radiodave

The daily driver is a 2008 Honda CR-V. Strong enough to tow my little pop-up camper, lots of cargo room, and I get 34 MPG on the highway. Not too shabby for a small SUV. The fun car for fair weather is my 1977 MG Midget convertible which I rescued from a friend's garage after sitting unused for 18 years.

Good news, Scot! Hope they come back with an offer. Sounds cool that they would encourage guys to wear heels there!

Wife's friend asked to go shoe shopping with us this Sunday. This should be a lot of fun. Will take dig cam. If anyone is in the Canton area this Sunday, it would be fun to meet. 8-20-2008 PM me.

I'll keep it in mind, not sure what my plans are this weekend. You did mean 7-20-2008, yes? I hope it's not August already! LOL

Excellent outing! Nice look too, you pull it off well. Glad you had a good time, and hope to hear more adventures! Good luck on the job hunt.

Thanks to all for the nice comments. I think I'm still somewhat amazed that most folks barely acknowledge them. Perhaps I should try moving to something higher, or maybe even try some of my higher heels or ones that are more feminine.

This morning I had some errands to run to get ready for a little house warming party this evening, so I wore my beige Dockers, dark blue polo shirt, brown wedges, and a toe ring. These weren't my new wedges however; I thought I'd go with the "safe" ones I've worn out before. Between the grocery store (two visits; forgot something the first time around), the coffee shop, and Office Max to pick up some file folders to tidy up my home office, I felt very comfortable wearing them out. Even though they make some noise, I can't tell that anyone really paid attention. After I got home I cleaned house while still wearing them. I didn't wear them at my party though; these are guys I work with and not ready for that yet.

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SF: I too tend to favor sandals. Guess I've found them more attractive, but I have a few pumps in my collection I like too. Even if I'm not in California, I can still try to work on being the guy who wears high heeled sandals here in Ohio.

Johnieheel: I'd be delighted to meet up with you and Ruth sometime for lunch and maybe some shopping. I'm pretty flexible, but let me know when is a good time for you and send me a PM.

Welcome! Hope you enjoy it here!

I kind of like #1 and #2. What would you plan on wearing them with, out of curiosity?

RadioDave,

You're a much braver man than me! Congrats on your purchases.

BTW, what part of the US (or city/state if you care to) do you live in?

Thanks! I live in Ohio between Akron and Cleveland. These malls I was at were near Akron.

Time for some more adventures. Today was an outstandingly nice day, and too warm for my work shoes after work. So, I put on a pair of toe-loop black wedge thongs that I liked, and a toe ring.

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I had to go grocery shopping this evening, but that didn't mean I was going to change. Off I went to the store, and exactly two people noticed. One guy looked down as I was entering the store, then looked back up but hardly registered anything. The other was a cute blonde girl who kind of slowly walked past the end of the aisle looking at me, but otherwise nobody, not even the little children roaming the store even seemed to acknowledge them.

After I got home, I decided to go over to the mall. I walked through the Shoe Carnival (low budget store, but they often have nice shoes), and found some cork wedges I liked, but not in my size. The few teenage girls and their boyfriends didn't mind that I was browsing with them. I didn't find anything else I really liked, so I left. Entering Macy's I saw a teenage girl and her mom following me, and from the reflection they were looking down. No strange looks though, they seemed to be cool with what they saw. I found a pair of Steve Madden wedges I liked, so I tried them on right there, even grabbing the disposable socks like we're supposed to. The two ladies sitting next to me just kept chatting on, and didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed by my walking in them briefly. I thought really hard about wearing them out of the store, but... Maybe not this time. The sales lady was very helpful, and even went back to double check that they weren't on sale (darn, they weren't). Even though I didn't wear them out of the store, I changed in the car. I went by another store wearing them, but nobody blinked there either. Hmm... Maybe I'm anticipating too much reaction. But hey, I'll take it!

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I went over to the other mall, thinking I'd go by Aldo. Since the new wedges are a tad fussy to put on, I put the thongs back on. Nothing that really justified the price there, but I thanked the staff anyway. The Macy's there has a much bigger department, so I browsed there too. I did find a pair of sandals with stilettos, but they weren't outrageously high. Hmm... Maybe these bear a second look. They were nearly 70% off! Well, I gotta see if they have my size. The sales lady found them, and they fit perfectly. Okay, now I've got to wear them home. She asked if they fit alright, and after I paid for them, she reminded me of the promotion they are having to go log on to their website and offer your feedback. So I asked if she would mind if I change into them, and she said that would be fine, and pointed to some empty chairs, wishing me a good evening. She was nice, I think I'll be sure to give her some good feedback. Walking out of the mall was very uneventful. I think the only folks who noticed were in the car that came around the corner as I was walking across the crosswalk. They certainly got a good look, and after they drove by I saw they did a second look as they turned down the one of the lanes. So I smiled, and they just continued on. No overly amused looks, just kind of an expression of "Well there's something you don't see every day".

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Nice shoes! Congratulations!

Can't say I've exposed my colored toes in public (yet), but I did have an experience where I had my fingernails painted red, but the reaction was pretty minimal. Otherwise, I've done clear and French pedicures with no reaction at all.

Funny,

I just applied at Aldo yesterday. Brittany told me that they are required to wear Aldo shoes while working, but as you know, they sell Men's shoes and Ladie's flats also. I asked if I could wear heels if hired, and she told me "Yes, I think so. Our weekend guy who closes does from time to time"..!!

Cool! I'd visit that store! I was a little surprised when I last bought some Aldos that the sales lady (who didn't bat an eye when I tried on some stilettos) mentioned that the guy working the counter thought he had small feet but I took a size smaller than he was. I forgot that they used the same sizing for both, but it made me wonder if he wore heels too.

Good luck with the application!

Congrats Johnie! Sounds like a great day you both had. Interesting anecdote about what the sales lady at Aldo said about men buying heels there. If it was the one at Summit mall, she could have been referring to me!

Last I checked, about 35 pairs; pumps, wedge sandals, stiletto sandals, a few platforms, 2 pairs of boots, and couple of espadrilles. What's nice is having a walk-in closet now so I can have them out instead of stashed in a footlocker.

Hmm... Can't remember just what age, but I seem to remember my first grade teacher had some nice mary jane heels. Older sister also had some nice heels too. I think it really took off when I was around 12-13 and girls at school started wearing heels. That's probably when I really started staring at them and wishing I could wear them too.

Almost all, but it's kind of a letdown when pants are covering most of the shoe. True, having the toes peeping out is nice, but it's nice to see the rest of the shoe too.

Very nice! Hope you enjoy them!

I think I have about 30 pairs right now, all collected over the last 4 years or so. I've gotten rid of a couple pairs either because I'd lost interest or they really didn't fit that well. My ex-wife actually gave me a couple pairs of her shoes when we parted, because they actually fit me better. I've tried to keep the spending in check because I'll see a pair that looks really cool and realize they aren't that different from a pair I have, but sometimes just the experience of trying them on and buying them in the store is fun. I told my ex-wife if I start to approach the number that Imelda Marcos had, then I would start the 12-step program for high heel addicts.

Sounds like another great outing HF! Nice outfit, and sounds like you had a good experience. Keep having fun!

Welcome! Sorry things did not work out in your marriage. I recently split too, but for different reasons.

I was browsing the Baker's Shoes site, and saw a most unusual pair. Kind of a cross between a sandal and boot. I couldn't resist! Okay, some folks may get a laugh or "Ew" out of them, so they may only get worn around the house. The funny thing was, they only had a size 9 left in black, so you know they have sold some pairs. The sales girl at the store and the other shoppers didn't seem to bat an eye when I tried them on there, but I changed into them before I drove home (sorry, I changed in the car; I wasn't daring enough to wear them out of the store ). Surprisingly enough, they are very comfortable and I could walk for hours in them .

http://www.bakersshoes.com/product/id/183723.do

Nice! Like the peep toes too. Hope you enjoy them!

I just picked up a pair from Nine West. I got the brown version of these www.ninewest.com/n/browse/product.s?productId=2923748&source=category&index=2&prodIndex=2&listSize=36&categoryId=2944061&codeName=NWHEECH. I wore them most of today and they were quite comfy.

I've got a very similar pair by Ralph Lauren, and I agree, they are very comfortable.

Dave

After reading you second outing and the brush with the Latinos I was wondering what part of the US do you live. By the way did you get your car fixed?

Yes, thanks, I got the little car fixed. I put an aftermarket fuel pump in that keeps the fuel line pressurized, and it doesn't seem to be in danger of stalling even though it was quite warm out when I test drove it with the new pump. I live in northeast Ohio, about halfway between Akron and Cleveland.

Radiodave,

I figured that you had a pedicure from the pictures you posted in the sandals and slings! If you don't get regular pedicures, I highly recommend it. You have nice looking feet and you should treat yourself. I get a pedicure about once per month (with clear polish) and it keeps everything nice and tidy, with no sock accidents.

Keep the adventures coming.

Yes, I do take care of my nails, it's just something I have to stay on top of for that reason. I had a professional one once, but I have found I can maintain them myself. I have my own supplies and they come out looking almost as good as the professional ones.