Footwear Gallery: September 2005

Shoes Started as a Fad!

Wearing sturdy shoes became all the rage between 40,000 and 30,000 years ago, according to a study of toe bones.

Erik Trinkaus, a professor of anthropology at Washington University, studied the foot skeletons of western Eurasian Neanderthals and early humans who lived during the Middle Paleolithic (100,000 to 40,000 years ago) and the middle Upper Paleolithic (35,000 to 10,000 years ago).

He focused his study on phalanges, which are the 14 toe bones. He discovered that the shape, length, placement and thickness of these bones began to change 40,000 to 30,000 years ago. Early Neanderthals and humans had very robust little toes that bent and gripped surfaces.

Trinkaus told Discovery News that "shoes reduce the mechanical stress of the lesser toes," so the four little toes do not have to do much work. He observed less substantial little-toe bones in the later skeleton samples.

Trinkaus' findings are published in the current Journal of Archaeological Science.

"All people living in very cold climates had to wear some kind of thermal protection on their feet, including Neanderthals and their predecessors," said Trinkaus. "(Supportive footwear) was part of a major explosion in human technology and cultural complexity, especially after 30,000 years ago."

To test out his theory that toe bones could be linked to sturdy shoes, Trinkaus also analyzed the feet of early Native Americans, prehistoric Alaskan Inuits and 20th century Euroamericans.

The earliest direct evidence for shoes is 9,000-year-old Native American sandals but, until the time of European contact, the Native Americans are thought to have preferred bare feet.

The Inuits, on the other hand, wore heavy boots made of stiff sealskin soles and soft, fur uppers.

As Trinkaus predicted, the Native Americans had strong, flexible little toes, while the Inuit and modern Euroamerican toe bones were weaker.

Olga Soffer, professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois, agreed with the findings, but emphasized that they primarily apply to supportive, hard-soled footwear, and not to shoe wearing in general.

"While we have no evidence for sewing before some 30,000 years ago or so, that does not mean that people did not wear clothing — aka body coverings — before, just likely not sewn clothes," she told Discovery News. "The same is likely for footwear."

She added that some ancient peoples even wore shoe and pant combos that, like a hefty version of pajamas with attached footsies, provided an all-in-one ensemble.

This foot is from the skeleton of an older man who died about 26,000 years ago. It shows the less strongly built smaller toes of these Upper Paleolithic people, compared with earlier Middle Paleolithic modern humans and Neanderthals.

Yes...Sea Monsters DO Exist!

Like something straight out of a Jules Verne novel, an enormous tentacled creature looms out of the inky blackness of the deep Pacific waters.

But this isn't science fiction. A set of extraordinary images captured by Japanese scientists marks the first-ever record of a live giant squid (Architeuthis) in the wild.

The animal—which measures roughly 25 feet (8 meters) long—was photographed 2,950 feet (900 meters) beneath the North Pacific Ocean. Japanese scientists attracted the squid toward cameras attached to a baited fishing line.

The scientists say they snapped more than 500 images of the massive cephalopod before it broke free after snagging itself on a hook. They also recovered one of the giant squid's two longest tentacles, which severed during its struggle. More Here!

<>Giant Squid Washes Ashore in Tasmania

Giant Squid Found in Ross Sea

Walnut Sized Octopus Found

Octopus imitates Snakes and Fish

Timberland Dilema

Timberland Shoes. I bought these:

Women's Nellie Premium Blue Nubuck
$90.00

dirty Fila, she wants these:

Women's Lady Field Chukka
$85.00

Why would anyone want pink shoes/boots? I can't see them being very versatile so I was reluctant to get those. I really cannot see the ones I bought, but at least they will go with any jean she puts on. Her tops will blend and will go better with blue. How would it look if she had pink ones, with jeans and say a red or an orange top? That is just too many colors. Those pink shoes will not go with many things.

I make her try on these everytime we go to the mall, hoping that the more she tries them on the more she will like that style in blue! She of course tells me she does not like that style and she hates the blue ones. Well she had better get to liking! I cannot return them as they were on sale and now past the return time. I got them for christmas.

Women's Waterproof Nellie Pink Nubuck
$90.00

Now why am I so panicked? When I was little we were thankful for whatever we got under the tree. At times it was not quite what I asked for but whatever it was I used, wore, whatever. She will wear these Timberlands and be happy with them!
She will! She will! She will!
I will slap on a bow and call them Christmas!

Now some of these Timberland are very unique shoes. I know they are not for me, but they must be for someone out there.
Here is what I call the "Out of Africa" Timberland boot. Where, oh where would you wear this? Given the design, you would have to wear with a skirt at all times. Why hide all that tweed?

Women's Charles Street Darcey Tall Boot Gaucho w/Herringbone Canvas
$120.00

I am not too fond of the Fold Down. It looks a little cheap! Not well made.

Woman's Fold Down
$129.99

I do kind of like the Tall Mukluk Boot. Nice for winter.
$183.95

These are very smart. I want a pair of these.

Women's Bezel 5 in. Lace up Cognac Smooth
$100.00

These I must have. I am about hiking boots. Ever since that time many years ago when I was living in North Carolina, I have loved hiking.

Women's Chochorua Trail Hiker Brown w/Green
$110.00
I used to live near the Eno River. It was my home away from home. I would go hiking in the woods at least once a week. I even used to go by myself most of the time. I did not have a lot of friends who were into hiking. After a while I did have a friend who would go with me. Lori was her name. I remember one adventure in particular. North Carolina is hilly and has mountains and one saturday morning Lori and I got up early and went hiking. I took a can of red paint to mark the trees so we could find our way out. We hiked into the woods about 3 miles. We are not talking a marked trail. Deep woods. We came to clearing that had some huge rocks and boulders. We decided to climb. I mean HUGE boulders. As big as a house or bigger with crevices. We climbed up and we had lunch up on one of these boulders. After a while, we decided to go. I froze. I could not get down. We had used our bare hands to climb up and we had no problems. I could not get a handhold or find a way to start down. I was about 18 feet up in the air. I got panicked.

Lori tried talking me down and talking me down and talking some more. Nothing was working. We decided that she needed to hike out and get the fire department/rescue to come get me. She did not want to go as she was not an experienced hiker and was not sure she could get out and if she did, she might not be able to get back to me. She said she did not pay attention to where I had been marking trees. Remember we had no path, we were just hiking in deep woods and underbrush. She had just followed me blindly in as I knew what I was doing.
(psych!)

We waited about another hour and just did nothing. Then we tried again and this time she was able to talk me down, telling me where to put my hands and feet to pick up the very slight indentations in the rocks I had used to climb up. That was a scary day. I was frazzled and did not see ANY of the red paint markers I had sprayed on the trees to get up in those deep woods. Luckily, once I got down off the rock I decided to just walk staight and we did finally get out about a mile away from the car. Can we say Blair Witch Project?
I swear it was almost like that!

I did spend many more days at the Eno River, many days hiking and eating on big boulders out in the middle of the water. Now eating in the middle of the river was tricky as well. Most of the time where you could actually climb out was calm. It looked like this only the boulders were much bigger. The boulders were about the size of a VW Bug. So once you got out to the boulder you wanted to eat on, you would rock climb or hoist your way up. They were slippery and one fall could give you a cracked skull, coma and a crooked smile for the rest of your life. You had to be very careful on those rocks.

Most days looked like the above. Well one day I was having lunch on a huge boulder in the middle of the river. The river was extremely low that day. There were some people walking on the riverside trail instead of the wooded trail. I had been out there for about a hour. When I saw the people they were about a half mile away from me. It was 2 women. They waved at me and I waved back. They waved again. I did not wave again. I continued to eat. They continued to walk toward me. It was just barely noticable, but the water sounded just a little louder and it seemed to be moving just a little faster. I thought it was my imagination. I looked at the water swirling around my boulder and it did seem to be moving a little faster.

The women got closer and yes, the water was definitely moving faster. I looked at the boulders that I used as stepping stones to leap frog my way over to the big boulder I was perched on and instead of the water being at their base, water was now swirling at their middles. Oh God, some sort of flash flood or rain/storm flash runoff from the mountains was moving my way. I left my bottle of wine, canteen of water and 1/4 of a sandwich and got to the first boulder away from the one I was on. Water was now moving very fast. I hopped, jumped as best I could to get back to shore. I had 9 boulders hops to get back. The water rose and by the time I got to number 5 the water was just peaking the tops of the stones I came over on.

If I did not get past the last few quickly , they would be submerged and I would not be able to use them to get back. By that time the 2 women had reached the area in front of me and they were urgently yelling at me to get to shore. By the time I got to the last boulder, the water was licking the tips of my shoes and the jump from that last stone to the shore level was wide. I had river mud and about an inch of water there when I first came out. There was a gully of river water swirling fast now. The two women linked arms at the wrist and one got out as far as she could and then reached out to give me her hand to get back in.

I grabbed it and got back to shore with their help. In all the years I had been visiting the Eno River, I had never experienced that. Either the river was very low when I was out there or it was very high and I could not go out at all. I guess I had never seen the transition. The two women were North Carolina natives and they said that this was a common occurrence. All of a sudden water from the mountains can just rush down causing a flash flood/raising of the water level. I was lucky. When I got on shore, I witnessed the boulder I was just on become submerged and what was once a calm river was now raging. My wine bottle and cantene were swept away. In about a hour the water calmed. It was still high but not rushing.

After that I did eat many a lunch out in the middle of the river on boulders, but I would pack up immediately as soon as the sound of the river changed. That rushing, swirling, deadly water can be heard coming long before it gets to you.

Whaddup with 50 Cent Shoes?

G Unit Shoes

I was listening to Howard Stern a few weeks ago and it just so happened the 50 Cent was on that day with Howard sans G-Unit. It was about a 15 minute ride to work so I got to hear just about that much of the interview. Very interesting. He is feuding with rappers Fat Joe and The Game. No wonder those rappers need all that protection. The things they are fueding about seem kind of ridiculous. One issue is that 50 wrote a song for The game that was a hit and Fat Joe made a comment about security at the awards. Can't we all just get along? The even talked about how Sean Puffy Puff Daddy P-Ditty Ditty Combs is trying to copy his name. Fiddy--Diddy. Get it? The crushing blow came when 50 said that when you see Sean Puffy Puff Daddy P-Ditty Ditty Combs clothes in Target his career was over! So, its over Diddy! Over! Full interview at Howard stern site.

50 also has a book coming out called From Pieces to Weight.
Get it at Amazon!

Fitty also has his own shoe line by Reebok. I only looked at the shoes for women that appealed to me. Here are they are. Not bad looking. So far dirty Fila has not asked for any. She is still hung up on Converse.

$75.50
Reebok G xt II Low Casual Shoe Womens

$70.50
Reebok GTX II Low Casual Shoe Womens Launch

$65.50
Reebok G-Unit Low Casual Shoe Womens

Rumor has it that 50 was pining after Lindsey Lohan. He was calling her agent, trying to get her number. Trying to hit that, I guess. I wonder if a union ever happened? What did Lindsey have to say:

Well Eminem is in rehab for drug use now, so she had better call 50 Cent. He does not use drugs or drink at all. According to him, in his interview with Howard, he has never used drugs or alcohol. He was around it sooo much he never used it as he saw what it could to do people.

ananova

Frederick Gay and Sylvain le Guen (Workshop: " A pas d 'Anges")

I found this exhibit of Shoes and Fans awhile ago and thought it was quite interesting. The artist is pictured below. He is a fan designer but for one exhibit has added shoes. His site.

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION IN THE VISITATION HALL OF THE ROMANS MUSEUM
From December 18 2004 to March 28 2005

Shoes, like fans, are more than just accessories, above all they are symbols connected to departure, movement, communication and elevation. This is why we enthusiastically responded to the challenge of the plastic arts to participate in an exhibition at the Shoe Museum. The opportunity to connect foot and hand in a setting conducive to the conservation and preservation of knowledge resolutely turned towards contemporary creation was too good to pass.

It is Later Than You Think

Doesn't it seem like too many things are happening in the world right now? Makes me think the end times are here and the world is coming to an end. Earthquakes, hurricanes, wars and rumors of wars. Times are scary and really make me think. Makes me think the antichrist is getting ready to spread his wings and fly.

While I was looking for signs of the end of the world I stmubled up on this article. It is just what I was looking for. Interesting. After reading it I do believe that at least 6 of these signs have already happened.

THE TWELVE SIGNS OF THE END OF THE WORLD

'It is later than you think'.
Fr Seraphim Rose (+1982)

No man knows when the world will end. Indeed the time of the end of the world was not even communicated by the Father to the human nature of the Son (Matt.24,36). However, in the Gospels the Son of God does tell us of the signs which must come to pass before the end of the world. What are these signs and what conclusions, however hesitant, can we draw from them about the times in which we live?

The twelve signs that must come to pass before the end are given as follows:
1) Many will come in the name of Christ and deceive many (Matt.24,5; Mark 13,6; Luke 21,8)

2) There will be wars and rumours of wars between nations and kingdoms (Matt.24, 6-7; Mark 13,7-8; Luke,21,9-10).

3) The first sorrows will be in the form of calamities: 'famines, pestilences and earthquakes in divers places', fearful sights and great signs from heaven (Matt.24,7-8; Mark, 13,8; Luke 21,11).

4) Orthodox Christians will be delivered up, killed and hated by all nations (Matt. 24,9; Mark 13, 9-11; Luke 21,12-15).

5) Everywhere men will hate and betray each other (Matt.24,10; Mark 13,12-13; Luke 21,16-17).

6) Many false prophets will appear and deceive many (Matt.24,11).

7) On account of abundant iniquity (evil deeds and unrepented sin), the love of many will grow cold. Only those who endure to the end will be saved (Matt.24,12-13; Mark 13,13; Luke 21,19).

8) The Gospel will be preached throughout the world 'for a witness unto all nations' (Matt.24,14; Mark 13,10).

9) After this Jews will become Orthodox Christians (Romans 11,25-28).
10) Preparations will be made for the coming of Antichrist, called the son of perdition and the beast. Preceded by false prophets and false signs and wonders, Antichrist will be a master of illusion, of 'shock and awe', taking away people's freedom, but making them think that they have been freed. He will persecute the true servants of Christ with rage and fury. The Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt for him to be enthroned there in the place of Christ - hence his name 'Antichrist', he who comes in the place of Christ (Matt, 24,15-24; Mark 13,14-22; 2 Thess.3-11; 1 John 2,18; Rev.13,1-8).

11) Signs will appear in the heavens, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, the sea and the waves will roar and the powers of heaven will be shaken (Matt.24,29; Mark,13,24-25; Luke 21,25-26).
12) The sign of the Son of man (the Cross) will appear in the heavens and then will take place the Second Coming of Christ with power and great glory. Angels will be sent and shall gather the elect together 'from the four winds' (Matt.24,30-31; Mark 13,26-27, Luke 21,27).

As we look at the above, we may be tempted to think that the first half of these signs, the first six, have already come to pass. Concerning the first sign, over the centuries many have indeed come, saying that they are Christ and they have deceived many. As regards the second sign, the twentieth century especially but also already the beginning of the twenty-first century, have been marked by 'wars and rumours of wars'. The third sign, 'natural' (i.e. unnnatural) disasters, has been taking place, as 'famines, pestilences and earthquakes' are occurring all over the world.

Fourthly, Orthodox Christians have everywhere been 'delivered up, killed and hated'. The fifth sign has also appeared, for the modern world seems to be full of 'hatred and betrayal'. Sixth, false prophets already abound and 'deceive many'.
However, there are those who would go beyond this interpretation. They would say that we are now already three-quarters of the way to the end, with the revelation of the three next signs.

For them, the seventh sign, iniquity, now abounds and the love of many is indeed growing cold. And the eighth sign too is now under way, for the Gospel is being preached throughout the world as, with the freeing of Russia and global population movements, Orthodox Christianity is now spreading throughout the world.

A time is coming when there will be no man who has not heard of the Orthodox Church. As regards the ninth point, the fact is also that many Jews, in Russia at least, have in recent years been baptised into the Orthodox Church.
If this is the case, then we are now awaiting the preparation of the tenth sign. What can we say of this, the final preparation for the coming of Antichrist?
Certainly, there is now an abundance of false prophets claiming to speak in the name of Christ.

Through modern technology, signs and wonders, unthinkable even a few years ago, now take place.

As the father of lies (John 8,44), Antichrist's master plan of illusion is everywhere in evidence. It is present through the propaganda ('spin') of modern media, advertising and marketing, the conformist drug of television, computer trickery and other electronic technology, the levelling down of modern education -'ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' (2 Timothy 3,7). Through these instruments of control, the masses are manipulated and enslaved to delusion by those in whose interest it is to manipulate them. Wisdom leaves the city.

Imagining that they are still free, the masses are enslaved in debt to usurers. This debt is cleverly concealed under the illusion of its opposite -'credit', the 'freedom' to buy whatever they want whenever they want.

The illusions of global unity and peace are promised through physical comforts. These are granted at the price of freedom, which must be surrendered to self-proclaimed 'democrats', in fact, dictators.

Through apostasy from faith in the Risen Christ, apostates lose their freedom from the fear of death, the Resurrection faith which is now everywhere being denied. These apostates, fearing bodily death, will be psychologically enslaved to the Master of illusion and willing to do anything in order to hold onto their earthly lives. Antichrist will come to occupy the now vacant throne in men's souls.
Fierce persecution of the last remaining servants of Christ, still faithful to the Resurrection and resisting Antichrist, will begin once more.

Since the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and the establishment of the Jewish State, plans have been drawn up for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and the coming worship of Antichrist there.

What are we to think?
Many cynics will dismiss this article as mere panic-mongering. They will say that many have already announced the end and become laughing-stocks. This is true - but they became laughing-stocks because they did not know the Scriptures and, ignoring Christ's own words that no man knows of that day and hour (Matt.24,36), they imagined the precise dates of the end of the world. From this we learn that is always foolish to despise the words of the Saviour and ignore the Scriptures.
Other cynics will say that others have predicted the end, without giving a precise date, and still been found wrong. However, many of these did not predict the end of the world, but the end of a world. This happened, as prophesied, in A.D. 70 with the sack of Jerusalem by the Romans and the end of the world of the Jews. This happened in 1066, when English people saw signs and understood that their world was coming to an end with the sack of England by the Normans.

This happened again in 1917, when Russian people saw the iniquity around them and understood that their world was coming to an end with the sack of Russia by the Bolsheviks. Those who in such cases predicted the end of a world were indeed found right and vindicated.

Yet other cynics will say that others have predicted the imminent end of the world, without giving a precise date, and still been found wrong. However, if such people care to consider these warnings, they will always find that the warnings were given conditionally. In other words, they always said that the world will end, if there is no repentance. The inevitable events prophesied by Christ in the Gospels can be put forward or put back. We have the freedom either to hasten the coming of Antichrist or to delay it.

It is to this last group that we join ourselves. Not of course because we are prophets, or have any other virtue, but because we, like millions of others, simply hold fast to the two-thousand year-old Orthodox Christian Faith, the Faith of the Church of Christ, the Faith in the Resurrection. Certainly, no man knows the times and seasons (1 Thess.5,1), but if there is not repentance now, it is clear that one day there will be no more times and seasons.

Fr Andrew
16/29 JanuarySt Peter ad VinculaThe Chains of the Holy Apostle Peter

Elf Shoes

Seems awfully early to be thinking about the holidays but what else can I do. dirty Filas has been informing me of all the things she wants. Not neccesarily for christmas but in general. The list seems to be expansive so the only thing to do was to start thinking of christmas. What does she want? Ipod Nano and a Play Station 2. I have been resisiting a Play station 2 for about 4 years. We have a Nintendo 64 that is perfectly good with lots of games. She tells me that is played out.

In addition to those 2 big electronic things she wants music and games of course. She also wants clothes. We have looked at a BabyPhat jacket and she has tried it on. She has wanted a jacket like that since last year. Last year she got other Babyphat clothes but not the jacket. She also wants clothes from her other favorite stores: Old Navy and Limited II for Girls.

Well, with all those "wants" she will be better clothed and electronically outfitted than her mother. And expensively outfitted as well. So I did what any mother would do. I started buying now. And hiding. And putting things on layaway. Thanks goodness for Walmart layaway for all those electronic things. So it has been like Christmas in September. I already have my santa hat on!

Carnival of the Recipes: Balsamic Bleu Chicken Salad

Last weekend I took dirty Fila out to lunch and we went to Atlanta Bread Company. It is one of her favorite places to go. I had something new that I had not had before called the Balsamic Blue Salad. It was out of this world GOOD! As soon as I got home I had to recreate that salad with chicken added . NowTHAT is a meal. As I am only making this for mainly me, I have not really measured. Just made it up to eat a lunch or for my dinner. dirty Fila is not a fan of balsamic vinegar. Here is my recipe.. no measurements but who really needs measurement to make a good salad whether it be for 1 or 4? Enjoy. I have eaten this everyday this week.

Balsamic Bleu Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

Field Greens or the Spring Mix prebagged salad

Crumbled Bleu Cheese

Walnut Pieces

Granny Smith Apples Slices

Sliced Tomato

Red Onion

Dried Cranberries

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 cup Cooked Chicken

In a large bowl place salad greens. Add all the other ingredients except chicken. Toss well. Sprinkle chicken on top. Add just a touch more balsamic viaigrette if needed.

OOPS! Excuuuuuuuse Me!

Dear Evil Coworkers,

You too can get a big bonus like the one I got today. Try WORKING! Or putting forth a little effort by working late maybe one night a week for a month or so to get ahead, you too can get some recognition. Stop giving me the evil eye because that is all you did today after the morning announcements. Stop looking at me and then talking behind my back about how I got a bonus. Get off your duffs and do some work! Do something more than just the job or the minimum requirements. Jealousy has reared it's ugly head and it is not pretty.

Wannabe: learn what it means to be a team player and check the neck rolling, finger snapping attitude at the door when you come to the office. You come across as an angry blackwoman 24 -7. This does not work in the corporate world.

Snakeskin: what can I say about you? Only this..I will be bringing my pet mongoose to the office next week. Get to steppin' or slinking away!

Wingtips: the tides are turning it seems. You were the first to return work to me as you had too much to do. Suck it up people. You have to DO to GO somewhere. Move and shake people! Move and shake!

Finishing: Speak your own english and not mine! God help me, I get soo tired of the finishing. Now all of sudden you can't be interrupted because you have lists to work as your stats are low. Well, you have not worried about it all year. Why start now? It is too late to made a dramatic improvement before year end. There simply is not enough time!

Skank: What can I say about skank! Looking like you are dressed for the club everyday. A joke is what you are really seen as...loud and tacky! Don't be coming back to my desk all loud up asking me what I got a bonus for. Luckily the phone rang cause I was going to read you on the spot. I was not wanting to sink down to your level, but I would have just for that moment.

Stop hating on me. Start looking at your own performance. The higher ups are always looking. Really looking at us people of color to see what is WRONG and not what is RIGHT. We have to be better than everyone else and work twice as hard to get what some get just because they have blond hair and blue eyes. Take charge of your own destiny as only you can. Don't look at what others are doing because then you become just like crabs...crab antics...as soon as one gets near the top, all the others try to pull that crab right back down into the barrel with all the others. Look at yourself!

Excuse me for doing my job and doing it well. Excuse me for getting a little recognition for a job well done. Trust me.. it is overdue. I got it today but it is long overdue.

What's in a Shoe?

Lil' Kim Reports to Jail

The 30-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, was whisked into the federal detention center past a throng of media, fans and passers-by at about 4:45 p.m.

Earlier, she issued a statement saying she had "unfortunately" been assigned to the concrete, high-rise Philadelphia facility instead of to a prison camp "as discussed."
She added: "I am not certain that this constitutes fair and equal treatment."
Her lawyer, L. Londell McMillan, said a celebrity like Lil' Kim could be in danger in the detention center.

"Why should a female hip-hop artist have to spend time in an urban concrete jungle while other female prisoners are assigned to rural, suburban-type prison camps?" said McMillan, adding that he would seek to have his client reassigned.

Calls to the federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service were not returned Monday.
The 4-foot-11 rapper, who was convicted of lying about the gun battle to a federal grand jury and in the subsequent trial, brought about 20 to 25 people to Philadelphia with her in two RVs. Her mother, brother and lawyer were allowed to accompany her briefly into the detention center to say goodbye, McMillan said.

"She was upbeat, smiling," he said. "She told her mom not to cry and to stay strong."
Lil' Kim will be assigned to a female work cadre at the coed prison, McMillan said, noting that she could be out in nine months with good behavior.

"Today begins a new saga in my life which I expect to strengthen me and allow me time for reflection," Lil' Kim said in her statement. "I plan to write music while in prison, read and pray regularly and will come out a stronger, more confident woman."

more here

What Kind of Boots Are You?

You Are Bold Red Boots

You like to put your most outrageous foot forward!

What Kind of Boots Are You?

Let me know what boot you are! Leave a comment! Thanks!

What Kind of Sandal are You?

You are Slingback Sandals

Classy and sophisticated
You dress to the nines wherever you go
Even if it's in your couture sweats!

What Kind of Sandal Are You?

Take the test! Let me know!

Simon Wiesenthal Dead at 96

Great Shoes Gone

A statement on the Simon Wiesenthal Center Web site said he died early Tuesday in Vienna, Austria.

With more than six million Jews killed during the Holocaust, including 89 members of his own family, Wiesenthal felt driven to track down those involved in the atrocities.

In his book "Justice, Not Vengeance," Wiesenthal wrote: "Survival is a privilege which entails obligations. I am forever asking myself what I can do for those who have not survived.

"The answer I have found for myself (and which need not necessarily be the answer for every survivor) is: I want to be their mouthpiece, I want to keep their memory alive, to make sure the dead live on in that memory."

Wiesenthal is credited with helping to bring more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice.

"Simon Wiesenthal was the conscience of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

"When the Holocaust ended in 1945 and the whole world went home to forget, he alone remained behind to remember. He did not forget. He became the permanent representative of the victims, determined to bring the perpetrators of history's greatest crime to justice.

"There was no press conference and no president or prime minister or world leader announced his appointment. He just took the job. It was a job no one else wanted.

"The task was overwhelming. The cause had few friends. The Allies were already focused on the Cold War, the survivors were rebuilding their shattered lives and Simon Wiesenthal was all alone, combining the role of both prosecutor and detective at the same time.

"His greatest accomplishment was that he showed the world what one person determined to do the right thing can accomplish," Hier said.

Wiesenthal was held in a number of concentration camps during World War II, being freed by American forces from Mauthausen in Austria on May 5, 1945. At the time, he weighed less than 100 pounds, according to his biography.

He said he quickly realized "there is no freedom without justice," and decided to dedicate "a few years" to seeking justice. "It became decades," he added.

CNN

The Corpse Bride

Is anyone going to see the Corpse Bride? I love Johnny Depp and I really like all of Tim Burton's movies. Dark and goth. I plan to go. Can't wait to see it!

Pandora's Shoe Box

This past weekend Pandora's shoe Box opened and opened wide! I have not bought any shoes all years. Remember my new years reso-shoe-tions?

(imagine a shoe in the center of this box!)

Shoes, shoes, shoes! Everywhere shoes! I only bought 7 pairs! Just 7! All fall and winter, but I needed them. Every last pair! So now I am up to 65 pairs! I changed my number at the top of this page!

What did I find? Well, I could only find pictures of 2 of them. Here they are! I am wearing this pair today. By Tommy Hilfiger. They are very comfortable! I love these clogs!

I also found two pairs of lovely aerosoles. One is a pair of black patent leather Aerosoles which can be found here. I also found a brown high heeled aerosole mule...suede, which I love. Here it is!

The other shoes were a pair of sexy black boots by Splash. Kind of trendy. Lace up fronts. These are the ones! Kind of out of the ordinary for me but I wanted something a little different. They are much higher in the heel than what I normally wear.

Dirty Fila has told me that she thinks these boots are too youthful for me. What is up with that? Just because I am in my 40's I must now wear granny boots? Kids!

The other shoes I found were just an equally treasured as the ones above. I found a pair of dress slides by Nine West. They are some sort of lizard skin, black with tooled leather. Very nice! I also found a pair of Via Spiga's that were just gorgeous. Again some sort of lizard/snake skin...maybe anaconda? I know it was not regular snakeskin. Black and pumpkin print. The last pair was a pair of Sacha Too's. A tweed pair of shoes with a tweed bow on the side of each toe. Very distinctive. I would have to wear solids with that, to not down play the shoes.

The shoe itch has been scratched for just a little while. I am content. It is just that I saw about 5 more pairs at another store that I just window shopped in on the same day I found all the others. I am content for now...content until the next wave of shoe mania hits!

The Fake Jamaican

I met a girl who works in another division today and all I can say is DRAMA queen! Oh my God! She was totally unprofessional and just plain old ghetto. Let’s take a closer look at those fake Jamaican shoes.

Okay.
I arrived at the office first and was sitting at my computer. Her clothing was fine but she had the 2 tone brown and auburn weave, curls, heavy make up and 3 inch nails. Let’s start with the hair. That was a bad weave. It was very shiny and curly and looked totally unnatural. She was very proud of her hair. Not knowing her at all and meeting her for the first time, she began to tell me how she loved her hair and with her new “do” she gets lots of stares. She told me she went to the mall last night and a woman kept staring at her and just kept staring. Finally she said she said hello to the woman and the woman told her she looked just like Whitney Houston.

The way she said it she really believed in her heart of heart that she looked like Whitney Houston. Well, I have the inane ability to sense “psycho” in people and I could hear the music from the knife scene already in my head. She did not know me from ADAM so she had no idea I was not a fan of Whitney Houston.

After telling me what the woman said she just smiled at me and shook her head like she was shaking it yes, like I was to agree. I just looked. The Fake Jamaican then said that she did not know if that was a compliment or an insult.

Bells went off and whistles too. I jumped in and told her that it was clearly an insult for anyone to say she looked like Whitney Houston. I told her that I say that because Whitney and low class, ignorant and quite ghetto. The Fake Jamaican looked at me. I then proceeded to tell her why… that Whitney cannot put a noun and a verb together to make a complete sentence. I had heard her on several TV interviews at the start of her career and she was an embarrassment to herself. It was clear that English was a second language to her.

How was that for nipping that in the bud? The Fake Jamaican never mentioned that to me again. I did hear her over and over telling the same things to others in the office and some did agree that she looked like Whitney. Wannabee!

Let’s go to the make up. The days of black woman wearing black eye liner as lip liner is over. WAY OVER! But there she was sitting at the desk every morning and after lunch drawing a thick black line around her mouth with black liner and then filling in her lips with a frosted bronze lipstick. It looked awful. Then she had the audacity to tell me that she knows she looks 25 cause she tries to keep her stuff together. She is in her 40’s, has 3 kids, 20, 14 and 15. She does not look in any way shape or form like 25. 25 left her years ago. Wearing ghetto fab clothing inappropriate for your age does not make her look 25. Not all the Baby Phat in the world will do that!

The nails. Clearly so long that it was hard to type. 3 inches. Fake. You know..hair and nails did.

Every conversation was all about her. By the 2^nd day we were all sick of her. Sick of the fake airs and the lies. Some of the things she was saying were clearly made up. Totally unbelievable.

The fake Jamaican. That relates to her accent. She has affected some very weird accent that she takes in, in an attempt to speak proper. She thinks it sounds good, like she has some “edgemucation” but it does not. It was a point of conversation behind her back... not from me... but others. Why was she taking with that accent? Some sort of Jamaican accent. She is from a small town in the south in South Carolina and I know there are some dialects and things there, but this was not like anything even remotely like a sea island dialect. It was a made up accent that she now talks in trying to sound educated.

She is a woman with issues…personal and with her own self esteem. I wonder what the real girl/woman is like under all of that fake hair, fake age, fake accent and fake drama. The other managers who have worked with her this week had finally seen the light. She was on loan to our office but she will not be coming back. Not only was all her personal drama spilling over into everything, she tried to cause drama with one of the other girls here who was trying to help her with a difficult customer. Clearly she was in trouble with the customer in handling her problem. Someone here tried to jump in to help her regain control and she got mad at that person. She snapped that she was being distracted and that she knew how to handle her business….all in front of the customer.

That will be that last our office will see of The Fake Jamaican. Thank god because it was not ‘ hey mon, don’t worry, no problem’. Instead it was all problems. I hope that she will work out her own self esteem issues one day for her own sake. She has some serious pit falls ahead of her. The bad thing is she can’t see it right now so she will be taking the hard road in life.

Evil in the Office

Does evil lurk in your office? It lurks in mine waiting for the chance to work in a dig or a rub whenever it can. It hides under desks, behind the fax, in the mailslot and in the keyboards. It makes me sick. Why can't the office be evil free. There has to be an evil free place somewhere and that is the place where I want to work.

Here are just a few of the latest things that evil has done.

A birthday card was being passed around for all to sign for another employee in the office. some jealous crows decided to put the card on her desk and ask the birthday girl if she had signed the card yet, knowing good and well it was for her. Luckily finishing shoes and I saw what was happening and ran over and snatched the card away from her before birthday girl had a good look at it. What did the crows say when they were confronted by me about the goof? "Oops, my bad." Evil!
There was a birthday card circulated about 2 months ago for a girl who works in another unit. Someone actually signed the card, "Happy Birthday Wannabe." That was mean and really evil
Some of the woman have formed a birthday club where they get small gifts and go out for lunch for the club members. Well 2 newer employees were asked to join the club and for 6 months they bought gifts for others and paid for the communal lunches. When their birthdays came around, the other club members did nothing. No gifts and no lunch. To make matters worst, the club members never mentioned anything about their birthdays ever again. The 2 employees never went to lunch with them again and the club members have treated them like they never ever went to lunch with then at all. Really cruel!
Dont's go on vacation and forget to put things on top of your desk away..like staplers, recorders, whatever... when some peopel come back...usually the less popular ones.. all their stuff has been replaced with broken items. There desks are used for spare working office equipment when they are gone. It is evil to come back from vacation and have none of your stuff on your desk and all the items are broken. Evil!
Food. Yes people do bring food from home to have at lunch time. Most bring some sort of frozen dinner. Some people, and they are always the same ones, will forget their lunch or have no money to buy lunch for themselves , will go into the fridge and eat the lunches of others, vowing to replace it. Needless to say, replacement is hit or miss.. Usually miss.
There is alot more disguised in the form of pointed emails or messages to managers. Sometimes evil in the office takes the form of non team work behavior which can mess up deadlines or negotiations.

Sometimes I get sick of it. It is all so petty. Especially the birthday stuff. I mean we are grown adults not kids begging for a birthday party. it is just crazy. That birthday stuff is NOT EVEN job related, but if affects how people act toward each other and how they interact when people are out.

I wonder if there is a market for office excorcists? Maybe I could change carreers? I can get some holy water and seek out the office instigators. When I get through with them they will be demon free. Can't we just all get along? I hate to have to referee some of the craziness that I have to in my office. Remember this post? Scandalous Shoes! Unbelievable!

Where was her stylist?

Ice T and his wife Coco at the MTV music awards. Or was it the VMA Awards? Where was her stylist? He or she MUST have had the day off for her to pick this out to wear.

My mom always told me to LOOK in the mirrow before leaving the house.

Those thighs need the Thighmaster! Something is wrong!!!
Get Susanne Somers on the phone quick!

Baked Brie Extraordinaire

Carnival of the Recipes

This recipe is quick and easy. Plus it will make you look marvelous…like you are a head chef straight out of Hell’s Kitchen. Needless to say, you will be perceived as a gourmet cook and get lots of compliments.

Ingredients:

Medium to large wheel of Brie
Brown Sugar
Almonds
Butter
Pastry Dough

Directions:

Cut Brie in half horizontally so you have 2 halves
Sprinkle brown sugar generously one of the halves
Sprinkle almonds generously over one of the halves
Cut up butter pats and generously place all over the brown sugar and almonds

Place the Brie halve held in reserve on top of the other
Wrap the pastry dough around the Brie and bake for 30 minutes

Condi and Me and Ferragamo Makes Three!

Condoleeza Rice and Ferragamo Shoes!

Here's the real dish. Since I was there, let me put all the rumors to rest. After all it is just rumor that has not yet been verified. Even Snopes doesn't know for sure; but my hairdresser does!

I had spent the last 3 days watching Hurricane coverage on tv and on CNN.com and was hurricaned out! So what is a girl to do for diversion? Go shoe shopping of course. I called up my friend Condi (I am an A-List blogger you know) and off we went shoe shopping. She was already on vacation. Her boss was too . (Eventhough New Orleans has been washed away and America seems to be loosing the war and soldiers everyday, it was vacation time for all in the West Wing. )

Condi and I had Breakfast at Tiffanies and then set our feet to walking. We shopped on Fifth Avenue and found many must have things. Condi found a new outfit for the weekend and I found a new MOO ROO. Who was thinking of the South drowning when there were shoes to see? Shoes were next on the agenda.

Me, I was just a little envious of Condi's shoes! She knows how to really wear a pair of boots '>! Most impressive in this picture! Makes me think of bondage and dominatrixity or the Matrix. I digress. Where was I ? Shoes.

We decided to go to Ferragamo's for shoes and we were confronted by a shrew! Condi has an "in" and I was trying to get the hook up too. (It helps to know people. I was hoping Ferragamo could do a little somethin' somethin' for me.) We were minding our own business when this shrieking woman decided to get all up in my gurl's face. I told her to back up off Condi and to slow her roll. She was messing with me getting my shoe on!

She shouted, "How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!" - presumably referring to Louisiana and Mississippi.

Condi gave her the Evil EYE!

Pretty evil, huh?

Condi put her hands on her hips, got the neck moving and told the woman to stay out of her koolaid because she did not know the flava. Needless to say it was almost a girl fight up in there. Condi kicked off her shoes, took off her earrings and asked me if I had any vasoline in my purse.

Well, Condi rolls with her own secret service crew, so she holla'ed at them to watch her back. Like G-Unit protecing Fiddy, poof! That heifer was gone. She was gone. No more "Condi hatin" shoppers in our local. Several thousands of dollars later and 10 bags heavier, we left.

You wanted to know the real Condi scoop. Well there it is. I was there. Condi almost kicked her butt. She was on vacation. Call the office if you want to talk about work related things. And leave a message if you get Condi's voice mail. She will call you back once she gets in. For now, we are too busy trying on our shoes and matching them up with outfits.

Can't a sistuh get her shoe on without interruption from national crisis? That crisis is not going to end overnight. Now is it? But this shoe sale might! Get your priorities straight cause shoes, Condi and me, make three.

(Thanks to Owen for emailing me about this Condi/Ferragamo dilema)

Funny how a rumor can spread and pretty soon the

whole world is talking about it.

Do you really think she is not concerned

about the hurricane situation? Really! It is just a rumor.

How does that song go?

Don't start nothing, won't be nothing.

Preidt Shoes

William has provided me with this link. Preidt Shoes. What can I say? Just wonderful european shoes! Beautiful! Handmade by european artisans so they have small lots of sizes and styles. Not many will be wearing the same shoes as you. You will be making a fashion statement!

Here are some of my favorites. They have many more. Be sure to check them out!

They believe that shoes are the fingerprints of style! I agree!