jmc

Hi, heels (hmmm, that has a ring to it ),

To post pictures here you need to use a photo hosting service. Basically the picture lives on another server somewhere and you post a link to it in your message here. There are several free photo hosting services, among them flickr, photobucket and imageshack. Detailed "how-to" instructions are available here.

Microsoft's tactics make a lot more sense once you realize the true purpose of Windows.

Ever since the days of 3.1 we have been told that Windows:

1). Makes your computer easier to use.

2). Makes programs easier to use.

3). Allows programs to interact with each other and share data between themselves.

4). Makes you more productive.

5). Makes the "computing experience" more enjoyable.

Those are all "side-effects" at best. Windows really exists for one and only one purpose -- it is a marketing tool. It is there to get you to buy stuff, stuff such as: more memory, bigger hard drives, faster CPU's, faster motherboards, more capable video cards, more capable monitors, licenses for new versions of software, input devices, entire computer systems, etc. And now hardware is so advanced that even the older systems are still extremely powerful. The only way to sell us new stuff is to come up with a killer OS that sucks up clock cycles in such profusion that the "super-duper high-speed screamer system" from last year slows to a crawl. Enter Vista.

Sorry, Bill -- I'm just not riding your train anymore.

"articulate"

Just a mild warning to all. Be very careful of whom you indicate as being "articulate." One candidate for President of the USA was recently complimented as being "articulate" without the speaker realizaing that that word has particularly harmful stereotype connotatons to a specific ethnic group. However, after much discussion amongst learned members of this offended group, it appears that there is no compliment that anyone could pay to any member of this group about their superior intellect that wouldn't be derogatory. Implication here is that "this person is intelligent and all of others of his race are not." So, rule of thumb. Any adjative describing any individual belonging to this particular ethnic population should be avoided at all times lest the sensitivities of the whole group be vitiated. That would be against all covenents applied to postings on hhplace. And, we all know how diligently and harshly our "moderators" apply their craft.

As far as I am concerned, that entire incident is a shining example of just how out-of-hand this "sensitivity" situation has gotten. I refuse to accept that referring to somebody as "articulate" or "intelligent" is a slur against anybody else, either individually or as a group. Anybody who does take offense to that has a problem and they are attempting to project it on to the rest of us.

There are way too many people milling about just waiting to be offended, they will latch on to the slightest issue and work themselves into a self-righteous snit over it. And it is not just members of this particular ethnic group engaging in this nonsense. It harkens back to the feminist days when complimenting a woman on her appearance was likely to engender a negative reaction from her. In the end all this negative feedback causes people to just quit caring and then we as a society bemoan the "loss of civility".

I may be raising a stir here but this incident really "got my goat".

Who cares about pumps? A whole powerful bunch of us do, that's who! Those are nice, and the jewelry sets them off well.

Ohhh Gina -- ravishing as usual!

Isn't it odd that people ignore you when you wear thigh boots in plain sight but tend to notice you when you wear boots under your jeans? I can only speculate that people are, in their own way, used to the former rather than the latter. Go figure.

Maybe there's a reason for this?

Think about it -- how many times have we heelers seen a woman wearing heels under some kind of jeans or pants and wondered how high the heels were? There is a certain mystique about that 1 inch or so of heel we see below the hem of the pants legs -- we wonder how much else there is. It is absolutely fascinating to any heeler.

I wonder if the same thing extends to we guys when we wear heels in public?

Those are nice boots! I know what you mean about balance -- a half-inch of increased height makes a lot more difference as the heel gets higher. Go from a 2" to a 2.5" and the difference is barely noticeable. Go from a 4" to a 4.5" and there is a lot more difference. Go from a 5" to a 5.5" and the difference is huge!

Oh, Gina -- amazing as always!

Isn't it amazing how people get caught up in the excitement on eBay? I've seen bidders pay more for a used item than it would have cost had they ordered it new!

Great news, Dawn and Mickey!

Yes Dawn and Mickey, we are pulling for you!

Hi, flavio - I don't see anything at all wrong with those boots. The harnessing adds an interesting detail, the snip toe looks smart, and they have a little bit of rise in the heel. I know a couple of guys who wear cowboy boots daily as their regular footwear -- if I saw either of them in boots like those I would take a second glance because I would be thinking "nice boots". Maybe things are different in Brazil but around here anybody could wear those anywhere! Maybe your in-laws need to loosen up a little.

"Reality TV" may be a look into events that are actually happening but it is a contrived reality at best. I do not find it interesting.

Beautiful pumps Jspikeheels, yours and Donna's! That red color really pops.

As of the 123 voters point, the geometric mean height that people consider to be the minimum height for a high heel is 3.474329428 inches. . .

Darn! Missed pi by 0.332736774410206761537 (or thereabouts).

So is your avatar really you? Yes. Why did you choose that picture? A couple of weeks before the old board shut down I decided it was time to post an avatar -- just to do it. This being a high-heel board the choice of my subject was obvious and I have liked heeled clogs like those since I first saw them in the '80's.

. . .Maybe it is like sugar pills.lol. Since I enjoy heels so much it make me "mentally" feel better. Just joking....

High heels -- the ultimate placebo!

Ciara, it takes time and patience. I know that is not what you want to hear but it is the truth. There is no shortcut. As the height increases the required time increases too. Ultra heels are a real commitment, you will have to "work up" to them by wearing some intermediate heels of progressively greater height. If you are struggling in these heels, you are not ready for them -- and if you "push it" you are in for a miserable experience.

Personally, I would have passed them by -- but that's irrelevant. If you like them then you should have them, even if you never venture out of the house in them -- even if you just admire them and never actually wear them. As far as your date goes, you and she have to evaluate your relationship in light of this. If she cannot accept and love you for what and who you are then your relationship is not built upon respect anyway and it is destined for trouble.

I've gone strolling around in a Wal-Mart, a big shopping mall, a Target, a couple of Home Depots and a Lowe's in my 3" wedge boots and (except for a pair of pre- adolescent girls) I had no awareness that anyone noticed. I even had my hair (what little there is) cut in those boots. Not a peep.

Most people are pre-occupied with their own concerns to notice what a man has on his feet. And why would they care? -- How much attention do we pay to the standard fare of boring mens' shoes? That situation may change as more men start wearing something worthy of interest.

Wear 'em where you want. It is difficult but try to change your mind-set -- they are not heels, they are just interesting, comfortable boots that feel good on your feet. And when your feet are happy the rest of you will follow suit.

. . . 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?

Oh, yeah -- as the saying goes "She could stop traffic in a gunny sack!"

The episode where she aged so quickly was "Man of the People". The ambassador was also an empath and he was able to transfer all his negative emotions to another person, thus freeing him up to negotiate peace deals. When his "receptacle" died aboard the Enterprise, he latched on to Deanna Troi. She could not take the stress and aged much faster than he expected. Dr. Crusher's medical expertise and the transporter ultimately saved the day.

Sorry -- just saw the episode on DVD two days ago.

I have not seen Ms. Sirtis in any other roles ( -- unfortunately -- ) but she does have a website.

Welcome aboard ShoeBill!

I have very flat feet -- no discernable arch whatsoever. I think that is part of the reason why I like the feeling of heels, they restore a more normal arch to my feet.

I really don't know why it is that most guys way over-analyze the issue. . .

Let me give it a shot:

For all our lives heels have been associated with feminine attire. Men just didn't wear heels and any man that did was tagged with some very negative stereotypes.

Then at some point we experience an incident at which point we become aware that we like heels. Not only in the way that was acceptable for men to like them -- on women -- but on our own feet as well! And we do not want any part of all those negtive stereotypes. We cannot recognize any part of those typecasts within ourselves -- as as been well documented elsewhere on this board the stereotypical images of a heel-wearing man are hogwash anyway.

Once we have a couple of pairs of heels we find that we like to wear them very much and want to wear them more and more. This leads to a desire to leave the privacy of our homes in them and uncertainty about how we are going to be accepted in them. Since we cannot crawl into other people's minds and know what they are thinking we imagine the worst.

Thus we are left with a need to rationalize our heeling, to explain it away and make it seem routine in our own minds. We don't immediately realize how little other people care what is on a man's feet, this only comes after we go out a few times.

It is all just part of the mind-games we play to work up courage and confidence.

Good I'm not the only one. I can hear heels a mile away and start looking immediately to see how high they are. This took a long time for my wife to get used to.

You're definitely not the only one fine-tuned to that wonderful sound of heels hitting something solid. I can zero in on its source whenever I hear it -- and I know I'm not the only one looking.

Ironically, I don't like to make that sound myself -- at least in this stage of my life with this "heel-thing". This is primarily because I do not want to attract attention to myself in the way heels attract attention from me.