's nothing "gay" about it.  I'd shave my legs regularly, except my hairs grow very fast, and I tend to get nasty ingrown hairs.

There might be some shred of truth to that.  I might be one of the ones you see at the mall wearing heels or other women's shoes.  Some time ago I posted about a guy working at the Aldo I frequent who was wearing white peep toe pumps while working there.

Welcome! I too am a stiletto heel lover. Lots of like minded folks here.

My Steve Madden "Stretche" sandals that arrived today.  Suprisingly comfortable, actually.

Thanks all, I appreciate your input. Looking forward to moving on, and it's no big secret that many folks are not liking our assimilation into the Borg collective. All I can do is make sure the tools are working, people are trained, and there's sufficient documentation. If they shoot themselves in the foot after I'm gone, then all I can say is "oh, well". I think it was pretty telling that some of my colleagues asked if there were any other openings where I was going. :-)

Very nice! Those seem to look very natural with that outfit.

I'm leaving the company I started with right out of college 17 years ago.  On the one hand, they've been good to me, but they are sad to see me go because I've acquired so much knowledge of our products and how to maintain them.  On the other hand, we were acquired by another company 3 years ago, and it hasn't been the great thing the new company kept promising.  Lots and lots of changes, and new policies that are making it a pain to do our job.  I've been the caretaker of several old tools, and with so many changes to our network some of them don't work anymore.  I discovered that I'm the only one in the company who can use one of our compilers, simply because our IT group doesn't know enough Unix to know how to enable other people to log on to use it.  Talked with our network engineer to see what will happen after I'm gone and made a strong case for preserving my Unix account so others can use it, but it's "against company policy", though she sympathizes completely and agrees that the new owners have made things difficult for everyone, and that we're just supposed to "deal with it", even if it means they are shooting us in the foot, so to speak.

I have to remind myself that the new job I'm going to sounds exciting, and it's a little mom-and-pop company that isn't feeling the effects of an oversized company 3000 miles away telling us how to do our job.  The guy I'll be working for is actually a former colleague from my present company, and he was very eager to interview me because he remembered me and knows what I can do.  I'll be designing new things instead of trying to keep 10-20 year old products alive that just won't die.  I also have to remind myself that what happens after I leave really isn't my problem if our owners won't listen and make our products unmaintainable, or if they delete my Unix account and nobody can use the old tools anymore.  Many long-time people have been leaving over the last few years, and it feels like the right thing to do, but I feel a little like I'm letting my colleagues down.  It's hard to leave the friends I've made there over 17 years.  Still, it's better than when some other people left and left no documentation behind.  I've told them I want to help them as much as I can before I leave, and my boss is happy for me finding an exciting new opportunity.  He's grateful for the training and documentation I've been providing, and he wants to make sure they don't have to call me after I've left unless it's a real emergency.

Just venting slightly, it's been a bit stressful trying to transfer knowledge, racking my brain for all the things I have to pass on or teach people about.  I still can't help but wonder what will happen after I leave at the end of next week.  Not to mention it's going to be a big change going from being the expert in the company's products to being the rookie again.

I just got back from visiting Steve63130 in Granville, Ohio for a day, and while it may not have been as elaborate as Happyinheel's visit (see earlier threads below), I heard good things about the salon there. After a delicious lunch, we visited Love Yourself and Body Day Spa and Salon. Steve was getting a manicure, pedicure, and haircut, I came for a pedicure. Jenny and Mariah, the young ladies working there, made it an enjoyable experience. After a delightful pedicure, I didn't pass up the chance to (gasp) get my nails painted. I settled on a nice light blue called "Indigo Glow". Even got a comment from Mariah that it looked nice on me. Steve got a picture of our pedis while we were there, hopefully he'll chime in and include his picture. After our visit, we went back to Steve's house and chatted for a while while our polish dried. He has a charming house filled with antiquities, and it turned out an antique radio I'm restoring right now is identical to one he has. Anyway, I'll echo Happyinheel's comments that if you get a chance to swing through Granville, be sure to visit Steve, and I highly recommend a pedi at the salon there. I don't think you'll be disappointed! Here's a photo of the color I got.

Oopsie, just looked at the receipt and it's actually called "Love Yourself and Earth Salon and Day Spa".

From "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" by R.E.M.:

I always thought they were saying "I turn 'em into, turn 'em into, turn 'em into flies".

I wouldn't worry about it.  Just ask yourself out loud "What's the worst that can happen?".  From my own experiences and others, the clerk will probably be fine with it, you probably aren't the first guy she's seen.  She probably won't laugh, knowing that she might get reprimanded if you complain.  I'm not sure if Payless is on commission, but believe me, if she's on commission, she will do whatever she can do to make a sale.

I went to a nail salon once many years ago when I was vacationing in Florida and treated myself to a pedicure.  She put clear on and jokingly offered to put pink on.  Since then, I usually do it myself since I bought a manicure/pedicure set, nail files, and clear polish.  I'm kicking around the idea of going to a salon again when it gets warmer.  

I guess I've wanted to wear them since I was little.  When my older sister started wearing them, I wished I could.  Seemed so unfair that women had such a wide variety of styles to wear and guys had comparatively boring shoes to wear.  In my teenage years I'd look longingly at the pretty shoes women could wear and dreamed what it must be like to wear them.

It wasn't until my ex-wife encouraged me to explore this desire, and didn't think it was such a weird thing that a guy would want to wear them.  She bought me my first pair and it took off from there.  She even commented that I walked in them better than she did.  I'm lucky I have small feet (womens US 9) and I have no trouble finding shoes in my size.  Like Tim1, I've bought unisex styles many times from the women's section.  Sometimes they just fit me better than men's shoes.

I think it was just last year that I was in Aldo and the guy working there was wearing a pair of white stiletto pumps.  It was the first time I'd seen a guy wearing stilettos outside of a heel meet, and he must have had some guts to wear them where he worked.  Haven't seen him there in a while though, I don't know if he still works there.

I enjoy the shopping experience as well.  Most female sales associates figure out they are for me right away, and seem very comfortable assisting.  Some males either figure I'm buying them for me, but a few others ask if they are for my girlfriend and seem a little dumbfounded if I try them on.  Some time ago, before Baker's went through a big change, I was trying on some, and told the young lady that I'll bet they don't get many guys.  She said that they actually do get a few guys buying for themselves.  I even had one young lady at Aldo say that she was jealous of my size 9 feet since she wore a 10.

Somehow, it's not as exciting buying online.  It's especially annoying if you buy online and then find out the sizing runs small and you have to return them. 

I've got a few pairs of flats.  I wear them around the house all the time, and I've worn them in public before with nary a reaction. 

Nice to see you around again, Johnieheel.

I hear you, Heels2u.  I can relate to what you experience with being obsessed with them.  I've been fascinated by them since I was little.  I think it was my first grade teacher who had a pair of mary jane heels that I was first interested in.  My older sister had some nice black sandals that I often lusted over, wishing I could wear them.  Wasn't just heels though, strappy sandals, ballet flats, I was always disappointed that girls had pretty shoes, and boys had rather plain shoes.  I'd wander around women's shoe sections admiring all the shoes, wishing I could wear them.

It wasn't until I was about 29 that I let on to my girlfriend (later wife) that high heels were a turn on.  She indulged me and she let me pick out a pair for her.  Then at some point I nervously asked what it was like to wear them.  She wasn't shocked at all and reasoned there are probably lots of guys who wonder what they are like, and didn't think I was "weird" for trying them on.  She bought a pair for me, and didn't mind at all if I wore them around the house.  She let me buy more pairs, and I was like a kid in a candy store.  Most times if I got another pair, she'd just laugh, roll her eyes and say I'm going to be next Imelda Morcos.  She admitted I actually had good taste, looked good in them, and could walk better in them than she could.

We split for other reasons, but she agreed they were part of who I am and I shouldn't settle for someone who won't accept it.  Trouble is, more than once I purged a bunch of pairs thinking that I want to be normal and guys just don't do that.  Well, it didn't work very well.  The last girlfriend practically ran for the hills when I told her, and there was much name calling.  Tried giving them up, and we did get back together, briefly.  Well, that was short lived for other reasons.  I still wrestle with how does one find another lady who doesn't think you're weird, or better yet, encourages you to wear them, is a shoe addict herself, and wears the same size.  Okay, keep dreaming Dave....

Like you Heels2u, I hate how women pick out heels to wear, and wear them as they please.  I've been out in public a few times, but I wouldn't dare wear them to work.  One lady at work practically lives in heels and has several pairs of sandals.  But no, I have to wear my fugly men's dress shoes or my sneakers.  Of course it doesn't help that when I do see women wearing heels, I can't help but admire.

Very impractical, and not easy to walk in, but certainly the highest non-platforms I've worn.

http://amzn.com/B006QX913C

Not much to report today, other than I wore my Aldo "Skarivano" boots in black suede with black dress pants all day. Only 2" heels that are pretty well concealed, but they are SO comfortable. Nice to wear them to work without a second thought. Kind of an interesting experience when I actually have to decide which boots to wear today.

1.) Favorite food. Italian

2.) Favorite Color. Blue

3.) Partner : Taller or shorter ( if single, which would be your ideal ). Shorter

4.) Favorite day of the week. Saturday

5.) Brand of car you like ( If you dont own one, just name a brand you see and like ) Tesla

6.) Favorite season. Spring

7.) Favorite ice cream flavor.  Cookie Dough

8.) Favorite Hobby outside of clothing/footware. Theater

9.) Jobtype/Employment ( If retired or no longer working, what did you do when you worked ) Engineer

10.) Favorite movie of all time! Monty Python and The Holy Grail

11.) Favorite Game. Go

12.) Favorite TV Channel OR Radio Station. History Channel

13.) Longest you have lived in one place. 22 years

14.) Water, Wine, Soft-drink ( pepsi, colas, mountain dew.. yadda yadda ), beer or Hard Liquors? Beer

15.) Brand name on your computer. Apple

Thanks all, yes, the difference this time was I was among friends.  I've worn stiletto heels to the mall with nary a reaction, but I would have been mortified to run into friends or people I know.  Now that I've pushed the envelope a little with friends, maybe I'll wear boots like this more often. 

Coming out, in a way...

A first for me.  Over the weekend, I bought a pair of Arturo Chiang "Violet" boots.  Comfortable boots, and the guy at Dillard's was very helpful.  He probably new right away they were for me, and when I was looking at them he commented that they were comfortable.  He actually brought out a pair of wedge boots with these for me to try on, but I ended up buying these.

Tonight was a milestone.  I am directing a play at the community theater I'm involved with.  The first one I've directed by myself.  I have a cast of 10, with some old and new friends in it.  I was a bit nervous, but I wore these boots.  I've never worn heels, other than some 2" block heeled boots, around friends.  A good friend of mine whom I've worked with in other productions was there finalizing some set construction and prop details, which made me a little nervous because I wasn't expecting him there.  I'm wearing 3" heels, which are not silent by any stretch.  One of my cast had her mom come with her, because her mom wasn't going to be able to make a performance.  Between going backstage to look over props, walking up to our backdrop across the concrete floor to take a look something my friend and our other set builders were working on, I know they all must have heard me.

So, we had my 10 cast members, my friend, my cast member's mom, and our stage manager.  After rehearsal, a few guys and I went out for a beer at the local tavern.  We talked about movies, one of the guys is a bit of a history buff on World War 2 aircraft like me and we chatted about planes.  Had to excuse myself to the men's room and walked past some ladies.  I'm sure our server caught sight of my heels, as did the folks sitting at the bar.

The result?  The demons were in my head.  Nobody looked at me funny, nobody seemed to pay to much attention to my noisy heels, and things seemed perfectly normal.  I don't doubt they noticed, but there was no interrogation, no strange comments, no laughs.  At the very least, if anybody does ask about them later, I feel a little more empowered to say "So what?".  Wow.  I just wore 3" heels among friends.  And nothing bad happened.