Last August, I turned on my foot funny. Twice. This was followed up by a poor choice not long after of a too-tight pair of shoes. This combination has resulted in a constant pain and numbness in my right foot while walking barefoot or with any flat, non-supportive shoe. In January, I finally caved and went to the doctor who sent me to the podiatrist. Four visits later, I have been diagnosed with a neuroma, two hairline fractures, arthritis, uneven legs, and a bunion (thanks Grandma). To heal said afflictions, I have been given three cortisone shots (I am now tapped out), numerous orthotics (think arches, wraps, padding), suggestions to wear better shoes (running), instructions to exercise and ice my foot every night (I am not diligent about this... I know.. I know...), and a topical NSAID prescription strength pain reliever (still debating on what good this is doing). The end result of all of this is that my foot still hurts.
While winter was upon us, I had no issue wearing my boots or running shoes as my commuter shoes. But now, summer is approaching and my summer commuter shoes are flip-flops. This is a no-go with my current ailment so I am fervently trying to find to hip summer shoes with a supportive sole. I do not want to wear my running shoes with my summer skirts. I have done this a couple of times this year already but it always screams “1980’s WORKING MOTHER!!!!” to me. Since I am childfree in 2010, I do not care for this look and feel like the hip 22 year-olds in flip-flops on the train are making comments about me. I have run the gauntlet looking for airy (no socks needed), slip-on or Mary Jane (no Velcro), supportive, thick-soled, fashionable, summer footwear. Examples of places I have looked: Nine West, Nordstrom's, Macy's, Zappos (still trying to get through their entire selection), Land’s End, Piperlime, Eddie Bauer, Athleta and gasp! even Crocs (in my defense I saw an ad in InStyle for their “supportive” new wedge not the clogs). I found a few pairs that are potentials but nothing that screams "You and I are meant to be!" Can anyone help me? Money is no object (don't tell Mr.). Size 6.5.
April 19, 2010
April 15, 2010
"Real Simple" Visits the Side-Eye Saloon
Earlier this week, I was reading my April edition of Real Simple magazine. In it was an article entitled “If You’re Going to Stop and Smell a Flower, Make It a Gardenia” which listed a number of things that are “really, truly worth your time”. One of them was to spend time a few hours riding public transportation, people-watching for fun. [Pause while you absorb this.] Seriously, Real Simple? A great big side-eye to you… I can only imagine the writer of this article has never ridden public transportation. Anyone who has would never make such a suggestion.
Let me explain.
Mr. and I ride the train every day to and from work and have for the better part of the last decade. On top of that fact, we have ridden public transportation in many cities around the world. I, myself, have been a regular public transportation rider since the age of 14. We consider ourselves aficionados in this area.
Public transportation stinks. Literally. Usually like urine, sometimes like fast food, sometimes like vomit, and if you are really lucky, you could end up in the “smelly car”. I will save you the description of this. It is crowded, dirty, rarely reliable (here anyways). It is not where I would ever choose to be if I didn’t have to be. I will concede to Real Simple that public transportation brings together the odds and ends of society and we (mainly I, judgment hat on) can usually find someone to comment about: the loud cell phone talker, the guy using my head as a book shelf, the giant bag man who is oblivious that is he wiping people out left and right, the people who have 20 kids, try to board the train in rush hour and then complain there are no seats... The list goes on...
To drive my point home, let me give you two of my favorite tales of public transportation:
Number 1:
After first moving to this city, I was running up the stairs to catch the train. I was going on a business trip that day and, like usual, was a bit Griswoldy with my suitcase and other paraphernalia. I could feel someone behind me and I kept thinking “Why don’t you just go around?” Next to the stairs was an escalator. Suddenly, this girl on the escalator started yelling. I turned around and the man that had been annoying me was stealing my wallet! The girl jumped off the escalator and ripped it out of his hands and gave it back to me. I don’t know who that girl was but wow. I now use a bag that can be held at shoulder level, zipped tightly, and keep my eye on it all the time.
Number 2:
At the very beginning on my senior year in college, I was on the train heading back from a trip to the grocery store. I had one bag of goods and was enjoying my ride until I noticed a group of teenagers who were throwing tiny balls of paper around and acting in a suspicious manner. I don’t trust teenagers in groups and never have even when I was one so I tried to lay low and not draw attention to myself. I was uncomfortable but figured I was close to the door and school so if anything untoward arose, I could just jump out and walk back. I should have trusted my instincts. At the next stop, the teenagers exited the train and in the process dumped a large cup of orange pop all over me. And by large I mean large, not child size, not small, not medium, large and full, think Big Gulp size. I was covered. I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do. The other passengers were horrified and started handing me Kleenex. One man exclaimed, “I have never seen anything like this, even in New York!”. I am assuming New York = den of iniquity for him. I arrived at school in one piece, went back to my dorm, took a shower, changed my clothes, and cried over why did people do stuff like this? Fortunately I was wearing summer clothes not something like my winter coat which would have required dry cleaning. Not ideal for a college student forced to take only $5 out at the ATM on a consistent basis for lack of funds. But it was still traumatizing. I now avoid groups of any sort on public transportation and learned that sitting next to the door is not always the best seat in the house.
Let me explain.
Mr. and I ride the train every day to and from work and have for the better part of the last decade. On top of that fact, we have ridden public transportation in many cities around the world. I, myself, have been a regular public transportation rider since the age of 14. We consider ourselves aficionados in this area.
Public transportation stinks. Literally. Usually like urine, sometimes like fast food, sometimes like vomit, and if you are really lucky, you could end up in the “smelly car”. I will save you the description of this. It is crowded, dirty, rarely reliable (here anyways). It is not where I would ever choose to be if I didn’t have to be. I will concede to Real Simple that public transportation brings together the odds and ends of society and we (mainly I, judgment hat on) can usually find someone to comment about: the loud cell phone talker, the guy using my head as a book shelf, the giant bag man who is oblivious that is he wiping people out left and right, the people who have 20 kids, try to board the train in rush hour and then complain there are no seats... The list goes on...
To drive my point home, let me give you two of my favorite tales of public transportation:
Number 1:
After first moving to this city, I was running up the stairs to catch the train. I was going on a business trip that day and, like usual, was a bit Griswoldy with my suitcase and other paraphernalia. I could feel someone behind me and I kept thinking “Why don’t you just go around?” Next to the stairs was an escalator. Suddenly, this girl on the escalator started yelling. I turned around and the man that had been annoying me was stealing my wallet! The girl jumped off the escalator and ripped it out of his hands and gave it back to me. I don’t know who that girl was but wow. I now use a bag that can be held at shoulder level, zipped tightly, and keep my eye on it all the time.
Number 2:
At the very beginning on my senior year in college, I was on the train heading back from a trip to the grocery store. I had one bag of goods and was enjoying my ride until I noticed a group of teenagers who were throwing tiny balls of paper around and acting in a suspicious manner. I don’t trust teenagers in groups and never have even when I was one so I tried to lay low and not draw attention to myself. I was uncomfortable but figured I was close to the door and school so if anything untoward arose, I could just jump out and walk back. I should have trusted my instincts. At the next stop, the teenagers exited the train and in the process dumped a large cup of orange pop all over me. And by large I mean large, not child size, not small, not medium, large and full, think Big Gulp size. I was covered. I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do. The other passengers were horrified and started handing me Kleenex. One man exclaimed, “I have never seen anything like this, even in New York!”. I am assuming New York = den of iniquity for him. I arrived at school in one piece, went back to my dorm, took a shower, changed my clothes, and cried over why did people do stuff like this? Fortunately I was wearing summer clothes not something like my winter coat which would have required dry cleaning. Not ideal for a college student forced to take only $5 out at the ATM on a consistent basis for lack of funds. But it was still traumatizing. I now avoid groups of any sort on public transportation and learned that sitting next to the door is not always the best seat in the house.
April 13, 2010
I Am Legend
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is the story of Robert Neville, who may be the last survivor of a plague that killed his family and has seemingly turned every other human into a vampire. The story is set in late 1970’s Los Angeles (the future for Matheson who wrote the book in 1954). Neville lives a solitary life by day, scavenging for food and supplies, fortifying his house for the nightly vampire attacks, and researching the disease that caused the pandemic. The popularity of Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries has romanticized vampires as of late, but these are not the brooding sexy vampires the teens go crazy for. Matheson’s vampires are for the most part mutated, mindless beings out for one thing – to kill Robert Neville. The story moves fast, paced by flashbacks revealing details of Neville’s life before the plague and delving into the mindset of someone all alone in the world.
I won’t give away the ending, but I’ll just say that I was really surprised. Not by what happened mind you, but because the book ended. You see the copy I have is 312 pages. The front cover says “I Am Legend” and the back cover describes the story of “I Am Legend”. So here I am reading along, enjoying the book, and I’m at page 159 and I’m thinking “it’s going to be interesting to see where the author goes from here”, since it seems to be coming to a conclusion. And I read to the end of the chapter on page 160 and it really does seem the story has come to an end. I turn the page and start reading the next “chapter” and I’m really confused because the story is in no way related to what I was just reading. So after a moment of confusion I realize that this book isn’t just I Am Legend, but 10 stories, including the 160 page story I Am Legend. Needless to say, I think it is a blatant case of false advertising since nowhere on the book’s front or back cover does it mention these other stories. Despite this small problem, I Am Legend was a quick, mostly enjoyable read and I would recommend for someone who enjoys the science fiction/horror genre.
One last note, the cover of the book I have shows Will Smith in a scene from the 2007 movie. One of my least favorite things in the world is the movie cover versions of books. Why do they do this? I am determined never to buy another one again. There is no reason for me to be on the train reading a book with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on the cover.
I won’t give away the ending, but I’ll just say that I was really surprised. Not by what happened mind you, but because the book ended. You see the copy I have is 312 pages. The front cover says “I Am Legend” and the back cover describes the story of “I Am Legend”. So here I am reading along, enjoying the book, and I’m at page 159 and I’m thinking “it’s going to be interesting to see where the author goes from here”, since it seems to be coming to a conclusion. And I read to the end of the chapter on page 160 and it really does seem the story has come to an end. I turn the page and start reading the next “chapter” and I’m really confused because the story is in no way related to what I was just reading. So after a moment of confusion I realize that this book isn’t just I Am Legend, but 10 stories, including the 160 page story I Am Legend. Needless to say, I think it is a blatant case of false advertising since nowhere on the book’s front or back cover does it mention these other stories. Despite this small problem, I Am Legend was a quick, mostly enjoyable read and I would recommend for someone who enjoys the science fiction/horror genre.
One last note, the cover of the book I have shows Will Smith in a scene from the 2007 movie. One of my least favorite things in the world is the movie cover versions of books. Why do they do this? I am determined never to buy another one again. There is no reason for me to be on the train reading a book with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on the cover.
Born to Blog
Hello boys and girls, I'm officially entering the blogosphere. The Mrs. has invited me to contribute to this wonderful blog, so after years of avoiding myspace, facebook, twitter . . . even instant messenging, I'm hear to share my thoughts with the world. And I have a lot of them . . . so here goes nothing . . .
Read This!
The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
I am a big fan of mystery novels (think Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier) so when I was perusing the shelves at Borders looking for a new book and happened on Georgette Heyer (yet another first half of the 20th century lady British mystery writer), I punched the air and yelled “YES!” I love the prospect of finding another good author. So I picked up Why Shoot a Butler? (currently reading) and looked around for another book eventually deciding on The Corinthian. What I didn’t realize until after the fact is that Georgette Heyer also wrote a series of romance novels of which The Corinthian was one.
This is not your Fabio-covered bodice ripping torrid romance of today. Set in the Regency period, the story centers around a playboy named Richard Wyndham who happens upon a Miss Penelope Creed who is in the process of running away from her guardian’s house. Adventure ensues and I am sure you can imagine how it ends. I enjoyed reading it but I don’t think it is going to make the top 100 books of all time list anytime soon.
I am a big fan of mystery novels (think Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier) so when I was perusing the shelves at Borders looking for a new book and happened on Georgette Heyer (yet another first half of the 20th century lady British mystery writer), I punched the air and yelled “YES!” I love the prospect of finding another good author. So I picked up Why Shoot a Butler? (currently reading) and looked around for another book eventually deciding on The Corinthian. What I didn’t realize until after the fact is that Georgette Heyer also wrote a series of romance novels of which The Corinthian was one.
This is not your Fabio-covered bodice ripping torrid romance of today. Set in the Regency period, the story centers around a playboy named Richard Wyndham who happens upon a Miss Penelope Creed who is in the process of running away from her guardian’s house. Adventure ensues and I am sure you can imagine how it ends. I enjoyed reading it but I don’t think it is going to make the top 100 books of all time list anytime soon.
April 12, 2010
Ding Dong!
We have a wireless doorbell. For the past year and a half it has been sporadically not working. After months of changing the batteries and trying to use MacGyver like techniques to get it to work, we finally gave up and bought a new one the Saturday before Easter. Happily, I installed the new doorbell that day, testing it out numerous times, listening to the different rings, making sure it worked….
Easter Sunday, the door bell rings. We do not answer it.
We never answer our door unless we know people are coming over. We have never gotten a drop-in visitor and the only people who stop by are kids hocking wares in attempts to fund raise (I feel for them the most as I am a product of Catholic school education where things like that are the norm but still I don’t want them bothering me), religious types trying to convert us, and politicos looking for signatures. I have often joked about hanging a “No Soliciting” sign on our front door.
Back to my story, so we ignore the door bell. Not long afterwards, it rings again. I said to Mr. “Who are these people? It’s Easter Sunday. Seriously!” He agreed. I mean come on, have some decency, it’s a holiday. So we ignore the second ring. The third time it rings, Mr. goes to check who is there and sees our neighbor opening their door, letting in their Easter guests.
Um yeah. So our next door neighbors have a wireless doorbell as well. They have the same buzzer as us. Their buzzer sets off our doorbell. Good times. We have no idea if ours sets off theirs as well. That day I spent testing the buzzer 20 times… yeah… We have learned from this that our neighbors are a lot more popular than we are.
Easter Sunday, the door bell rings. We do not answer it.
We never answer our door unless we know people are coming over. We have never gotten a drop-in visitor and the only people who stop by are kids hocking wares in attempts to fund raise (I feel for them the most as I am a product of Catholic school education where things like that are the norm but still I don’t want them bothering me), religious types trying to convert us, and politicos looking for signatures. I have often joked about hanging a “No Soliciting” sign on our front door.
Back to my story, so we ignore the door bell. Not long afterwards, it rings again. I said to Mr. “Who are these people? It’s Easter Sunday. Seriously!” He agreed. I mean come on, have some decency, it’s a holiday. So we ignore the second ring. The third time it rings, Mr. goes to check who is there and sees our neighbor opening their door, letting in their Easter guests.
Um yeah. So our next door neighbors have a wireless doorbell as well. They have the same buzzer as us. Their buzzer sets off our doorbell. Good times. We have no idea if ours sets off theirs as well. That day I spent testing the buzzer 20 times… yeah… We have learned from this that our neighbors are a lot more popular than we are.
April 1, 2010
Read This!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Set just after the end of WWII, The GL & PPPS tells the fictional story of a group of individuals living on the British island of Guernsey during the German Occupation and the time immediately following. Throughout this book, I found myself more interested in the snippets of info about life during the Occupation than with the current lives of the characters. I did think that the heroine, Elizabeth McKenna, was a bit much. Her character was overly dramatized and unrealistic. I also didn’t quite understand the point of the Oscar Wilde tie-in towards the end as it really didn’t have anything to do with the plot and didn’t seem to have a point other than to fill some pages. Did I miss something here? Although I did have some issues with the story, I would recommend this for a beach read as I did find it interesting and the authors were able to keep it pretty light considering the heavy fare they were dealing with. I also enjoyed the fact it was an epistolary novel as this is a writing style I really like.
Set just after the end of WWII, The GL & PPPS tells the fictional story of a group of individuals living on the British island of Guernsey during the German Occupation and the time immediately following. Throughout this book, I found myself more interested in the snippets of info about life during the Occupation than with the current lives of the characters. I did think that the heroine, Elizabeth McKenna, was a bit much. Her character was overly dramatized and unrealistic. I also didn’t quite understand the point of the Oscar Wilde tie-in towards the end as it really didn’t have anything to do with the plot and didn’t seem to have a point other than to fill some pages. Did I miss something here? Although I did have some issues with the story, I would recommend this for a beach read as I did find it interesting and the authors were able to keep it pretty light considering the heavy fare they were dealing with. I also enjoyed the fact it was an epistolary novel as this is a writing style I really like.
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