mlroseplant

11 hours ago, bambam said:

So, I wasn't sequestered, although sequester can still occur after selection. It can occur during the evidentiary process, to be sure nothing is improperly seen or heard from  media or other people. That way, only the lawyers decide what is seen. 

Nothing was said, strangely, although the model was more vocal ABOUT heels while we spoke. And the lawyers who wore them were very aware of the image they portrayed, as they wore flats at any moment they could. 

I could have guessed that. I obviously can't get inside of anybody's brain, but I would be willing to bet that like for most women, it's a love/hate thing. Obviously, some of those lawyers thought that the heels projected a certain look that they wanted, but unlike say, us, they're unwilling or unable to put in the work that would allow them to wear them for 8 hours without thinking about it too much. Or just simply go with a less-than-"huge" heels. Even Christian Louboutin does in fact make 85 and 100mm heels!

My thoughts are that I'm glad that there are a few people out there who still wear heels, even if it's only 1/3 of the time. All joking aside, it is seldom you meet somebody who actually likes to wear heels. I wonder what those lawyers wear in casual life? I bet it's not heels. I could be wrong, but I'm probably not.

I did not take any pictures this week. I just didn't feel like it. They all pretty much look the same anyhow. That is one of the downsides to social media--people expect for your life to be exciting and dynamic on a long term basis, when in fact, it really isn't.

However, I do have two things to report: 1) It has definitely been the Year of the Band-Aid. I've used more of those suckers to stay functional than at any time in my life. I bought a box of 100 several months ago, and it's almost gone now. I've even started taking notes so that I can remember what shoes require what Band-Aids and where. I am not sure why my shoes have started eating more holes in my feet this year, but I have a couple of guesses.

a) I have walked more this year than any year since 2014, and since I own so many pairs of shoes, I have walked in a greater variety of different shoes than I ever have in the past. Proper vetting is not always possible. b) I walk more 2+ mile walks than I used to. I have discovered that shoes seem to fall into three distinct categories: 1 mile shoes, 2 mile shoes, 3 or more mile shoes. You can easily understand 1 mile shoes, but it is counterintuitive to think that there is that middle category where they feel great after 2 miles, but then somehow wear a hole in your foot on the third mile. I have several pair that do just exactly that (unless one has taken careful notes and has applied a Band-Aid to the proper spot prophylactically. Then they're just fine).

2) I got a comment from a man yesterday in the grocery store, and a very public one at that. I had to stop by very quickly and get three items because I had failed to meal plan properly earlier this week. It just so happened that I stopped by on my way home from mowing one of our customers' lawns, so I was in my grubbies. One of the male managers at the grocery store shouted out, "WHERE are your SHOES?" It took me a second or two to figure out who said it, and what the heck it was all about, and then I realized I was in my working clothes. I said, "Well I just got done mowing, and even I don't do that in high heels."

I imagine the running shoes are for a Fred Flintstone type situation. More surface to surface contact.

I am thinking we won't hear from Cali for at least a couple of days. He's bound to be completely fried from sitting in a metal tube for 16 hours or so, traveling to Oz. I know I would be.

11 hours ago, Puffer said:

I can't recall you ever commenting specifically on the reaction you get, or have had, from your church congregation (whom I assume are nearly all 'regulars') to your 'unconventional' footwear.   I'm sure they are (almost) all decent and polite people and probably would not be critical or worse, at least to your face, and of course they are by now well-used to seeing you thus shod.   But surely there were some raised eyebrows and questions, at least 'in the beginning' (as the good book puts it)?

Oddly enough, this topic just came up a few days ago with some congregants, and to my knowledge or theirs, no one has ever said anything bad about my shoes. This is at once surprising, and yet not surprising. Those who would have objected did not ever do so out loud, and they are now no longer with us, via the fairly recent schism in the (no longer) United Methodist Church. Besides, I took my approach very gradually, as I did when learning to wear heels. I started out with heeled oxfords and a suit every Sunday, which you wouldn't really notice anyway except for a slightly higher than normal heel. Then I went to 3 inch block heels, and so on and so forth.

The only people I ever recall who said anything are some older ladies who were always interested to see what I was wearing this week. I made it a point not to repeat very often just for these ladies. I don't believe any of them are still with us, due to natural, non-political reasons.

Well, there's pain, and then there's pain. What can I say, this has been the year of the Band-Aid. The long shot is a screenshot of our livestream.

This week's church outfit is almost a repeat from about two months ago, but it's not an exact repeat--the shirt is different. I wanted to wear my red patent Via Spiga sandals again, and these red items of other clothing were readily available. My wardrobe is still in a state of chaos from our plumbing/sewer issues, and I don't want to move everything back until I am 100% sure that the problems are really gone.

I also had to go back and review my previous post to make sure I wasn't about to repeat myself about these shoes. Although they are eye-catching and reasonably comfortable, they still have the one spot where they rub the side of my little toe. The odd thing about this particular situation is that if I'm going to have a problem with an uncomfortable little toe, it's always on the right foot. Without fail. Except for this pair of shoes. These rub my left toe.

I got about 1/3 of the way through the service and found myself trapped on the wrong side of the chancel area (front of the sanctuary) right as the sermon had begun. Back in the old days, before livestreaming, before Covid, I would have just walked across the front of the church and nobody would have paid me much heed. Now that we're always on camera in some form or other, actions like this look really distracting in a way that you don't really notice when you're actually there in person. So I snuck out the sacristy door, went outside, walked around to another door, went down to the basement, walked underneath the sanctuary, back up a different set of stairs into the opposite side sacristy, and was able to get to my designated spot unnoticed by any camera.

The whole point of this rather long and boring story is that during all of this walking, the left shoe started digging into my little toe--hard. Much as I was trying to ignore it, it was beginning to affect my gait and posture. What I wound up doing was tearing off a little bit of facial tissue, or Kleenex as we like to call it here in the U.S., wadding it up into a little ball, and stuffing it into the offending area. Problem solved, and it's not in any way visible or noticeable. From now on when I wear these shoes, I'm going to do that prophylactically, and I almost guarantee you I won't have a bit of a problem. If only everything in life were that simple.

Yes, I left my equipment bucket sitting right there in the middle for the opening prelude. It's things like that that you never notice until you see it immortalized on the internet forever and ever, amen.

On 8/14/2023 at 5:29 AM, mlroseplant said:

Although some of the items I may post on here in the near future may have been purchased some time ago, these were actually purchased fairly recently, in June. I got these Bebe (model designation unknown) wooden mules via ebay, for about 45 bucks by the time you include shipping.

I would say that these have effectively become my backup pair of walking shoes, but it has been a rather long road getting there. The specs would indicate qualification for such: 4 3/4" heel with a 1" platform, giving a rather shallow rise of 3 3/4". Put that on top of a 1" broad heel, and this would seem to have a great deal of utility. However, out of the box (or bubble wrap, as the case may be), the leather was so stiff that it caused minor injury for quite a while after about a mile. Finally, I have got them to where they will not cause me harm after a two mile walk. I even worked a farmer's market in them and they weren't terrible.

I have had to add foot cushions in them because they have stretched out to the point that they're a bit too big, but with that addition they seem to have settled down quite nicely into everyday shoes. But they are extremely loud. At 5:30 in the morning when everything is quiet, I would guess you can hear me coming from a block away. I would guess that this will change when reheeling is necessary.

I have got one new pair to share, plus a couple of updates. First of all, the Bebe wooden sandals (quoted here) that are good but obnoxiously loud have been reheeled. They now sound completely normal. The original heel tips, despite being nearly 1 inch square, lasted a mere 15 miles. That may account for a good deal.

Second, I broke out my JustFab "Loolah" gold mules over the weekend, featured in this thread about a year ago, but worn seldom. Nothing to report of great significance about the shoes themselves, but I wear them much more easily than I did a year ago. For such inexpensive shoes, they seem to be built solidly. To be fair, I only wore them about four hours, and the limitation was not my feet. My feet felt just fine after four hours--it was my ankles which were very tired and ready to be done for the day.

And now, for the actual subject of this post, my MDT "Mackley" gold mules. What makes these mules unusual is that although they are gold colored, they are matte finish, which you do not often see. Most people want their metallics to be shiny!

Stats on the mules are 4 1/2" heel, no platform, 3/8" stiletto width, and all man-made construction. I got these brand new online somewhere like ebay, I don't remember. I have put about three miles on them so far. They are weirdly easy to walk in, but not really that comfortable because whatever material they're made out of is pretty doggoned stiff. This has lessened a little bit with wear, but not much. They will certainly never become buttery soft.

It was the weekend of gold sandals! I wore both of these quite a bit this Sunday.

There are no talking points I'm aware of that have the least thing to do with fashion cycles or habits. The fact that one can now get through life quite easily without ever having owned a suit or a dress, or had occasion to wear such, speaks much more to the issue.

On a somewhat different subject, aren't we supposed to call it "X" now?

10 hours ago, Mr. X said:

that thing looks huge!

If you're comparing it to a guitar, yes it does seem rather large. I know what my son would say, probably without missing a beat. "Yeah, I'm just compensating, you know."

6 hours ago, Cali said:

He'll grow into it.

I won't. He's already past me by an inch. Without heels, that is.

And now, for something completely different! The boy and I just bought THIS, a Gretsch hollow body bass. He has needed his own instrument for a while, and he found one that sounds COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than the Fender Jazz bass I've owned for 30+ years. And it looks pretty cool, too.

It must be nice to have a "home base." I don't even have a good place to store my motorcycle helmet and jacket when I go to work! Those days are growing short anyway, literally.

On 9/14/2023 at 4:54 PM, Cali said:

My son sell many things on the net. I asked him about selling some of my CFM heels. They are in very good condition, but they are not very comfortable to wear long time.  So they have sat on the shelf for YEARS.

To him it was just not worth it.  Yes, he might be able to get as much as $30 each, but the work to showcase them was not worth his time.  I plan to try some consignment stores or donate to a LGB... support group or a ...

Then I have several Charles by Charles David gladiator wedges where the glue has failed. I have gotten my use out of them  However. I have not found decent replacements. And I looked! And looked1 Those heels go into my shop and hopefully I can get them back in my closet before fall rain.

Yeah, that's exactly where I'm at. If I have some shoes to get rid of, it's way too much trouble to bother trying to sell them. Once upon a time I would have, but those days are long past.

The shoes pictured here are not really what I'd call CFM shoes, they are very casual and/or funky. Either this woman you refer to doesn't understand the definition, or she was winding you up a bit. One could argue that @Jkrenzer wears CFM shoes pretty much every day, but not you and not me. And honestly, I think the term is probably rather dated.

Speaking of things I haven't done in a while, I have not posted any farmer's market pictures in some time. This is probably because they are so lame, and there's little interest there, especially if I do it every week. However, it's been very sparse over the past few months, and the season is rapidly drawing to a close.

I always bring backup shoes. The only time I've ever had to actually use them in the last 3 years is because of mechanical shoe failure with my high shoes. At any rate, I have ventured a bit higher with shoe steepness as the summer has worn on, and I rarely wear my Söfft low heels these days. A lower shoe now would be like the Nine West "Potporri" pictured in the bathroom mirror. Those are probably effectively 3 3/4 or 3 7/8", something like that. I don't seem to have any problem wearing 4 inch heels for the entire night, which is somewhat satisfying. I never got to that point last year.

Also included is a recent, as in yesterday, photo of the tent/booth.

This week's church OOTW. I actually bought something from Poshmark that was designated as a "men's" item, this BCBG tie. One of my fashionista friends called it a "fun tie." In practically the same breath she said, "I'm still amazed that you are comfortable in such high heels," referring to my Miu Miu patent tan sandals. It's not always true, but for some reason, Miu Miu fits me well, and I don't find the 4 1/2" steepness to be bothersome at all. It's too bad that Miu Mius are usually prohibitively expensive, and most of them are hideous.

By "super arch," I assume you mean the style where the very last part underneath the heel of the foot suddenly turns back flatter again instead of continuing up at the severe angle that is underneath the arch of the foot. If that's the case, there is a Chinese company called Hey Si Mey that makes a few styles like that. They are at the upper end of the cheap shoe range. Not leather, but not terrible quality either.

"Purge" is a term that used to apply when I was much younger and was a bit ashamed of my obsession with heels. Also, I only had 2 or 3 pairs at a time. "Cull" or "prune" would definitely be more applicable today. Much like you (the O.P.), one of the factors is when I have shoes that are consistently neglected. My collection is slightly over 100 pairs, so it's very easy to not wear something for a year or two. At the opposite end of the spectrum, shoes in our world do not tend to be particularly durable, so shoes that get worn a lot either break eventually or just become so ratty looking and unpresentable that they too, must go.

There is the stuff that never quite fit right, the stuff that seemed cool at the time, but has not aged well. Sometimes, one just changes his taste in shoes and clothing. Sometimes, one gains skill over the years, making a wider variety of shoes accessible where they weren't before. It is very rare, for example, unless there is a specific reason to do so, for me to choose one of my pairs of 2 - 2 1/2" heels over something much higher. I wore lower heels a lot a number of years ago, because back then I couldn't hack a day in 4"+.

In closing, I just in the last week built an additional shelf for my shoes, so that all of them are once again off the floor. I really should not allow the collection to get any larger than it is right now.

I only wish that style would come back in some numbers--you should see what kind of black shoes the young people are wearing around here. They are not pleasant to look at.

Somehow or other, I have never smashed a watch in my life. Coworkers have asked me in the past why and how I manage to get away with wearing such a nice watch to work. I have no idea how. I guess I naturally have situational awareness, as they like to say in the safety business.

@Shyheels, I always wake up about three minutes before the alarm goes off. I still set the thing anyway. It always scares me when it does go off. I'm an idiot.

@pebblesf, My other watches are 40mm in size. That's now on the small end of normal "men's" watches. I've always thought they looked clunky on me. My son has an antique watch that is 32mm, and that was not an unusual size for the day. Today, that would definitely be a "women's" size.

@Cali, I worked at a milk plant (they were adding a baby formula line) for a while where not only could you not wear watches or rings, you were not allowed to carry anything in a pocket above the waist. They still made us wear safety glasses, though.

@Bubba136, It would be difficult for me to forget my spectacles, impossible for me to forget my testicles, so in the modern world, I substitute my company phone and badge for those first two. Yes, I have become one of those jackwagons who carries two phones.

As a closing thought, would Jesus, in fact, wear a Rolex on his television show? My son says yes. Back in the day, Rolex used to be a working man's watch, before it became an overpriced statement piece.

"Super comfy" and "Christian Louboutin" are not word groups that are often used in the same sentence. I'm glad that you got lucky with yours! I have no idea if, given the opportunity, I will drop the cash on Louboutins someday. If I do, I now know to get at least a size 40, if not 40.5. My house will be paid off a year from now! 😆😆😆

I have worn a wristwatch pretty much all of my life. They have become less popular as of late since you can see the exact time on your phone nowadays. I had worn the same watch for some 15 years, but lately, thanks to my younger son, I have come to appreciate the art and simplicity of a mechanical watch. I have sworn off buying any more shoes for a while, but I have bought two vintage watches in the last several months.

Oddly enough, they are exactly the same, except one has a stainless steel (silver) case, and the other is 10K gold. I love the clean look of the Ball Trainmaster, which you can see pictured here. I also like the size, which is 34.5 mm. Watches, like pickup trucks, have gotten bigger over the years, and I think the smaller size suits me better than today's oversize watches. These watches are from the 1960s.

I figured what you were referring to is residential. Because when your wires are this big, you need bigger conduit! We always use a dedicated ground wire, regardless of whether the raceway is plastic or metal. I think it's Code now. It didn't used to be.

13 hours ago, Puffer said:

Yes, 'solvent weld' is the usual term here for the process to join uPVC and/or ABS pipework (including electrical conduit, which comes in 20mm and 25mm o/d sizes).   As you say, the smell is quite distinctive - and potentially addictive - and the solvent should be used with care as it has some anaesthetic qualities, as do most chlorinated organic solvents such as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene etc that are widely used for cleaning/degreasing as well as being common plastic solvents.

I can't see too clearly from your pics but I'm guessing that the threaded plastic parts are the unscrewable elements of the trap and what appears to be an air admittance valve.   Threads in uPVC components can give trouble if they are mot put together squarely (i.e. crossthreaded) and thereby get damaged or stripped.

Do you mean to tell me that only the equivalent of 1/2" and 3/4" PVC is allowed for electrical use? We use 1/2" all the way through 6" here. The electrical conduit corresponds exactly in dimension to the plumbing stuff, but is made slightly differently to allow heating and bending, which plumbers never do. The same is true for the metal threaded stuff, all sizes are interchangeable between steamfitters/plumbers and electricians, but the materials are not interchangeable.

Solvent weld. I have never heard that term, but it's probably technically more accurate than what we call it here in the U.S.--glue. As in PVC glue, and there is nothing quite like that smell. At any rate, I looked up the specs on the American standard, National Pipe Thread (which does not apply in the instant case), and it would appear that they differ slightly from the British Standard Pipe. The only thing they seem to have in common is the same thread coarseness for trade sizes of 1/2 and 3/4".

Here are photos of my new main waste line, as it is married to the old cast iron stack. In fact, there are a couple of threaded PVC fittings in there. Can you spot them, @Cali? Personally, I hate dealing with PVC threads--they're generally a pain in the neck, at least from an electrical perspective.

Annnndd....both these pictures are turned 90º, and I can't get them un-turned. Oh well. That happens randomly, but thankfully only occasionally, when one uploads pictures to this site.