Have you checked out men's shoes lately? Of course, what you see is wholly reflective of where you go looking, right? The shoe fits the venue and all that. So, skip the gym or the liquor store most likely. Because I'm guessing both of those spots are statistically less likely to offer up the kind of shoes I'm talking about.
Have you noticed that there are men's shoes that resemble elf shoes? Like if they were red or green, maybe with a tassel or bell on them, it would be a good match?
You know the kind I'm talking about. The kind of men's shoe, usually in a nice leather of either brown or black hue, with a long squared-off toe. But because the shoe extends beyond the end of the foot and also because the toe is fairly pointed, the toe of the shoe begins to rise up over time.
And the longer the shoe is worn, the more the toe wants to curl up.
Voila! Elf shoes in brown leather, for the discerning customer on your shopping list.
By the way, I totally know that women's shoes are dumb as hell. No need to mention that. But these men's shoes with the elongated, pointed toe are about as good of an idea as jean-diapers.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Remember When PDA Was a Bad Thing?
I, like most of you I'm guessing, have all sorts of social media to which I subscribe. Hell, I started with MySpace like everybody else and went from there. I wasn't an early adopter on any of them by any stretch of the imagination, (although I've been reading Reddit for close to forever) but I was using most of them way before the BabyBoomers got their log-in, if you get my drift.
Now, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, let me just acknowledge that it take a bit of hubris to bitch about social media on a personal blog, the whole purpose of which is to navel-gaze and yammer on about stupid or not-so-stupid shit. So yeah, I know. I know.
But have you noticed that since everyone and their uncle is on Facebook, people think "over-sharing" is the new normal? PDA (or public displays of affection as it was known back in my day...right after the continents began drifting) was something we disdained. The people we knew who put all their business out there for display were pretty much looked down upon and avoided.
Things are different today.
As soon as that little blue strip asked us what was up in our world, we began changing. And I'm not so sure for the better. It became normal to tell everyone everything and add photographic evidence of it as well. It is a curious thing.
Take for example, Lou and Barbie. (Not their real names, duh.) Lou and Barbie are newlyweds and their Facebook status updates have kept everyone informed of their love affair since day one. In 1990, neither one would have thought it was remotely interesting to tell their respective friends daily how much he/she is in love with the other one. And yet, in our newest incarnation of human behavior, this is what happens.
I'm sure you know your own Lous and Barbies. We all do. And don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them. I just don't want to watch their relationship in minutia. (I, btw, have filtered them on my FB feed so I don't actually see their posts anymore, but they still post the same stuff.)
In conversation with Barbie, I once commented on how folks use FB to share things that they previously probably wouldn't have been comfortable sharing. (It was in response to this story.) What I was trying to get at was that we have changed what we are comfortable sharing with people. We have become a nation (?) of folks taking "selfies" in our messy bathrooms and posting them on the internet, or broadcasting stuff about our lives that we normally wouldn't feel comfortable telling more than a handful of people. Barbie's response was that she likes to share with her FB "friends" all the many ways she loves Lou and the things she does with him because it's her way of spreading happiness in a world where there is too much sad stuff.
Okay, I can see that. But also, no, I can't. Because hearing how much Barbie loves Lou doesn't automatically translate into all 378 of her friends feeling happy. It translates into her 378 friends knowing that she thinks she is totally in love with Lou and wants all 378 people to know that now, with this husband, she's finally, really happy, unlike all the posts she put on FB when she was married before and only pretended to be happy and in love.
And that's our new form of PDA -- trying to convince everyone of something.
25 years ago, when Barbie was sneaking in some PDA with her first husband, it was transitory. But the internet lives forever and with it, so does our PDA. Before the era of the internet, if you made out with someone who you originally thought was totally hot but then realized was actually a total idiot, it lasted only as long as the act. (Or your friends reminded you, if they knew about it.) Post-internet and our new-found need to share everything with everyone, poor choices last a lot longer.
It makes me wonder what sociologists are going to say in about 100 years. Will they point to Facebook as a defining moment in our social development or will it ultimately blow over like an ill-advised romance? I don't know. But I do know that I am thinking more and more about what I post on Facebook.
Because really, how many of my "friends" really care what I'm eating for dinner tonight? I mean, really. How exciting is a salad to anybody?
Now, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, let me just acknowledge that it take a bit of hubris to bitch about social media on a personal blog, the whole purpose of which is to navel-gaze and yammer on about stupid or not-so-stupid shit. So yeah, I know. I know.
But have you noticed that since everyone and their uncle is on Facebook, people think "over-sharing" is the new normal? PDA (or public displays of affection as it was known back in my day...right after the continents began drifting) was something we disdained. The people we knew who put all their business out there for display were pretty much looked down upon and avoided.
Things are different today.
As soon as that little blue strip asked us what was up in our world, we began changing. And I'm not so sure for the better. It became normal to tell everyone everything and add photographic evidence of it as well. It is a curious thing.
Take for example, Lou and Barbie. (Not their real names, duh.) Lou and Barbie are newlyweds and their Facebook status updates have kept everyone informed of their love affair since day one. In 1990, neither one would have thought it was remotely interesting to tell their respective friends daily how much he/she is in love with the other one. And yet, in our newest incarnation of human behavior, this is what happens.
I'm sure you know your own Lous and Barbies. We all do. And don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them. I just don't want to watch their relationship in minutia. (I, btw, have filtered them on my FB feed so I don't actually see their posts anymore, but they still post the same stuff.)
In conversation with Barbie, I once commented on how folks use FB to share things that they previously probably wouldn't have been comfortable sharing. (It was in response to this story.) What I was trying to get at was that we have changed what we are comfortable sharing with people. We have become a nation (?) of folks taking "selfies" in our messy bathrooms and posting them on the internet, or broadcasting stuff about our lives that we normally wouldn't feel comfortable telling more than a handful of people. Barbie's response was that she likes to share with her FB "friends" all the many ways she loves Lou and the things she does with him because it's her way of spreading happiness in a world where there is too much sad stuff.
Okay, I can see that. But also, no, I can't. Because hearing how much Barbie loves Lou doesn't automatically translate into all 378 of her friends feeling happy. It translates into her 378 friends knowing that she thinks she is totally in love with Lou and wants all 378 people to know that now, with this husband, she's finally, really happy, unlike all the posts she put on FB when she was married before and only pretended to be happy and in love.
And that's our new form of PDA -- trying to convince everyone of something.
25 years ago, when Barbie was sneaking in some PDA with her first husband, it was transitory. But the internet lives forever and with it, so does our PDA. Before the era of the internet, if you made out with someone who you originally thought was totally hot but then realized was actually a total idiot, it lasted only as long as the act. (Or your friends reminded you, if they knew about it.) Post-internet and our new-found need to share everything with everyone, poor choices last a lot longer.
It makes me wonder what sociologists are going to say in about 100 years. Will they point to Facebook as a defining moment in our social development or will it ultimately blow over like an ill-advised romance? I don't know. But I do know that I am thinking more and more about what I post on Facebook.
Because really, how many of my "friends" really care what I'm eating for dinner tonight? I mean, really. How exciting is a salad to anybody?
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
What's the Deal with Dandelions Anyway?
I have to admit, one day I was meandering along and four words popped into my cranium - Deep Fried Dandelion Pickles. I shrugged and kept on my merry way, but I have to admit, this wee voice in my head pondered, "are there dandelion pickles?" "can you deep fry a dandelion and if so, why?" and other odd-ball thoughts.
And, like most thoughts in my OCD head, it took a bite and held on, rather like a small dog with a chew toy but with less growling and spit.
Anyhoo, I have to admit, the longer I ruminated over these four words, the more I liked them. And yes, people deep fry dandelions. I imagine they are tasty with ranch dressing, because, well, what isn't? And double yes, folks even pickle them - but the bud version of a dandelion, not the showy yellow part.
And you know what? I like dandelions. My approach to lawn care is fairly lackadaisical so I don't go all nuclear-Ortho-RoundUp on the little beasties. Instead, I just ignore them most of the time. Except for when I like to stoop down and take a good look at them.
Have you ever done that? Stooped down and took a good look at something considered a weed, a nuisance?
I recommend it.
You see, dandelions are actually pretty damn cool. They grow over and over again. Talk about resilient. And they are actually both really tough and terribly fragile, all at the same time. And apparently, some people like them enough to go to the trouble to find yummy things to do with them while other people go to the trouble to kill them.
Sort of how people treat all stuff that is both really tough and terribly fragile.
So here I am, Deep Fried Dandelion Pickles. Hope to see you again!
And, like most thoughts in my OCD head, it took a bite and held on, rather like a small dog with a chew toy but with less growling and spit.
Anyhoo, I have to admit, the longer I ruminated over these four words, the more I liked them. And yes, people deep fry dandelions. I imagine they are tasty with ranch dressing, because, well, what isn't? And double yes, folks even pickle them - but the bud version of a dandelion, not the showy yellow part.
And you know what? I like dandelions. My approach to lawn care is fairly lackadaisical so I don't go all nuclear-Ortho-RoundUp on the little beasties. Instead, I just ignore them most of the time. Except for when I like to stoop down and take a good look at them.
Have you ever done that? Stooped down and took a good look at something considered a weed, a nuisance?
I recommend it.
You see, dandelions are actually pretty damn cool. They grow over and over again. Talk about resilient. And they are actually both really tough and terribly fragile, all at the same time. And apparently, some people like them enough to go to the trouble to find yummy things to do with them while other people go to the trouble to kill them.
Sort of how people treat all stuff that is both really tough and terribly fragile.
So here I am, Deep Fried Dandelion Pickles. Hope to see you again!
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