Dog Dirt

I am not fond of dogs. In fact, I do not like animals very much in general. However, regardless of whether one likes dogs, I think we all agree that dog excrement is not very nice at all.

Compare dog dirt to sheep excrement. It is quite different. Sheep excrement is a bit messy, but not much more than mud. It dries out easily in hot weather. The smell of sheep excrement is not that unpleasent, it is part of the English pastoral experience. The reason for the difference is that sheep only eat grass, while dogs eat meat. Hence, dog dirt is a serious potential health hazard. Being exposed to dog dirt is not very good for you at all.

Most places have laws to stop dog fouling, however, there are people who are careless enougth to let their dogs foul up. There are also stray dogs.

You may think that you are careful enougth to avoid stepping in the stuff. However, it is very messy. Even after the bulk of it has been washed away or consumed by insects, there will still be traces of it that you would never notice.

For the sake of your children, take off your shoes at the door and ask visitors to remove their shoes. Even if you do not have children and do not care about your own health, ask visitors to remove their shoes. That way, other people will feel more comfortable making their own homes shoe-free.

By the way, my father was informed by his mother, when he was a boy, that chewing gum is made of dog dirt. I understand that is not actually the case, but like my late grandmother, I believe chewing gum is a bad habit. But wearing shoes at home is far worse.

It's My Birthday Today!

Happy Birthday to ME!



Another milestone today...another reason to buy some shoes!


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Cydwoq Shoes




Now, you know I love shoes of all kinds, but these? Cydwoq Handmade Shoes. There are only one or two pairs that I can say I remotely find attractive. They are different. Wayne was kind enough to send me this link. After reading about the site, I learned alot about hand made shoes. Who is buying these shoes? Naturalists, hippies, vegans? Maybe costume directors? Some of the shoes look like shoes you would see characters in movies using...period pieces. Prices? Most high! Right up there with the most world know designers. Now the boots that look like gator>>>those I would snap right up.

The concept of creating architectural shoes that combine comfort with unique design was introduced in CYDWOQ's 1996 Spring/Summer line. In September of 1996, the CYDWOQ factory was established in Burbank, California to manufacture the shoes to the exact specifications and quality standards required by CYDWOQ designer, Rafi Balouzian. The designer based the company on the idea that the best way to walk was barefoot.

CYDWOQs are quality hand sculpted shoes with gracefully contoured soles that follow the shape of the foot. Lines creating geometric images on the foot, in contrast to the flowing curve of the sole, elevate the shoes to an art form.


There is a full men's line of shoes, just as odd as the womens. Now the purses are kind of nice. There are some good sturdy bags there. Check the hand bags out! There is a vintage womens line and just a womens line. All selections can be found on those pages.


Vertical $298


Layer $292


End $298


Blend$ 245



Cleo $293


Bout $278


Saddle $475




What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to... Japan!

Japan Page in Wikipedia

Japan National Tourist Organization

Japan-guide.com

Japan Today

I hereby grant the National Etiquette Award to Japan, as it is cutomary in that country to remove shoes when entering homes.

Come on, everybody knows that. This is probably the most obvious of these awards. Many people are quite ignorant of the fact that shoes are removed in Swedish and Polish homes, but are well aware that you need to take your shoes off when entering a Japanese home. And it is not just homes. For some reason, the Japanese are more inistent upon this custom than any other nation. In Japan you often have to take your shoes off in hotels, some restaurants, offices, schools, universities and even some shops.

When visiting a Japanese home, you will probably be give a pair of slippers to wear. If you sit down on a tatami mat, you need to take these slippers off first. When entering the bathroom, you need to exchange your normal slippers for a set of slippers worn only in the bathroom.

My choice was inspired by my attendance of the Japan Christian Link conference this weekend. The Japan Christian Link is affiliated with the Japan Evangelistic Band, an historic mission organisation working in Japan. Japan Christian Link is commtted to sharing the Gospel with Japanese people both in Japan and elsewhere.

Japan has freedom of religion and freedom to evangelize. Missionaries can easily obtain visas to enter the country. However, Christians remain a tiny minority within the Japan. It is deeply sad that so few Japanese people respond to the Gospel. Churches are few and they tend to made up of the elderly and have many internal difficulties.

Japan has a dual-religion of Buddhism and Shintoism, but for the vast majority of people this is a religion of rituals, not beliefs. There are also many cultish new religions and of course those familiar jokers, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and Unification Church.

In recent years, Shintoism has been returning to its nationalistic and imperialistic roots. Very public manifestations of this is the visits of the Japanese prime minister to shrines honoring war dead of the Second World War and the use of a revisionist textbook in schools. It is feared by some that the resurgence of nationalistic religion could eventually lead to curbs on freedom of religion.

The obstacles to becoming Christians for Japanese people include the alienness of Christianity and its concepts, the importance of traditional rituals in family life (which may lead to conflict with the family of a convert) and the centrality of the group mentality to Japanese psychology. Nevertheless, a young missionary I met at the conference said:

Everybody says that Japan is a really hard place to evangelize, but maybe rather than blame the Japanese, we ought to blame the way we do evangelism there.


Two major mission agencies which are active in Japan include:

OMF International

WEC International

Christian Louboutin Shoes

Christian Louboutin! Yummy! Look at this mohair pump! I would wear this! Would you? Strickly in the winter time!


Satin & Chiffon Pump $710


Patent Leather Wedge $620


Platform Linen Wede $1095


Suede Platform Heel $ 770


Metallic Python $810


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Origami Paper Shoes




Who said that shoes have to be leather or a skin?

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

NoSpeeka da English

This was circulating in the office today. Kind of cute!

NoSpeeka da English:

At a bus stop 2 Italian men get on.
They sit down and engage in an animated conversation. The
lady
sitting next to them ignores
them at first, but her attention is
galvanized when she hears one of them says the following:
"Emma come first. Den I come. Den two asses come together. I
come once-a-more. Two asses, they come together again. I come
again
and pee twice. Then I come one
la-sta time."
"You foul-mouthed sex obsessed swine," retorted the lady
indignantly. "In this country . . we don't speak aloud in public
places about our sex lives."
"Hey, coola down lady," said the man.
"Who talkin' abouta sex? I'm a justa tellin' my frienda how
to
spell Mississippi'."

I bet you will have to read it again!

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Making Friends with Japanese

At the Japan Christian Link conference I purchased an evangelism resource 'Making Friends with Japanese' by John Taylor and Hugh Trevor. The authors wrote, on the subject of a Japanese person visiting a British home:

Japanese friends hesitate at the door when you invite them in as if they don't quite know what to do. They may have noticed that you are wearing slippers, and wonder if they should take off their shoes when coming into your house, as in Japan. You need to assure them that it is OK to walk on your carpet in outside shoes- after using the door mat!


Maybe it is not OK to walk on this English person's carpet in outside shoes? There may not be many Japanese folks who wear shoes at home, but there are a few of us British people who do not like people wearing shoes in our homes.

Even if one did not mind shoes walking on one's carpet, I think perhaps a better approach might be to say 'Feel free to take your shoes off.' The Japanese person might feel more comfortable and at home after removing his or her shoes.

Mixed Couples

There were quite a few Japanese/ English married couples at the Japan Christian Link conference, some who lived in Japan and others who lived in England.

I could not help wondering about whether or not they applied strict shoes-off policies in their homes or not. I did not actually speak to any of them on that subject as there were plenty of other things to talk about.

I expect those living in Japan would almost certainly have followed the custom there. However, it is possible that some of those couples living in England might have been less strict for the sake of visitors. I suppose it would have been interesting to know.

Of course, even couples who are of the same nationality might disagree about the issue. Personally, I think it would be something to bear in mind if I ever consider marriage again. I would probably rather marry a woman who did not object to having a shoes-off policy. Maybe I need to marry a lady from a shoes-off country.

Rock Lobster Shoes

Remember I said I was going to the beach on last friday? I was going to take lobster with me to eat. Well, that was way to hard to do so while I did have a wonderful time at the beach with dirty Fila (except for a man in his speedo who had dunlap disease who kept staring at us! Was he staring because we were staring at his belly overhaning his speedo and how small his speedo was?), I did not have my lobster. I had it today and boy was it worth the wait!

I went to my local market and bought 2. They were kind of pricey. Normally they are about $8.99 a pound. Today they were $12.99 a pound. My total was over $32.00. They had better be good--that was what I was thinking as I left the grocer! Here they are in the bag and they with me peering down in the bag contemplating just how to get them out. After the fiasco when the lobster got loose in my kitchen, I have a fear!



Just look at them nestled in the bottom of the bag. I got a pair of scissors and cut the bag down the front and got them out. No more lobster rangling for me!


This was just before they went into the water and I did put them in the fridge to make sure their systems has slowed down due to the cold. I hate the thought of the lobster suffering when he goes into the pot. I am still unnerved by that. (Can lobsters scream?)


16 minutes of boiling and the perfect lobsters emerge from the pot. Here are the finished products. Don't they look wonderful?! (Quit hatin' on my lobster!) I pulled down a block of Irish butter from the freezer and I was in lobster heaven. (No shed's spread today baby!) Only the Kerry Pure Irish Butter would do today! If you have not tried irish butter, you are missing out. Only the leprechaun's know how to make it! Best butter I have ever tasted!



Yeah, I know. I am drinking red wine with lobster. It should be white. I did not want to open a bottle of white and have 2 bottles open at the same time. It would just force me to drink more wine! (Why am I thinking that is a bad thing? I may need to reconsider opening 2 in the future!)

When I cracked the lobster on the right open, it was full of that red delicacy...lobster roe! Of course the mustard yellow, creamy, rich tomalley was there also. I do eat both of those things. I just pulled them out and ate them. The roe came out in pretty big red chunks, so I dipped pieces in butter and ate them. The tomalley I just spooned out and ate. Yum! After those two things were gone the real eating began. About 20 minutes later all that was left was a pile of cracked shells.

Now there are some recipes that you can make with the roe and the tomalley, but who needs them? Roe and tomalley, warm with some butter is all I need. These two recipes are quick and easy if you really want to make something else up as you cook the lobster. Maybe if you are serving it as a meal to others.

Lobster Roe Butter

1/2 cup butter, softened 50 ml
1 tbsp. Lobster roe, cooked 15 ml
1 tsp. Fresh parsley, minced 5 ml
1/2 tsp. Salt 1 ml

Mix all ingredients. Chill. Serve as a tasty topping on broiled or grilled lobster, fish steaks and fillets.


Tomalley

The smooth green substance found in a cooked lobster's body cavity is called tomalley, and is also considered a gourmet delight. Makes a great spread!

Lobster Tomalley Spread

3 tbsp Tomalley 45 ml
1-1/2 tsp Mayonnaise 7 ml
1/2 tsp Horseradish 2 ml

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve with crackers or fresh vegetables.

Now you are wondering where do the shoes come into this. Nine West shoes come into this. They are my rock lobster shoes. Nine West! Back in the mid 80's, after college, I landed my first large job with a really big paycheck. The home office was in Boston and I had to fly there often for meetings with the corporate bigwigs. (Let's not EVEN begin to talk about those traffic circles. ) Thank god I was traveling by company limo...to and from the airport and to and from the office. And I mean a REAL limo... not a minivan called a limo. A long, black stretch limo. After seeing how crazy those boston drivers were, there was no way I could ever drive there.

Well, one trip I went on was in January. Deep snow about 5 feet. I did not pack any boots. I was not planning to go out anywhere except from the hotel to the office. Well, all of a sudden someone decided that we should out into the city for lobster on the waterfront to a seafood place. I was perplexed! I only had heels to go with all of my suits. At that time I only wore Nine West shoes. I had a pair very much like these.


Freda Pump $79.00


Not to be a stick in the mud, I decided to join the group. It was lobster after all. The company was paying with our corporate credit cards. How deep could that snow be? The limo would take us right to the door. Well, it did but the snow had been falling all day and it had not been shoveled recently that day. So there I was in high heels trudging through the snow to eat lobster. Not good. My feet were frozen and wet. After that lobster dinner someone then decided that we needed to go to a local bar also on the waterfront. So there I was again in my Nine West pumps trudging in the snow. That Boston wind was a wind that so cold, I have never felt cold like that before.

I had fun but my feet were cold and wet. I was glad to get back to the hotel. I was able to salvage my shoes because they were black. Moral of the story: If you are ever needing a pair of lobster eating shoes, make sure they are Nine West! They can stand up to the environment if you are in need of a pair of rock lobster shoes!


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Punjabi Jutti

The shoes of Bollywood are pretty but they seem to have no support as they are so flat. Now I would really have to try a pair on to say for sure. They are very inexpensive as well. I think they would look good with summer dresses.




$23.00 ~~~~~~$34.00

There are many more styles on the pages
where these 2 are located. The wedding selections are very pretty.


A little history about the Punjabi Jutti or beaded shoes is very interesting. It sounds like it may be a lost art or one that becomes very rare given modernization. There are people trying to keep the traditional ways of making these shoes survive!

Till recently, the cobbler was one of the essential workmen of the village community in North west India including Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & kashmir. He was entitled to have the skins of all animals dying a natural death, or to share themwith the village sweepers. Apart from his right to the skins of dead animals, he also got a share or fixed amount of produce, which varied from place to place. In return he was required to supply shoes to the whole family of his patrons once or twice a year, and to provide cattle thongs, plough gear, headstalls for cattle and other leather products of agricultural utility.

With modernisation and machines taking over for most manufacturing activities, the punjabi jutti was slowly losing its presence and glory. And so most of the craftsmen were looking for alternative means of occupation. Manufacture of Punjabi juttis or Khussas needs no machines. It only needs recognition. The craftsmen are still there. What is needed is someone who would admire their products and buy them.




Ritu Beri

Ritu Beri graduated from NIFT in the late 80's. Today she is known as the diva of Indian fashion. Ritu Beri stepped into the industry with the launch of her studio 'Lavanya'. Success was instant for her. Her collection became so famous that it was a complete sellout even in the International fashion capitals across the world.

Ritu Beri is a rare combination of beauty with brains. She has provided "oomph" on the fashion circuit. Apart from creating designs Ritu has written a book 'How to Look your Best'. She also won an award for this. Ritu BeriShe then launched another label 'Sanskrithi' which spoke about the Indian ethnic scene. Beri till date has designed uniforms for many corporate and institutional customers like Hotel Hyatt Regency, Delhi Police Band, Delhi mounted Police, Citizen Warden and Indian Olympic Association to name a few. Her uniform designs have been widely appreciated by the media, fashion gurus, critics and high profile personalities. She has also made clothes for Maneka Gandhi's welfare group People for Animals (PFA).

She is the first Indian designer to present a collection in Paris. Her style and elegance is impeccable. Today her designs have become a highlight in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, USA, London and Paris. Beri's ready-to-wear line is an impressive couture collection that had the French media raving about her.


This shoe looks to be more contemporary! I really do like this one!






These are handcrafted out of superior quality leather and embroidered with beads in various patterns. All juttis are soft and comfortable to wear. Customized designs and embroidery can also be done with beads of any color. Match these juttis (indian beaded shoes) with your dress for the occasion. These juttis are normally flat, but heeled versions are available in some styles.

More styles at this link: Indiaenterprise.com


Now she is not wearing any shoes. Her toes look like they have been dipped in red paint or a dye of some sort.




What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Coach Shoes

Normally when I think of Coach I think of bags 99% of the time but recently around town in a few outlet stores, I have been seeing coach shoes. This summer the styles I have seen are the flip flops and the tennis shoes. No heels or boots.


Work that Coach bag Tracee!

I have found these lovely shoes on the coach site. I would not mind having any of these. I really like the clogs!


New Sutton Clog: $158 ~~~~~~~Natasia Pump: $198




Kate Signature Sneaker $100~~~~~~~~Gabby Wedge: $158


Allison Pump $198~~~~~~ Adena Pump$178


Paige Boot$ 118

Upon furthur examination I found info on the charity event for Art in America. (Yeah, my girl Martha was there!) Now it seems like the grab bag on each chair is a free, very large Coach tote! Why could it not be me?!



This post reminds me of 2 of my co-workers. They are both Coach crazy. One has gone so far as to buy hot Coach bags, she is so desperate to have one and the other spends, spends, spends her money and is always wanting a Coach bag. If you save you too can have one. They are both pitiful in their own ways. I have told them both that bags are just "things." They both believe that Coach bags give them status.

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Seirra Trading Post: Shoe Sale

We are talking $19.99 and less for some things!! They are having a great sale for their 20th anniversary. Some of their shoes are even at closeout prices. Shoes that were over $100 are now at 20 and 30 dollars. They have over 1000 items at 33-85% off. I have checked out their shoes and they have a pair of ski boots that I need to get for dirty Fila for a ski trip next winter now priced in the $30 range. They don't just have shoes but other clothes that are on sale as well. Be sure to check the sale out. They do have some great prices. There is a coupon! Happy shopping!

Sierra Trading Post
Sierra Trading Post

This is the pair I want to get for dirty Fila. Last year she had the opportunity to go to Winter Park and was scared to ski. I did find some boots at Dick's Sporting goods last year which eventually went back because she bailed and did not want to go. This year she said she is going. These would be perfect for her. I may get a pair too. We may not ski but we may snowtube. That is more our speed. Close to the ground and not up on wobbly skis.

Click pictures for more details. They used to be$110. Sale price $37.46

Classic Uggs are about $50. Not the best colors left, but cute.

I am all about hiking boots! Love this one!

Sperry topsiders are on sale!

These Sperrys are only $19.86!

Stuart Weitzman Slides: $99.95

These Vaneli sandals are way cute! Only $19.86

They do have a whole lot of things on sale now. I know they are most likely clearing out and making room for the new fall things soon to arrive. I don't know about you , but I live for sales. I try to do most of my shopping when it is on sale. There are very few items I will buy at full price. Now some shoes DO fall in that catagory. If there is a shoe I must have, I will get. I am talking about other household things and clothes. You know what I mean. TTFN!


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~