jmc

Silica gel packs were mentioned earlier in the thread. Those silica gel packs are packed with new merchandise to absorb moisture -- silica gel is a "desiccant". Desiccants can absorb a lot of moisture but they do have limitations. Once they are saturated, they will not absorb any more, and they will absorb moisture from the air. If a desiccant pack is left out in the air for a length of time, it will become saturated. So packing desiccant with shoes after wearing them will not accomplish much, after the first couple of times the desiccant is used. (Unless, of course, you use fresh desiccant packs every time). Moisture can be driven out of silica gel or zeolite by heating it, such as in a dehydrator. Then it can be used again. For eliminating odors, baking soda or power and rotating shoes is probably the best option.

Ya know. My black standards are done. They have provided years of service but alas, they have become weary and worn.

I am patiently waiting for them to be restocked.

If any one from Sexy Shoes is reading this, when will you have

Style 4211, Size 7.5, Black restocked? I am waiiiiiting.........

Yours Truly,

Patient yet not endlessly patient Jen

Have you tried e-mailing them? Style #4211 was their basic stiletto pump and as such it was their bread-and-butter. Sexy Shoes always had the best selection in that style -- virtually every color and size was available.

I did go to their site and noticed that I got the "out of stock" message no matter what size I tried to order. Didn't try them all, and didn't try different colors but it is starting to sound like their website may have a bug.

. . . 'Then don't go there.' . . .

Okay, I won't.

Thanks for the warning.

There's a fundamental problem with reconstructions -- it is extremely difficult to separate the mind-set of the reconstructor from the results. Meaning the persons doing the reconstruction can bias the results to fit their preconceived notions. I would bet that you could take almost anybody's skull and construct either a masculine or feminine face to fit it. People come in all shapes and sizes, some of them are guys and some of them are gals. It is crucial that a reconstruction be performed by an un-biased person or a group. That is clearly not the case here as this bunch has already stated what they want to find. It is likely that they will find it but its validity will be debatable. As far as the Egyptian mummies -- one crucial aspect was the lack of moisture. The bodies were basically dehydrated, easily attainable in a desert climate. Dehydration prevents bacteria from decomposing the remains.

The sizing situation is a big mess, as has been documented in a number of threads around here. It is bad enough if you stick with one system but when you start converting between the (at least) three different systems in general use, the confusion is compounded. Each manufacturer seems to have its own interpretation of the sizing system they use and sizes often vary between different styles from the same manufacturer. That is the reason behind the "try before you buy" advice so often given on this site. But, alas, we guys often have to settle for that perfect pair that is "almost the right size" because it is not available in the size we really want. A good stretcher can be a real asset here. From experience, you can stretch 1/2 size fairly reliably. In some cases you may be able to stretch a full size but you have to start with a shoe that is well-made in the first place. Stretching forces will tear poorly-made shoes apart. You can stretch the width but you cannot do much about the length, (although with the tapered toe-boxes common in high heeled designs, adding width can help make a shoe feel longer). If your toe is bumping up against the end of the toe-box, adding all the width in the world isn't going to help. Stretch gradually, let the material stretch at its own rate. Increase the force bit by bit over several days and try the shoes on frequently to see how it is progressing. That's the advantage of having your own stretcher -- you can really get a custom fit.

Well, to be fair, a 2 1/2" heel on a size 6 shoe feels considerably higher than the same heel on a 10 or a 12 ! That's one advantage you get with bigger feet -- you can wear higher heels. But 2 1/2" doesn't seem like it should be that much of a challenge.

Why not try Italianheels.com? They have some real beauties!

As per one of the youtube comments, anyone know where the trainers were sourced from?

Try http://www.footstretch.com.

Let's see, you will be pounding a small (roughly 0.375" diameter) piece of plastic against asphalt, concrete, sand, hard-packed dirt and stone.

Yep, as everybody before me has said, it ain't gonna last long. Then you will be walking on the pin. And I'd bet that won't hold out to the end of your walk!

Change 'em out for metal tips. That will give you a fighting chance and you will **l-l-o-o-v-v-e-e** the sound! No problem with people noticing, they expect you to be wearing heels anyway -- might as well give them some ear candy along with the eye candy!

Hmmm, if that is all that is needed are you going to reinstate the last new guy that you mods banned for making the same mistake? I think he made his mistake on his second or third posting after he joined the forum.

To the best of my knowledge we have not permanently banned anybody for posting in the girls' forum. Each posting in the girls' forum earns the poster one infraction point which expires in ten days. If any member acquires three un-expired infraction points, s/he is placed on a temporary ban for ten days (notice -- during which time the infraction points will expire). If a member acquires five un-expired infraction points (that means five postings by a guy in the girls' forum within a ten-day period) he will be permanently banned.

What all this means is: You gotta really try (and I mean hard!!!) to get yourself banned by posting in the girls' forum! And if you do reach that point you have demonstrated yourself to be practically incorrigible so you deserve a ban.

We consider other infractions to be of a more serious nature. Spam us and you're outta here -- now! (Ya wanna go back to the spam wave?) Post porno stuff and you're outta here post-haste. (Got a problem with that?)

So, no -- we do not plan on re-instating anybody who has earned a ban on this site. If you have somebody in particular in mind I invite you to bring him/her to our attention via PM.

Well, you have set us up with a fairly impossible set of restrictions. It sounds as if you do not have access to your own transportation, otherwise I would suggest you take a weekend road trip to someplace that has a decent shopping mall. Once there, you could check out Payless and perhaps a few other shops. Nine West, Aldo's, and Victoria's Secrets always have interesting offerings if you can work up the courage to browse. Even the shoe departments at J.C. Penneys, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart can be worth a look. Browse around our site and you will find tons of other suggestions -- I do not intend to slight anybody by leaving out their favorite shoe shop! It would help you to know your shoe size -- for starters, take the U.S. men's size you normally wear and add 2. Then expect as much as a size-and-a-half variation in different brands and styles. I've ranted plenty about this in other threads. I'm assuming online or mail-order is out, too for fear your parents might take delivery of the package and ask questions about its contents. If I'm wrong and this option is open, choose a shop that has a generous return policy. Chances are you will be sending a pair back at least once for sizing problems. Re-sale shops or second-hand clothing stores might be worth consideration if you can get there discreetly. With these you will have to check back time and again because their stock changes daily and it's really the "luck of the draw". If anybody asks (and they probably won't), just tell 'em you're going to a costume party! You might want to consider where you will keep your heels once you have acquired them. It sounds like you want to keep this aspect of your persona hidden and having your heels discovered would be just as difficult as being caught wearing them. Given the circumstances you have set forth, your best option might be to work toward getting a place of your own, then a lot of these problems go away. That's one way of setting yourself a goal! One thing I can say with complete certainty -- you are not the only dude within your circle of friends who has considered slipping on a pair of heels. It may be hard to believe but you are not the only one.

May I direct your attention here?

Closing this thread, please do not post duplicate threads in different forums.

Nilla wafers

Sounds like a new twist on the "hidden heels" idea.

http://www.hhplace.org/shoe_repair_modifications/1861-hidden_heels-3.html

Have Fun!

The concept of insurance goes well back to Biblical times. There is historical evidence of what amount to insurance policies written in the days of the Pharaohs and even before. Back in those days, insurance policies were written to protect owners against property loss -- buildings, livestock, etc. The concept of life and health insurance is relatively new. As Doc says, the insurance "industry" has become a bit of a racket, professional litigators (a.k.a lawyers) run up exorbitant litigation costs and awards while another group of professional litigators (lawyers and accountants working for insurance companies) fleece the rest of us to finance it through premium charges. All of this creates a situation where we cannot survive in modern society without insurance "products", even though insurance contributes nothing tangible to most of our lives. It seems to be spiraling too, which means there will likely be a crisis at some point in the future where the whole thing comes crashing down. Excessive costs will probably cause the crash.

my mate asked an american lady on the phone 'are you a lady who is at home during the day' when trying to book an appointment to visit during the day.

she apparently took great exception to be called a lady.

new on one me, is this a derogatory term over there ?

Sounds like your mate got a raging feminist on the line, there are still a few around. Such a person might consider the term "Lady" to be derogatory.

There is a size limit on avatars to keep them from upsetting the page formatting and slowing down page load times. Avatars larger than 100 x 150 will be downsized and file sizes must be less than 10 Kb.

<mod mode> Merged "General fashion thread" with this one. Please do not start duplicate threads. </mod mode>

Hmmm, my first pair. (That's a while back.) As I recall I was on the road, interviewing for a job and my travels took me to Indianapolis. After the interview I took a room at a Motel 6 (well, it was cheap and they left the light on for me), then I went out to find something to eat. On the way, I saw a Plc-Way shoe store -- they don't seem to be around anymore but they were pretty much the same type of store as PayLess. I had wanted to try a pair of heels for so long but how to get them? A guy going in to buy a pair of women's shoes would have to get him branded with all kinds of undesirable labels, right? But nobody knew me in this town and if I got the job, I would just avoid going back to that store (yeah, right). So, nervous as a twitch, I went in and quickly glanced around to get a layout of the store. I had to head over to the men's side so as not to raise too many questions, then I crossed over to the "other" side in the back of the store. Once there I found myself facing this huge rack of all kinds of ladies' shoes, some with fairly respectable heels, all organized by size. Now, what size? I was so excited and nervous I am certain I was visibly shaking. Trying them on was not going to be an option that day. Well, the sizes ended at 11 (to become a recurring theme later on) and the selection of heels dwindled at 10. 10's looked a little small although I normally wore a men's 10 -- didn't know about the 2-size rule yet. I found a pair of size 11 bright red stiletto pumps. The heels were a good 4 inches, as gauged by the length of my index finger laid along the back of the heel. I had already figured out that's how I was going to measure the heels in the store. I was convinced I looked strange enough already, whipping out a tape-measure in the womens' shoe aisle would really raise some eyebrows. The shoes weren't very expensive, as I recall they were under 20 dollars. I picked up the box, put the lid on and made my way to the cashier. The cashier was a young guy and I am certain he knew what was going on. He didn't say much but I sensed a bit of attitude from him. However, a sale is a sale and my money was the same color as any woman's. Trying to suppress my jitters as I paid for the purchase was a challenge and my "getaway" from the store (it really felt like that) was a relief. Most importantly, I had those wonderful heels in a shopping bag dangling from my elbow. Back at the motel, I discovered that 11's were a little small for me. The shoes were tight but I could get them on and walk in them. What an incredible rush! I'm wearing **HEELS** and they are fun and exciting! After about an hour they became very uncomfortable so I reluctantly took them off. I placed them on the table so I could admire them. They went back on as soon as my feet recovered and the cycle repeated several times that evening. I kept those shoes several years, they succumbed to one of my purges. They gradually became more comfortable -- even PU can stretch a little. I didn't get the job either.

True patent leather is still available, but you do pay for it. It is true that most of the cheaper shoes are made of a "patent-look" synthetic material such as polyurethane (PU). You have to read the descriptions and examine the products carefully -- I don't think you can sell synthetic-patent shoes as "patent leather" but there is a vast array of alternate names for the material, such as "pleather" and "leatherette". If it says "all man-made materials" it isn't leather.

I'm fine with the size of my feet It's the really nice shoes that are too small!! ;-(

Okay Mr. Power, tell us the truth. Deep down inside, you liked the way they felt on your feet, they were fun to wear and you regretted having to take them off. . . . . . and you're keeping them . . . . . . and you are wondering what it would be like to wear them outside the kitchen, or even outside the house!

Closing thread. The subject has been beat to death and the latest discussion is off-topic.

OOOoooh, so Pretty!! (The shoes, too! :-) )

<mod mode> Merged three threads regarding "krazykev'64s" charity walk. Together all these threads tell a bit of a story so I left the thread here. </mod> krazykev64 -- now that you have broken the ice (and in a big way), any plans of continuing your heeling activities?