radiodave

I was reminded of a pet hate just today. Folks who call you on the phone, they have the wrong number, and act like it's your fault. They demand to know who you are, and think it's inconceivable that they could have the wrong number. Sometimes they even get accusatory and assume you must have stolen somebody's cell phone (yes, I've had people accuse me of that) or somehow it's your responsibility to give them the right number. Somebody kept calling for somebody else at my number at work today, and even after I told them twice they had the wrong number, and let it go into voice mail when the same caller ID came up again, they still called back for a 4th time, at which point I finally had to ask "Robert WHO?". Somebody in another building.

Sorry folks, but I'm going to have to cancel as well. Another commitment came up. Hope it goes well.

Nice story HF! I agree, it's been too cold and snowy for any new adventures on my part.

I love Zappos and have bought quite a few pairs of hh sandals from them. I always write a review, and indicate that I am male by my name and the fact that I purchased a larger size 11 (Zappos is great for carrying the larger sizes!!). Unfortunately, about half of the posts never get posted, and some of the ones that do are edited to remove any evidence that I am a male who bought a womens shoe. But, some reviews do make it in entirety. I guess it just depends on who is reviewing the "reviews" before final posting. I have asked Zappos about this and just get a boilerplate answer. But what the heck, still love Zappos and will keep buying their shoes !!!! SF

I've noticed the same thing. If I post a review, and put the name "Dave" in, they don't get posted. If I leave them anonymous, they get posted. Was the boilerplate answer something to the effect of "thanks for your input, we value our customers, and we'll look into it"?

Interesting, I vaguely remember hearing something in the news, since that's very close by. I guess news travels far if it's in a UK paper. Nice picture though...

Very nice!

loose the pink heels.

Ditto. A little too much I think. I think a woman wearing pink platforms with a suit would look mighty strange. To each his (or her) own, but I can't imagine any woman wearing that.

I just picked up ones very similar to these at DSW. I like those coupons they send out periodically. Strange, but I can't find the style I just bought anywhere online. The box says "Dandra" for the style. Pretty much the same basic style, but has a narrower strap. http://zeta.zappos.com/product/7455347/color/89

I'm trying to figure this out. Around here, it's cold and snowy. Not surprising being the middle of winter. So I go into the malls or stores, and women are wearing pumps, ballet flats, and even flip flops! And there will be several inches of snow outside. Even more strange is they often wear them with bare feet (I know, because some of their shoes have peep toes). Meanwhile, I'm wearing my steel toed boots with tube socks, and staying reasonably warm. So please tell me I'm just missing the part where they switch shoes. I would think if they are actually wearing said shoes, I can't imagine how that wouldn't be dreadfully uncomfortable, wet, and probably not too good for the shoes.

Bloke goes into a Vetinarian carrying a limp rabbit. "I don't think my rabbit's very well, what do you think?" Vet (checking over the rabbit): "I'm sorry sir, your rabbit's dead" "Are you sure..?" Vet calls in a dog from the next room. Dog sniffs over the rabbit and slowly shakes his head. Vet: "Sorry sir....." "Are you really sure...?" Vet calls in a cat. Cat sniffs over the (plainly) dead rabbit and shakes its head. Vet: "I'm truly sorry sir but your rabbit's definitely dead" "OK, OK. How much will that be then" Vet: "250 dollars Sir" "250 dollars!!!!" (Outraged) Vet: "Well, you've had the lab test, the cat scan........"

I can say I've had both very good and very embarrassed sales folks. Best one was probably the one at Aldo. I was buying a pair of wedge sandals, asked if they had a 9, and she came back empty handed, apologizing. So I asked if she had an 8, to which she pointed out the one on display was an 8. She asked if I needed foot sox, but I had one. She commented that they looked nice, but we agreed they were a little on the small side. So she got on the computer, found out she could order a 9, and had them shipped to my house. Very helpful, and she commented that she was jealous of my size; she usually took a 10. Most embarrassed one was the one who returned with the size I asked for, and then gave me the "OMG, you aren't really going to try those on?" look when I proceeded to do just that. So I shot back a look of "Yeah, I'm going to try them on, and what of it?". She did ask if they fit OK afterward, and seemed to have gotten over the shock of it. I've found that most of the sales folks are helpful, and they usually don't seem too surprised that a guy is trying them on. I like it when they compliment or offer suggestions without acting like I must moonlight as a drag queen. Maybe that's why I like stores like Aldo or Macy's; they are presenting an image, so I think it's expected they should be professional about it, and if they are making a commission on the sale then it's best to encourage the customer to come back.

Acadianheels: Welcome! Yes, you raise some interesting points, and we don't mind your rambling. I can see how being associated with the youth that could raise some red flags if you wore heels. Just today, I was itching to do some public heeling, something I've done many times already. Today I wanted to wear my tall boots with boot cut jeans, but chickened out. Could be because one of my stops was to get new tires for my car, and I personally detest dealing with any automotive service places. Anyway, while my car was being worked on, a mother and her young son were there, and the kid was not only running all over the store, but I had to avoid stepping on his toy truck as his mom and he were pushing it all over the store. Later, the kid was going up to everyone and saying "hi". It dawned on me that when I smiled at the kid saying "hi" to everyone, his mom might have been a little nervous about the guy wearing 4" stiletto boots, whereas she was smiling when I was wearing my normal, boring shoes. So, no pushing the envelope today. For the most part, folks are pretty indifferent to my public outings. One time I actually got a compliment from a guy, despite wearing women's pants, the shoes in my avatar, and carrying a small handbag since the pants had zero cargo space. Still, since I'm one of the few guys in the area you would ever see wearing high heels, I can't help but wonder how many people might be a little fearful or get the wrong idea.

I don't know that I would have said something to him, although his superiors probably wouldn't want him saying something like that. Had I been in his position, I probably would not have agreed with what the customer said and tried to promote them. But that's me.

Actually, now I can say that my avatar is really me. At least part of me .

Same here, I might try Thighbootguy's idea of modifying a pair to see if they could clip on to get some idea of look and feel. Where I work, I don't think having to wear studs for 6 weeks to keep the holes open would go over very well. While there's no official dress code spelled out, I think that would certainly get noticed in a big way. That and I don't think it would be worthwhile to get pierced just to try them once and let them close up.

I've been thinking; wasn't there a time where high heels were fashionable for men? I'm talking like the 1600s or there abouts. I wonder what changed the social outlook on men in heels...

Correct! Men were actually the first to wear them. After the French revolution, they tended to be associated with the artistocrats, so after the heads were rolling I think they didn't want to be associated with them for that reason. If I'm wrong, I'll bet Dr. Shoe can set me straight . The Wikipedia article mentions guys history of wearing heels.

I'll agree that if men in heels is seen as a sexual thing, it's not going to catch on well. Likewise, men wearing them rather tastelessly isn't going to help much either. A 350 pound guy trying to wear kitten heels is going to look a little strange. Can you imagine a 350 pound woman wearing them? I can't. If I wear them in public I try to think about how they look, and I'll make sure I like what I see in the mirror. For the most part, nobody has given me grief for it, and I don't really care what random strangers think. I can say that I have actually worn stilettoes in public, and other than some stares and double takes, I really haven't had any bad reactions. The last time I wore them, I actually got a compliment from a guy.

I'd be up for it, that's not too far for me.

Interesting... I will confess that if it didn't involve making a somewhat permanent hole, I'd be willing to try some, if only to see what they look or feel like. I did do some searching and found a forum where someone asked the same question.

http://hoop-lovers.com

I'm curious, I don't have pierced ears myself (no plans to either), but I've always like hoop earrings, especially the larger ones, on women. That got me thinking, are there guys who wear hoop earrings as guys, other than the fictional Mr. Clean?

Vector said it; spend less on heels. Especially true for me since we're having to take some pay cuts at work. Aside from that, I'd like to wear them more in 2009, and maybe even make good on my thoughts of vacationing in heels. Maybe I'll try some more daring ones too. Who knows? Last summer I managed some low heeled wedges with a toe ring, maybe this year will be some higher heels with some red nail polish.

I can actually say I have finally seen another guy wearing heels, and it wasn't Johnieheel or guys at a heel meet. I was in Lowe's with my folks, and saw a couple walking, but the one who certainly appeared to be a guy was wearing boots with about a 3" block heel. The sound got my attention, and if I hadn't been with my folks I might have caught up to confirm that it really was a guy, and maybe even introduce myself.

I guess the only reason I can think of keeping the location secret is to keep folks who would rather attend to make trouble and poke fun at those of us who do wear heels, but I'll say that wasn't a problem at the Ohio heel meet. I did think it was odd to get a PM about this (thank you Iloveboots ), and then see the same thing here, but I'm sure Iloveboots has his reasons. No need to get ourselves worked up about each other's opinion. Personally, I think there would be a bigger turnout if he did post the location, but maybe he's anticipating a mob scene if he did and would rather keep it low-key, or, maybe he just wants a better idea of how many people are coming based on how many people inquire about it. Peace!

I'd say it was a good year for heels for me. I got more confident wearing them, I feel more at ease talking about them with other folks, I met several others at the Ohio heel meet, and I've worn stiletto heels in public with no bad response. I've also come to accept that they really are part of who I am, and I might as well not try to deny it.

Quite happy. I can usually wear a women's 8.5-9. I actually ran into a saleslady at Aldo recently who admitted she was jealous because she took a 10.

Welcome! You certainly are not the only straight guy who happens to like heels. At least a few of us here have wondered if we had some loose screws when it comes to high heels, and the truth is that no, there's nothing wrong with that. Having others accept it is the tricky bridge to cross, but it sounds as though your wife and family are cool with it, so congratulations!