This is it now, baby.

Alternate title:

She’s Just Not That Into Shoes.

Been thinking about this for a long while now, and decided that the end of the year is as good a time for change as any.

I’m shutting this blog down. I’ll leave the archives up, but will no longer be posting here. Comments on past posts have all been closed.

If you’re interested in following me in a non-shoe-related context, some of you already know that you can find me at Jane Ray 1940. Over there, I’ll probably be babbling on about ukuleles and western swing and just being a geeky ex-scenester fangirl who misses the 1980s far too much. Or I may not be babbling on at all; we’ll see where it goes. I’ll remain on Flickr too – note that I’m no longer using my nom de shoes; I’m now janeray1940.

Thank you all for reading! And an extra-special big thank you to all of the shoe companies (and one sock company!) who have sent me products to review. It’s been fun.

Wishing everybody a happy, healthy new year!

 

A very merry happy!

Christmas greetings from the beach!

 

Affluenza, consumerism, and ukuleles.

Just minutes after I posted a bit about consumerism and shopping over at the other blog – wait, you didn’t know about the other blog, did you? - this article hit my inbox because of its mention of ukuleles. I recently picked up the uke again for the first time since I was about nine years old – but I had no idea that I was on the cutting edge of recessionista fashion!

But allow us one toy this holiday season.

The plucky, four-stringed ukulele has become an unlikely feel-good purchase in these hard times. Billionaire Warren Buffett extols the “miracles of the ukulele” and can be seen playing the electric uke on YouTube (he taught Bill Gates how to play). Ukulele sales are up across the country. They are cheap (you can buy one for around $30) and relatively easy to master. Even in the hands of amateurs, the ukulele insists on producing a happy sound.

If you’re on Robbie Blinkoff’s street in Rodgers Forge on certain evenings, you might hear the sound of a ukulele playing  “Ode to Joy.” Toddlers, accompanied by their parents, have been known to waddle toward the siren call of the uke. Before the hometown crowd, Blinkoff plays with equal parts passion and splendid mediocrity. This is his reprieve from the fear and anxiety of a year spent worrying about money. People don’t want to feel that way anymore, he says. He’s prepared to add to his five documented stages of the grounded consumer.

“The sixth stage is joy, “ Blinkoff says. “You have to be open to experiencing joy and understand it takes work and time—and faith, as well.”

 

A month of shoes.

Those of you who know me at all know that I’m a huge commitmentphobe. The idea of committing to something voluntarily – take NaBloPoMo, for instance – sounds absolutely insane to me. But it seems like each November people are posting to their blogs daily – heck, they’re even writing novels – and this year I thought I’d make an attempt to commit to something: NoBloShoeMo. Except there wasn’t an “official” version. Whatever. I’m not much of a joiner anyway so I did it on my own: A Month of Shoes.

First, a confession: I missed a couple days. And in addition to my inability to commit, I’m also a horrible mathematician, because somehow I ended up with only 29 photos in a month of 30 days. Whatever again.

The point, for me, was to evaluate the 30-odd pairs of shoes in my closet. Because – this may sound shocking, I know – I’ve had this idea for a while that one really only needs ten good pairs of shoes to be well-shod for just about any occasion. As I live in a 288-square-foot apartment, I thought some downsizing made sense.

So I was ruthless. Each day I set out to wear a different pair of shoes. If they rubbed, pinched, squeaked, or otherwise irritated in any way at all, they went into the eBay box. Some went on eBay right away, others I decided to ponder a bit longer.

The end result? I now own 12 pairs of shoes and three pairs of boots. Not quite the ten I was aiming for, but close, darned close. I’ve managed to offload over half of the shoes that were gathering dust in my closet – no small accomplishment for someone with my history!

Here are the Top Ten shoes that got to stay:

• KEEN Sienna Mary Janes
• Dansko Professional Cabrio Clogs
• Dansko Marcelle Cabrio Clogs
• Terra Plana Odette Flats
• PF Flyers Center Lo Sneaker
• Camper Birdie Mary Janes
• Cydwoq Win Oxfords
• KEEN Emily Mary Janes
• Gentle Souls Gabby Ballet Flats
• Camper Spiral Helix Boots

There were a few duplicates rounding out my collection (hey, I need two colors of those Marcelles!) and variations (Dansko, Sanita, Sanita, Dansko) but you get the idea. Getting dressed is now easier because I only own *perfect* shoes now, I am no longer in danger of being buried under an avalanche of footwear, and I’ve made a few bucks back on eBay – WIN all around. Now, if only I could do the same with my books. Or my Pyrex collection.

Baby steps…

 

Happy Turkey Day!

 

An Etsy shout-out.

It’s holiday shopping time and I think that’s a perfect excuse to buy art! Take a look at the new photographic offerings on Etsy from my pal Blurrylens. My personal favorite is the lo-fi record shop in Amsterdam.

You can even buy a pic of my dearly departed old Schwinn Collegiate!

Happy holiday shopping!

 

Let’s talk about sneakers, okay?

So over on Twitter – which I’m finding a fun enough time waster, but not all that useful in other ways, but I digress – I asked the question:

Can anybody recommend a shoe that looks like Chuck Taylors but is actually *comfortable*?

Save for a suggestion to check out Simple – which no longer appears to be making the wide, toe-capped shoes they used to offer – I’ve got nothin’. But I did get a few replies from others who wanted to know the same thing, so I know that I’m not alone in my quest.

A few years ago, Converse made a wide version of Chucks. I missed my chance with those, which are no longer made.

Keen makes the Coronado and the Ventura, which are close, but just not quite right. The Coronado isn’t really much more comfortable than Chucks themselves, and the Ventura in “black” is really more of a dark grey or navy.

I can’t believe that with all of those choices, not a single one of them is comfortable! Before Converse shifted their manufacturing to China, I absolutely lived in Chucks. Even then, I heard others complain about how Chucks weren’t comfortable, but for me, they were. Not anymore.

Anyway, I’m trying to streamline my shoe collection down to the bare minimum. Meaning, maybe 10 pairs of less. This would mean that one pair should be comfortable sneakers. Sounds logical, right? Except I’m coming up with nothing. Nothing!!

If you have a recommendation for a comfortable sneaker – meaning, say, one I could walk a mile or so in without complaining – by all means, bring it on. Otherwise? I’m going to track down some of the elusive red sparkly “party Converse” on eBay.

Because uncomfortable shoes are probably a little better if they’re red and sparkly!

~ ~ ~

ETA: we may have a winner. The PF Flyers Center Lo!