Most people I know cannot wait to take their shoes or boots off. I have a friend who practically throws his shoes off as soon as he gets the chance. Others like me, by my observations, tend to be Polaks, other Slavs, and many who are from so-called Eastern Europe. The one real exception I have ever come across is my friend Denis, originally from Sudbury. He wears "proper" footwear always when he is indoors. He has a pair of indoor shoes for just that purpose. Even though he is a Franco-Ontarian, I asked if he had any Polish or other Slavic/East European lineage. Nope. The exception that proves the rule? Maybe, I guess.
Even during my time in the military, most fellow soldiers could not wait to remove their field boots, or at least undo them. I slept with mine at the bottom of sleeping bag in the field, very loosely laced so I could throw them on at but a moment's notice.
I am known to wear my footwear, be it shoes, boots, even Crocs, for sixteen or even twenty hours straight. I just do not like my feet exposed much. That is why this new endeavour I am involved in, that requires me not to wear "outdoor shoes" rankles me some. I can apparently wear light footwear, such as Crocs, as long as they do not set foot (ha, ha) on the street.
The problem with that is, the main pair I use, are used as indoor-outdoor slippers/trampers. A phenomenon I encountered in Japan. Do not fool yourself in to thinking that the stereotype of not wearing outdoor footwear indoors in Japan, and similar footwear cultures, is so rigid. There are exceptions. They are just not discussed.
My other pair of Crocs, are my "fancy" ones. I do not use them much, they have several jibbitz on them, that when other people notice them, they offer to buy them from me. Very annoying. Get your own! How my Crocs wearing habits work, is I have a pair and I wear them until they are on the verge of total failure. They become my horrible conditions, slouch around shoes then another pair, either already possessed , or newly acquired, become my everyday ones. (I always find it weird to use a word that defines singularity in the plural. There may be a post in this?) So, I am reluctant to have two pairs in mainstream use.
"Funnily" enough, I was very resistant to Crocs for a long time. I would not have a pair for years. The wife and the boy had a pair each. I refused to get them. I did not like the holes in them. Then, one day, I came across a pair that was different. Minimal holes (jibbitz could not be installed on them), an adjustable padded heel strap, and dirt-brown in colour. I bought them as they felt more "shoe-like" than any other Crocs I ever tried out before. I had them from when the boy was very young. I guess I had them for ten years or so. They were my backup shoes I always packed. I had even hiked in them. I wore them as wet shoes (until I found a pair of Columbia wet shoes that were also light hikers), slippers, and going out and about town.
They finally gave up the ghost this past summer. That is, I assassinated them. They were worn so thin and water would wick through them, the soles were so thin. I took them to the Scout Jamboree (CJ) as one of my backup shoes, with the intent to not bring them back. When CJ was done, I cut out the straps and mounting points to use for repair or replacement for other Crocs. They got a funeral of sorts. They were shrouded in a shopping bag and, with a sigh, placed in a recycling bin to be broken down in to base material and find a use in another life elsewhere.
Those first Crocs were the only pair I had for some time. Then we went to visit friends at their winter home in St. Augustine, Florida. There was a Crocs outlet store. We all bought pairs of Crocs. Super cheap. I wanted another pair of my brown ones, but they had been discontinued. So, I bought this pair of camouflaged ones with a super thick sole and hunter orange highlights, a bit of a visual oxymoron. And hey, there were holes for jibbitz. So, I got a few. Sadly, one of the shoes broke apart soon after while engaged in an activity with my Wolf Cub Scouts at the time. What was I to do, they were only a couple of months old?
Well, I took them to the official Crocs Shop in Ottawa with the receipt from the US outlet store. The manager of this store let me pick out whatever pair I wanted. Variety was a bit limited. I ended up with a "standard" pair of Crocs, but with camouflage imprinting. It was a straight exchange, she only wanted the original receipt so she could send it back up the pipe to recover her shop's costs. No worries, she even gave me an exchange receipt, just in case these failed me. Well, I still have them years later. Sadly, there were no jibbitz I liked for myself, but I got some for the boy.
The following year, we returned to St. Augustine, we went to the outlet store again and I got a similar pair as the replacements in Canada, but a different camo pattern. I also bought a few more jibbitz for myself. So, here is the funny thing. The first, now dead, pair, was made in Canada. I loved the fit. The second pair was made in India, the fit is not bad either. The third pair, is made in China; I am less crazy about the fit. However, it is just perhaps that I have not worn down the massaging comfort ridges on the footbed enough. Time will eventually tell.
Now, as to where Crocs have been and are made. The wife still has a pair that was made in Canada and she loves them. She has another fancy pair, made in Mexico, she finds them alright; but they are a good pair to take places where you may be dressed up and may need to change out of uncomfortable shoes after a while.
The boy just got a replacement pair as his other ones, which are still in good shape after more than three years, are made in Mexico. The previous ones that he replaced are also made in Mexico, but he outgrew them. His heels completely hang out the back of them. His earlier pairs were all made in Canada. Sadly, no real Crocs are made in Canada any longer. Many thought they were amongst the best ever made. Like the wife's ancient surviving pair, and my recently demised ones.
So, wow! I could have done a whole post about Crocs. What a digression.
Where was I?
Oh, yeah.
So, I wear some kind of footwear practically all the time.
Why is that?
I used to joke, that being a Polak, you never knew when you were going to be invaded and overrun and have to flee the advancing hordes of enemy forces. As I said, many Polaks, et al., wear shoes indoors, my family was no exception. Is there some inherited instinct? A genetic memory? Personally, I think so. "My people" have been invaded, ravaged, subjugated, disparaged and the like, for centuries upon centuries. Can this memory develop that quickly? Over a millennium or two? I think so.
So, what the hell is this Rooster guy talking about? Well, I will tell you.
There are many who purport that, we, as animals, naturally should not be wearing foot-coverings. Poppycock, I say! Sure, many millennia ago we were not intelligent or skilled enough to figure out how to do it. However, we have apparently been wearing "shoes" for forty-thousand years. That is a very long time for our physical structure to adapt. Yet, there are basic arguments that support both sides of the shoe. Yet, Ötzi had shoes.The description of the construction and assumed purpose makes complete sense.
Of course, I know there are cultures and peoples who do not wear shoes. There are many people in emerging economies, developing nations, the third world, whatever term you choose to use, essentially, nations with a large impoverished class, that do not wear shoes. That, though, is due as much to money and also populace control (the impoverished thing, not necessarily the lack of footwear), as it may be to culture and belief.
However, in the so-called "Western World", we have been wearing shoes for a so very long time, that it is not necessarily the best thing to be barefoot. This is my opinion, if you do not like it, then: speak up! Our urban landscape is very harsh on the foot. Asphalt, concrete, surfaces so smooth that one can slip, surfaces so rough that you can rip your foot apart, dangerous litter, and a multitude of other enemies of the bare flesh. Again, of course, inside most dwellings and places of human interchange, the walking surface is not so dangerous. However, public places are often quite unsanitary. More so than I care to think about. Consider how many people probably walk around with dog crap on the bottom's of their shoes and do not even know it. A small abrasion on the foot and some fecal matter thrown in can lead to a very sad ending.
Now, my home does not have poop all over the place, but I have been in residences that did. Yes, in the course of my long, varied, and storied employment I have seen turds, or remnants of such, in many a home. This is not why I want to wear shoes in my current endeavour though. My feet are just not comfortable in such an exposed state. They ache at the end of the day. And, I have flat feet.
This guy, says the best way to address flat feet is being barefoot. Well, he can kiss my bare @＄＄! My feet are not sore with corrective insoles, or footwear; even non-corrective. My feet and I feel better with foot coverings. Personally, I think he is quack! Each case of flat feet would need to be reviewed individually. Maybe being barefoot works for some, not me. Now, to be honest, I wore some so very sexy shoes when I was young for many, many years (eight, or nine or more), that were corrective. I looked the the Nutty Professor's nephew in those shoes. Now, my foot no longer is totally flat. So, Doctor Pompous knows not of what he speaks, at least when it comes to my tootsies.
So, what the hell is this Rooster guy talking about? Well, I will tell you.
There are many who purport that, we, as animals, naturally should not be wearing foot-coverings. Poppycock, I say! Sure, many millennia ago we were not intelligent or skilled enough to figure out how to do it. However, we have apparently been wearing "shoes" for forty-thousand years. That is a very long time for our physical structure to adapt. Yet, there are basic arguments that support both sides of the shoe. Yet, Ötzi had shoes.The description of the construction and assumed purpose makes complete sense.
Of course, I know there are cultures and peoples who do not wear shoes. There are many people in emerging economies, developing nations, the third world, whatever term you choose to use, essentially, nations with a large impoverished class, that do not wear shoes. That, though, is due as much to money and also populace control (the impoverished thing, not necessarily the lack of footwear), as it may be to culture and belief.
However, in the so-called "Western World", we have been wearing shoes for a so very long time, that it is not necessarily the best thing to be barefoot. This is my opinion, if you do not like it, then: speak up! Our urban landscape is very harsh on the foot. Asphalt, concrete, surfaces so smooth that one can slip, surfaces so rough that you can rip your foot apart, dangerous litter, and a multitude of other enemies of the bare flesh. Again, of course, inside most dwellings and places of human interchange, the walking surface is not so dangerous. However, public places are often quite unsanitary. More so than I care to think about. Consider how many people probably walk around with dog crap on the bottom's of their shoes and do not even know it. A small abrasion on the foot and some fecal matter thrown in can lead to a very sad ending.
Now, my home does not have poop all over the place, but I have been in residences that did. Yes, in the course of my long, varied, and storied employment I have seen turds, or remnants of such, in many a home. This is not why I want to wear shoes in my current endeavour though. My feet are just not comfortable in such an exposed state. They ache at the end of the day. And, I have flat feet.
This guy, says the best way to address flat feet is being barefoot. Well, he can kiss my bare @＄＄! My feet are not sore with corrective insoles, or footwear; even non-corrective. My feet and I feel better with foot coverings. Personally, I think he is quack! Each case of flat feet would need to be reviewed individually. Maybe being barefoot works for some, not me. Now, to be honest, I wore some so very sexy shoes when I was young for many, many years (eight, or nine or more), that were corrective. I looked the the Nutty Professor's nephew in those shoes. Now, my foot no longer is totally flat. So, Doctor Pompous knows not of what he speaks, at least when it comes to my tootsies.
my fashion inspiration as a (very) young man (courtesy sensesofcinema.com)
Where am I going with this? I need to reread what I wrote so far and get back on track.
Yeah, okay.
My feet and I fell better, happier, and healthier when they are covered. I also believe we as a species have generally been conditioned to wear something on our feet. I think I am, and people of my geographic and cultural heritage (and Denis) are, predisposed to wearing shoes, etc. indoors due to genetic memory. I also feel safer and more secure. I think that is a combination of all that.
So, I guess I need to wash my Crocs and get them ready for my new thing. I need them for tomorrow. I bet my feet will not hurt and I will be a happy, Crocs wearing, clam.
scrubbed clean and drying for their new job tomorrow
Well, I washed them so I cannot be accused of dragging in random dirt or mystery poop. Tomorrow, the acid test. I just hope I can get used to my Chinese made Crocs for my new indoor/outdoor slippers. Well, at least I can amuse myself with my jibbitz. blbbl
my new indoor/outdoor togs
no, they are my jibbitz; get your own!
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