Catching up on posting: flying, swimming, shoes

[cjsmith]

Nice flying, weekend before last - 2 flights, one with Rob on a gray overcast Saturday and one solo on a lovely clear Sunday. Each time I did a bunch of turns in the pattern and then left when it got crowded. Two in a row is a good confidence builder. (My confidence in my flying skills drops sharply when I haven't flown in a while.)

Swimming doesn't feel like a lot of a workout. I know my heart rate and breathing are increased; I know my face gets red. Why then doesn't it feel like I'm working? Do I associate feeling hot and sweaty with a workout? Alternatively, am I really not pushing myself enough in the pool? I suspect it's a bit of both.

The new shoes aren't too awful; they're just not as good as my wedges. I'm undecided about keeping them. They're less ugly than the wedges, so perhaps good for something like a job interview, but they're not good enough for a wedding, so they don't solve every fashion problem.

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Awww, thanks! :-)

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

I agree with Lisa. Wear comfortable shoes at all times. If you have to wear clunky shoes to a fancy-dress event, then get a floor-length gown or palazzo pants so they won't show -- or defy convention and decorate them to coordinate with your outfit!

The best assistive device I ever got was a carved cane from Kenya (the middle one in this picture (http://www.panafricanimagery.com/graphics/Dscn0310.jpg)). I get compliments from total strangers whenever I use it, so I don't feel like I'm using a mobility aid as much as a fashion accessory! I've also seen conventional canes and wheelchairs decorated (http://www.mdausa.org/publications/Quest/q116wheelturns.aspx) to match a dressy outfit. If your assistive device is your shoes, it's no different! Scarves and/or ribbons that coordinate with your dress, watercolor paint that you can clean off with a little water later ... there must be lots of ways to temporarily make "ugly" shoes look festive.

I don't need special shoes, but I won't wear heels under any circumstances, including with a fancy gown. My daughter-in-law tells me that ballet flats are out and I should get kitten heels. I've tried some on and the height is okay (the short ones aren't any higher than flats), but they don't give any support and I won't wear them. If I have to wear ballet flats on formal night on the cruise next spring, then that's what I'll wear.

But that's beside the point. With a price tag like that you have to be sure these shoes are good enough to be worth the cost!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Clearly I need an assortment of floor-length stuff for varying levels of dressiness.