Before…and After

This is me at the start of the day….

This is me at the end of the same day….

Though both are Skechers brand shoes, do you notice the difference?

Earlier today, I was watching a taped episode of the Marilyn Denis show (a Canadian talk show).  It was one of her Fashion Friday programs, in which makeovers are often one of the highlights.  I always like to see the before and after shots.  Some turn out fantastic and others make me question what the designer/stylist had in mind, not that I am a fashionista of any kind, nor do I mean anything ill toward the ladies who are brave enough to undergo such a public transformation.  Instead, I am speaking about the hair/clothing/shoe styles that are chosen for their final reveal.  On today’s show, I noticed that one of the ladies in particular was given a three-inch pair of heels with a super tight ankle band.  Yikes!  Fashionable?  Maybe.  Wearable?  I am not sure.  Comfortable?  Not even close!  Poor lady!!  Just in posing for the camera, she seemed pained and I swear I was having sympathetic foot spasms as a result.  Why, oh why do we women go through the pure torture that heels elicit?!  (And, if you disagree in that you love them and wear them faithfully regardless of your age, you are my hero!)  For the rest of us, however, we all know why we endure such hardship–it’s to look cute/sexy/hip, of course, but is it really worth it?  Here’s how my answer to that question has gone over the past three decades, and maybe you can help to fill in the blanks with respect to the others:

In my 20’s, my answer was, ‘Yes!  Without question.’  Though truthfully I never mastered anything more than a couple of inches and as for spikes?!  NOT on your life–too Savage for me!

In my 30’s, my answer was, ‘It depends on the occasion.’  And that type of occasion didn’t come up very often.

In my 40’s, my answer is, ‘If I must, but I’m bringing my back-up pair.’  Sometimes, my back-up pair comes out within minutes of kicking off the first unmanageable pair.  My husband is not even sure why I bother in the first place, though he already knows my steadfast answer, “But they match my outfit, and they look cute!”.

As someone who spends 90% of her working day on her feet, with bunions to boot, I just cannot brave the front of heels anymore, though sometimes I still try.  What can I say?  I do like the cutesy shoes, they just don’t like me.  Not anymore, anyway.  And, here’s what I have learned about ‘cute’ shoes over the years.  They do your feet no favours, especially over time.  Take it from one who knows.  If I knew back when what I know now, I would NOT have squeezed my extra wide feet into the narrow, cheap shoes that I did, let alone sport heels of sorts all day long.  Kudos to those who can!  I’m paying for my choices from younger years in that my feet are always tired and sore by the day’s end, no matter how much I spend and how ‘comfortable’ the brand is purported to be.  My husband says I should just give in, wave my white flag and go with runners, but the problem is that my purple New Brooks don’t match a single thing!

So, what’s the point to all of this Ladies and Gents, who love their ladies?

“While heels are neat, love your feet.  Treat them right, don’t settle for tight!”

Gray Roots

My Gray Roots are showing through,

Colour-Me-Blonde in a week or two,

My gray roots are showing through,

Doesn’t seem to matter what I do.

My gray roots are showing through,

Wiry hairs causing one BIG hullabaloo!

My gray roots are showing through,

Time to throw an overt coup,

My gray roots are showing through,

“Silver it is, unless I go blue!”  🙂

 

Two Wrong Feet

I jump out of bed,

It’s time to go!

I surely can’t be late.

I hit the shower,

My breakfast I devour,

Off to work in a rush.

Something seems off,

It’ll have to do,

Finally, I arrive.

I paste on a smile,

Feels like I ran a mile,

I wonder if they’ll notice?

The meeting commences,

They warrant a look,

There’s nothing I can do.

The damage is done,

The laughs have begun,

We’ve all been there before.

Next time, I’ll get it right,

I swear I won’t hit snooze,

Then, maybe I’ll have on…

A matching pair of shoes.

 

Knackered

Our Bunny Cat

Our ‘bunny’ cat bathing in the post-Easter sun.  She certainly elicits a few Chuckles from us!  One of the many reasons we love her so:-).

A Work In Progress

Perhaps this post is not so Timely in that this prompt is now two days old, but….well, you know what they say, “Better late….”, which interestingly enough brings me right to the point of my thoughts on the matter of timeliness.

You see, I’ve NEVER been a very timely person.  NEVER.  I don’t think I was an overdue baby per se, but I did come out as a breech, so that could have something to do with my inclination of being ‘fashionably’ late (nice choice of words considering I was a breech, eh?).  I do know, however, that my mom’s doctor, just prior to my birth, told her to, “Hurry up!” as it was noon and he wanted to go for lunch.  Maybe it was at point that I decided to become passive-aggressive with time?!  I mean, many a psychologist will tell you that we do carry forward things from our past, though that would be a little extreme, wouldn’t it?  I would have been too young to remember, but it is noted that babies do learn fast, so who knows?!

Easter or Christmas All Over Again?

If it weren’t for the fact that I was born and raised in the “True North, strong and free”, I might be Surprised by the weather this Easter weekend.  Notice that I said ‘might’.  While the ‘True North’ and ‘strong’ parts speak true for those of us who live in Canada, it seems that we, in fact, are not exactly ‘free’–from winter, that is!  It appears as though Mother Nature has no regard for the calendar, or the Easter bunny, though he/she will clearly have some easy hiding spots out and about.  Come to think of it, however, the multitude of treats risk not even being found for days (not a lot of fun!) at the rate we are going since the impending snowfall is predicted to last through most of the weekend, ending in accumulations of up to 30 cm of snow.  Now if it were, say….December?!, one could agree that the following sight is rather pretty, BUT it’s April and mid-April at that.  Just saying….

A Play On Words

The following play on words is being retold as best as is remembered and is inspired by true events.  All meant in good fun:-).

Real Life Characters:  Emma Mae Lyn, Sue and Mr. Pat

Setting:  The Workplace (always interesting!)

Scene One

Emma Mae Lyn:  (proudly states) “I worked tyraciously on this project!”

Sue: (looking puzzled) “Tyraciously?  You mean, tenaciously.”

Emma Mae Lyn:  (states emphatically) “No!  I mean tyraciously.”

Sue:  (not wanting to hurt her friend’s feelings) “Um, I think the word is ‘tenacious’.”

Emma Mae Lyn:  (sticking to her guns–gotta give her credit as that is the definition of tenacious in and of itself) “Tenacious’?  I don’t think so.  I swear it’s ‘tyracious’.  I’ve never heard of ‘tenacious’.”

Sue:  (relenting and feeling entertained)  “Pretty sure that the word is ‘tenacious’, but what the hey?!  Let’s go with ‘tyracious’.  I have to admit that it does sound better.”