better late than never, here are a few photos of the neighborhood halloween decorations. the people at the end of my street (right near the traffic circle) go ALL OUT with the halloween celebration. i always miss the festivities, of course... halloween is usually right in the middle of pledge drive. this year it wasn't, but i happened to have symphony rehearsal instead. bah humbug.
scary, eh? bwahahaha! good thing my poor photo-taking skills landed the camera's wrist strap right inside the frame of this terrifying image! you probably would have fainted to see the horrifying sight sans-strap!
for something more soothing, here is a picture of my favorite house in the neighborhood:
the whole thing used to be slate blue with white trim. very ho-hum. then someone new moved in and gussied it up. i ADORE this house now. the colors are spectacular.
here's a nice church sign to also help take your mind off the frightening sights above:
oh, and here are some new cute shoes i forgot to tell you about! they're from target, and are EXCEEDINGLY comfortable. i wear them everywhere. who knew that $20 shoes could be so AWESOME?
and finally, for your viewing pleasure, is a photo of my friend mary who is going quite nutty in a parking lot in raleigh. she started running around, throwing her hands in the air, and shouting "wheee!" for no apparent reason.
i personally find this photo quite hysterical, though i understand if you prefer the others. maybe you had to be there.
how sexy are THESE?!?! huh??!? am i right???
seriously, this was a pretty monumental shoe purchase: it's been 5 or 6 years since i've had a good pair of athletic shoes. and those i bought off the rack at DSW or something, with little thought to what the shoes did (or didn't do) for my feet.
these, however, came from a small local sporting goods chain, where a very kind salesman was happy to measure my feet and subject me to several other tests (which happened to indicate that i overpronate). i also learned that my right foot is narrower than the left, though it is also a half-size bigger. who knew?
i've become pretty religious about my morning walk (and am even considering starting to jog) and i figured it was past time for me to invest in a stable pair of athletic shoes. and these feel great. they almost propel me in each step. pretty cool.
i have another broken toe. i was reluctant to post anything about it because of the pure irony involved in the injury. in fact, i told one co-worker today how it happened and the look on her face was priceless. she could barely contain herself from fits of giggles.
it's shoes. they're starting to turn against me.
the day started off innocently enough at DSW, where i found this totally cute pair of kenneth cole reactions. i can so rarely fit my wide-ass feet into anything at DSW that i got all a-twitter when these slid right on. (granted, i look forward to them stretching out a little.)
anyway, i escaped DSW with only some minor damage to my checkbook. (they were on sale for about $35.) the footwear, at this point, has not yet begun to set its wrath upon me.
i then went on to the mall do to some mystery-shopping, and on my way to the assigned location i passed by a payless shoe store. i am incapable of simply passing by a payless shoe store... i must go in. the lure has been particularly strong since they've started carrying a nice representation of wide width styles. so, powerless to resist, i found myself being drawn into the store to see what they have to offer me and my wide-ass feet.
for starters, i spotted these cute brown ankle boots for a mere $24.99. i immediately whipped them off the shelf and balanced myself precariously on one foot while i slipped a boot on the other foot. whoooops... i start to lose my balance.... trying to catch myself, regaining control, i bring the boot-trying foot down kind of hard on the ground, without the benefit of the boot being all the way on my foot. i take an awkward, hard step and i hear something pop. i feel no pain, though... just a small "pop!" (i'm reluctant to even add that exclamation point.)
so i proceed with the boot-trying on, full steam ahead. the brown boots fit great, and i look around for other things to try.
and here's where i become confused. maybe my body is already starting to heal my newly-broken toe by sending out endorphins or whatever, and maybe i'm not thinking very clearly. i'm not really sure what happening in my brain. because next thing i knew, i was trying these on. what's more, i didn't think twice about buying them.
i mean, really! when am i ever going to wear silver knee-high stiletto boots? they are totally impractical. however, i believe them to be pretty friggin' hot. (ray thought so, too.) plus, they sort of make me feel like a superhero.
they were also $24.99, by the way. which certainly makes the irrational decision to buy them a bit easier to live with.
so after the double-boot payless purchase, i completed my mystery shopping, walked the entire length of the mall, drove home, went out to dinner and not once did i feel any pain in my toe. but this morning i woke up and it was swollen, slightly bruised (purple!) and pretty darn owie. flip-flops have been the footwear of the day, which is just one of the ironic elements in this whole sordid story.
i don't hate fall. i just really miss the beautiful things about summer. the pool in particular. i love to swim, and i really feel sad when both the water and the weather get prohibitively cold.
but today was a lovely fall day, wasn't it? the light rain, the crispness in the air. i decided that shopping for fall shoes wouldn't be a bad idea after all:
i'm unreasonably in love with these. ray said he was surprised that i liked them. i'm attracted to the balance of conservative loafer + sexy heel. they're naturalizers. the feel pretty good.
then there's these:
hubba hubba, am i right?? these fit like a dream and were only $60. i had to have them. they actually make me look forward to colder weather.
after purchasing these, i got so inspired by all the fall-ness that i bought some actual pants and long sleeved shirts, too. go figure.
i got these at payless the other night. $12.99. can't beat that.
plus, when i wore them to work, one of my male co-workers' eyes lit up and he said, "mmmmm!!"
as cute as these are, though, i am sad that closed-toe shoe weather is upon us. i have ordered, grudgingly, a few pairs of fall shoes over the internets. they should be here soon, but i'm not as excited about them as i should be. i still want pool weather, summery skirt weather, sunshine.
fall does not make me very happy. i haven't gotten the most out of my summer wardrobe yet. especially all the skirts i recently made... i didn't get the opportunity to wear those very much.
generally the change of season is kind of exciting. i like love to shop, and i get a lot of enjoyment out of filling my closet with new clothes. but i'm doing so much mystery-shopping these days that lately i'm not too enthused about shopping for fun.
(i wish i could blog about all the mystery-shopping i'm doing... but these companies make a super-big deal out of their employees' anonymity, so i'm going to remain mute on the topic in this public forum. suffice to say, though, i'm making about an extra $50-$100 a week and it's usually pretty fun.)
this situation is still new to me... getting used to *making* money for shopping. it's helping my budget in more ways than one, actually. i'm getting my shopping fix taken care of to the degree that i'm not really excited about going into any store unless i'm getting paid to do so.
anyway, that's a big part of the reason i've been absent from this blog recently. most of my spare moments are spent shopping or reporting on shopping. cha-ching.
i'm going to NYC in a little over week. i've been to the city several times, and have already done all the touristy stuff. so this is a vacation in which i'm looking forward to *living* in the city. shopping, eating, drinking. shopping. hanging out in sidewalk cafes. maybe some more shopping. and probably lots of walking.
to that end, i've been thinking about shoes again. (i know you're shocked.) past experience has taught me to not rely on one single pair of shoes to get me through a week of hiking around town. 'cause if you get a blister from one pair of shoes, you've got nothing else to put on to relieve that sore area. i'm actually considering bringing 6 or 7 pairs of shoes and rotating to a new pair each day. or maybe a couple times a day. this, to me, seems smart. and hopefully not too obsessive.
however, uncertain that i actually own that many pair of truly comfortable shoes, i've been on a bit of a quest. (must buy more shoes!) in addition to comfort, style is of the utmost concern. this is NYC, after all. :-) so i've been shopping online for cute shoes that can be used to hoof around the city.
these green beaded flip-flops had some potential. they're not as cushy as i'd like though. a padded footbed is as essential as arch support, and this doesn't excel in either arena. they are cute, though.
these cool flip flops excel in the style arena, but were too narrow. and the more i looked at them the more i imagined them fitting in at a tennis club or something. maybe they're too preppy. no matter, they're going back.
these canvas slip-ons were just way too big. and even then they were still a little uncomfortable, so i'm not even going to try them in a smaller size. again, cute (and versatile), but not quite right.
as much as i love orange (and i DO love orange) these just seemed too "old" for me, or something. i can't nail down the exact reason why. they're fine on the comfort rating... not exceptional. i wish i liked them more than i do.
and when i saw these sanndals on zappos i thought "aHA! there they are! the winners!!" they looked a little like "comfort shoes", but were stylish enough that i didn't even doubt that they'd work. but alas, i didn't read the description closely enough... they have velcro closures. i do not do velcro.
so after all of those losers, this pair finally won:
i think they're quite cute. they're a neutral color, which means they'll likely go with any outfit i take with me on vacation. they also don't scream COMFORT! like the velcro shoes do. they have an *extraordinarily* padded footbed (plush, even) and feel super-duper good.
so these i'm keeping. they'll go into rotation with some other comfy shoes and will hopefully make my feet happy whilst traipsing around the big apple.
i need to tell you that for the last few days my exclusive soundtrack has been paul simon's new album, "surprise". i had heard good things, but sweet jezus i had no idea how soul-stirring this music would be for me. i listened to it for the first time a couple of days ago on my way to work and i actually got teary. i had to pull over. (i can't even say that about david byrne albums.)
"surprise" is produced by brian eno. i couldn't fathom what it would sound like. paul simon's high-pitched voice on top of ambient rumblings? but yes, it works. and works so well that i don't want to listen to anything else right now. you can hear some samples at paulsimon.com
so, with this constant soundtrack in mind, here is my day in pictures.
we've been taking care of the neighbor's kittens. they are totally adorable and full of energy. we let them out onto the tiny screened porch and they just want to take everything in. and, much to my amusement, anything is a toy to them, too. (2.5 MB .mov)
there's new "art" in the traffic circle, though it's merely a neighborhood reminder about this weekend's beaver queen pageant. (last year, an area of the neighborhood was inhabited by beavers who built a dam that flooded the yard of a low-lying house or two. a couple of fun-loving neighborhood lesbians took the presence of the beavers to heart and started a quirky little pageant.)
now that my workday has shifted (i'm working roughly noon-7pm) i run my errands in the morning. i had a lot of them to do. as i made my way down highway 70 i passed a church that always has good signs.
over the last few weeks i've been shopping for new glasses frames. it's been a blur. (335k .mov) i've got a zillion photos of me wearing a zillion different frames and i'm nowhere near making a decision.
ray's birthday is sunday, so i also did a little shopping for him. that's all i can say about that, though i can mention that i spied this restaurant, which --because i totally judge a book by its cover-- i feel compelled to eat at! as i took this photo i was practically salivating. while giggling.
by this point, i was only a mile or two from the wide shoe warehouse so -duh- i had to stop in. all the salespeople recognize me, which i'm both flattered by and worried about. over the years i've been shopping there, the stock has definitely become less old lady and more christa. they now have tons of colorful sandals and espadrilles. i walked out with these beauties.
since i now had photo-taking in the forefront of my brain, the missing "T" caught my eye. (the first word is "circus" --which makes the sign even funnier-- but i was stuck at a stoplight and couldn't maneuver to get a proper picture.)
and that is all. it occurred to me that i could've taken photos of a couple of radio stations and stuff, but eh... whatever. if i find the time i may post some photos of my top choices in glasses frames. my new work schedule leaves very little time for blogging, though, (or the reading of blogs). i miss it... i feel like i'm falling a little out of touch. but i'm not really complaining -- work is more fun and more challening than it has been in years and i couldn't be happier.
payless has a "buy one, get one half-off" sale going on right now. i got these, mary got a pair of bronze slides, and we split the discount between us. these green beauties ended up costing around $13, and are -amazingly enough- the most comfortable pair of thin-heeled sandals i have ever tried on.
PLUS! payless listened. i have always gone in there and complained about the dearth of wide width shoes, and this time they had almost every style in medium and wide widths! i was ecstatic!
thanks so much, you guys, for your fashion advice! you rock.
my mom is here, so i'll be otherwise occupied for a week. in the meantime, you can peruse photos of other recent shoe purchases. (two of these three came from that discount store online that i mentioed last week.)
these are a pair of hush puppies i've been ogling for a while. utterly comfy, kinda casual, sorta sexy. love 'em!
aerosoles! i can hardly ever find stylish aerosoles in wide widths, so this was particularly exciting.
some interesting espedrilles that i'm fond of. i can't quite figure out the best way to tie them, though.
i'm attending my step-sister's wedding in july. it's an outdoor ceremony at the party room and side yard of the groom's mother's condo in mid-town toronto. the space has a 48-person max limit, and i've been told that "it's a dressy-ish but no-fuss affair."
i've found a dress that i think will work, but now i'm searching for shoes. i've had approximately 183 pairs of wide blue sandals shipped to me from various online retailers over the last few weeks, and i think i've narrowed the choices down to two.
and here's where i need your help.
this is a photo of me in the dress, wearing one of each sandal.
here's a closeup of the sandals with the flowers on top.
and here's a closeup of the sandal with the strappiness.
i'm having a hard time deciding between the two. both have assets and weaknesses. style-wise, i think i like the strappy sandals. they look more dressy, i think, and have a higher heel (which makes my calves look amazing). the flowery ones, though, sort of tie in with the flowers on the dress. but are they too casual? they are more comfortable than the strappy sandals, though they don't make my legs look as good as the others do.
poor ray doesn't feel comfortable with this kind of thing, so he took these photos so that i could post them and grovel for your opinions (thereby relieving him of the burden of being asked for fashion advice).
help!
the island got updated with a lawn chair and a house this weekend in honor of the historic home tour that was going on in old north durham.
again, apologies for the lack of substantive blogging. i'm just not feeling all that inspired lately, i guess. what i HAVE been is busy... i've been pulling some double-shifts on-air to help out a co-worker. i've also been busy shoe-shopping (check out this discount site i just discovered!), trying to find shoes to match a dress i'll be wearing to a wedding in july. i've also been knitting a gift for this wedding. and doing yard work... which, surprisingly enough, i'm enjoying. i've spent so much time loathing yard work that it's rather stunning to find myself enjoying it.
the trick is to do only as much as is interesting. in other words, i'm not knocking myself out to get any one project done. i'll go piddle around a bit, maybe lay a bag of mulch or two, then quit... and not feel guilty about it. because these short spurts are rather easy and pleasant, i find myself enjoying the sunshine and the birds chirping in the trees, and am actually seeing more progress than before, when i dreaded it all. back then, i would go out of my way to find reasons to not do yard work and consequently not get much done.
so, this weekend i uncovered even more brick border (as i did last year), and before that i spread newspaper and mulch over some really overgrown beds in the back yard. i really want to get to work on the landscaping in the front of the house, too, but i'm so ignorant about plants that i have no idea what to put in the ground. i want something that will soften the look of the house, but i don't really want shrubs. i'm going to have to start tivoing some gardening shows for ideas, i guess. (here's what the front of the house has looked like over the past year or so, if you have any suggestions. note that currently the landscaping is most like the bottom photo... cut-back, bare and dead. it's lovely.)
i also foolishly told the locopops lady that i would build her a website, and suddenly i'm feeling less than excited about that. i finally have the ambition to work in the yard and on the house, and the last thing i want to do is sit indoors and build a website. b'oh.
well, apparently the sprinkler did such a good job that the 'grass' now needs mowing.
very cute.
in the background of that photo you may have noticed the world's greatest mailman, charlie. as i was taking this photo, he walked up to me and said, smiling, "i saw you taking photos and for a second i thought you might be a realtor... this isn't one of your listings, is it?"
hee!
sorry to turn this into an almost exclusively traffic-circle blog, but hey... it's not like you want to hear about any more shoe purchases i may have made, right? i mean, going into the details of how i found these on sale at ann taylor for $30... that's not interesting blog fodder at all. i know that.
my first thought after ripping open the zappos box was "wow, that's RED!" the color is much more, uh, impactful than any photo could accurately depict. but still... i love 'em!
they're sooo comfy. the heel is a great height to wear with pants or skirts. maybe even capris. we'll see.
but y'all did good! thanks for your help!
ray has been teasing me about how many pairs of shoes i have. honestly, i think i have about 30 pairs total. for a girl who grew up thinking that feet were inherently disgusting, i view shoe purchases as a kind of therapy. 30 pairs represents a successful journey towards a healthy relationship with my feet.
when i was young i was taught that showing my toes in public was inappropriate. that's what hussies did. i don't ever remember being allowed a pair of sandals. what's more, my wide feet required shopping in special stores with shoes that cost more than other people's shoes. coming from a frugal background, i always felt guilt about that.
so, now, a couple of decades later i own 30 pairs of shoes. i get monthly pedicures and rejoice in how beautiful my feet can be. and i have fun buying shoes that show them off.
besides, when i get a new pair of shoes i'm pretty quick to toss out some old ones. it's not like i'm turning into imelda marcos or anything.
first, i have to tell you about an AMAZING find. i was in cato yesterday and after i purchased a cute t-shirt i asked the cashier if i could use the bathroom before i left the store. she said yes, but said it was currently occupied by another employee. i had a long drive ahead of me, so i waited. and while i waited i discovered the cutest pair of pumps on earth!
guess how much i spent on these? c'mon, guess! look at the detail. what do you think they cost?
ten dollars! they were ten dollars! on clearance! i am so very happy.
so, anyway, on to the interactive part of this post.
my super-fantastic brother and sister-in-law gave me a $50 (!) gift certificate for my birthday and i don't know what's wrong with me that it's taken me this long to get around to spending it. i must be ill. seriously. i act quickly when presented with the opportunity to buy shoes. (as is evidenced by the story above.)
anyway, here are the contenders. in alpha order by brand. click the photo for more details from the zappos site. (scroll down... i don't know why there's so much space between here and there...)
 | Clarks Benna $63.95 i'm still searching, i guess, for the perfect pair of clarks. everything i've tried on either doesn't fit quite right or is too clunky-looking. given how loyal clarks-wearers are to the brand, i would love to find a style that works for me. i don't hold out much hope, but this is the most agreeable pair i can find on zappos right now. sigh. |
 | Easy Spirit Lureyou $78.95 these actually remind me a little of the dark brown wedges i bought recently, what with that fancy leatherwork and all. this shoe, though, despite the retarded style name, looks really sweet and simple. i could see wearing this sandal a lot. it would go with all sorts of outfits... |
 | Fitzwell Carmella $52.95 i'm not as crazy about these as i am some of the other shoes i've picked out, but it seems like this would be a little more "every day" than some of the dainty heels on this page. this style seems laid-back and easy to walk in. am i super-crazy about them? no. would i get a lot of use out of them? probably. |
 | Fornaria 5141 $133.95 kidding!! this is horrendous. just keeping you on your toes, so to speak. (this shoe does make me want to do another zappos couture post, though.) |
 | LifeStride Aruba $40.95 ok, i'm pretty much in love with this shoe. the metallic leather, the symmetry, the wedge... the price! i was briefly considering this style in black, too, but if i do end up getting this i'm pretty sure it'll be in gold. |
 | Rockport Corunna $68.95 i have a pair of rockport tennis shoes, and can i just tell you how unearthly comfortable they are? they're unearthly comfortable. i love them. i want a pair of rockport sandals, too. (i tried on a few pairs last year, but they weren't quite wide enough. now that i've lost weight and my feet are a bit skinnier i have higher hopes.) this blue is nice and calming, too, isn't it? is it too dressy, though? the shoe comes in lots of colors (click the photo) including bronze and black, which could also be contenders. |
 | rsvp Drizzle $50.95 this wedge is INSANE! the description says it's 4", but one of the reviewers says it's even taller than that when you take into consideration it's a platform shoe. i consider it a personal challenge to try to walk in these shoes! (the reviews also say that they feel narrow, which doesn't bode well.) i like this purple, but i'm also partial to the lime and red. |
 | rsvp Monte $70.95 heart! heart! heart! aren't these pretty? the violet color is also nice. but man, i love the multi-toned leather here. so very very much. |
 | rsvp Morocco $69.95 i don't know what it is with me and this 'rsvp' line. i've never bought any of their shoes before, but suddenly practically everything they make is attracting me. this style is strappy and cute, but i've always shied away from the ankle strap in the past. now that my legs aren't quite so chunky perhaps i should try it. also, i think i would really like to add a pair of orange shoes to my wardrobe. (though i also really like the violet and red shades.) |
 | Sofft Arianna $80.95 is it possible for a shoe to be too strappy? i almost feel like there isn't enough material to hold this on my foot. i own a couple other pairs of soffts, though, and they fit pretty well so maybe i should give them a try. the description of this color is "coral", which may or may not be disgusting. i like the black, too. |
 | Sofft Fedora $90.95 now that's orange!! (it also comes in "limeaide" which is also appealing.) i love the buckle on this sandal... it's a little something special on an otherwise simple-looking shoe. |
 | Sofft Frances $90.95 these seem somehow a little dressier than the other soffts here. why is that? the heel strap? less overall strappiness and more solid areas of leather? i like it, but until i see it on my foot i'm not sure it's something i would wear everyday. also, i should mention that the only red sandals i currently own are leather flip-flops. i love red shoes A LOT and would like to add more to my wardrobe. |
 | Sofft Napoli $90.95 i'm really drawn to the multi-toned look right now. these are GORGEOUS and if i don't get them now with the gift certificate, i might later sell my body for the money to buy them. there is nothing i don't like about this shoe. (other than the fact that it also comes in a perfectly horrid green/blue combination.) |
 | Sofft Nymph $90.95 again, too strappy? and though yes, i've lost weight, i'm still far from svelte and i often wonder whether something dainty like this would look ridiculous on me. no way to know until i try it, i guess. |
i had a couple of free hours between on-air stints last night and, because i am so predictable, i used that time for retail therapy. i drove myself to the wide shoe warehouse, 15%-off coupon clutched in my hand, to see what i could find.
i think they're quite cute. they're not something i gravitated to right away, though. in fact, i only decided to try them on during my second pass of the store. (you do that, too, right? make one sweep, then quickly go around again to make sure there aren't any shoes you missed?)
the thing that made me pass by them the first time was the shiny wedge heel. i don't have anything else like that. kinda flashy, you know?
the fancy leather-work reminds me a little of the hush puppies rodeo that i bought last year, but these are more substantial. plus, these were only $35. woo!
what's more, they're super-duper comfortable. i'm discovering that only a very few brands create shoes with high enough arches for me. these are by bellini, and are called "bolivia". hush puppies also consistently feel great.
in fact, i found two pair of cute hush puppies at the warehouse yesterday, and almost bought them, but i decided to instead write down the shoe name and head to zappos when i got home. my sister-in-law, lulu, gave me a zappos gift certificate for my birthday (a couple of months ago! and i haven't used it yet! something must be wrong with me!) and i figured i'd just use the credit towards the most comfortable pair i tried on in the store. but for some reason the two hush puppies styles that i liked the most aren't available at zappos. i wrote their customer service department and asked if they'd be getting them.
if they don't, i'm going to have to subject you to my ever-growing zappos wish list and seek your opinions on my gift certificate purchase.
i was wandering around in the mall and found myself inexplicably drawn into payless shoe store.
now, i've been doing the opposite of paying less for some time now... spending up to $100 on a pair of shoes, all because i thought i had to. i mean, with wide feet, it ain't easy to find inexpensive footwear.
but as i mentioned earlier, it seems like one of the surprise benefits of losing weight is that my feet have become narrower.
so, while in payless, i found two pairs of adorable flats --CHEAP!-- that i was happy to bring home with me:
(siide view)
these were $8! $8!! i couldn't believe it. they are mauve faux suede and o-so cute.
(side view)
these were $14. i am still surprised at how much i like these shoes. my wardrobe is entirely tweedless, but these feel right at home on my feet.
well, i went back and exchanged the taupe clarks for the coveted proxy tutors. these are a little big, but with the "toe tap" cushions under the balls of my feet it isn't so bad. the folks at the wide shoe warehouse said they'd call the manufacturer to see if they could track down the smaller size, but to not get my hopes up because these shoes are hard to find.
still, even though the tutors are just a tad too big i love them WAY more than those clarks.
so, yay!
after that i ran a bazillion errands, both starting and finishing my christmas shopping. i do have one little secret-santa gift to pick up for a co-worker, but since it has to be under $5 it barely counts. i'm making most of my gifts again this year (tightwad) so a lot of today's shopping was for supplies. but still, it's great to be done.
so, to reward myself i went clothes-shopping. my system thus far seems to be: try on a size smaller than i think i wear, and if it fits buy it. so i bought these jeans after doing a dance of joy in the dressing room.
last night, in a fit of paycheck giddiness, i decided to stop by the wide shoe warehouse and check out their new stock. they had a lot of cute winter shoes and i found myself torn between 3 or 4 pairs.
i decided that i didn't need the cute black ankle boots. i already have a pair of black knee-length boots, as well as some bootish shoes. i'm good on black shoes. i can have willpower when it comes to black.
but i really, really, really wanted these brown proxy tutors, and they didn't have my size in stock. these shoes were so comfortable (with an amazing arch support for a 2" heel!) and snazzy, with the perforations and little bow. it killed me that i couldn't leave with those shoes. i wrote down the style and what size i thought i'd need, and just figured i could maybe buy them online.
so i kept walking around the store and these round-toed red clarks caught my eye. now, i'm coming around to the whole round-toe idea, but these round-toes seemed too bulbous-looking. they felt clownish. the geometric opposite of pointy-toes.
so i ended up buying another pair of clarks that were nice. i have to admit, though, that i'm not in love with these shoes. i kept saying to the friendly sales lady, "i wish these came in a snazzier color, like blue or red." these are kind of a taupe/gray, and while i don't have anything like it in my shoe collection there's probably a reason for that. aside from the color, though, there is nice detailing on the shoe that i do like. plus, i've never owned a pair of clarks before, and i feel like that is something i must do before i die. but i've also got this niggling notion that the toebox felt a little too small when i put the shoes on for that photo this morning. i'm feeling pretty conflicted about these shoes.
but i bought them anyway. which makes me wonder if it's physically impossible for me to visit the wide shoe warehouse without purchasing something. i think it's a sickness.
when i got home i did a quick search on zappos and found out that the taupe clarks i bought do come in other colors, and now i'm wondering... should i take mine back? and maybe buy the same shoe in a different color (probably red) online?
to further complicate matters, i also googled those proxy tutors and can't seem to find anyone that sells them. and i cannot stop thinking about these shoes. if i want them, i apparently need to get them at the wide shoe warehouse and have them special-order order my size.
so... maybe i should do that --take my taupe clarks back to the wide shoe warehouse and exchange them for a special-ordered pair of the proxy tutors in my size-- and then maybe, if i decide i really like the style of these taupe clarks enough, i can buy them in a new color from zappos later (even though zappos' price on those shoes is about $20 more than the wide shoe warehouse's).
so the questions:
* should i keep the taupe shoes? are they cute despite the taupe? do i like the taupe? i do not know.
* should i exchange the taupe clarks for the proxy tutors, which i clearly like better?
* should i buy the red version of the clarks online? have i decided whether the style is cute enough?
i don't know what to do.
but listen... if zappos sells gift certificates, you know what to get me for christmas.
the day started off with a wedding in beautiful downtown durham. lots of interesting clothes to look at and quite a few interesting shoe choices. some fascinating tattoos and hair color, too.
later that day i got totally sucked into a VH1 marathon of cycle two of america's next top model, which only reinforced the day's fascination with fashion.
so it seems only natural that i end the day at zappos checking out some shoes for the fall, right? right.
my heart isn't totally smitten with any of these yet, but perhaps looking at them all on one page will draw me towards one in particular.
as always, opinions are welcome.
 | fitzwell isabella $79.95 i think i would get these in the purple color (shown) or maybe the light blue. it's hard to imagine what these would look like on me... the reviews say that the top is more like a thick sock than a boot. interesting. |
 | fitzwell bobbie $84.95 i would either get these in this red color or the teal. i love funky heels like this that are comfy (and won't slide off like mules) but also look great with jeans. |
 | clarks clever $86.95 i actually wish this shoe came in other color combinations. (i don't like any of the others, which are all one solid color.) i don't generally wear white shoes, and particularly avoid it during the cold months. but i like the style of the shoe and would love to try a pair of clarks. (their wide styles are starting to be as fashionable as their narrower widths... yay!) |
 | sofft nicolina $90.95 this might be too much money for me to spend on a shoe that looks so casual. but i really like how it's almost an athletic shoe and almost a loafer at the same time. the red is the only color i'd consider in this shoe. |
 | sesto meucci catrice $169.95 what is it with me and red shoes?? i am shamefully in love with these. "shamefully" because i have no real explanation as to why i'm drawn to them. they're clearly WAY out of my budget, a little too mannish, and that buckle on top is not my style at all. yet i cannot stop looking at them. the black/brown combination is also nice. |
 | clarks nimble $86.95 here's another pair of clarks. i don't know... from one angle these look too much like pumps to me. but i like the style on the other side and from the top. this pictured color is supposed to be burgandy -- i would order that, and not the black, i think. well, maybe the black. i don't know. |
 | clarks leanne $59.95 shocking! it's another pair of red shoes!! i don't own any slingbacks, and these would be great for fall... but fall can be so short here, and i feel like i might want to spend my money on something that will take me through the winter, too. |
a painful neck injury can't keep me away from the wide shoe warehouse. not me. nuh-uh, no way.
i only popped in for a minute. just to scope things out. i really wasn't planning on buying anything... i just happened to be in the neighborhood. really.
but these just called my name. loudly. they're a totally irrational purchase (i mean, they're essentially cowboy boots without the boots), but i love them regardless.
NOW i'm ready for autumn.
i think i mentioned a couple of weeks ago that i'd ordered two new pairs of shoes. i had been looking for a replacement for my old, grungy black flip-flops, and when i couldn't find anything on zappos i went googling.
i found a site called ChicWideShoes.com and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor. there were brands and styles there i'd never seen before! (and believe me, that's saying something.) i easily found two pairs that would work, and ordered them both. they arrived on friday, and while i knew that i'd be keeping one pair from the moment i slipped it on (so comfy!), i had reservations about the other pair. they're the ones pictured to the right.
i spent the weekend putting these on and taking them off, then putting them on again and standing in front of a mirror with a camera (resulting in several fuzzy photos), before i finally decided to keep this pair, too.
i wore them to work today, and one of my co-workers said i looked roman. that was almost enough to make me send them back, but then i thought about russell crowe and how good he looked as a gladiator.
what do you think?
| well, i told you that i've been busy buying shoes. i am really happy with what i've ended up with: | |
 | hush puppies rodeo
i'd never seen these on zappos site. i stumbled across them on a trip to the wide shoe warehouse. they didn't have them in my size, but i tried them on anyway and loved the way they looked. after dreaming of them for nights on end, i eventually tracked down my size at shoebuy.com. i love the juxtaposition of the thin straps and extra-chunky heel, which you can see in the side view |
 | sofft geneva
these were on my original wish list but when i saw them in person at nordstrom i didn't like the blue color at all, so i went with pink. i was thrilled that nordstrom even carried the wide width, and i bought them on the spot from a very cute young salesman with funky glasses. |
 | sofft melody
these were also on the original wish list, and are far and away the most comfortable of the shoes i've bought. they're flat-heeled, but have enough arch support that my back feels great when i wear them. i think sofft is one of my new favorite brands. (next to hush puppies, believe it or not.) |
 | trotters phebe
i spotted these at the wide shoe warehouse, too, and squealed with delight when i saw them. it's hard to tell from the photo, but the petals of the flower look like mother-of-pearl, set against a pink leather background. the stitching and foot bed are pink, too. they're totally adorable in every conceivable way. however, they can only be worn for short periods of time, goddammit. |
the only other shoes i purchased are a pair of rockports that are comfortable beyond belief, but i'm wavering on whether they're actually wide enough. i need to return them for a size smaller, which won't do the width any favors, i don't think. decisions, decisions... also, i guess i should mention that i ordered a totally adorable pair of these hush puppies sandals (in green) from zappos, but when i sent them back for an exchange of size they told me that what i wanted was out of stock. i can't find my size on any other site (yet) either... i'm crushed. | |
the last few weeks have been a blur of shoes. i'm a little afraid to tell you how many new pairs i've bought. it's become a bit of an obsession.
i guess admitting i have a problem is the first step towards having a problem. or something like that.
now that i've come clean, i can tell you that i've recently spent many, many hours poring over the inventory at zappos and shoebuy... even playing one against the other in my purchases. zappos, as you should already know, has the fastest delivery on the planet. you order shoes online one day and they're on your doorstep the next. however, i have found that zappos is far more expensive than other sites. shoebuy.com, for example, regularly has the same exact shoes as zappos, for about $10-15 less.
luckily, zappos has a price guarantee, so you can get the best of both worlds: order from zappos, get next-day delivery, then call them up and tell them you've found a cheaper price. they'll credit you the difference in price (plus 10%). plus you'll still get the shoes quicker than anyplace else. brilliant, eh?
anyway, i've got a little "wish list" set up at zappos with 4 or 5 other pair that i'm considering buying. (then i'll stop, i swear.) i like to visit the wish list every day or so, and consider this color, or that style, then compare the prices at shoebuy. i've been doing this for a little while now, and have become increasingly familiar with zappos' website. still, only today did i discover this:
now, don't worry... i have several things working against me here. i have wide feet, and couture doesn't come in wide sizes. also, i work in public radio and my meager salary would never allow me to spend $700 on a pair of sexpot heels or mink-strapped sandals. so rest assured I AM NOT SHOPPING. i am BROWSING. and LAUGHING.
i mean, look at this... color me backwater, but this looks like christmas tree garland on a slab of rubber:
and for $900, it seems to me, roberto cavalli could at least keep the animal theme to EITHER mammals OR fish. i'm just sayin':
and you know, some of these just have me scratching my head:
and -- HELLO?!?! -- did you step on a cat with that stiletto, or what??
i will admit, though, that if i had the legs for it (and the fetish community to support it) i would probably be tempted by these:
thank god i found zappos couture. it's diverted my attention away from actually buying anything.
consarnit!
zappos has now become an official addiction, and my brain has gotten stuck in spring shoe mode. nothing else can be accomplished until i've gotten your opinions on the following:
 | sofft geneva $88.95 i love these sooo much. the heel is about the height i prefer these days, and i really like the knotted detailing on top. i would hope the color might be a little more rich in real life. |
 | clarks dade $75.95 are these too cutesy with the embossed doo-dads on the leather? i like the green a lot, but wish the heel were higher. |
 | clarks sarong $75.95 this may feel a little more "dressed up" than i'm shopping for right now. all of the colors available in this style seem really bright, too. hmm... |
 | clarks garland $75.95 the heel seems clunky compared to the previous few, but i really like this color blue. (that rhymed.) i'm excited that there are so many pairs of clarks on this list... i've never owned a pair. (i have never seen this many cute clarks in wide-widths before, i don't think.) |
 | sofft violette $85.95 heart heart heart!! this may be a little too girly for me (i'm not really the girliest girl you'll ever meet) but ohmygosh these are almost cuter than roxi. |
 | sofft melody $80.95 these seem utterly perfect for me. i love the detailing, they're not overly girly, they seem practical. i do wish they had a little more of a heel, but i think i might be able to deal. the last pair of soffts i tried on fit so incredibly well, maybe i won't miss the heel. (if the shoes are too flat, without enough arch support, my back starts to hurt really badly.) |
 | softwalk ferndale $104.95 (ouch) girl. ee. |
 | hush puppies charlize $65.95 i have a pair of hush puppies that are very much like this (last season's style), but they are actually too wide. these would make a good replacement, and i already know how comfortable they are. these are probably going to make the short list, just for practicality's sake. |
 | rockport vicki $70.95 drool literally came out of my mouth when i saw these. i've never had any rockports before, either. i like that they're cute & girly, but have a butch heel/sole. they are very interesting-looking. |
 | rockport graham $65.95 eh. i have some flip-flops similar to this, but not in orange. me likey orange. |
 | rockport pollard bay $65.95 ditto the above. i don't have any pink shoes. but there we go again with the girly thing... |
 | rockport briza $65.95 let's mark these off the list right now, ok? i mean, they're fine, but i already know there are at least 3 or 4 other pairs i like better than this. |
 | clarks elite $63.95 and here are the requisite "serious summer" shoes... because we can't go play at the beach every day. |
 | clarks carina $75.95 i mean, really... who on earth would prefer to wear these over green and pink shoes?? but sometimes you've gotta be conservative. right? sometimes you do? |
what the fudge??
here's another shoe named after me.
am i, christa, an overly colorful slip-on, or a chunky clunky loafer?
i really don't know what to think.
all this talk of shoes got me hankerin' to go browsing at zappos.
it turns out i have a shoe named after me, but it's the most unattractive footwear known to (wo)man.
seriously. i dare you to find me something uglier than that.
you know, this reminds me that my birthday coupon from DSW is only valid for a couple more days!
well, despite what i said at the end of november i broke down and bought some clothes (a shirt) and some shoes (2 pair). i made it halfway through my vow to go three months. not too bad, considering i have never had the stamina to to even think about will power.
the shirt is pink paisley --something new for me-- and lisa approved it there in the store, so i feel like it was money wisely spent. (also, it was a jillion percent off at the belk going-out-of-business sale at the mall.)
the shoes, however, were not approved by anyone --except the saleslady-- in advance of purchase. they were on sale, too, so while i feel guilty spending the money when i said i wouldn't, it is only a little guilt, because it was only a little money.
see how easily i can talk myself out of a situation like this? if you're trying to pinch pennies, i'm the worst person you can take along on a shopping trip. i'll tell you you should buy one of everything... and maybe two of them if it's on sale.
anyway, the sensible shoes i bought i really did need... i have been looking for something fairly stylish --yet practical-- to wear to work with slacks. (i had been wearing my knee-high boots under my slacks, which seemed somehow to be a waste of boot.)
the stilettos, though... a total splurge. they were only about $25, though, and i thought they were fun. they are slip-ons (difficult to tell from the photo) and are actually exceedingly comfortable. so yay for that.
hopefully that's it for a while. as long as the wide shoe warehouse doesn't have any more giant clearance sales i think i'm safe.
i don't know how it happened, but somehow i ended up at DSW tonight. and more surprising still: i didn't buy anything. at one point i had a pair of black ankle boots in my hand, but i think i got dazed by these orange things that mary tried on. i can barely recall anything that happened after that.
those are crazy, aren't they? what's even crazier is that mary has a terrible aversion to stiletto heels. AND a strong aversion to pointy-toed shoes. yet somehow she overcame those fears tonight, and she was trying on all kinds of beautiful shoes.
she ended up buying a more sensible pair, but i have a feeling she'll end up going back for those black & purple pumps one of these days.
when we came back home ray shocked us with something orange of his own:
well, i got my order from zappos yesterday. not everything thrilled me, so i drove out to the wide shoe warehouse this afternoon to see if i could find anything better. (i feel compelled to mention they the folks at the wide shoe warehouse were feeding their customers hot dogs and sodas for free today. though they don't have as great a selection as zappos, they certainly do know how to make a gal feel welcome.)
anyway, i now have 5 pairs of shoes to choose from. i think i may keep 3. maybe 4.
 | these are the "sofft" brand shoes from zappos. the actual color is a little more red than i was expecting (not a bad thing necessarily), and the leather is a little more shiny than i was expecting (sort of a bad thing, maybe). on the plus-side, they are INCREDIBLY comfortable, fit well, and are super light. i'm definitely leaning towards keeping these. (close-up) |
 | these are made by "g-wiz" and came from the wide shoe warehouse. i thought they might be a good substitute for the soffts above, which are twice as expensive as these. i have a (perhaps) irrational fear of having too many similar shoes, so part of me believes i'll have to either keep these or the soffts. however, the more i look at these two pairs of shoes the more i focus on their differences. the soffts are more polished-looking, and these are more... what?... plain, maybe?. actually, i think these may end up being good bad-weather shoes, as the soles look like they could really grab onto ice. so... i like them, and they're pretty comfortable, but do i need them? (close-up) |
 | what can i say? i've got a thing for heeled mules. these are made by "easy street" and came from the wide shoe warehouse. i can't find any reason to argue against keeping these. (though i admit i'm shocked to realize that i just bought 3 pairs of rounded-toe shoes.) the coolest thing about these, and something i didn't realize until the cashier pointed it out, is that the decorative band across the top actually doubles as a back strap. (check it out.) |
 | i am totally and utterly shocked that these fit as well as they do. they don't have a zipper; they just pull-on and are stretchy in the calf area. i think the foot-part may be a little big... i might send them back to zappos in exchange for a pair a half-size smaller. i have no idea what to wear them with, but that's ok... the dilemma provides me with another excuse to go shopping. (close-up) |
 | these boots were a big disappointment. i opted to not get the ros hommerson's that i blogged about, but instead got these naturalizers because they were taller. i'm definitely sending these back to zappos... the ankle is far too baggy, and though i didn't have too much trouble zipping them up i can see from this photo that my leg looks a little pinched at the top. bleah. so yes, they're going back. i just have to decide whether or not to ask for the ros hommerson's instead. (part of my hesitation in asking for the ros' is that they're mid-calf boots. i'm hoping for a sensible pair of tall black boots to wear with skirts, and i think mid-calf boots would look ridiculous with a skirt... which means i'd end up just wearing mid-calf boots with pants. and i might as well just shop for a cheaper pair of ankle boots at that point.) |
i have an urge to buy some shoes.
i also have an urge to try shopping at zappos. i've never bought shoes online before, but with free shipping and free returns i guess i have little to lose.
i've narrowed down my choices to 7 pairs, and i wanted to post the photos next to each other so i can get a better idea of what all i'm considering.
also, i would love your input.
 | softspots: viviana $43.90 clearly not in season for much longer, but totally cute nonetheless. |
 | sofft: sienna $87.95 not really my style, but then again... they're not my style so they'd be something entirely new. besides, they look utterly comfortable. they'd be everyday shoes through the fall and winter. |
 | softspots: brenda $40.90 i like the toe-thing. the viviana (above) is a similar shoe... i'm not sure which i like better. |
 | naturalizer: uptight $72.95 totally impractical... but WOW! (why on earth are these shoes called "uptight"?!?) |
 | bass: sharon $39.95 once again, not really seasonal, but i don't have any sandals this color/style. |
 | clarks: hall $72.95 i've always wanted a pair of clarks (they're supposed to be really good shoes, right?), but i've never found a cute pair in a wide width. here they are. i like the fancy detailing on top, though the toe is not as pointy as i generally like. (in fact, in the customer comments several people say that the shoes are clunkier than the photo would suggest.) |
 | ros hommerson: whisper $125 though ridiculously expensive, i think i am definitely going to try these. ideally i'd prefer if these were a knee-high boot (like the uptight ones above) but they may be ok. |
whenever i find myself even remotely in the neighborhood of the wide shoe warehouse i make time to stop in. even if i'm not feeling great. it helps.
here are my latest purchases:
these red things are actually the same exact style as these.
i had never before worn flip-flops until i bought that black pair a few months ago; now i'm hooked. i don't know why i was so scared of the toe-thong thing... perhaps just because i never found a pair that was comfortable.
anyway, i decided to buy these after i threw out my old red sandals in a fit of frustration a few weeks ago. those bastards stained my feet one too many times... there has clearly been too much rain this summer, and too many puddles to accidentally step into.
these beige shoes were a total impulse purchase. i'm becoming addicted to slip-on, pointy-toed, heeled shoes. i think these will look good with jeans. i hope so, anyway.
in addition to the fact that they're really stretchy, these shoes are also cut slightly asymmetrically. it's probably too subtle for anyone to notice, though.
one final note about the wide shoe warehouse... they are going to stop carrying men's shoes. so if you're a man, and you've got wide feet, you best get yourself to their store right now. they're actually having a 60% clearance sale on their men's stock. so go.
ok, these are the shoes. ray went so far as to say the black ones were 'almost stunning'. he didn't say anything about the blue ones. maybe he was simply stunned into silence by the black ones. not sure.
i know i've said this before... but i do so love the wide shoe warehouse. it's a store just for me! (well, for me and for transvestites... one of their recent ads in the indy made it clear that they also target that clientele.)
this trip to the WSW was especially gratifying for me, as i brought along my narrow-footed friend, mary. normally mary (and Lisa the Normal-Footed) and i go shoe-shopping at DSW or SRI, where wide shoes are in the minority and i rarely have any success. well, at the wide shoe warehouse the tables were turned... i was finding all kinds of great things and mary found nothing. hahahaha!
sorry, that's mean. really, i felt kinda bad for mary. but not that bad, 'cause we went to DSW afterward where she found cute black strappy sandals and i found nothing. (well, i found a pair of 4-inch blue & green stilettos that made mary's eyeballs pop out of their sockets, but i didn't end up buying those.)
anyway.
i talked to rob last night, and though he's admitted that he & lulu are more than exhausted by their constant stream of houseguests since roxi entered the world, he still affirms that he is looking forward to my visit. i'm going to believe him.
it sounds like they're both so sleep-deprived... i'm prepared to do nothing next week except their laundry and their meal preparation. (though, the more i think about it, i don't know that they're really all that busy with the baby if they can find the time to create things like this.)
so, ever since i started watching what not to wear last fall i have come under the influence of heeled, pointy-toed shoes. i bought many pairs last winter and feel my life is more, um, rich because of it.
however, it is now summertime (in case you hadn't noticed) and it's hard to find heeled, pointy-toed sandals that don't look out of place next to all the bare skin that gets shown this time of year. (remember my lack of A/C in the car... i will never wear jeans or long pants in this mucky heat.)
consequently, i have resigned myself to wearing casual, not-quite-as-flattering, low-heeled shoes this season. and aside from the obvious fashion differences i've noticed a physical difference, too: my back hurts.
now, there are plenty of sources out there that extoll the virtues of flat-heeled shoes... how they're supposed to be better on your feet, knees and legs than heeled shoes. (not to mention how difficult it can be just to walk in heels.)
but for some reason --and maybe i'm just an anatomical freak in this way-- flat heeled shoes make my back hurt something fierce. at the end of the day all i want to do is lay flat on the ground. but with heels i feel like i could stand up all the livelong day. sure, the balls of my feet might be a little tender, but it's a price i'm willing to pay in order to not feel like my vertabrae are collapsing upon each other. i've concocted this theory that heels make my back feel better because they force me to stand up a little straighter. better posture. but with flats i'm all low to the ground and slouchy.
the terrible truth right now is that the only shoes that i find i can wear to work comfortably right now are the ones in the photo above. the fact my feet are swelling so bad while i'm sitting at my desk, plus the obnoxious heat lately, has made these sandals the shoe of choice. i think they probably look pretty terrible, but at least they're comfortable.
god, clinton & stacy would kill me if they heard me say that.
i had an extra (yet well-planned) 20 minutes before i had to pick ray's mom up at the airport, so i stopped by the wide shoe warehouse for a quick run through the store, since it's right there and all. i found a totally cute pair of wedge sandals and made it to the terminal with about 2 minutes to spare. whew. (when i told terry --ray's mom-- what i had been doing just prior to picking her up, she laughed and said she couldn't wait to see how cute the shoes were.)
ray cooked up his specialty for dinner, and after we cleaned up the mess we walked down the street to tom's house. he was having a dinner party for a half-dozen friends (to which we were invited, but ray had already planned on cooking this welcome dinner for his mom), so when we got to tom's we just sat and watched everyone else eat. it was a little awkward but still nice to see everyone.
when we got home i remembered that the west wing had taped while we were gone, and since terry watches the show, too, we just plopped ourselves on the couch for a while. (but not until i performed some major surgery to the video cassette to extricate a balled-up section tape inside the cartridge. all those years working at vis-art really comes in handy!)
now it's late and we've got several really full days ahead of us... terry & ray are coming out to visit me at the station tomorrow. on friday we'll do all the touristy things in durham. saturday is the primate center and a small dinner party. sunday we're going to the symphony. then she flies home monday.
whew. i'm pooped just thinking about that list.
i went shoe shopping last night. i wasn't looking for anything in particular (danger! danger!) but still ended up walking away with 2 pairs.
 | now that i know how good my feet look with a pointy toe, i'm never going back to anything rounded. my feet are so wide that the point helps elongate them and make them look narrower. the strappy back on these is a nice touch, too.
i found this pair in the clearance section, marked down 30%. what's odd is that the store had a jillion other pairs of the same shoes in the non-sale section for full price. go figure. advantage: me. |
 | ok, i lied about the pointy-toed thing. you can't really buy casual tennis shoe things with pointy toes. (at least i don't think you can... if you know otherwise, let me know!)
these are by timberland, and weigh a fraction of an ounce. they're unbelievably light. they're incredibly squishy, too... like you're walking on a gym mat or something. i have no idea what type of astronaut substance they're made of. they make a flip-flop sound when i walk. they're replacing an old, stinky pair of blue slip-on tennis shoes i got at target a zillion years ago. |
 | these red boots aren't new, but i love them so much i had to post a picture. pinky asked me, when i bought them, what i would wear them with. the answer: everything! i love them so much. they're the sexiest shoes i own and if i could i'd wear them every day for the rest of my life. i might look a little silly at the beach, though.
yesterday when i went to see my orthopaedist about my wrist, his first question was about my foot (last time i saw him i'd hurt it really badly). i was wearing these boots (of course!) and his jaw dropped to the floor. he said, "that's some kind of brace you've got on that foot! lookit those!!" heh heh. |
i got a postcard in the mail a couple of days ago advertising a sale at my favorite shoe store. the place is thrillingly called "the wide shoe warehouse". i love it. i walk in, inhale deeply and proudly, and think to myself, "i can wear any damned shoe in here!" it's a beautiful feeling.
anyway, last night i told myself to take it easy... i don't really need any new shoes. but i'm fool enough to know that mantra never really works; i knew deep in my soul i'd walk out with a new pair of shoes.
and the owners, they knew that, too. because they placed the most amazing pair of black suede pointy-toed heels right near the entrance and i was immediately sucked into their powerful vortex. i had to have them. they told me so. besides, on sale (and with the $5 coupon that was on the postcard) they were half-off retail: $30! so i'm only feeling a little bit of guilt. a half-priced amount of guilt. (plus, that guilt disappears whenever i gaze at the shoes, so right now they're on the dining table next to my laptop.) i wish the photo up there better showed off the pointy-ness... i think it's literally possible to put someone's eye out with these shoes.
the north carolina symphony has a new conductor who, in this campy little blurb, says one of his least favorite things is "shopping and all it stands for." i remember a time when i would have stood up and cheered for that kind of public statement. but now i'm torn... yes, shopping for things no one really needs is bad. but shopping for food & clothing is good, isn't it??? i want to get him out to the station for an interview and question him thoroughly about this.
ray & i went out to dinner last night with josh, ray's old high-school friend who we both absolutely adore. he was in town for a day while his company tried to get him to agree to relocate from san francisco to durham. (bahaha!) while josh is actually quite amenable to the cultural switch (i told you we loved this guy... he already believes durham is a hip place!), he's not so sure he wants the job they're shoving at him and he's pretty torn up about what to do. anyway, we thought a night at pop's would be nice after his whirlwind day of schmoozing.
pop's, as you may or may not know, is under new ownership (their website hasn't even been updated yet). ray & i go to pop's a lot and have witnessed their subtle transformation over the last few months. the bar seating area is now extended to the right of the door (thereby removing some previously painful booth-seating). the wait staff now all wear gorgeous burgandy shirts (the previous drab gray is now gone). and the food seems a little less hit-or-miss, too. all of our entrees were phenomenal (breaded tilapia over garlic mashed potatoes for me, please!) and of course the desserts were great too (panna cotta with pear butter and almond brittle). we had a really nice, long dinner and fun was had by all.
josh is a gadget geek, and after dinner he showed us his new cell phone/microwave oven. (ok, it's really not a microwave oven, but i just wanted to make mr. pinky's ears prick up.) he played us some of the nutty ringtones he's downloaded... and i've gotta say, the audio that comes out of these phones now is pretty amazing. i tried to get him to download the sex & the city theme, but he just looked at me like i was insane. i think i made a lttle more headway with the laverne & shirley theme song, but it's more likely that he'll just stick with the days of our lives theme song. (kidding! he's an i love lucy and star trek guy all the way.)
so, the heating guys are here today. it sounds like the freakin' civil war is being reenacted in my crawlspace. they are currently ripping out all of the old ductwork and i hear them, down there below my feet, hollering at each other over the noise. the cats are totally freaked out... mimo was hiding behind the washer, but i didn't know that until i put in a load of laundry and he came bolting out, looking for a new place to hide. there are no hiding places today, sweet kitten. sorry.
i guess i need to go spend some time out in the garage figuring out how to run these kerosene heaters y'all have graciously let us borrow. i think greg fishel said it was going to be in the 30s tonight.
