chesterx

3 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

Well at least it was an easy fix

The shut off valve was easy, i just removed it at the unions & jumped across it with a short piece of tubing until i can get a replacement valve. The one in the attic is one of those that takes 10 minutes to actually fix, but 5 hours of dismantle work just to get to it. I still have to put all that panel & framework back together again tomorrow. Shouldn't be too hard as I know how it all comes apart / goes together now. I was very fortunate in that 1) I just happened to have just the fittings I needed to fix the breaks as you can't find anything right now, & 2) the split in the attic tubing was facing outward towards the eaves & that is all plywood decking that i was able to dry out with a fan & didn't suffer any warping. If it had split on the other side of the tubing it would have sprayed directly onto my expensive to replace vaulted living room drywall ceiling. This happened to my neighbor across the street, & half his ceiling came down in the middle of the night, ruining his furniture & electronic equipment in the process. This could have been so much worse for me...

Spent all day fixing a burst water line in my attic. Did not find any other damage other than a broken shut off valve that was easy to fix. Unfortunately, I was not wearing heels while making the repairs...

Not much to journal about lately. Mostly short outings to pick up groceries or restaurants for take aways. Mostly the same odd compliments on my heels or nails. One amusing moment a few weeks back while browsing through the produce section in my Jessica Simpson nude pumps, two teen ladies turned the corner & one of them fairly shouted "OH MY GOD!". Startled though I was, I think she was more embarrassed about her outburst. She sheepishly whispered "Those heels are so cute" as she walked by. I got quite a chuckle out of that. Last week I got a chance to wear my new white heels I got from Macys, with a nice snake skin texture. Had an appointment with my tax advisor. I have been using her for a couple of years now so she knew what to expect. I wore an ivory pantsuit along with my heels for the  meeting. I always enjoy our appointment as she is super nice & fun to talk to, so I try to look as nice as possible. Unfortunately, the end result was not so good, as I had to pay into the tax system for the 1st time that I can remember. Trump's economy was so good for me that I got bumped into a higher tax bracket, even after the economy was stifled by the virus. I suppose that is a good problem to have. I also included a pic of the only pair of boots that I own, as I am not usually that interested in them as I am with pumps & wedges. Yesterdays grocery outing was near the freezing point, so it seemed appropriate to wear them. As I was paying for my vittles at the checkout the lady behind me said she loved my boots. This caught the attention of the checker & bagger, as they usually don't notice, and I was caught in a flurry of compliments, enough so that I left my bloody atm card on the machine shelf. The bagger ran me down as I was leaving the store to return it to me. How embarrassing, but otherwise an enjoyable outing.

1 hour ago, Puffer said:

usually wear a woman's 13M, sometimes a woman's 12W.

this...

I had been doing mine with basic colors but last week i bought some silver glitter overlays to go over the french tips on my finger nails. I had some left over so I tried overlaying the Pacific Blue polish I had on my toes. It turned out pretty nice, kinda like a holo effect...

8 hours ago, Puffer said:

13USM or 13USW?   If the former, where do you get your shoes, please?

13M, although i can also get by with a 12W on occasion. I find them where i can. Most of My Jessica Simpson heels came from Poshmark. I got a lot of 13's from Macys. Nordstrom Rack was another good source, but it has been awhile since anything nice has come up. Shoe Show Mega had some decent cheap heels at one time, but they haven't updated their styles in quite awhile...

17 hours ago, RonC said:

I'd love a pair but I'm having so much trouble with fit these days that I won't buy anything that is not readily returnable or that I can try on in store.

Seems most of us have a cross to bare when it comes to women's heels. For me its the fact that 95% for the available styles are unobtainable due to my size 13 feet...

I bought these heels many months ago but when i got them in they did not fit well enough to wear for any period of time. I had them in the purge closet & decided to try them one last time before getting rid of them when to my surprise they fit! Not sure why the difference, maybe my feet were swollen when i 1st tried them. They were still a little snug in the toes but these are genuine leather all around, so i wore them to the grocery store confident they would stretch with wear. After 90 minutes they did indeed form nicely to my foot. What a nice surprise, because these are well made shoes. They are leather uppers & lowers, made by Eleanor Anukam in Brazil. The model is Ibena. Lord knows I have plenty of black pumps but i really like the geometric pattern cut outs that have a shear black mesh across them. The description says they have a 4" heel but like most quality manufactures they scale the heel to the size, so these are 4 3/4" tall. I superposed a pic from their website to better show off the pattern...

7 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Merry Christmas!

 

Thank you! Just back from visiting with my siblings. Felt so awkward having  Christmas with out my mom around but it was good to see my kin again after so many months apart.

Got to have a little fun today, starting with a visit to my mechanic to get my annual tuneup, then the salon for a fresh set for the holidays. I wore low heels for that as the desk they have are too short for me when i am wearing high heels. After that I switched over to my 4" Calvin Klein pumps & got a burger for lunch. Had a nice chat with the gals behind the counter but they were not busy & seemed desperate for anyone to talk to.  Final stop was the AMC theater as I wasn't ready to go home yet & all the retail stores along my route were packed. Sad to think but it seems theaters are doomed. I was the only one in the room @ 5:00 pm. Had to find someone to start the projector. Went to the restroom half way through & no one was in the halls. There were a handful of folks in the lobby as I left, but this time last year there were plenty.  Its a shame, as it was a good place to go heeling when nothing else was available. At any rate, I had a good day for a change...

My favorite place to go whether I'm fully dressed or just wearing heels is to a nice sit down restaurant like Chilis, Red Robin, or Outback. The staff are always friendly & complimentary & everyone else is mostly minding their own business. Some of the greeters even know me by name now. Of course, easy access to the house margaritas helps as well!

I love my Nine West Tatiana nude pumps. I have worn them more than any of my others & they fit like a glove. Its the only pair I have found in my size 13 other than black, but I already have a good pair of black pumps. I keep checking for more colors but so far no luck.

Those black pumps i mentioned are by Calvin Klein. They are my go to heels that match most any outfit. They are also well broken in.

Jessica Simpson Prizma D'Orsay Pumps - (2) pairs one black napa & one nude patent. These are soooo sexy. I wear them quite a bit. They are a bit tight until they warm up then fit well. The black ones are mostly broken in but the patent ones always take longer.

I have more INC brand heels than any other. They are the house brand of Macys. They are well made & comfortable, but are mostly in a mid heel range. They recently added several colors to their O'Dorsey design in a 4 1/4" heel. I bought a few pairs, but have yet to wear them out. Looking forward to wearing the leopard print 1st.

I have a handful of Sam Edelman heels that I do like, but they have taken a back seat to the above heels as of late.

19 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

How were flat-footed people dealing with it? Was is actually that slippery, or was it your stiletto heels that were causing the problem?

I didn't see anyone having issues, but I was quite focused on myself. I could see where the glare hit the floor that people were leaving footprints, that's how humid it was. I never actually slipped, it just felt like I was going to if I wasn't careful with my steps. It was the standard tile surface, it was just a perfect storm of factors is all I can say. I wore those same heels many times there with no issues at all...

Went back to the same store today to pick up a prescription that was ready. No problems at all. seems they have the humidity issues sorted. I walked at least 3 times the distance of last weeks trip in that same store, & it was quite enjoyable, even got a couple of compliments, so hopefully that  will be a one  off experience...

2 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Wow. I never understood why they make the floors slippery. I have the same thoughts when entering a store: "let's see how this is, and PLEASE, let me not slip".

That's the weird thing about it. I have been on that very floor many times, often in those very same heels, with no problems at all. this time though was a killer. Mt calves are twitching just thinking about that day...

17 minutes ago, Cali said:

Find a cart and use it as a walker.  Works every time.

Agreed.  When i 1st started heeling in public i always used a cart as it gave me a since of security. I have no explanation as to why it helped, but it did. All i was wanting was some wings for lunch, but it turned out I'm the one who's lunch got eaten that day!

On 11/29/2020 at 9:13 AM, mlroseplant said:

....... Oh, MAN! I don't think my feet ever hurt so badly, before or since.....

I had my 1st real experience with High Heel pain a couple of weeks ago. I have been trying to keep my legs in heel shape by wearing them for any little trip I take, even if its as mundane as running to the corner store to gas up for the week, as long term outings have not been available for quite some time. One such quicky was to Lowes for a flashlight replacement bulb & some batteries. I was wearing those Jessica Simpson pumps i adore so much, they are now nicely broken in. Spent about 30 minutes browsing after finding my bulb then left for home. I drive past a Walmart & decided i wanted a batch of their ranch wings, as i get a craving for them on occasion. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I parked at the furthest entrance from the deli section just to avoid dealing with the bell ringers, plus it would give me a little extra walking time. As soon as I stepped into the store i got that "Oh $%@" feeling, as the floor seemed slick as grease to my heels. I'm sure you guys have been in that situation before. The only way i could manage to stay upright was to walk stiff legged, with a shorter gait. As i made it into the deli i knew i was in trouble, & had to st down on one of the display tables for several minutes. I asked one of the deli workers what was wrong with the floor, she said they had been switching from AC to heaters & back again every other day & the humidity was nuts in the store. By the time i got back to my car my calves were done with me, i could not have gone another step. I spent several minutes rubbing the knots out of them. Good lord that was awful...

Not much happening for me lately, other than some quick trips to the grocery store, or to pick up some lunch, a couple hours seems to be the best I can manage. I wear my heels as much as I can but sure miss the full Saturday outings. I try to visit my locale Red Robin at least once a week as a take out. The hostess there has taken a shine to me, as she always comes out & compliments me, she even remembers my name. Says she is a heel lover too, & was wearing some modest pumps herself. I wore some new pumps I got in from Macys. I like their INC brand pumps as they are well made & fit like a glove. Only problem was they were 3", & I prefer 4". I was happy to see them offer these O'Dorsey style pumps in a 4 1/4" height! I ordered 2 pairs straight away, these in a white crock print (I didn't have a white pair of heels, so this worked out great) & a pair covered in purple gemstones in the same style (I hope to get a chance to wear them somewhere). I will post a pic of those in the "new shoes" thread once I get around to snapping a pic. Waiting for the black Friday sale to pick up the leopard print pair they are offering. I have the same print in the 3" heels, but I cant resist the higher heel.

7 hours ago, RonC said:

Not sure where you work, but your experience is the complete opposite of what I'm seeing, which is a serious and distinct trend toward sneakers/casual shoes in what would typically be considered business or dress situations.  I also just posted a discussion of the complete lack of dress shoes/heels at local TJ Maxx/Marshalls sotres and the decreasing selection at DSW, Nordstrom Rack, etc.  Wish I was seeing what you are!

Can vouch for the decline of Nordstrom Rack. The one near me had a nice sized section for size 12-13. I bought several pairs there. Last time I was in they had converted that area in rack storage. My office is in energy corridor area of Houston. Its as stereotypical Nine-to-five as you can get. Most everyone dresses accordingly. I once had to go into work when most everyone on my floor was home, as I forgot my laptop cable. I wore some cute black flats with my slacks that day, but sure wish they were my 4" Calvin Klein pumps instead.

The ladies at my office seem to be trending towards high heels. I see plenty most days & hear even more of them thanks to the tiled halls. I'm glad to see it on the uptick but it also makes me jealous as hell....

Dang, I cant go one week without breaking one of my fake nails.

6 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

... or those awful sports slides with socks.

gross....

On 10/14/2020 at 4:42 AM, mlroseplant said:

 

How many of us used to wear boot cut jeans in order to hide our heels?

Guilty. I'm thinking of taking two pair that have a cute design & having them converted to capris.

It's been pretty mundane the last few weeks. Mostly short trips to get groceries. Nothing worth adding to this journal. But this past Saturday was worth noting. It started with a trip to the salon for a waxing update. A couple of hours later, and several winces later, I made it to the local HEB for groceries. Not sure why, but I got an unusually high number of compliments. Not sure why people were so nice this time, but I really enjoyed the compliments, it was a real pick-me-up. Mostly for the dress I was wearing, but I suppose that was more of a reflection on JC Penny than me, but I will take it! I did get a compliment on the rings I was wearing, which was a 1st, & had to listen to this older lady go on about how her grand daughter has similar rings to the ones I was wearing. No comments on my heels, but they were rather conservative, as I wore a pair of my mid heeled pumps from Macys. I much prefer my taller ones but my feet were a little sore from measuring pipe work all week long, so I took it easy on them. Glad it worked out nicely as I don't have anything planned for the next few weeks...

12 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Haha, well you know what I would have worn. My BCBG Bonny beaded white mules. But that's probably just me.

That had not even occurred to me. I dont even have any mules at this point. I agree, that would have been a good choice. Years ago I had a pair made by Candies, but ditched them in a "purge". Think I need to add a pair to my wardrobe...

Had one errand, pick up an order at JC Penney. Ended up doing a little browsing & ended up buying a couple of earrings that were on sale & a pair of feminine sunglasses, as my only intact pair are wrap around & don't work well with my outfits when out in the sun.  After that a stop in at Outback for dinner. Pretty uneventful, even at Outback, where I got tons of compliments last week, but they were very busy today. Was treated respectfully at both locations. I wore a sheath dress by Stetson from Pinto Ranch & a jeans Jacket from Cavenders, I got both of them delivered today, all were on sale so this entire outfit with the shoes included cost around $80. I like this look but I'm not sure what shoes go best with it. I ended up wearing some strappy black sandals from Torrid I got on Poshmark. Any suggestions would be welcomed.