azraelle

Nice curve--that's the way ALL heels ought to be designed.

I had a crush on a Japanese Hawaiian girl in the third grade who wore black patent leather shoes. Having grown up (until that time) in a rural Utah town where patent leather shoes, at least on 8 yr old girls, was unheard of, I naturally fell in love with the shoes...my next infatuation was with a couple of girls in the 6th grade that were fond of wearing white patent go-go boots, and my "love affair" with girl's boots and shoes was sealed. High heels are something of an afterthought with me!

Unless you're a size 14, why not just bite the bullet and get a pair of conservative women's boots in the heel height that you want initially?

Most men's boots with steel shanks are quite uncomfortable when raised even as little as 1/2"; you can't readjust the heel angle, so your forefoot is increasingly jammed into the toebox.

tried that too, except that I didn't bolt it to the floor, which meant that it never would stay put, and would ocaisionally block full travel of the brake or clutch. . .

cruise control does nothing for bumper to bumper traffic, as typically exists in any large metropolitan area (such as LA freeways), and drivers who never analyse the way they drive (about 99%); what you end up with is stop-start, stop-start, lurch, lurch, lurch! :x

And thank you Julietta for your kind words. I hope you too find joy in these troubling times of yours as you have elsewhere mentioned, as well as those of the world.

I used to get ocasional bouts (every 1-2 months) of excruciating agony in one or the other ankle, or rarely both ankles, when ANY weight was put upon it. Wearing orthotics did nothing to alleviate the problem. Since I started wearing moderately high heels at least some of the time, I haven't had a return bout at all. Now if I could just locate a source for steel toe high heels...

I have mentioned elsewhere (and provided what seems to be a plausible anatomical explanation for it) that I can't drive for more than 10-15 minutes without debilitating knee pain in my "gas pedal leg" unless I am either a) wearing a high heeled shoe on that foot, or putting my other foot underneath the heel of my gas pedal foot. Wearing a high heeled shoe or boot is easier, and doesn't produce knee pain in the other leg, as would occur after several hours of it being in the sidewise position it had to be in when propping up the heel of my gas pedal foot.

bomb squad, paramedics,

Mashka (acc to my H.S. Russian teacher, means "lady who drives a tractor")

I too will miss you, and may soon be joining you to some extent--my mother died on Monday (3/17)...

The item in question was based on a patent issued in 1909? for the purpose of prevention of masturbation. It is being promoted as a "male chastity device", among other things, today. Judging by the number of abortions performed around the world, and the number of unwanted children living below the poverty level in this country, among others, it would seem that the male half of the human race could use a few lessons in self-control and self-mastery, which existed in far greater quantities in 1909 than it does today. Mind you I'm not necessarily justifying the Kali Bracelet, but it would be one solution for the "free love" problem that has existed since the 60's, which like everything else, ended up being only free for some, e.g. the sperm donors.

Changing to the metric system will never be accomplished by the drop of a hatfull of legislation mandating it unless or until the government mandates a change in manufacturing methods and units so that everything from screws to bottles to signage positioning can be changed to something easily remembered by all. For example, "1.27 cm is about 0.50 inch...a kg is roughly 2.2 lbs". Who can remember 1.27 cm? And who is going to say "I want a one point two seven caliber (black powder) Hawken Rifle?" Who wants to see a sign that says "Houston 161 km" where it used to say "Houston 100 miles"? I'd much rather see one that says "Houston 100 km" or "Houston 200 km". I can recognize a 3/8" bolt or a 5/8" nut on sight, and connect the two in my head, or a 12 mm vs 14 mm, but I'll never get used to a "9.53 mm" or a "15.88 mm"! And don't get me started on wire sizes of holes, drill bits, etc, vs the metric system.

WOW, You need to walk...no, run back in there and marry(!) that young lady before she gets away!! That is unless you're already attached. I hope you thanked her profusely?

Makes you wonder if they're trying to put the foot into bondage, or the shoe!!? :rofl: :drinking:

Tennessee Ernie Ford

; their Irish Wolfhound

__________________________________________________________

(Thought I'd throw in a monkey wrench to muck things up a bit, sorry)

My mother was not especially into heels--she taught school and was expected to wear "ladylike" shoes--but mostly she wore ~2" pumps because she had to be on her feet 8-9 hrs per day. Judging from her behavior later inn life, she would apparently get a new pair of ~3+" heels at least once per year, quite often in bright colors, just for the sake of assuaging my dad's occasional need to believe himself to be a generous man by having bought his wife something nice (a new dress, heels, etc, and usually what HE picked out). She would dutifully bring them home, wear them once (for HIM) and stuff them in the closet, never to see the light of day again.

She must have had at least 20 pairs mouldering away in the back reaches of her closet, untouched and mostly out of sight by the time I got old enough to start noticing things like that. If I had had enough courage to have actually bought myself a pair of heels, probably even boots, when I was a teenager, I have no doubt that I could have stored them among my mother's discarded shoes, and they would never have been discovered, not even by her! Quite often you will find that, humans being the obtuse creatures that most of them are, the best place to hide most anything is in Plain Sight!

in Spanish Harlem

the sound of a whip lash???

Sounds, in general, don't do much for me, with possibly one exception, which has nothing to do with shoes...

If I was thin and muscular (hey we can dream can't we?), I wouldn't mind attempting a re-creation of the "reiter" look, with a pair of skin-tight lycra-cotton breeches and a pair of fold-over above-the-knee brown suede boots, say with a modest 2" heel, together with some sort of poet's blouse, a leather waistcoat, and a long belted riding coat, circa 17th century France, or Germany. Oh and don't forget the exagerated brim feathered hat! 'Twould be interesting to see how far I'd get in a job interview wearing something like that--definitely not feminine! But definitely not your average 3-piece traditional suit, either.

azraelle

I realize I'm getting way off topic here. [1]May I ask why do you stay in that location if it's so main-stream and family oriented?

[2]Are you still friends with your ex? [3]Is she why you are there in Utah? [4]Is she in another relationship? [5]Does she know how you feel about her? [6]What are the chances of reconciliation?

I was not going to answer this, knowing that it would require lengthy explanations, but, what the heck--you deserve the courtesy of a reply.

[1] Good question--it is a matter of convenience, mostly. It's where my parents ended up after 2 retirement moves, and where I ended up after being informed of the divorce, not having anyplace else that I could think of to go, other than a one-way leap into the Grand Canyon. When trucking didn't work out (due to knee and elbow problems), which I tried for about 2 years after my 12 year career as a Radiation Safety Tech ended at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site (thanks to George Bush Sr. deciding that the US would "test no more bombs forever" in an unsuccessful attempt to woo the voters during his re-election campaign), I decided to retrain in computer information technology at the local college, while I had access to, essentially, free room and board. I have about one more year (but room and board will no longer be "free" as my dad died 2 years ago of colon cancer, and the quacks have given my mother 2 weeks to 2 months to live for liver cancer, as I speak).

[2] Yes, we're still friends--I see her at least once a month--she and the kids still at home live about 2-1/2 hours away. She still uses me as a "sounding board/shoulder to cry upon" since her oldest daughter (who lives with her hubby in the same city I'm in) refuses to get sucked into emotional conversations with her, and my ex's sister has become estranged in a different way (she's a religious nut that makes the Moonies seem normal!).

[3] Not necessarily, see [1].

[4] She had a "one-day stand" with her boss that was more seduction on his part while I was apprenticing as a trucker, and she wound up pregnant (at 43, no less). This bothered her much more than it bothered me (when I eventually found out about it); it was at least one unstated reason for the divorce, which took 2-1/2 months to get settled due apparently to her not being able to get ahold of all of the birth certificates of our children. I just walked away (didn't have too much choice since the cops showed up on cue 5 minutes after I got home and served me with divorce papers and a restraining order so my wife wouldn't be subject to my "emotional abuse". This was, by the by, MY first knowledge of the divorce. When the divorce was finally finalized, the boss persuaded her, through much argumentation , to marry him (her first answer was "not only NO, but HELL NO!!!", according to reliable 3rd party witnesses). There is some love, I'm sure, but she retained her property, she still receives wages at the motel he owns, she is not part of the ownership, and the only child that has his sirname is the new baby. And she apparently doesn't do much crying on HIS shoulder as he isn't the type, and apparently his personality has changed towards the "mercurial" end of the spectrum lately.

[5] I've told her on several occasions that she is still loved by me.

[6] As she once told my mother (my dad she couldn't stand--a feeling shared by my 3 older brothers and their wives, to a greater or lesser extent), a few months after the divorce, "I still love him, I'm just not IN love with him anymore." If by some miracle her present husband croaks by natural causes, or if he ever becomes guilty of spouse abuse, then by other means(!), then maybe some chance of reconciliation, otherwise, no. Plus she has emotional problems of her own--by rights she ought to be in therapy, but try convincing her of that! Certainly not me--'twould be like the pot calling the kettle black, and if nothing else, I'll not be a hypocrite.

Your fascination with lacing parallels mine to some extent--I can't think of a more sexy shoe than what I once saw labeled in a catalog as a "ghillie tie". It didn't have particularly high heels, though I've seen some that did. It was essentially a shallow oxford without the "tongue", with lacing through 2 or 3 leather loops formed at either side, and a rather rounded, almost square toe. It was also suede leather, in either black, blue, forest green, or purple. I think it's loosely based on what Irish or Scottish lassies (or more likely laddies) wore for many centuries with their traditional dress. What is your opinion of lace-up jeans, either at the front, or decoratively along the lower inseam, or both? Or for that matter decoratively laced up bell sleeves or bodices or backs of the current trend in gauzy, organdy, or jersy Knit tops (on girls, e.g. you, not on guys)? Seems to me you'd look sensational in them. But my fashion opinion is probably not worth too much, as my ex-wife usually pointed out when I ventured an opinion as to what might look good on her.

I haven't tried this as yet with high heels, but then I don't avail myself of the opportunity of really arousing people by wearing spikes! But I have found it works well for other potentially embarassing or confrontational subjects, and have read of at least one heel wearer on this board trying it successfully, and it is this: When you see someone staring, double-taking, or about to comment, PRE-EMPT them. Walk up to them and say aomething like "I see you're interested in my choice of shoes. You must be dying to know what they feel like, right? Well they are the most comfortable shoes/boots I've ever owned. [and if it's a woman in lower heels, and you really want to fluster her, you might add] But then, you already knew that didn't you?!" This really takes the wind out of most people. Reminds me of a time when I was (officially) visiting a rather large Army Post, Ft Hood, TX, to be exact, when my assigned Post was Ft. Polk, LA. I was a visiting 2nd Lieutenant, on foot, and actually looking for a barber shop, when I was accosted by an 8-stripe Seargent-Major obviously itching for a confrontation with a "shavetail" officer. He said "Lt your mustache is too long." Somewhat taken aback, I replied "you're right, Seargent-Major, and so is my hair. Iim from Ft. Polk for this exercise, and I was looking for a barber shop to get it taken care of. Would you happen to know where one is within walking distance?" His eyes bulged out, his jaw dropped, he turned somewhat red, pointed out where one was, saluted, and finally walked off, thoroughly abashed, not at all satisfied, and not a damn thing he could do about it!.

PJ: If you feel a need to talk to someone, feel free to PM me. I am a good listener.

Julietta: ...you can PM me too anytime....

Thanks. It's too bad you don't live in Utah! It's hard to find unmarried or divorced friends in the 40-50-ish category in the middle of "Mormondom" where "the family" is king, and those who have failed at it in one way or another are looked upon (in many cases) by the "normals" almost as some kind of leprosy-afflicted pariah..

Especially if you are working part-time and attending college (populated by ~98% 17-24 yr olds) full time. Assuming I wouldn't get arrested by the cops for "robbing the cradle" (which could conceivably happen in this town!), when was the last time that you met a non-gold-digging young woman (because I haven't got any money/property that might attract even a girl of that sort) that wanted to date a 50-yr old man (other than in movies)?? It just doesn't happen in real life. Besides, even after nearly 5 years, I'm still in love with my ex.