Jump to content

The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant


mlroseplant

Recommended Posts


At least he didn't give her a knife! That is the one gift I know that will get you into some serious trouble in Vietnam. I really don't know about the white flowers, I shall have to ask my wife when I get a chance. I am happy to report that I will be going back to a normal 40 hour week next week, so I might actually get a chance to see my wife for more than just a few minutes here and there. I hope she likes the new shorts I bought better than she liked my new coat and hat.

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/26/2020 at 5:28 PM, p1ng74 said:

The video ends with giving the girl white flowers.  In Chinese culture this could be a dangerous insult, as white flowers are reserved for funerals.  Is it the same for Vietnamese?

I finally remembered to ask, and my wife looked at me and said, "What the heck?" It's one of those examples of American vernacular that she doesn't get quite right intonation-wise, but it's super cute. Anyway, I guess there is no prohibition on white flowers in Hanoi. She thought it was a strange question. I'm not even going to say that this applies to all of modern Vietnam, because they could well have other customs in the South, and I'd have to ask other people about that.

Just out of curiosity, which Chinese language/dialect is your Mother Tongue, and do you speak more than one Chinese language/dialect?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Just out of curiosity, which Chinese language/dialect is your Mother Tongue, and do you speak more than one Chinese language/dialect?

I can still get around in Mandarin, which is the only one I know.  
 

East Asians seem to have adopted certain western ways, and where it conflicts the old association has been thrown out relatively quickly.  Weddings come to mind - I only see the western use of white for purity now (both for the bride’s dress and flowers) whereas in traditional Chinese custom the bride wears red.  For anyone else to wear red would be a faux pas, and also there would be no black/white attire or white flowers, as those colours are associated with death.  Wearing red I think is still dangerous in modern times, as I have seen the bride changing from white to traditional red garments for the reception/dinner.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, p1ng74 said:

I can still get around in Mandarin, which is the only one I know.  
 

East Asians seem to have adopted certain western ways, and where it conflicts the old association has been thrown out relatively quickly.  Weddings come to mind - I only see the western use of white for purity now (both for the bride’s dress and flowers) whereas in traditional Chinese custom the bride wears red.  For anyone else to wear red would be a faux pas, and also there would be no black/white attire or white flowers, as those colours are associated with death.  Wearing red I think is still dangerous in modern times, as I have seen the bride changing from white to traditional red garments for the reception/dinner.  

Looking back at my own wedding in Vietnam, my wife wore white, à la Western style, our "bridesmaids," which were not really bridesmaids at all, but the closest equivalent to a Western wedding, wore bright red áo dài, the Vietnamese traditional dress.

For our American wedding, which was a small ceremony necessary for the type of visa we chose to apply for, my wife wore a shockingly neon fuschia áo dài. Oddly enough, at the end of our Vietnamese wedding, we were driven away in a fancy car, but at the end of our American wedding, we escaped on a motorbike. That's completely backwards!

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Looking back at my own wedding in Vietnam, my wife wore white, à la Western style, our "bridesmaids," which were not really bridesmaids at all, but the closest equivalent to a Western wedding, wore bright red áo dài, the Vietnamese traditional dress.

For our American wedding, which was a small ceremony necessary for the type of visa we chose to apply for, my wife wore a shockingly neon fuschia áo dài. Oddly enough, at the end of our Vietnamese wedding, we were driven away in a fancy car, but at the end of our American wedding, we escaped on a motorbike. That's completely backwards!

Just goes to show that we like to show off when it comes to weddings.  In a country full of bikes, a limo is proper for the occasion.  In a country of cars, a Harley is how we’d draw attention!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our church has three services every Sunday. They are basically the same service with three different styles of music. Oftentimes, for one reason or another, I have to attend more than one of the services. Usually this has something to do with musical performance, but one constant is that I pretty much have to show up to the traditional service at 11:00 every Sunday no matter what else I've had going on the rest of the morning. When it so happens that I need to go to the 8:30 service, do my thing, leave, and come back at 11:00, I often do what I laughingly refer to as a "costume change." Just like any rock star would do.

On this particular Sunday morning, it just so happened to be about 45º (7º C) and sunny by about 7:30, so I decided I was wearing sandals, and I wound up wearing this totally pink-toned outfit (except for my belt and my watch). I started out without the necktie, but decided it looked better with the tie, even for "rock-n-roll" church. As I gave myself one final look-over in the mirror on the way out the door, I thought, "Wow, this is pushing my look a little bit further than I thought, both in terms of color palette and silhouette." But by then it was too late, because I was on the verge of running late. And wouldn't you know, despite my concerns, I got like 4 compliments on my outfit that morning, which is unusual. On a usual Sunday morning, I sometimes get 1 comment, sometimes not.

When I got home, my wife didn't even comment on my clothing, which is also unusual. I had a cup of coffee, practiced my cornet (which I used at the 11:00 service), and changed out the pink pants and shoes for a charcoal gray suit and heeled loafers, and the wife and I went to the 11:00 service, where nobody said anything about my outfit at all. And why would they? This is what I typically look like pretty much every Sunday.

Pinkgraysuit.PNG

Pinkoutfit.PNG

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice.....   I have worn heels to church occasionally, never has been a problem.....  As it should be......   Have fun  sf

"Why should girls have all the fun!!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, p1ng74 said:

I like wearing pink too.   I wonder if a lighter colored belt would look better with the totally pink-toned outfit.  

I thought the very same thing, but alas, I don't own such a thing at the moment, so I figured black and pink weren't a bad combination, especially with my wristwatch.

__________________

Later on that day, as the temperature was unseasonably warm, I decided to break out my new shorts, which are Banana Republic (size 4P), and are in a dressier style than that which I am wont to wear. I needed to purchase comestibles for the coming week, so I headed to my usual grocery store with a list. On such a warm day, I figured that there would we a number of people dressed in shorts, but much to my surprise, I was the only one. I ran into an old family friend whom I hadn't seen in quite some time, a lady of about 70, and I chatted with her for about 10 minutes. No one said anything about my attire or seemed to stare any more than normal.

After I finished my shopping, I was in the parking lot, loading my groceries into the trunk of my car, and a 30-something woman and her husband passed by me. The woman, who happened to be wearing high heeled sandals (with skinny jeans), said "I like your shoes!" I replied, "I like your shoes, too. Thank you so much!" They kept on walking, I returned my shopping cart to the appropriate pen and departed. Today, the weather is a bit cold for shorts, but the time is soon coming.

Binhstyleshorts.PNG

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have a lot of ruminating to share this week, but I can share that I think I have found something that has shifted my style ever so slightly. As you know, I had the opportunity recently to buy whatever I want without question from the wife, just so I could try it out to see what works, and what doesn't. One thing that has come out of this is that I bought several pairs of pants that are not jeans, but are casual enough to wear every day. I also bought quite a few shorts that are dressier, if that is a thing. What I mean by that is they are not essentially cut-off jeans, they are actually somewhat tailored, with dressier-type internal back pockets, nicer fabric, that sort of thing. I have been stuck on jeans and t-shirt, especially in the summer for the past several years. They may be very colorful t-shirts, but it's the same thing over and over nevertheless. Another change is that my new pants are a couple of notches skinnier than what I have been wearing up to now. I see this out and about on women in general. If they even wear jeans at all, and many don't, opting for just leggings or baggy track pants, the jeans are not even really all that jean-like. They're very tight, but soft and stretchy. Now I really do have to stay rail thin.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

mlroseplant,

Looking nice in all your poses and outfits. My wife and I were away since 29 January and travelled through 14 states. Attended church along the way in Florida and three different churches in northwestern Mexico. We returned to Wisconsin late Saturday. Stopped in the Des Moines Sams Club to check on toilet paper and paper towels and saw none but saw hordes of people. What a zoo! We skipped church on Sunday the 15th out of some concern. Northwest Mexico and Arizona have so few virus cases and nothing has changed on US-Mexico border as to daily operations. We're in the middle of buying a winter place in Yuma, AZ and will be making a return trip. It will be interesting to see what changes lie ahead. I know I paid $2.19 per gallon of gas the day before we left and paid $1.75 per gallon today so that's one noticeable change. Glad your shoes are leaving their "imprint" on the community. :fine: HinH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

mlroseplant,

Looking nice in all your poses and outfits. My wife and I were away since 29 January and travelled through 14 states. Attended church along the way in Florida and three different churches in northwestern Mexico. We returned to Wisconsin late Saturday. Stopped in the Des Moines Sams Club to check on toilet paper and paper towels and saw none but saw hordes of people. What a zoo! We skipped church on Sunday the 15th out of some concern. Northwest Mexico and Arizona have so few virus cases and nothing has changed on US-Mexico border as to daily operations. We're in the middle of buying a winter place in Yuma, AZ and will be making a return trip. It will be interesting to see what changes lie ahead. I know I paid $2.19 per gallon of gas the day before we left and paid $1.75 per gallon today so that's one noticeable change. Glad your shoes are leaving their "imprint" on the community. :fine: HinH

Hey there! I was kind of wondering where you've been, and now I know! It does seem like all of this is a burden, but just to put things in perspective, the kids in Hanoi haven't been back to school since Jan. 25 (!). I don't know if I told you, but the wife now works at Walmart, so she gets to witness the craziness firsthand.

______________________

I posted these boots on the "New Boots" thread recently, but I figured I'd do kind of a review of them on this thread, since I haven't written for a while. To briefly recap, I bought these Timberland Sutherlin Bay boots because I got the crazy notion that I wanted to wear something with a bit of a heel again at work. I have worn heeled Doc Martens before at work, and they actually worked out pretty well for real construction. That is, until they stopped making the model that I liked. Plus, I never really liked that pillowy, bouncy sole. It was especially weird to use a hand conduit bender in those boots.

I can pretty much tell you that these new Timberland boots ain't gonna last. They are just too light duty, even for the job I'm at now, and I really don't put them through too much punishment. The worst thing I have to do is walk on gravel, which is often wet, but I don't really have to deal with any appreciable amount of mud, and the data center itself is very clean, of course. And still, I can tell that these boots are just not going to be very durable, which is disappointing, considering the brand's reputation. I do, according to my mobile phone, often walk up to 20,000 steps a day in them. It's a big building!

I have gotten very few comments on them, which just goes to show you that people don't pay that much attention, despite the fact that discussing work boots and their comfort is a very common conversation. It should be obvious to anyone who knows anything that these are NOT work boots, but rather women's fashion boots. The only way it could be any more obvious is if they had a side zipper, which they do not. I was careful about that! As I've mentioned elsewhere, our work is pausing for an indefinite period due to Covid-19 virus, so I won't be able to test these boots further for some time.

TimberlandSide.JPG

TimberlandTop.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your experience with Timberland doesn't surprise me. A couple of years ago I wore out a pair of hiking boots astonishingly quickly and when I complained to the company they replied that the boots weren't designed for so much walking! These were sold as hiking boots and from a company that - supposedly - made boots for hiking and the outdoors. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had an interesting experience last night. A good friend came over to visit (safely, of course, we didn't even shake hands like usual--these are strange times) and he brought his 12 year old daughter and one of her friends. After mostly talking about how both of our jobs are shut down as of yesterday, the subject came up that the daughter's friend played in the school concert band. I asked her, "So, what instrument do you play?" She answered "euphonium."

"Well!" I said. "Would you like to see my euphonium?" She immediately followed me to the basement, where my band instrument room is. Yeah, it was obvious she knew how to play, but she was at best average for a 6th grader. After trying a few other brass instruments that I own (with careful use of the extra large bottle of mouthpiece disinfectant that I have on hand), she realized that not only was I wearing heels, she was in a roomful of heels. See attached photo. Not the girls, of course, but an older photo showing the room. Upon discovering the treasure trove, the two girls pretty much wanted to try on everything. And I let them. I gave instructions on how to walk and not look like an idiot. They have a long way to go. Nobody got hurt, thank goodness. And I hope the girl remembers my advice to practice her horn a little bit every day while they're off school.

BandShoeRoom.JPG

  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

...

"Well!" I said. "Would you like to see my euphonium?" She immediately followed me to the basement ...  ;-)

... And I hope the girl remembers my advice to practice her horn a little bit every day while they're off school.  :oops:

.. and I hope you practise likewise too!

I had to laugh at your (presumably) unintended double entendres!   I think you could get a job (working currently from home, of course) as a scriptwriter for such as the erstwhile (UK) 'Carry On' films.  :giggle:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Puffer said:

.. and I hope you practise likewise too!

I had to laugh at your (presumably) unintended double entendres!   I think you could get a job (working currently from home, of course) as a scriptwriter for such as the erstwhile (UK) 'Carry On' films.  :giggle:

The double entendres were indeed unintended, but were not reduced to a writing without my noticing them. I just told the story how it actually happened. May I also gently suggest that, considering the age of the girls, pointing out.  .  . other interpretations.  .  . of my words is at best stretching the boundaries of good taste. However, this conversation has made me realize that I do have two important aims in life: 1) Promoting the study and performance of music, and 2) promoting the wearing of high heels! If more people did both, the world would be a better place.

To be clear, I am not personally offended in the least by your comments. Please enjoy this clip I found from the film "Brassed Off."

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

The double entendres were indeed unintended, but were not reduced to a writing without my noticing them. I just told the story how it actually happened. May I also gently suggest that, considering the age of the girls, pointing out.  .  . other interpretations.  .  . of my words is at best stretching the boundaries of good taste. However, this conversation has made me realize that I do have two important aims in life: 1) Promoting the study and performance of music, and 2) promoting the wearing of high heels! If more people did both, the world would be a better place.

To be clear, I am not personally offended in the least by your comments. Please enjoy this clip I found from the film "Brassed Off."

I didn't really notice the ages of the girls (and the friend's was not stated), but I had no belief that you might actually have acted as the words suggested!   I think we all know you well enough!   Anyway, we can agree that offence was neither intended nor taken!   And your stated aims in life are thoroughly laudable too.  

Yes, 'Brassed Off' was a good film with an excellent cast - well worth watching.   The bandmaster was played by the late Pete Postlethwaite, considered by many to be one of England's finest actors of his time.    And the character in the clip was played by Jim Carter, another fine actor, better known these days as 'Carson' (the butler) in Downton Abbey. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it somewhat heartening that the foot exercises I have devised for myself actually do some good. In the past year, I have become rather lazy about keeping up with them, and I have paid the price. When I wear my steepest heels, I find that if I wear them for more than a couple of hours, my left foot cramps up quite painfully, and the right doesn't feel that great. This doesn't happen right away when I'm actually wearing the shoes (thank goodness!), but maybe several hours after I take the super high heels off and happen to move my foot in a certain way. It's debilitating for several minutes.

I have been really good about doing the exercises at least twice a day for the past month, and guess what? I got by with wearing my House of Harlow oxfords for about six hours last Sunday, much of that time standing in one spot. No cramping. This is the first time I've actually worn them outside, and I questioned the wisdom of doing so, but I figured what the heck? They're pushing past the point of 4 1/2" difference between heel and toe, which is about my limit for actual real world use.

HoHside.JPG

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In one way I am lucky. No children, No wife anymore.599da0653b700_DSCF5233(1).thumb.JPG.d7d0f901c10f5c2e96b4a4fe75d5a8f6.JPG Don't give a damn about the neighbors or what they think. So, I also do not have a problem with cramps. My day to day exercises are done in these.

  • Like 3
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Toe raisers. Stand/balance on the toes of one foot for a minute. Rest 1 minute. Repeat 5 times. Switch feet. Do this at least three times a day.  Or simply wear your heels indoors.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do two exercises mainly, one involves the use of a golf ball. One of my projects from years past was built on an ex-golf course, so in the course of construction, we found 5 gallon bucketfuls of golf balls. Naturally, I have quite a few around still, and even if they were good enough to play with, I have more than I will ever use in a lifetime, unless I seriously take up the game in my eventual retirement.

At least twice a day, or whenever I have a minute, I sit in a chair, or wherever is handy, and first roll the golf ball underneath my feet slowly, from front to back, to massage the plantar fascia. Then I pick up the golf ball with my toes and hold it for several seconds, maybe longer if I'm in the mood. I found it impossible to do this at first, but slowly over time I was able to master it. Then I set the golf ball down and pick it up with the other foot. To make this exercise much harder, try to point your toes while holding the golf ball. Then I roll the golf ball on the bottom of my foot for a while. Repeat as desired. This has helped me enormously in my construction job as well as helping my endurance in heels. I used to suffer from a lot of foot pain in a way that I don't anymore.

The other exercise I like to do while I'm "doing nothing" is to sit and trace out the alphabet on the floor with my toes. This is much more tiring than it sounds, and is mainly for ankle strength.

The third thing I do, and it's more of a stretch than an exercise is as often as I can, when I have to go upstairs, where it is required that one remove his shoes at our house, is I will stretch out my calf with my bare foot flat on the floor while simultaneously curling the toes of the opposite foot underneath, almost like a ballet exercise. I've never quite mastered that walking on your curled-under toes thing, and at my age, I'm not even sure that's a great idea anyway, but I guess that's what one could work toward, while simultaneously making sure calves and achilles tendons don't get too tight from wearing heels often.

I hope this helps. Ha, this just reminded me of a coworker who must say at least once a day, "Hey, I'm not saying it's right, that's just what I do." I miss going to work already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The more time I spend at home, the more difficult it is to come up with anything to report. I did have to go to the supermarket yesterday, and though it was a blustery, gray day, by golly I was going to wear some sandals outside. I obviously did not dress up at all, sticking to the most basic formula of t-shirt and jeans, but I wore my new pair of BCBGirls "Bonny" sandals, which I bought to eventually replace my old pair, which has been pretty much beat to death. Now it's all coming back to me, how LONG it took to break in the original pair. This is one of those situations where I kept a pair of shoes which was not all that comfortable just because they were super cute and I couldn't bear to part with them. Eventually, somehow, they became not only wearable, but suitable for all day walking, as I proved a couple of summers ago during my trip to Chicago. Now we're back to Square One, and I had better get these slowly broken in before the old pair fails completely, as I'm sure it will one of these days. While the leather on the new pair is still incredibly stiff, I didn't get any blisters or weird marks on my feet even though I had to park far away from the entrance to the supermarket.

Also, I finally repositioned the mirror in my dining room as I had been promising my wife to do for about a year. Good news: It IS better for actual use in real life. Bad news: It is now much harder to take selfies with. I'm going to need to come up with something different. The quality of my selfies has gotten even worse than before. I didn't think that was possible!

NewBonnys+t-shirt.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using High Heel Place, you agree to our Terms of Use.