Thursday, September 22, 2005

I’VE GOT ‘ISSHOES’

What?? You say… YES! It’s the new term I’ve coined for my issues with shoes.
My obsession with shoes falls into three categories. There are the affordable shoes, the shoes that I cannot afford but I buy anyway and then there are unaffordable shoes and under that category, there are the shoes that I won’t buy because I feel that the designers are price gouging and there are the shoes that are just not within the reach of my income bracket…YET.


Back to my ‘isshoes’, everyone that has been to Lagos knows the damage that the roads can do to your shoes. You wear a brand new pair of shoes and at the end of the day, your soles look like you’ve been laying bricks all day. For that very reason I have not been able to wear any of my Ferragamo loafers or drivers. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I revere my Ferragamo shoes. They have a special place in the shoe section of my heart.

However, I decided to break the curse this morning and wear my mandarin drivers to work. I haven’t worn them in almost a year and I thought I was been ridiculous after all I can’t keep them in their boxes forever right?
After much deliberation, I decided the best course of action would be to wear a pair of flip flops into the car and then put my shoes on when I get to my desk.

So there I am a-hopping, skipping and jumping to work. I’m ecstatic that I’m wearing my shoes finally and thinking to myself why it took me so long to come up with such an ingenious idea.
And then there was LUNCH TIME!
A co-worker and I decided to go out to lunch and this is the point that is the reason for this story. It had been raining all day and I couldn’t figure how I was going to walk from the restaurant parking lot into the restaurant. I mean I couldn’t take my shoes in the duster bag like I did this morning and change when I sat at the table… or could I?

So here I am sitting at my desk. I have given up on going to lunch because my shoes were not made for the rain. Of course my co-worker’s rolling her eyes at me saying “What idiot designs shoes with leather soles?” And I’m thinking “If you don’t get it, you never will”. I’ve given her options like piggy-backing me into the restaurant from the car or if I could get one of those plastic thingies that men in factories wear to protect their shoes, then we have a date!
I realize that this is shallow but please walk a mile in my shoes and feel how comfortable they are and then you can judge me!
I’ve got ISSHOES! lol

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOE-AHOLIC II


So I had a little shoe party yesterday. I was the hostess, my shoes were the guests. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. At least not in my world because they know me there! I have these parties all the time. I bring my shoes out, I try them on, I pair them with outfits, I treat them according to care instructions, leather gets a coat of leather protector, suede- gets cleaned with a soft cloth and suede protector sprayed on and so on and so forth.

Yesterday got me thinking about how much value I have come to place on my shoes. Let’s ignore the fact that my little shoe collection could most probably buy a little shack somewhere in a third world country lol I’ve often found myself thinking about how much I could have in the bank if I hadn’t overindulged on what some like to call over-priced shoes. To those people I say there is a HUGE difference between some cheap shoes made of man-made materials and shoes that cost a little more but are made of natural materials. U just ask the lady with the bunions and corns on all her toes. U can’t last a whole night club hopping in some cheap shoes! And you may think that as long as they look good no one else will know, but I ask you to search your conscience because if no one else knows… God knows you paid $29.99 for those “If u like Prada pumps then you’d like our …shoes”.

Anyway I remember months ago in Atlanta when the love of my life Eve (my pit bull pup) ate the heel of my shoe. They were the perfect tan pumps and were ruffled in front. I loved those shoes. I really thought that the dog chewing on the shoe thing was another myth like ‘the dog ate my homework excuse’ not until I left Eve in my room to go into the bathroom and came back to her not nibbling, not chewing but CHOMPING on the heel of my shoes! Oh boy! When I think back to that incident now I do believe God was testing my love aptitude.

Needless to say, I failed because Eve got the sh*t slapped out of her and spent the rest of the day in the garage. I mean, I love Eve. She was like my first child. Eve who I’d buy fabulous collars for, Eve who I’d take to the groomers, Eve who I’d take to doggie-daycare so she wouldn’t be lonely when I’m at work, Eve who shared my bed! You can imagine finding her with the shoe in her mouth was like a stab straight through the heart. Although I’d have to confess and say that I did feel better after whacking her.

Now I don’t want the members of P.E.T.A beating down my door and talking about animal cruelty. Chomping on the perfect tan, BCBG Max Azria pumps? Now that’s cruelty because every woman knows how hard it is to find the right shade of tan to go with everything. If Imelda Marcos had some organization to stop the wrongful treatment of shoes, would dogs not be the greatest offenders? Dogs and the guy who designed the first sanchoes boots. I say that in all fairness because I can’t give that credit to a woman. Only a man could have designed something so ugly!

I still have my shoes because I can’t bring myself to throw them away. Firstly, because they cost too damn much and secondly because I have this constant fear that if I do wear them out, someone will confront me, stand me on my head to check out the bite marks on the heel of my shoe!
And now you have true insight into how truly twisted my mind is… lol

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

BACK FROM NOWHERE

Oh my goodness it feels so good to be writing again after a chronic case of “blogger-block” lol alot has happened in the last 2 months. As my last blog entry stated, I was going through a “what’s my life all about” phase that lasted a little longer than I expected it to. I have recently crawled out of that dark place and I’m gradually putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

I can’t say I get it all but I am beginning to get it now. I’m working on a business plan which I hope will play out as smoothly in real life…well not too smoothly because I do love a challenge now and then. I’m having issues with negotiating space and rent but I’m soaking up every bit of this experience and loving it. I feel awake for the first time in months! I’m finally getting it and getting it together.

Also, I have ‘moved on up’ at work and now work for the ‘top dog’ in the company with whom I share a GLASS WALL!! No longer can I chat on the phone or check neimanmarcus.com for “fall’s hottest fashion trends” firstly because I actually do work now and secondly, he has this habit of popping his head out of his door which of course is behind me and virtually impossible to notice when he gets up because I am so engrossed in the detailing on this fall’s Christian Louboutins!
The plus to this though is; working for the boss means everyone has to kiss my a** once in a while to get stuff through to him. I’ll have to admit we are a funny pair (me and my boss that is) Him and his South-African/Dutch accent and me and my Nigerian accent laced with American undertones. You should hear us conversing; we sound like the United Nations live feed during a really bad storm!
Another funny thing is I remember him been out of town often before I started working for him and now it seems the next time he’s going out of town is when he’s going home for Christmas. Just my luck!

In the last couple of months I have also very sadly gained 10 pounds. Apparently, the substitute for putting the brakes on a very active social life is weight gain. Now nothing fits right and I’m back to my gruesome and if I might add very unhealthy diet. I plan to jump start my social activities in a couple of weeks and I can’t do that if the clothes don’t fit right now can I?

The good news is my feet are still the same. Thank God for shoes at least they don’t make you feel fat so there is some consolation in this after all.

Thank you to everyone who has bugged me constantly to keep writing and update my blog… this one’s for you.

Oh in a desperate bid to get out of my rut, I got chestnut blonde highlights a couple of weeks ago. Which look fab but then I wonder why I did it because the last time I did, I had to cut all my hair off to grow the color out and also to start over and I just got the bounce and length back in my hair.

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. - James Baldwin