Cali

I went from 2 inch to 4 inch in one minute, BUT I had done years of toe raiser on inclines to recover from multiple ankle reconstructions.  Men's shoes were the problem for destroying my ankles and knees.

I have too take my heels off to go through security at airports.  And I fly in knee highs on the outside.  

But make sure whatever you buy fit WITHOUT pain.  Life is too short for shoes that hurt.

I had promise to do several stories from my early November trip.

On the first day of the convention, there was not my heels worn, only me and a few others. However the current leader, was in tall stiletto pumps, her normal ware. Although, many women talked to me about heels.

However, on the second day there was many 3 inch heels and a number of 4 inch heels.

And the third day a lot of heels. 

I also saw heels (high stilettos) at the up scale restaurants I had dinner at.

===

I just returned from a Thanksgiving trot.  Only saw a few heels at each airport, BUT, and @pebblesf might be extra interested in this, I saw a flight attendant is 3 inch heels coming off a plane.

Today at another airport I saw a flight attendant crew from Southwest where 2 women had at least 3 inch heels, one had a 2 inch heel, while the 4th had flats. Very unusual for a non-Asian airline flight attendant crew. I have stayed at hotels where about 90% of the female flight attendants from an Asian airline were in heels; that's where there are 24+ flight attendants (for the 16+ hour trip).

In the last house I had built (owner/builder) 30 years ago, the drywallers not only hung the drywall, they also mudded and taped it.  I was the painter. I got a professional rig from my friend, a painter (who had a double hernia and couldn't paint for 6 months).  In the house I am planning of building in the coming year, I plan to do all the inside and outside painting again.

And Happy Thursday to all those outside the US, even Canada has a different Thanksgiving.

I pulled my name out of consideration for a 6-month scientific assignment for NASA in Antarctica in the late 70's.

I'm more like @higherheels, I have a professional job so I can wear what I want at home and when I go in, and for me that's high heels.

I wear my heels 12 hours on most days and sometimes 16 hours. Only time I'm in flats is when I'm barefooted or working in my garden or kayaking or skiing.

Today its my Nine West Samreno suede block heeled knee highs, 10 cm.

Take your boat on a trip to a location with better (concrete) towpath. Otherwise it's only when you do a tour for a group.

I walked across a wet slanted exposed stone driveway this past weekend in my JS knee high boots with block heel (and black faux leather pants) and almost slipped out. It's that compound angle that gets you every time. Try it on a slant greater that 10 degrees. (Hope your medical insurance is good.)

A carpet with a soft-thick pad underneath is a nightmare, especially in stilettos.

Even a slight tilt can cause problems. We have a sidewalk between buildings with a tilt towards the center for drainage and I always feel like I am about to fall over when I walk down it.

I too have a cowl neck sweater dress, for me it just an extra long sweater that keeps my back warm in the winter so I can use less gas to heat my house.

I was out traveling to a 400-450 person conference this past. Flew in early (and in my JS knee high) and had dinner with a friend I had not seen in several years. While at dinner a woman walked by in what I would say were 12 cm pointed-toed bejeweled stiletto sandals. Just gorgeous. 

At the conference itself the leader wore some very tall stiletto pumps (several during the conference)..over 13 cm...but then she is tall and I bet has size 13 us or 45-46 eu

More on heels and this trip in CaliWorld in a few days after I rest.  But a tip bit, flew back in faux leather pants and JS knee highs. 15 hour day, meetings and flights.

On 11/7/2025 at 2:07 AM, mlroseplant said:

I've often said the same thing about Hanoi winters. Theoretically, at 10 or 15 degrees, I should certainly be comfortable without a jacket. But Hanoi is so damp, even I am cold at that temperature. I don't blame people for wearing winter coats inside the house. I imagine England is the same. Someday I hope to find out for myself.

I can attest to that. Even the summer can be that way to. I was in Bath in June and it was cold, wet, and windy

And then Scotland ...

I was also at the Edinburgh Castle in the same trip in June and the cold-wet-wind made me think I was at the top of a double black run when its -5F (-20.5C) and howling. I was so glad I took my heavy duty ski jacket for that summer time trip.

On 11/7/2025 at 2:55 AM, higherheels said:

I'm surprised how much I like these boots the more I look at them and think about them.

Probably I should just buy them and see how it goes. Maybe sleep over it another night, we'll see.

That would be awesome!

 

Can you return them if you don't fit or if you don't like them in reality?  Then it a (as we Yanks like to say) NO Brainer.

6 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Just make sure you're not wearing your vintage watch while doing this. Magnets cause old mechanical watches to do some very strange things.

No problem. Haven't worn a watch since the sixties. Besides, I don't think the magnets are that powerful.

2 hours ago, Logjam said:

That sounds very clever and cool indeed!

While I wear color on toes almost 100% of the time, I’ve not mustered the gumption to venture beyond clear gel. However, the aforementioned nail tech drops yet another hint from time to time.

Once my nail bed on some fingers started to have issues, I had to get the nails covered with acrylic to hold them together; then you need to cover the acrylic with gel.  That was 10 years ago.  It took awhile to get use to having colored nails.  I get compliments from both men and women, and may people will compare my nails to their....really no comparison

You could start with a translucent gel with a very little color.  Or you could ask your nail tech to do a magnet gel on your baby fingers.  I think she would be excited to do it.  The polish is sometimes called 'cat eye' when you use a different magnet to get the total cat eye effect.

Cat eye nail polish works by using special formulas with metallic or iron particles that are pulled into patterns by a strong magnet. Google it and see all the effects you can get.  It very similar to the special effects of some car paint jobs in the 70's

I went to a brown with magnetic copper sparkles. The magnet oriented the sparkles so that one direction it looks brown-copper, another direction orange-copper, and another direction yellowish-green. The magnet also put thin bright copper waves across each nail.

That goes ditto for eucalyptus trees and their pods.  Live with with both.

Good time for wide flare longer pants.

I drive in heels and barefoot all the time (but not at the same time). I wears heels, I get in the car and drive. Only heels I not fond of driving in are stilettos, because my heel tip digs into the mat. 

Many years ago, I told myself I would get earrings when my mother died, it would kill her (I thought). Now she is well over 100, I wonder if I will ever to it.

Having hairless bodies is a function of gyms and tattoos. That 'cute girl' tattoo is not as cute when it is hairy.  I need sections of my body hairless to tape, so I get waxed regularly.

I've bought and returned 4 pairs of heels this year, all didn't fit. But I have not seen many I like lately in the first place.

I only get regular polish on my toes, but I see some women that get gel on they toes.  Maybe if you going on a tropical vacation with lots of walking in sand. You could start slow with a tint instead of pure color.  Or you could go all out with glow-in-the-dark polish for Halloween.

I started pedicures about 20 years ago. My wrist/hand was in and out of cast for 6 months followed by surgery.  I was complaining to a cosmetologist that I couldn't cut my toe nails and she suggest I get a pedicure.  The first year I only got clear., then tints. I started colors around 2011, first simple. Now almost anything but pink or red. Since I am diabetic, foot care is important.

My fingernails started in 2015 when my thumb nail started to split from the tip to the bed. Tried everything, but nothing worked. Finally someone suggest getting it covered with acrylic and they put a layer of gel over that. A year later I tried to see what would happen if I stopped doing the acrylic nail. It split in 3 days...back to acrylic. Then another nail had issues, so it got acrylic too.  But my hand looked funny with two differently shaped nails.  ....  Anyway I get a complete set of acrylics every month and a pedi at the same time. The place I go to has only three independent nail techs. They each have their on set of clients and they can't take any new clients.  I have interactions with the other customers. A few of the women customers sent their husbands in. Most don't get color.  My fingernails have had almost very type of technique, chrome, metalic/magnetica - fish eyes, to plain color, to ombres, to art... My tech love do my nails because I allow her to be more creative. The place was once called Nails to Envy

As far as complements, many women have told me my nails are fantastic, they wish theirs were so nice. I get complement from men as well, and I said before I here the "I wish I could do it too".