He loves me more than just flowers

I was out shopping at Marshalls/TJ Maxx and fell in love with this totally impractical pair of shoes.  They're Calvin Klein, on clearance, and actually had my size.  A subtle evergreen/teal snakeskin peep toe with a dark brown stacked stiletto heel.  I tried them on, standing up gingerly aware of my bad ankle.  The shoes were perfectly comfortable, peep toes really take the pressure off from the heel height.  I walked around, knowing that once my ankle is better I'll have no trouble moving in them.  But they're just ridiculously tall.  4" heel on top of a half inch platform.  Yeah, that puts me dangerously close to 6'3".  I'm thinking of Braveharlot when I say that, since she's a gorgeous 6'2" barefoot and no stranger to over the top heels. 

I fell obsessively in love with them but put them back on the shelf, telling myself they were a bit too expensive, definitely too tall, and where am I ever going to wear them?  Yes, the unusual color would go with almost any color dress, particularly that gorgeous cool grey dress I bought recently (also Calvin Klein.  God I love TJ Maxx).  They kept dominating my thoughts as I went through the store buying more practical items like velvety hangers, a new couch cover, and pet odor carpet spray.  I went back to the shoe department and put them back on, taking a photo of them with my phone to remember them by.  I called my mom and told her about the shoes, lamenting that my shoe fetish wasn't quashed permanently, and how do I keep myself from drooling over things like this when I know what types of shoes are better for my feet and legs?  She laughed, and I went home with my practical household items.

When I got home D felt something was wrong, and wanted to know what it was.  I told him about the shoes and showed him the photo I took.  He said I should go back and get them if I really liked them that much.  I demurred, citing all the reasons I had against buying them.  He got exasperated with me, commenting that he'd like to buy me things like that, knowing I don't really care about flowers and such.  When I argued how impractical they were, he said I'd wear them to a dinner party and all the other women could see how nice they were.  He insisted they were a present, and before I knew it I was back in the car to get my special shoes.   He's so sweet :)

Awesome Product

I love high heel shoes. It's not because I need the added height, I'm always shocked when I see a "very tall" woman in a store and as I come closer realize we're the same height. So I feel slightly self conscious at how tall I must seem in heels, but from my perspective it's only a few inches difference from my normal height and doesn't seem like that big a deal. I just love the way they look, and how dainty my ankles and feet seem. Yes, I recognize I have a problem compulsively liking things that make me feel dainty in any way. I know being dainty isn't necessary for being feminine, and I probably would hate it if I really were dainty, but logic and compulsion don't really go together, now do they?

But that's not really why I'm writing today. Heels need to be broken in so they're comfortable, yet it's hard to wear them enough to break them in until they are. And my stupid pinky toe that broke and healed wrong isn't helping. Oh, don't worry about me, I broke it in college tripping over this jerk RA who refused to get up from laying across the hallway. He got his in the end, though - his hall duct tape mummified him and left him in the lounge. Anyway, the toe was really bothering me after wearing my newest heels and my new toe awareness made all my shoes disturbingly painful to wear. I was disheartened to think I wouldn't be able to wear any of my pretty shoes again, and that if I tried I'd damage my feet. Then I found the awesome product that is driving this post:It's an old fashioned Shoe Stretcher, but made especially for high heels. You apply a stretching spray to the inside of the shoe (I think it's just rubbing alcohol truthfully) and stick the stretcher in. Then turn the handle to start stretching the shoe and leave overnight. Natural leather shoes stretch very quickly, but synthetics or shoes with a lot of stitching take multiple treatments. But it's totally worth it. Because I can once again wear my new green patent leather heels :)

Best run of the year

Ok, also the first run of 2009, but I think it'll be a while before another tops this one. Beautiful weather. Just cooler than tepid, a light breeze, blue skies, puffy clouds. Barely warm in the sun, slightly cool in the shade. Windy and I ran along the switchback service trails paralleling the railroad tracks. Letting her run off-lead is great, she gets to go exploring, bounding back and forth many times while I run doggedly ahead (ooh is that a pun?). Given my recent slack in running, I was concerned how it would be, given the trails are hilly, and a mix of packed dirt, chunky gravel, and sand. Happy to say it was easier than anticipated, and much more fun than expected.

There were a fair number of mud puddles dotting the trail that I skirted around, not wanting to soak through my white mesh running shoes. Windy crossed a small creek and when I called her to continue up the main path she just looked over her shoulder, clearly daring me to cross and explore the meadow path beyond. After a moment of deliberation and acceptance that there were no stepping stones, I nimbled across as best I could. The cold water on my feet was more refreshing than if I had drank it. After that I stopped avoiding the mud puddles, delighting in splashing through each one. Windy joined in, her speedy gallop sending up an impressive spray. It was terribly fun, and I laughed at how far the mud spatters came up on us. Then we went through an area where the soil was primarily coal dust. Not thinking of the consequences I splashed through a long puddle, and saw my shoes were now jet black. I knew instantly there was no way I was going to be able to clean the coal dust mud from them. I remember when I first got these shoes, I was so proud of the gleaming white and silver-green color. After some outdoor running (and the Coronado Bridge Run mishap) they lost their gleam, but still were sort of white. Heh, I think the best I can hope for now is gray, maybe charcoal? At least they can't get any dirtier than they are now. The weather is cold and rainy now, but I'm counting the days until we can go back. I saw some wild turkey tracks bigger than my splayed fingers, maybe we'll see one :)