mlroseplant

I wonder what he's got on underneath those boots? I personally find that I cannot wear traditionally tailored suitpants with tall boots, because there is too much fabric there to stuff in, and it ends up billowing out in unflattering places after a bit of movement.

The "once-over" was not what I would consider a negative one, it was a curious one. Realize that my assessment is based upon a split second impression that was made before I realized who the guy was. lHad I not been in a hurry, I would have said hello, and the conversation would have been pleasant, if not brilliant. He is also in construction, though he is now retired. How we have not run into each other in the last 10 years, I have no idea. I see his sons around town often, and I still to this day do not call them immediately by name, because they are identical twins. From a distance, they still look very much alike, even though they are now approaching 50. And I can attest to context being everything. It is very jarring, and sometimes downright confusing to meet one of my colleagues outside of work. For one thing, people can look very different without a hard hat!

I sure got noticed the other day. It was the one day we've had so far this year that it was warm enough for me to wear shorts. I don't even remember what shoes I had on, but obviously, it was some sort of high heeled sandals. I was getting fuel for my car, and I got the once-over from an older man, which is no big deal, lots of older people are less than discreet about looking. I thought nothing of it, but when I stepped up to the counter to pay, I realized that I knew the guy. It had been a number of years since we'd seen each other, and for whatever reason, it didn't dawn on him that it was me. Since I was in kind of a hurry, I turned a little to the side and pretended not to see him. Recognition would have cost me at least 10 minutes, and probably more. Had I been in jeans and work boots, I wonder if he would have recognized me. We were not just casual acquaintances.

It seems that my shoe collection has gained some stability lately, as I haven't purchased any new shoes in about three months. With that stability, I realize that my whole philosophy toward shoes has changed somewhat. I used to say that if I couldn't walk two miles in reasonable comfort, I would get rid of the shoes. I gave lip service to this mantra for a number of years, but now I realize that I have to back off of it because I would estimate that I've never walked two miles in over half my current collection. Not all at once, anyway. It's not that I couldn't potentially walk two miles in any of my shoes, it's just that I don't want to. I pretty much don't walk in stilettos anymore because the heel tips wear out far too fast, it's way too easy to damage the heels putting that many miles on them in the real world, and it's not necessarily all that fun, paying hyper attention to every crack in the sidewalk. Sure, I do it occasionally just to prove I still can, but not on the regular. As a result, I have a whole bunch of dressier shoes that have never seen the two mile circuit, and probably never will. And I will not get rid of them.

An update on the Wilia3s: They're fine. They might even be decent walking sandals, but I know if I wear them too much for that purpose, I'll wind up damaging the gold finish, and then they won't be suitable to wear for dressier occasions. I have walked a mile in these with no issues and worn them to church. They are stiff in the way that non-leather shoes are, but not uncomfortable.

Sometimes I wonder if I ever got the chance to wear heels to work whether I'd regret it or not. I've come to the realization that they're not practical in all situations.

I was inspired by your post to drag out my Elisabet Tang pumps to see if I could make them work. The answer to that question is yes, I think they will in fact be wearable with the judicious use of the shoe stretcher. However, I chose otherwise for church last Sunday. I am simply not prepared to wear 120 mm + shoes in public yet, especially when I'll be recorded. I'm getting there, but the process is slow.

What a coincidence that there are several of us here that were attracted to go-go boots initially. In my case, I caught the tail end of that particular fashion, because all my memories of such were girls in elementary school. By the time I got to junior high, it was cowgirl boots or the wooden heeled sandals that I favor to this day.

Usually I forget about the significance of this day until it is past, but for some reason I remembered it this year. Perhaps it is because I didn't realize what was happening at the time, and what significance it would ultimately have in my life. Thirteen years ago this evening, I stepped out for the first time in public wearing obviously elevated heels. In a way, it seems like much longer. In this regard, time has not flown by. It is difficult for me to remember a time when I didn't wear heels, even though that was more than 75% of my life. I'm trying to remember what I did wear on a daily basis. I remember at one time I went through a hiking boot phase. When I played with a country band, I wore cowboy boots pretty much everywhere for a couple of years. I must have worn tennis shoes for a good portion of my pre-heeled life. I really don't remember much about my footwear before 2012. I still keep the Söfft clogs I wore for my maiden outing, but I never wear them anymore. Even though they are leather on the outside, the non-leather liner makes my feet sweat something terrible. According to my records, I have not walked very many miles in these shoes, but I sure remember the first mile. I thought it would never end. Even after thirteen years, I will not pretend to be 100% comfortable in my skin. At times I still feel self conscious, especially when I have chosen very loud shoes without thinking about it, only to end up in a place where it's very noticeable. But still, it hasn't been a bad trip so far, and it doesn't really show any signs of ending.

I finally got around to taking some pictures this week. Because the leaves are back on the trees, I now have a built-in place where the sun won't wash out the pictures, so maybe this will happen more often. I have said before that I am not the type of person to walk through the neighborhood with my tripod (or a companion), looking for the perfect photo op. Having said that, I don't usually photo-bomb like I'm going to today, but somehow or other, I managed to take the perfect set. Usually when I do these things, I take at least half a dozen pictures to get one decent one. This time, I didn't delete any of them. They all came out pretty well. Therefore, y'all have to suffer as a result. Today's shoe selection marks the beginning of sandal season, and I took some new sandals for their first public outing, those being Nine West Wilia3. I have no idea what Wilia1 and 2 might be, but evidently, these are Wilia the third. It's not truly their first public outing, because I actually vetted these with a one mile walk a couple of weeks ago, just to see what category they might fit into in my shoe collection, but this is the first time that others could really see them. They were all right for a few hours, and they're all right to walk a mile. They are not uncomfortable, but neither are they a pleasure to wear. They're kind of just there. Nine West is slipping. These are disposable shoes at a disposable price. They are not leather, they are not supple, and they don't appear to be particularly durable. However, they look kind of cool. On edit: Yeah, posting five small photos instead of two medium sized ones is unsatisfactory. I will not do it again, except in special circumstances.

I don't know if this counts as a "practical use," but the other night when I was at choir rehearsal, we did a complete run-through of the piece we had been rehearsing piecemeal, and we stood to do so. It is a very uptempo, high energy piece, and the choir director instructed us to imagine that we were standing on the balls of our feet. Without hesitation I said, "I don't really have a choice." Those within earshot laughed more heartily than I would have guessed, and those who didn't hear me were wondering what was so funny.

As it so happens, I believe I can help you out on this. I too heard the siren song of Elisabet Tang, and they are not bad shoes for the money. Naturally, or un-naturally, as the case may be, in that price range they are plastic shoes. I also imagine that they are twice the price now for me (but not for you). I'll leave that right there. Here are two things to know: 1) Whoever makes/markets these also sell the same exact shoe under the name Gen Shuo. And I mean the same exact shoe, right down to the detailing on the sole. 2) They run slightly small, and it seems to be consistent with this particular model. 98% of the time, I take a USW size 9, and I can barely get these on in size 9. I bought the cheapest used pair I could find in size 10 just to check sizing, and I discovered that size 10 is not really a good fit, either. 9 1/2 might be the ticket, if I could find them in 9 1/2. When I looked before, they only came in whole sizes. I see in the link you sent that you can get 8 1/2 and 9 1/2, but no other half sizes. This makes me suspicious, because in the feedback section of some website I visited trying to figure out what was going on with the sizing, the company evidently knows about the problem, and said they would take steps to correct it. This seems just like Aldo from 15+ years ago. Remember how Aldos always ran really small, and then they "corrected" the problem? This has been a lot of words to say yes, Elisabet Tang/Gen Shuo are probably worth buying if you like that style, but be aware of the sizing issues if buying sight unseen. As an afterthought, yes the heels on size 9 are every bit of 120 mm, probably more like 122.

It has been a long while since I've shared any outfits, and today is barely an exception. One of my friends sent me a screenshot of the church livestream, and I thought, "At least my posture is fairly decent." The photo is of course, super low-res, but then again, the livestream sound, to my ear, is super low-fi to match the picture.

From my perspective, you did it right. Get that stuff out of the way when it doesn't count for much. You see, I was a good kid. Not perfect, but never caused any trouble. As a result, I didn't start doing stupid stuff until I was in my 40s. Not a great way to do things.

I took the day off so I could take care of some things. While I was in the grocery store, I saw an older lady (by older, I mean at least as old as me) wearing OTK snakeskin boots with 3 1/2" block heels and a demin miniskirt. I have no idea who she is, but I have this feeling I've seen her before. I was in no mood for unnecessary interaction on that occasion, so I passed up the opportunity to learn more, despite the fact that I was wearing heels myself.

It's funny how everybody's experience is a little different. I have never had any trouble with teenaged girls, at least in this decade. It's the boys who tend to make rude comments, often behind my back, evidently. The girls all coo over my shoes.

I had my first eye lasered yesterday. The procedure is called Direct SLT (Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty), and it is designed to reduce eye pressure while being minimally invasive. I was told that it would take about 15 minutes. That was not really an accurate description of how it went. The actual lasering took somewhere in the neighborhood of two seconds (you mean that's IT?), and then I had to wait around for 15 minutes after that, so they could make sure that I was not one of the few whose eye pressure spiked right after, or had some other adverse reaction. For once, I was in the majority, and got sent on my way 15 minutes later with a slight dull headache. I do have something relevant to say about the experience, that is, high heel related. Two weeks ago when I went for the consultation/testing portion of this experience, one of the techs I had went on and on about my shoes. I didn't have her yesterday, but she went out of her way to flag me down in the hallway (she recognized me from two weeks ago) just to see what I was wearing that day. I happened to be wearing burgandy Mary Janes, which I wore because one of the few non-wrinkled shirts I have left is that matching color. I am really behind on the ironing.

Does this mean we are officially in a recession?

Well folks, it has been an exhausting month, but a good one. I haven't had a whole lot to say, and it seems that neither has anyone else. I haven't even bought any shoes in over two months! On the other hand, I have been walking a lot. I hope all are well.

Since the weather has gotten warmer, I have been wearing sandals sometimes. I have two pairs of the same model of True Religion peep toe mules. For whatever reason, there is a slight variation in heel height among the three pairs. The black pair is right at an effective 4" (5"/1" plat), but the brown pair is 4 1/8". It's not a night and day comparison, but they do walk differently, and I do notice it. While quite comfortable, neither pair feels like flats.

I have nothing earthshaking to report, but an acquaintance of mine, a younger woman who must be about 35 by now, wore 3 1/2" wedge sandals to Easter service at the church. She has done so for the better part of 20 years (since high school). Never to be seen in ridiculously high heels, but always something in that 3 1/2" range.

Because I have so many used shoes from so many varied sources, when I say "4 inch heel," I mean actual, not nominal on a size 9 USW/40 EU. Besides that, you can't really trust every seller to measure accurately or even use the same method to measure. The Gold Standard for many people is 120 mm, and though I have several pairs of shoes that approach that height, I would assume that I would need 125-127 mm to equal the steepness of a "nominal" 120 mm. Judging only by sight, my Steve Madden pumps, though styled very similarly, are not quite as steep as actual Christian Louboutin So Kates. The Maddens measure in right at 118 mm, but of course on Size 9. At either 118 or 125, uh, yeah, I can feel that!

I had an experience on Easter Sunday. I wish I could say it was the first time, but at least it's only the second time this has happened to me in exactly this way. When I left the house and climbed into my son's Big Oldsmobile, I had both heel tips. By the the time I arrived at the church door, I had neither. It seems they fell off almost simultaneously. Luckily, the sanctuary floor is carpeted, or I might have been in real trouble.

There is something to be said about not ever forgetting to put your safety glasses on at the jobsite, because you CAN'T really forget.

`Given 24 hours to think about it, I've had several experiences with grumpy old men which were similar to Gige's experience. I swear I am not making this up--they have all said something to the effect of, "Golly gee, those shoes must be awfully comfortable!" The funny thing about these encounters is that you're going about your business, thinking about something else, just living life. To be suddenly yanked out of your own world and your own thoughts, and be expected to come up with a zinger on the spot, that's a difficult situation, and I'm not usually up to the task. I can remember replying to such people, "Believe it or don't, they're really not all that bad." Which, although 100% true, is not a great comeback to a remark that is obviously meant to be insulting, but whatever. At least I don't freeze up like I used to at the beginning of my high heeled journey.