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[B <beeline AT mindspring.com>]

Shoes?

I have four pairs of the exact same kind of shoes (black Reebok
walkers). Two pairs are ancient, used only for the most gross chores and
as the front line on my shoe shelf for the occasional chewing session
initiated by my dog. One pair is for daily wear, and the other pair is
for dress up. (I'm not kidding.)

I've been wearing this type of Reeboks for about ten years, and I
purchase multiple pairs whenever I shop for and find them. I do have two
pairs of (ancient) dress shoes that I wear when I'm going somewhere
where it really matters -- job interviews, funerals, weddings -- but
even though both pairs are flats with arch support and touted by the
manufacturer to be the most comfortable dress shoes in existence, my
feet begin cramping after about five minutes! (I also have a pair of
paddock/riding boots for that specific purpose. They're warm and
watertight, with the essential steel strip that supports your entire
foot in the stirrup, and arch support, and sturdy toes....)

Ask my husband and he'll tell you that I'm a Capricorn and Capricorns
are known for wearing sensible shoes. (I must say that I don't set much
stock by such touchy-feely things as astrology. My husband says that's a
Capricorn trait. It's a bit aggravating.) Ask me, and I'll tell you that
the state of my feet determines the comfort of the rest of my body and
I'll take comfort over fashion almost any day, since discomfort is truly
distracting.

None of them squeak, though, not even the dress shoes. Perhaps you could
write the manufacturer and complain (politely) and get a free pair!

"Austin, Roger" wrote:
> 
>  This brings up a completely different line of thought. Has anyone
> noticed the unfortunate trend in shoes that squeak when you walk?
>  This is a short story, but I will try to stretch it out a little. I had
> one pair of shoes most of my adult life (which was in the single male
> geek stage). This does not include the grubby pair you need to mow the
> grass. Suddenly, another geek and I fall in love and suddenly I have
> four or five pairs of shoes. (Of course, I only wear the one pair that
> are comfortable.)
>  The comfy pair make a squeak that can not have been an aberration. The
> sound has to be deliberate by the shoe manufacturer. For years, I had
> shoes so quite that I could pad around the office without a sound (when
> I didn't have them off.) The squeak now means that people say "Hi
> Roger!" when I walk down the hallway even before I get to the entrance
> to their office. This disturbs me since I try to be incognito.
>  Is it true that a manufacturer would want their shoes to squeak? If so,
> is this something that came from a poll of customers or a focus group?
> These are walking shoes, so I guess there could be some federal
> regulation about walker safety or something. I'll search the federal
> register site to see.
>  My special geek ("MissHunt" of www.misshunt.com) also loves shoes like
> Saundra. She has shoes that she liked so she bought a number of pairs.
> She swears that the manufacturers always quit making the shoes that she
> likes so she has to buy a few pairs to make sure she has those she
> likes. She is telling this to a man who goes by Kmart (every decade or
> so) and tries on shoes that are wired together!
>  Perhaps she is doing this because they don't squeak. Does anyone else
> on the list have an opinion on this?
>  Roger (squeaking in RTP,
>          rewriting my software development SOP,
>           and becoming incoherent.)
> 
> "saundrakaerubel.com" wrote:
> >
> > Now hold them there horses.  You can be a geek and need to go to a shoe 
> > sale, trust me.
> > I am a geek, a shoe lover, an info-maniac and NOT a bobo.
> >
> > Remember, you can never be too rich, too thin, too informed, go to Paris 
> > too many times a year, know too many technical languages or have too many 
> > shoes.
> >
> > I can always find those shoes, on sale, online, making sure no one in my 
> > SMSA has them, AND not make my geek wait.  The power of the web, keeping 
> > love alive everywhere.
> >
> > That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
> > :-)
> > Saundra
> >
> > t 07:42 AM 09/29/2000 -0400, Austin, Roger wrote:
> > > Imagine an amorous geek being told that he has to wait
> > >on love due to a shoe sale at the mall. Oh, the humanity of it all!
> > > Roger (in RTP, who needs some bean!)
> > >
> > >"Thomas A. Beckett" wrote:
> > >
> > >> - Is Geek Love too dangerous a territory to get into?
> > >
> > >> - Are mixed marriages (Windows/Linux, Apple/Intel) socially acceptable?
> 
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