Shoes

We bought Elias a new pair of soccer cleats this evening, in anticipation of a Fußball camp he'll be starting on Wednesday. The box says: "Average contents: 2." I guess that means that for every two boxes containing six shoes, there are four boxes containing only tissue paper.

Those of you who know me well know that I pretty much detest going clothes and shoe shopping. I have my summer uniform (sleeveless T and jeans or shorts) and my winter uniform (mock turtle neck and jeans), and those serve me quite well for ten months out of the year. Thanks to therapy, coaching, and the generosity of others, I have come to terms with replenishing my uniforms at low-key "clothes swaps" hosted by my friend Tamsin, which have almost single-handedly kept me clothed and shoed for the past five years.

A confluence of limited suitcase space, fashion incompetence, and a recent drop in temperatures in Freiburg led me to realize that the only pair of non-denim long pants I have here are black, and the dressiest shoes I brought are light green Teva sandals. Given the choice between buying a pair of black shoes or a pair of light green pants, I went for the shoes--two of them, one for each foot, and heels, no less, but sensible ones. As someone's grandmother somewhere must have said sometime, "A woman deserves a new pair of heels at least once every thirty years," and now I've got mine.

I walked a mere half mile in my new shoes and grew and blew out several impressive blisters. This is one of the many reasons I don't like women's dress shoes. (Yo, men, please leave a comment if formal footwear has ever shredded your feet.)

My sensible mother says that's why women are supposed to carry stylish bags. Apparently, you're supposed to carry your dress shoes in the bag while you wear your comfortable shoes for walking. You trade the walking shoes for the uncomfortable shoes before you greet the queen, then switch back when you walk home. Frankly, this seems like a lot more work than it's worth, and I hope the queen will understand if I use a backpack instead (other suggestions appreciated).