Guy N. Heels

(Transferred from an incidental discussion in http://www.hhplace.org/discuss/hellos_goodbyes_introductions/7060-hi_folks.html where a couple of folks were talking about old computer technology. This is about the technology. If you're not interested in folks sitting round doing The Four Yorkshiremen impressions with regard to computers, you probably don't want to read the rest of it :-) )

Despite being a relative youngster, I wrote my first program by punching chads out of punched cards. By hand - none of these typewriter-style punches! I've toggled the boot code into a mainframe via the front panel, have helped to tune the memory access speed of core store (we got 10% out of it before we started getting errors and had to back off - overclocking in the 1960s!) and have dragged several hundredweight of kit up the ramp into the machine room. In trainers - wouldn't fancy doing that in heels!

Ahhh, memories... :-)

AHH yes, the 8" (bedsheet) size floppies, 10 platter disks. BTW I still have a 10 platter cat-eye alignment disk in my basement if anyone has a crying need for one.

And lessee, how about a paper punchtape reader to load in a loader so you could boot-up (I think IBM still calls it IPL).

Oh, I almost forgot about the memory cards - we had the real thing in those days. It was called core and after it was loaded you could pull it outta the computer and cart it across town if you liked. I kept one loaded page on the shelf just in case everything went to hell in a handbasket. What a way to go!

Over the years, I've used different off the shelf products and home remedies for conditioning leather. Anything from baseball gloves to motorcycle saddles to belts. Each case had it's own good and not so good results. I heard of a new one and have yet to try it, thought I'd pass it around to see if anyone here has and their opinion.

Vegetable oil.

When I had my boots remanufactured, a new sole and heel were installed on a pair of Elle 8890 thigh boots, lined, in black leather. This is not the best leather in the world, but I really LOVE the boots and would like to keep them in good shape as long as possible. They get almost daily wear. The man who created these boots for me told me that many leather conditioners actually looked like they were working well, but in fact, were drying out the leather. He said the best thing he's found is pure vegetable oil. Clean the boots with mild soap solution, then liberally apply the oil, let sit for a few hours and wipe off excess. Any one try this before?

One thing I want to avoid is making the leather too soft so that is streatches to easily. My boots fit really well right now and wouldn't want them to loosen up too much.

Well, it depends. But you could be buying yourself a whole peck of trouble.

One of the first questions you need the answer to is the way the leather was tanned. Now if the leather is vegetable tanned, then you might be okay. But if not, you could ruin the leather product.

Since you live in the States, why don't you go to TandyLeather.com and check out their leather care products? I don't know if they'll answer your questions on-line, but you could get in touch with a Tandy Leather shop near you (they have one in nearly every state now) and ask them. I'm sure they'll be glad to help you out.

For my own part, I tend to lean toward things like Neetsfoot oil, wax products and polishes, and a leather restorer product I bought from Tandy for really badly cracked leather goods:lifesaver: .

i've met one fella who took it beyond just the appearance and also one gal who did.. it's like to her.. she steps into the role with her heels... and becomes more dominant in behavior with her heels. to him.. high heeled gals were treated automatically as more submissive even if they weren't. to him.. only submissive women wore heels..and he truely believed that. hence why i said that to me the distinction stopped at the appearance.

ur one funny lady Guy N Heels

RPM

Thank you, my wife agrees.

Still, I cannot help but believe that there is a subliminal mssg of dominance being transmitted through high heels. I can still remember one time when I was at my girlfriend's house and her Ex showed-up with his girlfriend. My GF received them and then quickly disappeared. In a few minutes she returned wearing makeup, flashy earrings, and the tallest heels she had in her closet. Her unspoken mssg was clear - "I'm in charge around here, and anything you want to do has to go past ME!" I loved her for it, even though I know she didn't do it for my benefit.

the distinction of Western women here is fascinating.. never really thought too much about how other cultures have their gait and how it differs between men and women.. fascinating.

RPM

Check out any authentic film or video of how Japanese women walk in traditional costume. Believe me, even in Western dress and heels they have a distinctive gait that needs to be seen.

i've got so much bio under my belt.. i hate to look into it to comment here.. great long thread.

men and women... equally conditioned will do equally well in heels. there are a few anatomical differences that can't be argued or adjusted for, but they dont' bear impact on the ability to wear heels.

men and women have a difference in their pelvis that affects the angle to the ground their feet makes.. which can impact the planting of a heeled foot to the ground. but that effect only affects how the stride looks.

Men tend to walk more from their shoulders (higher center of gravity) and women more from the hip(lower center of gravity). that difference in walking style can easily be adjusted with a little training to eliminate that difference.

weight only plays a factor in endurance in the high heels. the more you weight, the more pressure on the various joints and surfaces of your foot in the heels. that can be easily be accounted for in study.. get a man and a woman of the same weight.

bottom line.. as funny or weird as the study was... men and women with equal exposure and experience in heels will perform about the same. it's the social conditioning that makes the biggest difference!!!

no.. i don't wear heels.. but i've won a bet and outperformed a seasoned heeler. i've worn heels twice to please my lady. i still don't call myself a heeler or one who knows much about walking in heels.. but i understand how my body works and apply that knowledge to walk reasonably in heels (up to 5 inch.. haven't tried taller)

my point of view..

RPM

You make some interesting points. Speaking of the manner of walking, I saw an interview with Jack Lemmon one time and he was talking about some of the difficulties they had in shooting Some Like It Hot. One thing I distinctly recall him saying is that men swing their legs from the hip while women (I presume he meant Western women) swing their legs from the knee. At first that struck me as odd. But Lemmon went on to say that they could have learned how to do that, but that both he and Tony Curtis deliberately didn't in order to make it obvious that they were guys in drag. Still, I found his remarks interesting.

I really appreciate the open and thoughtful replies. We've taken it to a bit more detail that I had expected, but that's certainly OK with me. I said at the beginning this could wander where ever we wanted it to.

...How far does she have to go in her defense. Personally, I'm stead fast firm on this. My husband called it "deliberately determined". If I say "NO" that's exactly what I mean. In my personal life, in the life style I have, it's very seldom that I stand my ground with a "NO". When my husband says "NO" I know exactly what he means, "NO".

...If, as everyone has stated, a woman (or anyone) has the option to say "NO", it only stands to reason she should expect the other party to accept it. Am I right or wrong?

Susan

Every meaningful relationship is dependent upon mutual respect and trust. Therefore, neither party should insist upon a matter of fashion or taste at the expense of the relationship. However, a reasonable explanation would certainly be in order, i.e.: my feet hurt; I'm having a bad day; I'm just not up to it right now, etc.

Having said that, any reasonable person should be able to accept that explanation without further ado. To not do so is not only very bad form, but also it begins to erode the relationship. After all, at some point both the trust and respect begin to break-down.

My late girlfriend had some serious issues because of a very bad car crash. However, when I bought her a very sexy pair of 3" heels she didn't yell or scream, or even protest, for that matter. However, she did say that it was difficult for her to walk in them. Then one night she left them at my apartment without a word. Later on, if she was up to it, she would wear them for me in the apartment. Usually it was her choice, but if she ever said she wasn't up to it - that was that; no arguments and no further discussion on the matter. Things worked well for us. I wish matters would work out so well for everyone.

...bottom line.. the more comfy you look in your heels.. the more you look dominant compared to one who isn't.. who looks submissive.

to me.. the distinction stops at the appearance level. RPM

Well unh:w00t2:, pardon me, but I thought it was all about appearance.

Does the wobble really matter if it isn't to noticeable? How am I doing in this vid except for the unstable camera. Be honest, I want to perfect the perfect walk for a man in heels.

Well, to be quite honest, the camera is shaking far too much to be able to discern anything definitive. Also, the pants cover the shoes, thus masking that distinctive wobble that I look for with the female foot. The last thing I look for is the movement of the head and shoulders, which will sometimes give it away. Again, the camera is shaking far too much to detect that motion.

Hey, not bad! Any idea whose legs those are?

Well, womenshoelover, if you like your crocs, more power to you! There are certainly plenty of them around!

I do have a pair of the classic unisex clogs -- wood bottom wnd leather upper. They are extremely durable and rather comfy. I keep them by my side door, they are very handy to slip on any time I need to go out into the breezeway or garage for a minute, or even outside when the weather's nice.

I certainly agree that one of the main reasons I love my HH sandals and slides is the convenience! If Ineed to run outta the house for a minute (in truth, I don't run anywhere these days) I just jump in my shoes and go. Just think, even a few short years ago I'd have either been tying my laces or doing those velcro things. But with my HH sandals I just jump in them and go! It's an exhilerating sense of freedom!

...people whine and moan about a problem they can solve in minutes if they just stopped whining and moaning?

I guess it's a simple fact that some people are whiners and complainers while others are fixers. As for me, I've just about lost patience with the whiners and complainers.

I like your comments and how you expressed yourself Susan.

The topic of permancy in heels is not one I find too appealing... reason being is that it puts undue pressure on the woman if she's doing it for him...

While dating my fiance.. i wasn't aware of how much pressure i was putting on her to wear taller heels more frequently. i always thought i was a very understanding and agreeable nice guy. and i wasn't taking a hint well either...

...what i came to realize.. there is a difference between what I want and sharing with my lady.. and insisting she does as i say. it was a tough pill for me to swallow.. learning that i wanted her to wear the heels as a show of her appreciation for all the good stuff i did for her was a hard hard pill to swallow and hard to let go the habbit of feeling this way.

...today.. i don't pressure her to wear heels and she's not shown me any signs that i do either.. she seems so much happier now and more content. she's more willing to wear heels now... but on her terms and for herself when she wants to. if i'm there to enjoy the view.. great... if i'm not.. there is a next time...RPM

In my personal experience, most women respond better to pursuasion than pressure, far better to romance than demands.

Today I was in a couple of stores shopping with my wife. The first place was Sam's Club.

In Sam's there were three women, 20's I would say. Each wearing 4 or 5" stiletto shoes with jeans fully exposing their heels. I did all I could do to watch without them or my wife noticing me. Mind you, this store is huge with cement floors. They were walking as if they were wearing sneakers!!!

The second store was a Hannaford grocery store. I was in there alone and noticed a woman in her mid 20's wearing a red baseball cap very low on her head covering her eyes, a tight sweater, tight worn denim jeans, and 5" black and white zebra striped stiletto pumps (no platform). She was strutting her stuff through the store like these shoes were part of her body. I followed her around from almost a distance just watching her walk (to get some tips for my own walking) as well as just enjoying her gait. I finally did what I had to do and she ended up on the line next to me to check out. I followed her again from a slight distance to the parking lot and she walked up a slight hill and began to struggle a bit. I soooooo wanted to ask her how comfortable she is as well as to tell her just how incredible she looked.

I chickened out.

Good grief, man, offer to help her with the groceries, open a door for her, put away her shopping cart, ANYTHING to get a word in! What's the matter with this generation?

In Star Trek: Deep Space 9, there were some episodes where Nana Visitor/Major Kira had an "evil opposite" who was usually clad in what I vaguely remember as either glossy leather or PVC. I'm pretty sure she wore high stilleto heel knee boots as well.

The first episode of Star Trek - The Next Generation featured Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) wearing something which many seem to describe as a cheerleaders outside, with a pair of medium heel black boots.

Ahh, Nana Visitor, the tough talking broad with the wrinkled nose. Yeah, I liked her alter ego better. At least the alter ego didn't put on airs about being "miss goody 2 shoes".

As for Marina Sirtis, she would look good in most anything. Unfortunately, I can only recall one episode with her in heels. She somehow got hooked-up with some ambassador and aged about 60 years during the course of the show.

Has anyone ever seen her doing anything else?

I think Skirted-UK was only referring to those smokers who do not care about themselves or others.

Regardless, anyone fighting this particular problem is welcome to PM me and I absolutely promise whatever help or support I can offer without judgements.

The heels or the girl?

Oh well. You can always get another girl.

And next time, let her know sooner.

Ditto! If the gal is laying down that kind of ultimatum then the relationship is probably wrecked anyway. If you try to explain at this late date that you enjoy high-heeled fashion, I doubt very seriously that she'll listen. Bottom line, change the girl!

She's probably mad at that stupid bucked that threw her stride off. GRRRRRRR!!!

Yeah! Just what was that bucket all about?

There is a poll here: http://www.hhplace.org/discuss/everybody/6007-minimum_height_high_heel.html

on this very question. If I remember right, the numbers came out to 3.5" -- anything less than that is not "high" by the working definition of this board.

I cannot believe that any feminine shoe would qualify as a high heel. Flats are not high heels by definition. I don't think anybody around here would call a thick-soled platform a "high heel" either unless there was some significant rise (like about 3.5") from the toe to the heel.

I know there are a lot of old threads discussing this question.

DITTO! There are indeed several threads discussing this matter.

Slightly off topic, but for those that have never seen it, the Finnish Star Trek/Babylon 5 parody, "Star Wrek: In the Pirkinning", has the female crew members wearing some very nice thigh high boots.

Well, it looks like they shot all the indoor scenes using about a 60 Watt light bulb for lighting and I only saw one scene with high-heeled boots.

For anybody thats interested, I have now made this into an official survey from the surveys section of the website, just so this thread doesnt get buried in the thousands of threads here... :academic:

RIGHT ON! For some reason, this one refuses to die a natural death.

no, MISSION OF MERCY was where they got zapped into a "alternative universe" sort of thing, where all the crews were more like klignons in the fact that they slluted like them, wore the thigh boots that they did (or similar) and their counter-parts got zapped into THIS universe! and also Spock wore a beard in the other universe, too. the one where spock does some kind of "flamenco" type of dance was another one (one about these aliens that were like the ancient greeks with super powers, exact name I forgot just now though) & spock & the others were being "forced" by these aliens through sheer mental powers to do just about anything that they could think up (taking total control of Kirk's crew with kinetic mental powers)

1000 pardons, my aged and befuddled brane sometimes gets things mixed-up. But yer right about the Greek type culture and the one guy was sick and was doing all kinds of things with his mental faculties. I think he even put the Enterprise in jeapordy with his abberant thoughts until McCoy slapped him around a bit.

So, if nobody can access the ship's log I'll just have to down some more selenium and see if I can recall the name of the episode.

Scotty, one to beam up.

...The problem with people who smoke is that they are addicted to it and cannot give it up. I have known people with cancer and heart problems who were told by their doctor to give it up as it is killing them, they have just carried on and died!

If these people don't care about their own health, they are not going to be worried about what they are doing to anyones else's health. The non-smoking public need to be protected from these people.

I don't think you got one word quite right, it's ADDICTED! Few things in this world are more addictive than the nicotiene in tobbacco. 30 years back when I was fighting it, there were no patches or chews or anything like that to help. Let me tell you, I literally needed the power of Almighty GOD to break the habit. So I know from personal experience that however much one cares for one's health has nothing to do with it. When yer hooked, you are really hooked! So take it from me, after I've lost some friends who were unable to stop, I know that such people need both understanding and help - not condemnation.

Well, on a gross scale, physics definately plays a role which is why elephants don't look like ants and spiders.

On less of a scale, the larger the individual, the thicker, meatier they'll be. Consider the petites of the world as compared to those women who're genuinely six foot.

It's not genetics - it's survival of the fittest.

NOPE! I have to disagree. When anthropologists can dig-up a human skull and forensic scientists can determine from the size and shape of the skull if they're dealing with a male or a female, and even give us a fairly accurate depiction of the person's appearance - well I have to say genetics. Unless we're going to subscribe to "crystal-ball" science, there has to be some definitive way of determining sex, age, and all the other things I've seen them come up with. So how can the rules that apply to the forensics of bones that are known to be hundreds and even thousands of years old be any different when applied to living, breathing humans today? The answer is quite elementary, they aren't! Therefore, it cannot merely be a matter of survival of the fittest. There has to be something else.

...But in my opinion the corrupt president G.W. Bush is not an acceptable solution... My advice to all Americans: send this selfdeclared hardliner at the next elections simply to the desert...

The good news is that G.W.Bush cannot legally run for office again, so he will definitely be gone. The bad news is that the stupid electorate might actually elect someone WORSE!

Has anyone here tried Parker's? I was just in my wine shop and spotted a bottle of the stuff, but I've never had a wee dram of it.