I'm Such a Woman

Erik Bates | April 12, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | April 12, 2004
I'm vaguely insulted that this behavior is womanly in any way. I don't want to be associated with the women that behave this way towards shoes and pay that much for them.

No offense, Erik. =)

Erik Bates | April 12, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | April 12, 2004
Ok, so you're an annoying, superficial woman. I'd like to think most of us aren't like that.

Stereotypes hurt, man.

That said, enjoy your purchase. Don't feel bad about it. Everyone deserves to be spoiled now and again.

John E Gunter | April 12, 2004
Surprisingly enough, it is a nasty stereotype, but I don't consider it such personally. While I'm not one to be interested in shoes, I've known quite a few men, especially over the last 10 years or so who have begun to go shopping for their look. In particular, my grandson is really into making sure he is good looking for the girls.

There has always been that stereotype in our lovely male society. I'm talking planet wide here ladies, not just in the good ole USA. In fact some societies are down right nasty to their women.

Back on subject, there is nothing wrong with a man being interested in how they look. Just some of us aren't quite into it as some. My wife will take for ever to make herself look just right. Me, I can get ready in around 30 minutes tops. That includes, shave, shower, hair dried, clothes ironed, shoes cleaned and teeth brushed.

My wife on the other hand wants to get her hair just right, her make up just right, etc. I'm not finding fault mind you, but it's not just women who exhibit this behavior. Going back to my grandson, the last time I took him to a friends house, he was spending the night, and they were going to a skating party, he must have changed his outfit a good 10 times.

So Erik, it isn't just women who like shopping for nice shoes, clothes, etc. So ladies, continue to do what you need to and ignore those nasty stereotypes. I know I do.

Scott Hardie | April 12, 2004
Erik: How about a photo?

Anna Gregoline | April 12, 2004
I ignore that they exist, but I say something when they rear their ugly heads! Although I like Erik a lot, and I know he meant no offense.

Erik Bates | April 12, 2004
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Melissa Erin | April 12, 2004
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Dave Stoppenhagen | April 12, 2004
My wife owns somewhere in the area of 75 pairs of shoes, I could be off by 10 or so. She thinks I need multiple pairs of shoes as well and has made sure that she gets me some when she feels the itch for shoes.

But then again I have spent $200 on a watch, and $100 on shoes.

Steve West | April 12, 2004
A recent study (don't recall the source, sorry) reported that men now have surpassed women in the amount of time spent per week grooming themselves - Men 3 hours, Women 2.5 hours. Also, 60% of fragrances are purchased by men for themselves.

Erik Bates | April 12, 2004
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Jackie Mason | April 13, 2004
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Erik Bates | April 13, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | April 13, 2004
I don't care if some things ring true, just don't box me into a stereotype corner, man!

That is all.

Anna Gregoline | April 13, 2004
P.S. No one said anything about Steve in the Cats discussion partly because he said, "Stereotypers beware?" Just a thought.

Erik Bates | April 13, 2004
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Denise Sawicki | April 13, 2004
One hopes that a shoe of that price won't have the sole break in two within a few months, like the similar-looking ones I got at Payless.

I hate shoe shopping. Usually, at any given time, I own one pair of cheap shoes and one pair of cheap sandals, which I will wear until they break (less than a year) and then go get a replacement in hopes that it will last longer. Right now I have two pairs of shoes in active duty.

Anna Gregoline | April 13, 2004
Okay, Erik, the picture is pushing it. =)

Lori Lancaster | April 13, 2004
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Melissa Erin | April 13, 2004
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Erik Bates | April 13, 2004
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John E Gunter | April 13, 2004
Well, don't think that because I don't spend a long time in a store means I buy the first most expensive thing I find. I usually research my purchases on the internet before going to the store. That way, when I get there, I go to what I'm looking for and buy it.

Sure, sometimes I do price shop in the store, usually because I didn't realize that store had a particular brand. I am brand conscious by the way, but not to the point where I will pay more for something that is just as good.

I've taught my wife a thing or two about shopping for the best prices though. She was amazed at how well I could find bargains! ;-P

I will admit that I paid over $400 for a gold Seiko watch. I love Seikos, errr should I say I used to love Seikos. Damn thing had a battery leak, the one installed by the factory, in a shorter time period than the battery was supposed to last. Got into a fight with Seiko about fixing it and ended up paying to have it fixed.

3 years later, the damn thing did it again. It would cost the same thing to fix it, but now it sits in my drawer at home. Needless to say, I'm never going to buy another Seiko as long as I live, nor will I buy one for someone else.

Now, what were we talking about? :-D

Jackie Mason | April 13, 2004
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Erik Bates | April 13, 2004
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Anthony Lewis | April 14, 2004
Ahhhh...a subject that I can really get into.

I used to be one that never liked shopping. I was the one who'd go to a store, go directly to the department I wanted, get what I wanted, pay for it and leave.

At some point in the last two-to-three years, I've become a shop-a-holic. It's my pleasure. I love to WINDOW SHOP! I used to hate following my female friends around to the stores. Now, I'll put them to shame! I can spend three, four & five hours out in the streets...not come home with anything, and still feel like I had fun.

SHOES??? Forget it! I own about 12 pairs of shoes/dress boots alone (not including sneakers and work boots). I LOVE SHOES! Shoes say a lot about the person who is wearing them. If the shoes are shined (and they should ALWAYS be shined) and well-taken care of...it says that the person wearing them takes care of himself.
An ugly pair of shoes can ruin an outfit. You can have the nicest suit on, but if your shoes are "ran over"...it just looks horrible. Working in the NYC subway, I can't tell you how many guys I see wearing ugly shoes man. It makes me mad.

Sometimes, I go overboard with the amount of items I have in my closet. I am certainly not a rich man by any means, but at last count I had about nine leather/suede jackets/coats, one black fur coat (faux fur), seven or eight dress hats, a multitude of shirts, slacks, sports jerseys, etc. I just wish I had more suits. I only have two. :-(

I could talk all day about shopping. It's my one true vice. I just wish I had more money to take advantage of all the shopping I want to do.
But I have my secrets. I know where to go where I won't spend too much. As a large-size man, stuff like that is important to know.

Erik, if you want a couple of good places to check out...give a holla below.

Anna Gregoline | April 14, 2004
On the watch story - that's why I only buy watches $20 and under. That way, if they break or bust or whatever, you can just get a new one.

Melissa Erin | April 14, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | April 14, 2004
Me too! Sunglasses and watches I destroy on a regular basis.

John E Gunter | April 14, 2004
Well, the first Seiko I had, still runs, but it's a digital and I had it for over 20 years with no trouble. It's been through hell basically, even shattered the crystal underneath. Didn't break the seal, but the shattered part, about 3% of the crystal surface in the corner, is still there. But that watch never gave me any trouble.

The new one was a nice gold watch. Not a digital mind you, but was very nice. I took so much better care of it than the digital one that it just amazed me that a more expensive watch would be such a piece of poop! Especially since it was a dirty mechanism both times that caused it to stop.

How do you get the mechanism dirty if you seal it right and you use a good battery? The factory battery leaked the first time, and I didn't ask why there was a problem with it the second time, but these batteries are supposed to last for 5 years before they need replacing. It was only 3 years between service that the damn thing destroyed itself!

Can you tell I'm still pissed about it?

I think part of the problem is that people just don't care about quality any more. After all, the digital was made in the late 70s, while the new one was made in the late 90s. That might not be the reason, but I personally believe that the quality I got with the first one, wasn't there with the gold one.

Now, for sunglasses, I've had a few pairs of expensive ones, Raybans and Serengetis, and I've never lost, broken or otherwise done something to them. It's always been someone else breaking them.

One time was because they wanted to try them on, and the rest is from them horsing around with me and the glasses are on my neck. I usually try not to let people horse around like that when I've got sunglasses on, but some people just don't listen.

So now I'm back to buying cheapo sunglasses. :-)

Denise Sawicki | April 14, 2004
Does anybody else destroy a pair of shoes on a regular basis (every few months) or am I the only one? :P

John E Gunter | April 14, 2004
I wear the same pair for about a year, before I destroy them. This is wearing them almost everyday.

Course, I've also killed a pair in a couple of months as well, but I find I'm getting more frugal as I get older. Guess it has something to do with the fact that I don't want to still be working when I'm in my 70s.

Course with the way the economy is lately, I might just have to work up till the day I die.

Melissa Erin | April 14, 2004
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Denise Sawicki | April 14, 2004
I tend to wear the same pair of shoes every day, like I said, and I walk a lot, so I guess the wear and tear on my shoes is not that abnormal. Still, Jeff has worn the same pair of cheap shoes nearly every day for at least 4 years and they are still holding up, and he has been known to walk occasionally. I'm jealous of his luck with shoes...

(I've noticed all of a sudden that I have a tendency to start every comment with "well", and I'm trying to stop it :P)

Anna Gregoline | April 14, 2004
$7,000! Your husband is nuts. How about waiting and buying your kid a car, or, I don't know, a year of college for that amount of money? If my parents gave me a $7,000 watch, it would be at the pawn shop right now.

Jackie Mason | April 14, 2004
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Melissa Erin | April 14, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | April 14, 2004
If the watch was going to cook dinner or do a little dance to entertain you when you're down...sure...

Maybe he just wants to start a family tradition, but I think it can be done with something less expensive.

John E Gunter | April 14, 2004
Yeah, $7000 is a bit much to spend on a watch, or any piece of jewelry, but my wife wants to get a $5000 tennis bracelet, so I'm in a similar boat. Funniest thing about her tennis bracelet idea, it won't be a family heirloom, or I should say, it won't be going to our daughter.

The reason, she'd be at a pawnshop the next day. Nothing wrong with doing that mind you, but I'd rather give something to my nephew to give to his girlfriend/wife than my daughter with that attitude.

See, my wife got a family heirloom in her engagement ring. Not sure how much it's worth, but I know it's a lot because of the diamond that's in it. I just don't like the idea of pawning something that is part of your family’s heritage, even if it's only been around for 1 generation. The ring came from my great-aunt.

In fact, my father gave me a flintlock rifle that I keep stored away. One day, I hope to have a mantle to put it on, but right now it sits in the closet. It's supposed to be from the revolutionary war, but I've never had it checked by an expert. Something I mean to do one day, but by looking at its construction, what little I know of firearm construction, it looks authentic to me.

But I'm kind of amazed that my wife wants to spend so much on a piece of jewelry. I think my limit is around $650, or at least I've never spent more than that, yet.

Melissa Erin | April 14, 2004
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Anthony Lewis | April 15, 2004
My philosophy is if I had $7000 to spend on a watch, I'd buy a car instead. I own about seven watches. All of them together probably doesn't match 1/10th of 1/10th the value of that $7000 watch.

It just looks like they do. :-)

However, I won't criticize anyone for spending their hard-earned money on what they want to get. Hell, there's this $3000 TV I have my eyes on.

Scott Hardie | April 15, 2004
I remember getting dirty looks at one insurance company for not having dress shoes on, just my old beat-up black sneakers. But I did not own dress shoes and I had no money to buy any, since the job paid diddly-squat. As far as I was concerned, by coming to work dressed at all I was already dressing above my pay level.

Anna Gregoline | April 15, 2004
Ha!

Most work dress codes don't seem to be that strict, meaning, that most places will let you slide unless you're wearing a tube top or roller skates or something.

I try to look nice for work, but I just don't really care that much. Sometimes I wish I cared more and was into wearing cute suits (which I own) and heels and hose and looking all professional. But if I don't have to, I'm not. I barely put myself together in the morning, and I wish that I felt comfortable enough to just wear sleepy pants and a plain t-shirt. Why should it matter what people wear?

Scott Hardie | April 15, 2004
Right. I was telemarketing at the time. Did it matter if I wore a suit and tie when my job was to call people who lived in other cities? Customers almost never came into the office.

Melissa Erin | April 15, 2004
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Scott Hardie | April 15, 2004
Reminds me of the classic MST3K episode "Pod People" that had a scene set in a recording studio. When the trio of backup singers swayed and moved to the music, Crow remarked, "You think the mic is picking up their dancing?"

Melissa Erin | April 15, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | April 15, 2004
Yeah, I think in our training HR first day, we were told to smile too. Whatever.

At my last job, I dressed up more, partly because it was my first real job on my own, and my mom bought be some work clothes, and partly because we did have clients coming constantly to the office, so it wasn't quite business casual. Since my desk was in the hallway, essentially, I felt I had to look nice.

My job now is a much more casual environment, with people dressing the guantlet. (what?) If I worked for a lawyer specifically, maybe I'd dress better if they had clients coming in, but I'm just down here in the Records Center, surrounded by gray walls, brown files, and NO WINDOWS.

Pity me, people.

Melissa Erin | April 15, 2004
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Kris Weberg | April 16, 2004
Unless, of course, you are a method actor playing a torture scene.

Scott Hardie | April 16, 2004
From my own experience, it seems that one easy way to gauge your comfort level with footwear is whether you wear shoes around the house on lazy weekend afternoons. I used to wear shoes compulsively around the house (once running over my toes with the wheels of my desk chair may have started that), but in the past year I have reversed myself. I can no longer bear having shoes on when I'm home unless there are guests present, and even then I sometimes remove them. But I never wear socks when I'm home either, and I never wear my watch anywhere unless I need it, and I'm the last person you'll ever see wearing jewelry of any kind. Perhaps shoes are an adornment to be cast off when not needed? I'm not trying to analyze myself here; just open this discussion up to other possibilities.

Melissa Erin | April 16, 2004
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David Mitzman | April 19, 2004
Well I've got a few really nice things, mostly watches and glasses (my Dad's in the eyewear industry). I've got a nice pair of Oakley sunglasses I've had since 1998, and the only reason a lens scratched was because I dropped them on the ground, but Oakley repaired them for free!. I have 3 nice watches. One Esquire watch (swiss) I got for graduation (unknown value), an Esprit watch my Dad got through a cross promotion in his company (unknown value), and finally a Citizen Titanium Interceptor (solar powered, no battery, glows in the dark, made of titanium and is very light, valued at $500). The esquire i wear only when really dressing up, the citizen on a daily basis, and the esprit when I'm dressing up but not enough to warrant my esquire. The Citizen had a design flaw with the latch so it had to be repaired but that watch will take a beating (even though I treat it very well).

Watches and glasses are the only things I really like (and since I get glasses for free through my pops, I get some nice stuff, like the rimless I'm wearing right now actually). I'll tell ya though, my idea of dressing up is a hawaiian shirt with cargo pants and my Teva sandals. I don't even own a suit right now but I'll have to soon, I'm getting into wedding season (two next year). Since my job requires only tasteful clothing, it's cargo shorts and t-shirts all the time, and occasionally sandals if I feel adventerous.

It pays to have a job at a software company of 12 people in Port St. Lucie (although I didn't really think Port St. Lucie had anything else, thankfully I'm moving to Jupiter in a month!)

Erik Bates | January 27, 2005
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Lori Lancaster | January 27, 2005
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Anna Gregoline | January 27, 2005
I hate shoes.

Jackie Mason | January 27, 2005
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Scott Hardie | January 28, 2005
Erik: They look nothing like the ones I chose for the header, do they? (link)

Erik Bates | January 28, 2005
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Lori Lancaster | January 29, 2005
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Amy Austin | January 29, 2005
Oh, I don't know... they look like something a "Jumpy Monkey" would wear to me... ;DDD

Erik Bates | January 29, 2005
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Amy Austin | January 29, 2005
And wears cool shoes.

Denise Sawicki | January 30, 2005
I agree with Anna on shoes. I hate them. They annoy my feet, plus, what kind of shoes is a 6-foot-1 big footed woman supposed to wear to look dressed up? Heels are a little bit of a ridiculous choice :)

Anna Gregoline | January 30, 2005
I have stupid tiny feet with one foot slightly ever so slightly larger than the other so shoe shopping is the worst kind of shopping hell for me. And trying to pick shoes for different outfits has always driven me mad. More than half the shoes I own hurt my feet after all the city walking I do everyday so I'm constantly switching them so they hurt my feet in different ways every day. Argh.

Anthony Lewis | January 30, 2005
Jackie, I'm with you. I want more shoes! MORE MORE MORE!

Jackie Mason | January 31, 2005
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Kris Weberg | January 31, 2005
I gotta admit, I don't get why some people liek the little feet. Foot size doesn't matter to me that much.

Now women with "man hands" are a whole different issue....

Anna Gregoline | January 31, 2005
Tiny feet growing up sucked - shoe shopping for dress shoes for hours. HOURS. DAYS. MONTHS.

They didn't even carry my size half the time as a little kid, we would walk in the store and ask and often have to turn right around. I hope my kids have normal-sized feet!