Smiley things

I've had a few things make me smile this week that weren't dog or running related.  There's definitely a boot in the mix though.

Chocwasabi

Yes, chocolate covered wasabi peas. Oh. My. Gosh.  These aren't what you would expect at all from something with wasabi in the name, they are NOT set your mouth and sinuses on fire hot.  Yeah, yeah, I know to quite a few people that's a flaw but these are more along the vein of spicy chocolate kinda yummy.  Enough of a bite to make things interesting rather than unbearable. Light, crunchy, yummy, addictive.  Excellent customer service too, I received my order within 2 days of placing it although I would recommend ordering them quick before it heats up anymore here in the south (the whole melting in the mailbox issue).

I became aware of the "Style Me Vintage" series of books courtesy of the amazing Tuppence Ha'penny, a blog that I frequently peruse.  This copy made its way to me from the UK, complete with the Royal Mail postmark and all (yes, I geek out over that) as an amazingly awesome birthday present from a very good friend :-).  

This is on my bedroom wall as of this week--love, love, love this.  As far as philosophies or personal mantras, this isn't a bad one to have all ;-)

Mauve suede boots..........kinda loving these even with the lower heel

Earworm Sunday & a gorgeous sandal

While searching about for some new music tonight I stumbled upon Girl in a Coma.  Wow, just wow......I've ended up staying up later than I planned listening/watching vids of these women and after 15 miles spread out over 3 different runs today, that's quite a feat.

I'm also in a bit of love with these Rachel Zoe sandals.  While it's a higher platform than I would like, it is in proportion, it doesn't immediately scream "clubfoot" like so many of the shoes out right now.  The rich chocolate brown/black combo is one I've always had a soft spot for and while the snakeskin might be a tad shiny, it does add some intriguing texture.  Best part? There's no bloody zipper up the back of the shoe ruining the line of it!  While that adds some awesome edginess to boots, I feel it takes a great deal away from the sleekness of sandals.  Alas, I will just have to admire these from afar because they cost way more than I'm willing to pay right now.

Rachel Zoe Parton via Piperlime 

(no I don't get paid anything if you click on the link, unfortunately)

It's a bit toasty

I seem to keep disappearing from the blogosphere........but I'm not racing, barely training, hating my job and I really don't think y'all want to hear my repeated complaints......I also kinda have been avoiding facebook for the same reason.  So what has made me re-surface momentarily?  72.5 hours in a truck with a non-functioning air-conditioner down to Laredo and back, sigh. Yeah, call me broiled, lol.  Kinda resembled those onion rings above, all shiny and wrinkly from the excess of sweat.

Sorry for the blurry pic, it actually hit just over 120F a few moments later

There are several posts I should write though.........I have new shoes (well not so new by now)--heels, trainers for the trails, and boots that I need to write reviews for.

Chinese Laundry heels (have 2 pairs of these in luggage and black)

 Yay for Brooks Running shoes!!

Yes, I have omitted pics of my new boots, they're too good to not be featured in a post all on their own. There's also a new phone to brag on but that's gonna have to wait until I replace the screen on it--apparently sharp gravel and smartphone screens don't play well together, grrrr.

Oh yeah, back to my job............nah, really don't feel like going there again.  As it stands, I am prolly gonna take an extended vacation once my seniority date rolls around to decompress a bit and see about seeing some new (and not so new) sights.

When the shoe fits........

I thought I'd had most of my summer sandals sorted out, was just searching for a great pair of black heels for the season but one pair of the neutral colored shoes that I purchased has turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.  Totally a shame because I absolutely love the color and styling of these Max Studio heels but the quality just isn't there especially for the price........

Quick specs--4 1/4" heel, 3/4" platform. Nappa leather upper and leather sole. Comes in black or the taupe that I purchased. MSRP $149 but can be found on sale for much less than that if you shop around.  I personally paid $75 for mine.

The good--great heel height,  platform that blends well with the shoe, buttery soft leather, and that great olive-brown-gray color that goes with so much.  They also run completely true to size which is a definite plus when it comes to ordering online.

Loved the strappiness of these (ignore the closet mess please)

The bad--these killed the ball of my foot within an hour of having them on and I rarely have that problem, Also the "woodgrain" of the stacked heel and near the toe area started fading and showing uneven color wear on the first ever wearing.  That's not very visible on the photos but definitely is there when viewing them in person.

The next problem was with the strap itself, the leather around the holes on the ankle strap fastening started to tear almost immediately and that is not with wearing the straps tight, there also didn't seem to be excessive pulling on the strap when walking about.  It's probably because of the softness of the leather but I'm thinking there should have been some reinforcement if that's the case.

Also the small metal ball that is part of the fastening fell off one of the shoes already, thankfully it came apart while the shoe was in the box and is a simple screw on but for sure that's a quality control issue.  The leather sole is also beginning to come up from the footbed where it was glued rather than sewn on.

Where in the World and a Shoe Crisis

I love where I live, I really do and I love my friends in this area even more, but I kinda think I have the traveling bug. The problem is a lack of nearby international airports. The recent round trip to Malta required no less than 10 flights!!  And while I love flying, I can certainly do without that headache every time I want to go somewhere and do something.  So this is a BIG problem!!

London blew my mind! And I really want to go back and see the place properly and see friends this time. But with the schedule I was running there was simply no time to do anything other than whip my ass hard to get around to see what landmarks I could and I certainly didn't manage to get a proper run in which is something I always try to do if I'm in a different area.

The other thing is not actually a “shoe crisis” as such but a whole appearance crisis lol.  

Here in the southern states we tend to be very laid back and casual in our dress, but driving a truck all week long makes me want to dress like a girl on my time off, skirts, heels, boots. But here I stand out a little too much. It wasn’t so bad when I wasn't  single, but now I kinda feel that I am looked at differently.

In London and Malta most people were wearing the kind of things I enjoy wearing, and I’m not even talking about my crazy love of heels and tall boots, although there were plenty of those about too.  Also, I’m starting to find the discomfort of being hit on more… this probably sounds silly after what I just wrote but it’s partly work related and while here and on twitter I can laugh and joke with the best as it makes day fly by with a smile, it’s a very different thing when it’s close to home and more discomforting when it’s in the work place where I don't dress in anything but sensible work gear. I have always had to cope with a certain amount anyway because of my tattoos and being in a very male dominated industry etc, but this is slowly becoming intolerable, I probably have enough phone numbers to fill a small phone book with and I don't necessarily want any of them!! Especially now that it seems that these are beginning to fetter my web presence too. It's gotten to the point where I feel that my trucking days are starting to draw to a close, especially if I end up having to move to over the road driving rather than regional.  So, as this year progresses,  I will probably be looking to change my online presence quite a bit especially with the recent twitter hiccup. It is something I have been contemplating for a while anyways and I'm considering possibly reorganizing this blog into something a little less haphazard.

So a move to a place with more of an acceptance of dress and appearance plus an international airport to have access to running in Europe, the Med and Asia may be in the plans soon – I’m open to ideas, but where I live now is fantastic for running and cycling and above all -my friends! It certainly would be a tough call to move away from here.

ahhhh

Just back from an awesome run/walk with James & Elsie on an absolutely gorgeous day. Spring is coming, finally :-)!!!  It was so nice to be able just to take off wearing shorts & a tee and be comfortable, LOVE it!

Thought I'd add some pics from the past week or so

My new kick ass Doc Marten's. What you can't see very well in this pic is the pink stitching around the sole. I bought these from zappos.com and that site ROCKS!!!! Ordered them on Friday night, got them the next Monday with free shipping. Amazing service.

Signs of spring

This is just a couple of hours after I rammed my head in the door jamb while ill. Ignore the mess, the frown, and the very messed up hair. I'd just gotten showered & dressed + was very sick still so cut me some slack, lol.

New trail up to the water tower at Pulaski, TN

So, I've been on a shoe buying mission lately, too bad I can't wear the high heels right now due to the right ankle....What's not pictured here is the patent leather black heels that I was originally searching for. Actually wasn't looking for patent leather but it's what I ended up with.

The heels that are gorgeous but I can't wear (well to walk in anyways) :-(. The black & silver ones are Calvin Kleins that I got on sale for $29.40 :-) :-) :-)

The practical shoes that aren't sexy but I can actually walk in without the ankle protesting

The oh so gorgeous bronze metallic sandals that again I can't wear right now, sigh........

The best part of the shoe shopping was that all 5 pairs here were on 70% clearance at Dillards, altogether spent under $140.00. The black pumps (court shoes for the UK readers) though were right at $100, but except for the ankle they didn't hurt my feet.

Cute sterling silver necklace that I got on sale at Hautelook.com