New Shoes

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:12:44 -0400

I bought new sneakers today. My old sneakers were cheap and they hurt my feet after wearing them for an extended time. I kept them because I so seldom wore sneakers that it didn't seem to matter. I bought the new pair so I could run again, and that is what I'll do. They are very comfortable, thank goodness, and they don't make my feet look big. I wear a [US ladies size] 7-1/2 and certain shoes make my feet look like battleships, so, yeah, it's an issue for me.

I need a new pair of Timberlands. I used to have a pair of the Euro Hiker, but my daughter's father threw them away "because they were muddy". I kid you not! You can't make that shit up. $100 hiking boots isn't exactly a purchase you make on the fly so there's a reason why they haven't been replaced, yet. I have cheap stuff from Target right now but it doesn't provide the necessary support for serious hikes. It's basically just shoes to wear with jeans that look like hiking boots.

New boots are always on the shopping list. I've worn my black ones with the 4" heel completely out. I need a stylish pair of cowboy boots and another sassy high heel pair.

Notice my use of verb here: need, not want. Need. These are shoes we're talking about.

I'm still on The Quest for the Perfect Sandal. I had it once but the dog chewed them!

This textured strappy sandal from Victoria Secret is absolutely delicious, but it's not really a sandal as much as a dress shoe. The Quest for the Perfect Sandal requires a sandal that I can walk on sand with... hence the very name of the shoe... I would still love this shoe from VS, but for non-beach-related reasons.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: Cheapskate + Product Post

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:48:49 -0400

Who is the cheapest person you know? (Not frugal... just annoyingly cheap!)
Submitted by kryan70.

I don't really know anyone who's genuinely cheap. Everyone I know who seems cheap is willing to spend extravagantly on something that they fancy for whatever reason, even if the thing isn't for them. That includes myself.

With that in mind, here's a product post:

I had gone to Goodwill to see if they still had a kennel that Tom had seen last week. Of course, it was gone. They confirmed that it had sold. I looked around a little and found myself in a section I never look in, the shoe section. I don't believe in wearing used shoes. I think that's like wearing used underwear. I wonder if I'd cave on that, too, if I saw the coolest underwear in the universe. As it stands, I violated my own shoe limits when I saw this gently used pair of boots by Earth®:

Earth Shoes boots

Size 7-1/2 and they looked small. Shoes usually make my feet look two sizes larger than they are. I couldn't make out the price in the flourescent lighting so I just took them up to the register. $6.99. Deal! These retail at over $100. I freshened them up when I got home and have worn the heck out of them since. These are extremely comfortable shoes!

Next is air fresheners. Ever since I grew up with Stick-ups, those insignificant round so-called air fresheners that stuck on walls and the sides of toilet comodes, I wasn't really a fan of air fresheners that just sat in a corner. I figured they all would just release scent to that limited corner, be wasted, and remain worthless. Instead, I'm a big fan of Frebreeze, lilac scented, and use it everywhere in the house, except for two places: masterbathroom and laundry room. Since the laundry room is reasonably small, I decided to try Renuzit's "Sunny Laundry" air freshener, which is shaped like a cone, which you pull apart to expose the gooey insides that disperse the scent of "sunny laundry" into the room. I was very pleased with the results, however I'm sure the clean laundry, Tide (with Frebreeze lilac) detergent and the Downey (with Frebreeze liliac) dryer sheets helped keep the aroma pleasant in the room. I told you I had a thing for lilac-scented Frebreeze. I wanted something for the masterbathroom, so I picked up a Glade Glass Scent, which is a gel that's embedded in a plexiglass square, meant to look decorative. I picked the green one ("Ferns & Blossoms") since the masterbath is white and silver with green accent. It's freshened the entire masterbedroom and bath with the scent. I'm very impressed! I won't stop using Frebreeze any time soon but it's nice to know these products do work.

On a friend's recommendation, I'm going to try Woolite Oxy Deep, an apolstery cleaner, on the carpet stains and, if it works, to freshen up the couches and chairs. We're going to put the air mattress in the den for my mother so she can have her own room when she brings the boys back in fifteen days, and we want the room to be cleaned up well. If the Woolite works, shampooing the carpet with our shampooer should be all we need.

Today, I moved the sewing desk into the kitchen. I had moved the computer onto the kitchen table a month ago to have more work space and be in direct contact with the family. With Tom's pursuits, it's overcome the entire table. I decided I wanted the table back so I packed my sewing machine back up and brought the desk, actually a typing desk, out into the kitchen and made a work station. There is enough room for both to comfortably exist in this space and he can use the table for paperwork and other sorting needs during the day, but still be able to clear it off and use the table for its original purposes. I have no immediate plans to move the computer back into the den after my mother returns to Chicago. It may have to or it may be a non-issue. We'll see. Tom has stored his drums in the garage temporarily.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

elle weems updates

New Shoes

QotD: Cheapskate + Product Post