Sure, shoes serve a purpose - protecting one's feet... This could mean from weather - like snow or rain... Or from the heat of the pavement on a hot Summer's day... True - shoes also protect one's feet from sharp and uncomfortable things - like rocks or glass... They can also protect other things - like proper running shoes protect from shin splints and joint pain... We've even got steal toed boots to protect us while on the job. Shoes can make an outfit, they can make a person taller, they can help correct one's posture and a bazillion of other things... Maybe these are examples of why the stereo typical woman has so many pairs of shoes. And as a woman, I'd love to be able to completely explain why women have heaps of shoes... I'll try my best to do so, from my perspective, though I don't speak for every female out there.
I moved a few months ago, and the sheer amount of shoes in my collection astounded me! I had two very large garbage bags full. (That didn't even include the duffel bag full of slippers - which in my mind are just shoes acceptable to wear in the house.... Winnie the pooh, Eeyore and Shrek are just a few of my slipper characters... And that doesn't include a few of the "plain" pairs I have... Ridiculous!) Compared to some Ladies out there, that's a minuscule amount... To me it just seemed nuts! I was in full out moving purge mode and trimmed that down by half..... I got rid of old, warn out pairs that had already been replaced... There was easily about $500 worth of shoes there... And by no means do I own a pair designer shoes of Jimmy Choo status. I don't even own a brand name pair of shoes! They're all middle of the road, not overly expensive department store brands.... Okay, so I do have a pair of Columbia boots that are kind of expensive - but they were part of a uniform that I didn't have to pay for... But I did get to keep the boots! =0)
While purging, I also got rid of a couple pairs that I would never wear again... I'm not going to lie... It literally hurt to wear them... Why do we do that to ourselves my fellow Ladies? I've wandered through the shoe sections of various department stores and have wondered how some people are able to walk in some of the styles out there! The honking high heels for example. If I could make it out the door without snapping an ankle I'd be impressed... And if I managed not to injure myself throughout the evening's events, the dang things would leave me crippled by knee and foot pain for a couple days. I will admit - even though I graduated from high school coming up on 12 years ago - I still have the shoes I bought and wore especially for grad. They are high heels, borderline hooker shoes... I can't seem to bring myself to part with them, even though they've been worn twice and I doubt I could walk in them again.
I've probably got at least one pair of every style of shoe out there... I've got steel toed boots - which of course were required foot wear for a few jobs I've had... I've got a couple different styles of winter boots - a dresser pair, my favorite "sh!t kicker" ankle boot style, and a pair of mid-calf functional winter play boots... Let's face it, I'm Canadian and there's bound to be snow at one point or another. (Now that I'm no longer in Edmonton, I hope the snow stays in actual Winter months and doesn't make a surprise appearance in the middle of July!) I've got a couple pair of comfortable formal flats... Runners/Work-out style shoes, yep you'll find them in my collection. My favorites though - sandals and flip flops... That's where most of my shoe money's been sunk! I've got a pair of for every mood or necessity one can imagine - with the exception of a pair of "Hooker Boots"... And Heaven forbid I find another cute pair out there!
I just came in from mucking around on the muddy country road I live on, in my newest footwear acquisition.... Gumboots, or Rubber boots if you will. Yeah, I said it - Gumboots! Out here it would be crazy not to possess a pair. While coming in more stylish patterns than I remember growing up, Gumboots are functional.... They serve a purpose. One can go outside on a soggy Spring or Fall day, do yard work and not worry about ruining a pair of shoes that are otherwise still acceptable to wear in public... They clean up really easily and are waterproof... So, you don't have to worry about getting your feet wet either! Gumboots are functional - one of the reasons why Women love shoes! (Oh Gumboots! I don't know why I waited so long to own a pair again!)
I can't really explain it... I just love shoes! I guess I have so many so I have a variety of choice... If I'm lazy and don't want to bend over and it's nice enough outside - I've got sandals... It's snowing - I've got boots. It's spring and mucky - I've got gumboots... Going on a job where regulated foot wear is required - steel toed boots are there... Going for a walk or exercising - there's the runners... They all serve a purpose and protect the feet in one form or another... Most of them even look cute while doing so! Everybody needs to take care of their smelly feet to make sure they're not all gnarled out for when we're older... Shoes are just the forefront of preserving our foot future! (It would "stink" to have arthritic feet due to improper foot wear!)
It's not always about me... While I have a healthy love of shoes, I'd rather be running around bare foot year round. Figure that one out!
Showing posts with label Shoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shoes. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Ketch Up - I Got Something To Say!
OK, so I've got ideas for new blog posts... Today though, I've decided to catch any of you following this blog up on past posts. We'll get to the new rants again in the near future, promise!
Well, I've had my "new" exer-steps shoes for about three weeks now. (Post from October 1st - I Don't Need An Excuse) They're the Wal-Mart brand version of those new exercise shoes. (I'm sure most have seen the commercials for the Sketchers ads, Joe Montana even owns a pair. I've got the same idea, just Wal-Martized.) Anyhow, I've been wearing them for almost three weeks and can still feel the burn in my calves, but not so much in my hamstrings or butt anymore... Either they're not working, or they've done all they can do for my butt and hamstrings. I haven't noticed an improvement in my posture any, but that's just me... I'd still recommend a pair though, they are doing wonders for the balance and calves as mentioned. So just to confirm, they aren't miracle shoes... You won't walk on water with them... But if you're going to fork over money for a new pair of runners, might as well be these ones if they are comparable in price.
Edmonton's still having pretty good weather considering we're into mid-October. Usually by now I'm cursing winter and cold climates... Pulling out parkas, gloves and winter boots... Taking bets on when the first snow will fly - hoping upon hope that it's not til at least November. It's still chilly at night and in the mornings, and today's pretty miserable cloudy... But we're still hitting mid-teens (Celsius) during the day, usually on the sunny side (with wind of course - God I hate wind!!!!!) and I can wear just a sweater home instead of a jacket as well. (One Last Kick At The Can Post from October 4th.)
About a week or so ago, I saw on the news about housing for the homeless. It seems as though there are a few areas around the City of Edmonton with the capacity to build (affordable) housing for those on the street. Of course, there are people in the proposed areas that aren't keen on the idea for obvious reasons. (They don't want an influx of street people in their neighbourhood and any kind of shenanigans that it could entail.) Of course, things have to be done right. The powers that be need to look into zoning, public opinion etc. I'm just glad to hear that something is in the works. (Glass Castle and Little Hobos post from October 10... 10/10/10 day.)
Finally, from yesterday's post comes the outcome of the election. Edmonton is stuck with the same Mayor we had yesterday. Mayor Stephen Mandel is still the Mayor because 55.1% of those who voted yesterday, re-elected him. (That's roughly 107,709 people. That number alone is impressive let alone to have voted on the same candidate.) The closest competitor, David Doward - who, of course, came in second place - snapped up 29.8% of the vote, roughly 58,176 people. (Still not shabby.) The remaining candidates rounded out the lower side of things. (Daryl Bonar - 10.5% or 20,484 people. Dan Dromarsky - 2.3% or 4,561 votes and last but not least Dave Dowling - 1.2 % or 2,271 votes.) I'm not sure if this is an average voter turn out, or above/below average turn out. Either way, roughly 193, 201 people turned out to have their say.... 193, 201 people get to bitch, piss and moan about the government because they either re-elected Mandel, or the candidate was out voted by Mandel. I watched the News tonight, the Voter turn out was at 34% this year. That number is up from the 2007 election's 27%, but down from the 42% of Edmontonians that voted in 2004. At any rate, anyone who voted yesterday, good on ya! Glad to see people exercising their democratic right!
That's about all I got, look forward to bitching more =0)
It's not always about me, but I do usually have something to say! =0)
Well, I've had my "new" exer-steps shoes for about three weeks now. (Post from October 1st - I Don't Need An Excuse) They're the Wal-Mart brand version of those new exercise shoes. (I'm sure most have seen the commercials for the Sketchers ads, Joe Montana even owns a pair. I've got the same idea, just Wal-Martized.) Anyhow, I've been wearing them for almost three weeks and can still feel the burn in my calves, but not so much in my hamstrings or butt anymore... Either they're not working, or they've done all they can do for my butt and hamstrings. I haven't noticed an improvement in my posture any, but that's just me... I'd still recommend a pair though, they are doing wonders for the balance and calves as mentioned. So just to confirm, they aren't miracle shoes... You won't walk on water with them... But if you're going to fork over money for a new pair of runners, might as well be these ones if they are comparable in price.
Edmonton's still having pretty good weather considering we're into mid-October. Usually by now I'm cursing winter and cold climates... Pulling out parkas, gloves and winter boots... Taking bets on when the first snow will fly - hoping upon hope that it's not til at least November. It's still chilly at night and in the mornings, and today's pretty miserable cloudy... But we're still hitting mid-teens (Celsius) during the day, usually on the sunny side (with wind of course - God I hate wind!!!!!) and I can wear just a sweater home instead of a jacket as well. (One Last Kick At The Can Post from October 4th.)
About a week or so ago, I saw on the news about housing for the homeless. It seems as though there are a few areas around the City of Edmonton with the capacity to build (affordable) housing for those on the street. Of course, there are people in the proposed areas that aren't keen on the idea for obvious reasons. (They don't want an influx of street people in their neighbourhood and any kind of shenanigans that it could entail.) Of course, things have to be done right. The powers that be need to look into zoning, public opinion etc. I'm just glad to hear that something is in the works. (Glass Castle and Little Hobos post from October 10... 10/10/10 day.)
Finally, from yesterday's post comes the outcome of the election. Edmonton is stuck with the same Mayor we had yesterday. Mayor Stephen Mandel is still the Mayor because 55.1% of those who voted yesterday, re-elected him. (That's roughly 107,709 people. That number alone is impressive let alone to have voted on the same candidate.) The closest competitor, David Doward - who, of course, came in second place - snapped up 29.8% of the vote, roughly 58,176 people. (Still not shabby.) The remaining candidates rounded out the lower side of things. (Daryl Bonar - 10.5% or 20,484 people. Dan Dromarsky - 2.3% or 4,561 votes and last but not least Dave Dowling - 1.2 % or 2,271 votes.) I'm not sure if this is an average voter turn out, or above/below average turn out. Either way, roughly 193, 201 people turned out to have their say.... 193, 201 people get to bitch, piss and moan about the government because they either re-elected Mandel, or the candidate was out voted by Mandel. I watched the News tonight, the Voter turn out was at 34% this year. That number is up from the 2007 election's 27%, but down from the 42% of Edmontonians that voted in 2004. At any rate, anyone who voted yesterday, good on ya! Glad to see people exercising their democratic right!
That's about all I got, look forward to bitching more =0)
It's not always about me, but I do usually have something to say! =0)
Friday, 1 October 2010
I Don't Need an Excuse - I'm Wearing My Brand New Shoes!
"Hey! I put some new shoes on,
And suddenly everythings right,
I said Hey! I put some new shoes on, and everybody's smiling,
It's so inviting,
Oh, short on money,
But long on time,
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,
And I'm running late,
And I don't need an excuse,
'Cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes"
-Paolo Nutini (New Shoes)
I'll admit, I'm not huge into fashion, I'm more of a tomboy than I am a girly girl. I'll wear what I wanna wear, when I want, when say I can. To be honest, jeans, t-shirt, and a pair of flip flops (or shit kickers in colder weather) and I'm a happy girl. In all honesty though, shoes are my down fall... I'm a self-admitted shoe hoarder... I've easily got 20 pairs, and by some people's definition, that's minor. If it's got a heal on it, I don't want them. I've never learned to walk in them properly and they bother the hell out of my knees and back.
This post isn't about being a shoe hoarder though... This one's about the new pair of shoes I picked up yesterday and have strapped to my feet today. I finally tossed an old, worn out, filthy dirty pair of runners. I work on my feet for a good portion of the day so I needed a new pair ASAP. My knees and back have been killing me for weeks because of not wearing proper shoes. I'd poked around and couldn't find what I was after... What I was looking for was a pair of black runners that didn't look like crap and weren't going to cost me an arm & a leg. (Or my soul and first born.)
Yesterday was pay day, my feet were killing me and I couldn't hack it anymore. I tootled to Wal-Mart after work to see what I could see and I was determined to walk out of there with a pair of runners. I looked through their selection and found majority of the sneakers were white/multi coloured, high top, expensive or down right ugly. There were a few black pairs in there that didn't look so bad, or expensive, so my selection was pretty slim. One of those pairs happened to be a Wal-Mart brand of those new exercise shoes. (Now, I'm sure some of you have seen the ads for these new exercise shoes... They're the ones that all you have to do is put them on and they magically help your posture and balance, while working and toning your calves, hamstrings and butt. When I first saw one of these ads, I thought "Damn! Anything to make a buck, eh? And you know all the lazies are going to run out and pick up a couple pairs!")
So I had the small selection narrowed down to two pairs of black runners, and the exercise ones were still in contention. The price was within a couple bucks - the decision had to be made... I slipped on the clog type pair and walked up and down the shoe aisle once or twice... Then I did the same with the "miracle" shoe. I didn't like the clog pair because there were no actual laces in them - they had those elastic criss-cross things - so there was no way to tighten them up. I didn't like the fact that they seemed to smack my heal the way a flip flop would with every step. So I decided what the heck? I needed a pair, might as well give the Exercise ones a shot. What's the worst that could happen? My feet/back/knee would stop hurting if nothing else?
I'm a bit of a dork, but I was excited. I sprayed them down with your average shoe spray and almost couldn't wait to wear them today... I strapped them on my feet this morning and headed to work. At first they were a little weird to get used to, I felt like I was goose stepping down the street. After walking in them for four blocks, I adjusted and felt as though I had my stride back. I noticed that my calves were burning a little more than usual but not much else. Now that my day is half over, my feet aren't as tired or achy as they usually are by this time. (I don't know if that has anything to do with them being exercise shoes or just because they're better shoes than what I had been wearing.) So I'll keep testing these bad boys out and hopefully I'll see a difference in my calves, hamstrings and butt. If not, oh well - they were still a good investment of thirty bucks.
It's not always about me, this time it's about the shoes =0)
This post isn't about being a shoe hoarder though... This one's about the new pair of shoes I picked up yesterday and have strapped to my feet today. I finally tossed an old, worn out, filthy dirty pair of runners. I work on my feet for a good portion of the day so I needed a new pair ASAP. My knees and back have been killing me for weeks because of not wearing proper shoes. I'd poked around and couldn't find what I was after... What I was looking for was a pair of black runners that didn't look like crap and weren't going to cost me an arm & a leg. (Or my soul and first born.)
Yesterday was pay day, my feet were killing me and I couldn't hack it anymore. I tootled to Wal-Mart after work to see what I could see and I was determined to walk out of there with a pair of runners. I looked through their selection and found majority of the sneakers were white/multi coloured, high top, expensive or down right ugly. There were a few black pairs in there that didn't look so bad, or expensive, so my selection was pretty slim. One of those pairs happened to be a Wal-Mart brand of those new exercise shoes. (Now, I'm sure some of you have seen the ads for these new exercise shoes... They're the ones that all you have to do is put them on and they magically help your posture and balance, while working and toning your calves, hamstrings and butt. When I first saw one of these ads, I thought "Damn! Anything to make a buck, eh? And you know all the lazies are going to run out and pick up a couple pairs!")
So I had the small selection narrowed down to two pairs of black runners, and the exercise ones were still in contention. The price was within a couple bucks - the decision had to be made... I slipped on the clog type pair and walked up and down the shoe aisle once or twice... Then I did the same with the "miracle" shoe. I didn't like the clog pair because there were no actual laces in them - they had those elastic criss-cross things - so there was no way to tighten them up. I didn't like the fact that they seemed to smack my heal the way a flip flop would with every step. So I decided what the heck? I needed a pair, might as well give the Exercise ones a shot. What's the worst that could happen? My feet/back/knee would stop hurting if nothing else?
I'm a bit of a dork, but I was excited. I sprayed them down with your average shoe spray and almost couldn't wait to wear them today... I strapped them on my feet this morning and headed to work. At first they were a little weird to get used to, I felt like I was goose stepping down the street. After walking in them for four blocks, I adjusted and felt as though I had my stride back. I noticed that my calves were burning a little more than usual but not much else. Now that my day is half over, my feet aren't as tired or achy as they usually are by this time. (I don't know if that has anything to do with them being exercise shoes or just because they're better shoes than what I had been wearing.) So I'll keep testing these bad boys out and hopefully I'll see a difference in my calves, hamstrings and butt. If not, oh well - they were still a good investment of thirty bucks.
It's not always about me, this time it's about the shoes =0)
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