The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[Cali]

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I've a reputation to maintain in this town.

Don't we all? When you wear in public for any length of time you get a reputation.  I suppose that your church might think the END is near if you stop coming in heels. 

[Jkrenzer]

1 hour ago, Cali said:

Don't we all? When you wear in public for any length of time you get a reputation.  I suppose that your church might think the END is near if you stop coming in heels. 

Agreed, I'm fully expected in heels. These days I get more comments when I'm not in heels. Kind of like that is so normal being in 5 inch mostly spike stilettos. 

[mlroseplant]

19 hours ago, Cali said:

Don't we all? When you wear in public for any length of time you get a reputation.  I suppose that your church might think the END is near if you stop coming in heels. 

To be clear, we're not an End Times kind of church, but if we were, you might be right! Also to be clear, if we were an End Times kind of church, I would quit. Back in the Real World, what would probably happen is that several people would be concerned that I had injured myself or something. A woman at choir rehearsal last night seemed way more concerned about the fact that I was wearing shorts (the temperature had dipped into the mid 60s by that hour, or < 20º C) than what I had on my feet.

[HappyinHeels]

mlroseplant, 

You’re not much of a wedge fan on your feet but you don’t mind them on other feet. They are great for grassy areas no doubt. And, yes, you do have a reputation to keep. Don’t let Des Moines down! HinH

[mlroseplant]

I found this picture taken in mid-August which shows off my Bruno Magli "Kira" wedges, pictured by themselves not far above. I had sole protectors put on these, since the stock leather soles are almost comically thin. I cannot comment whether it has made a difference in comfort or not, since I didn't dare wear the shoes outside much without the sole protectors, so I don't have much of a comparison to make. I will say that wearing shoes with no platform at all is a far different experience than wearing shoes with even a small platform. I won't opine on whether one is better than the other, I can see advantages to both.

The upper bands are very soft suede, almost velvet. It's possibly a stupid material to be wearing here in Iowa, as inclement weather could happen at any time, predicted or not. I do have them sprayed down well with chemical protectant, but it still seems way too delicate to last for years. This particular pair is size 38 1/2, and that's barely big enough. I wish they were 39 or even 39 1/2, but I don't think they look terrible. What I really wish is that they were about 5 mm longer in the back, but everything else were the same. That's getting really picky, I realize.

[SF]

Nice, classy looking sandals...   sf

[mlroseplant]

Now is the point where I have to fish or cut bait. The weather has taken a turn for the colder, and rather suddenly, so it Time to Think About Winter Footwear. The time was actually several months ago, but I didn't do that, instead.

So.  .  . here's the deal. I own 4 pairs of boots, 2 knee high, and 2 ankle high. One of each is actually suitable for winter weather, and by winter weather, I mean snowfall. However, my knee high boots suitable for slogging through snow are getting incredibly ratty looking. It's also possible they are no longer structurally sound--I've had to make several half-ass repairs to maintain safety. My point is that I need (or would like, I don't really NEED) another pair of knee high boots with about a 4 inch block heel.

I don't know why I can spend 400 bucks on a new mouthpiece for my son's saxophone, which is not even his main instrument, and not really blink, but the thought of spending less than half that on winter boots makes me depressed. Maybe it's because I like saxophones, and I don't like boots.  .  .

[Shyheels]

It’s always easier to spend money on others.

[Cali]

Boots don't go on sale until after boot season is over.  Keep looking, you should be able to find something around $130 new.  Otherwise stock up on duct tape.

[Puffer]

The truth is that you want a heel - but with sax appeal to boot.

[mlroseplant]

Not to fear, fellas. I've pulled the trigger, and bought these:

I'll let you know how it goes once I get them.

[Shyheels]

Very nice!

[mlroseplant]

Folks, I'm here to tell you that I'm a silly, silly man. Here's a little backstory about my new FSJ mules, noted under the "new shoes" thread. I believe these arrived on a Friday, so I had a couple of days to wear them around the house before Sunday morning. For some reason, I decided I wanted to wear these to church with a pair of powder blue slim dress pants. My top really didn't matter because I was going to be wearing a choir robe the whole time anyhow.

On this particular Sunday, our local college had Homecoming weekend. For years, on Homecoming Sunday, we've had a joint church service with the college at the college chapel, which is just a few blocks from our church. It happens to be a few blocks closer to my house, as well. Since the chapel is not right on a street, it's kind of set back into the college campus, I decided it wouldn't gain me much to drive my car, as I would have to walk quite a ways anyhow after I parked at the nearest spot, why not just walk the whole way? It's not far, about 0.4 miles, or several hundred meters for you metric types.

So here's an added twist: It was pouring down rain. I figured that was a good test of my new cheap shoes, to see if the glues were crap. I figured the water wouldn't hurt the plastic/vinyl material the shoes are made of, but I wasn't sure how they would hold together in the wet. Since I'm not inexperienced in these matters, I stuffed an extra pair of similar mules (in black) in my bag along with my choir robe and music, and I headed out with my umbrella.

As I said elsewhere, I got about a block before I noticed something was amiss. There was no good spot to really give it a good visual check, so I kept walking for another 50 yards. By that time, I could tell that something was definitely wrong. There was no shelter, no place to sit down, nothing to lean up against for a couple of hundred yards, so there I was, on the damn street, balancing my umbrella and music bag, trying to change my shoes in the pouring rain. I finally got it done, and walked the rest of the way to the chapel, by which time my feet were extremely wet and covered in black shoe polish which had transferred itself from my shiny black sandals to my feet. I was slightly late, of course.

It makes a good story, but why didn't I wear more sensible shoes for the conditions, and then change once I got there? I am quite aware of the condition of the sidewalks from here to there, and that it's darn near impossible to not wade through several inches of water during a heavy downpour. It was one of the longest short walks I believe I've ever taken. For the record, I was not the only person who wore high heeled sandals that day. More on that later if anyone is interested.

Edited October 28, 2021 by mlroseplant
To add photo

[Jkrenzer]

So what was the shoe issue when all said and done. Really a shame those wont work out, they are beautiful heels. Also they look to be nearly 5 inches in height.

[Pierre1961]

Thank you for that story @mlroseplant!

it’s funnily written even if it may haven’t been so much fun for you 

It reminded me some stupid experiences I had. Because I also am a crazy guy. 
Thank you also for that perfectly written and understandable English which gives me the opportunity to practice that language I like but isn’t easy so for me 

Pierre 
 

[Puffer]

13 hours ago, Pierre1961 said:

Thank you for that story @mlroseplant!

it’s funnily written even if it may haven’t been so much fun for you 

It reminded me some stupid experiences I had. Because I also am a crazy guy. 
Thank you also for that perfectly written and understandable English which gives me the opportunity to practice that language I like but isn’t easy so for me 

Pierre 
 

Your English is invariably good and understandable, monsieur Pierre - do keep it up!  But if you want to align yourself with your friendly British neighbours* rather than the colonials across the pond, you should use 'practise' for the verb and 'practice' for the noun'.   Likewise 'license' (verb) and 'licence' (noun).   And refer to yourself as a 'bloke', not a 'guy' - which we don't have in the UK.

*unless of course the French tradition of blockading ports is in progress.  😈

[Jkrenzer]

1 hour ago, Puffer said:

Your English is invariably good and understandable, monsieur Pierre - do keep it up!  But if you want to align yourself with your friendly British neighbours* rather than the colonials across the pond, you should use 'practise' for the verb and 'practice' for the noun'.   Likewise 'license' (verb) and 'licence' (noun).   And refer to yourself as a 'bloke', not a 'guy' - which we don't have in the UK.

*unless of course the French tradition of blockading ports is in progress.  😈

Stick with us colonists. We way number the little island. 🙂

[mlroseplant]

21 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

So what was the shoe issue when all said and done. Really a shame those wont work out, they are beautiful heels. Also they look to be nearly 5 inches in height.

As you said elsewhere, perhaps it is only the heel tips that won't work out. One of the things that I really wanted to find out is whether the area right around the toe opening would cause irritation or a blister, which is often the case with such shoes. I have another pair of Chinese shoes in that very style that I like rather better anyway, so the jury is still out on what I will do with these. Actual heel height is 4 3/8". It's a size 8 1/2.

15 hours ago, Pierre1961 said:

Thank you for that story @mlroseplant!

it’s funnily written even if it may haven’t been so much fun for you 

It reminded me some stupid experiences I had. Because I also am a crazy guy. 
Thank you also for that perfectly written and understandable English which gives me the opportunity to practice that language I like but isn’t easy so for me 

Pierre 
 

I do try to write in a less-than-formal style, but one that is technically "correct" enough to be clear. Thanks for the compliment!

[Puffer]

1 hour ago, Jkrenzer said:

Stick with us colonists. We way number the little island. 🙂

I assume you mean 'outnumber'?   But size isn't everything.

[Jkrenzer]

10 hours ago, Puffer said:

I assume you mean 'outnumber'?   But size isn't everything.

You're right, phone typing leaves a lot to be desired.

It's a good thing size doesn't matter, I'd be in big, uh short trouble.

[Pierre1961]

Thank you @Puffer

I have learned a lot thanks to you.

Now I have to memorize these words and expressions.

Pierre  

 

[Isolathor]

On 10/28/2021 at 8:28 PM, Pierre1961 said:

Thank you also for that perfectly written and understandable English which gives me the opportunity to practice that language I like but isn’t easy so for me 

On that matter i have to say the same, thanks for ignoring my mistakes or showing how i can improve my english. And the difference between UK-english and US-english does not make things easier. Since the US influence is far greater than the british influence in movies, music and business here in Germany we tend to understand and use the US-derivate more.

[Puffer]

2 hours ago, Isolathor said:

On that matter i have to say the same, thanks for ignoring my mistakes or showing how i can improve my english. And the difference between UK-english and US-english does not make things easier. Since the US influence is far greater than the british influence in movies, music and business here in Germany we tend to understand and use the US-derivate more.

Interesting, but a little worrying.   I would expect that, regardless of Brexit, there is in Germany and the rest of Europe far more British than US influence in relation to business matters.   And of course there is big German investment in a number of British business sectors (e.g. transport) and individual companies.   Still, I am comforted by the thought that you won't beat us in business unless and until you learn our version (the proper version) of the English language!

[Shyheels]

It’s pop culture rather than trade or financial links that would shape the language, and US pop culture - films, music, TV, trends etc - vastly overwhelms British on a global scale. No comparison. And indeed British English is becoming increasingly American itself.

Edited October 30, 2021 by Shyheels

[mlroseplant]

I have found over the years that I have less of a preference which major branch of English a person chooses to learn. I'm talking about English as a Foreign language of course, we native speakers didn't really have much of a choice. I don't even care about grammar that much anymore, to the extent that bad grammar does not impede the communication process. I think this comes from living with someone whose first language is not English for 13 years.

On a slightly different subject, singing classical music in English sounds much better if you lean toward something like RP. American English has some vowel and consonant sounds that are not really very nice for classical singing.

Edited October 30, 2021 by mlroseplant
Further thoughts

[Shyheels]

Bad grammar and misplaced punctuation can very much impact communication - as any solicitor can tell you 

[spikesmike]

I spent two (2) years in Germany in 1958 & 1959 with the U.S. Army . When first posted there ( not yet knowing the language ). One day, needing directions,  I approached a German man on the street in Darmstadt, Germany and ask him if he spoke English . His response was " Well not fluently " I believe Europeans have a better command of languages than Americans . You have my deepest respect . This is another German I respect . Mike 

[Jkrenzer]

Europe is a densely populated place with small countries by land area. It's not surprising Europeans would have a stronger grasp for learning multiple languages. Other than Brazil all of the Americas speak Spanish, English or French, natives aside. 

[pebblesf]

On 10/24/2021 at 6:45 AM, mlroseplant said:

Not to fear, fellas. I've pulled the trigger, and bought these:

I'll let you know how it goes once I get them.

Great boots indeed, nice rugged heels

[Puffer]

5 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Bad grammar and misplaced punctuation can very much impact communication - as any solicitor can tell you 

Indeed - and so can using 'impact' as a verb, and certainly when not followed by 'on'.   Acceptable in US business-speak; not otherwise.

 

10 hours ago, Shyheels said:

It’s pop culture rather than trade or financial links that would shape the language, and US pop culture - films, music, TV, trends etc - vastly overwhelms British on a global scale. No comparison. And indeed British English is becoming increasingly American itself.

This very much depends upon the world in which one moves.   Teenagers worldwide are going to be influenced much more by American culture than adult business-people and professionals.