Sunday

[pbray]

The sticky, muggy weather continues with the added bonus of a tornado watch in effect until 3PM. Tornadoes being extremely rare in these parts, when I saw the warning I immediately double-checked it on another weather website, to confirm that it wasn't a mistake.

Been a busy weekend-- Friday night was First Friday and dinner at the Lost Dog with friends. Yesterday I worked on copyedits for the ur-bar project, and then went shopping. I spent OMG on a pair of shoes for the summer--but the moment I put them on they just felt right. It's hard to find any shoes that work with orthotics; harder still to find open-toed summer shoes that meet that criteria. But the cheap shoes I had bought from a chain store at the beginning of May had blistered my feet badly, so I knew I needed to do something.

I'm rationalizing that even though this pair cost 2x what I would normally consider my limit, they are fully repairable, and should last for years. And the shoe store's price was competitive with the best deal I could find on the internets. Still I suspect it will be a while before the sticker shock fades.

In the meantime, I've got errands to run, then co-conspirator Josh is heading over this afternoon so we can collate the copyedits. Fun!

Comments

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Shoes + orthotics- Goodness yes! I have the darndest time finding shoes. Glad you found some good ones!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

And summer shoes are always the hardest.

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

The storms just went through over in our part of the Midwest, and while there's a Tornado Watch until 3 PM, the humidity disappeared. Better weather is on the way, just batten down the hatches for a day or so.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

And as night falls here, heat & humidity is gone, and it's supposed to get unseasonably cold over night. Good sleeping weather for those of us who lack a/c.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Could you let me know the brand, here or by email? Given that I have been wearing the same four pairs of shoes for the last 10 months...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Durea is the brand, from Holland, I believe. The pair I bought was their Fiona model. As you'll see, OMG expensive (the local shoe store was actually about 20 bucks cheaper than the internet).

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I like the Dr Comfort shoes I have, but I'd like to try some different styles. Haven't heard of Durea before. Hm...

Heh, I haven't ever paid quite that much for shoes, but I've been close. The most expensive "ortho" shoes I've seen are the brand supposedly designed by a female foot doctor. They're $400+ per pair. I've only looked at them in catalogs. Never tried on a pair.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I've never tried on anything by this company, and frankly if I'd seen a price tag I wouldn't have tried these. But the moment I put the first one on I was amazed by how comfortable it felt, even with the orthotic in place.

So we'll see how they turn out after I've had a chance to wear them for a while.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I hope they work out.

FYI, the brand name of the shoes designed by the female ortho surgeon is Taryn Rose. I tried to recall it lasy night, but all I could remember was that it had an emo girl group sound to it.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

Oh, we gets tornadoes, all right. But they tend to be on the small side. We don't get the massive town destroyers of the great plains. The hills keep 'em from gathering up enough steam. We had one a couple of weeks ago. Caused a very localized power outage. The temperature here has dropped by about 20 degrees, so I think the danger has passed.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

We were upgraded from a watch to a warning, so I made sure I had my bike, wicker basket and small dog (stuffed), but, alas, nothing came of it.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

Oh and FWIW, as a lifelong consumer of orthopedic shoes, they generally last quite a bit longer than regular ones. PW Minor makes some excellent shoes -- very sturdy. I can't use them, and you might also not be able to. They make extra-wide, but the *narrowest* they go is B.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Most ortho shoes tend wide, while I'm on the edge of medium/narrow. I've had good luck with fall/winter/spring shoes, but something lighter for the summer is always the challenge, particularly anything open-toed or mock sandal style.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

Well, the orthopedic shoe companies do make stuff like that, but nothing narrow. That's a problem I've always had, too -- 7 1/2 narrow + 3E. (If I didn't wear the brace, it would be 3AAAA, or something like that, but OTOH, w/o the brace, the shoe wouldn't stay on at all. Ortho shoes tend wide because they're assuming braces or inserts.

I'm off to check Red Wing.

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

Yea for finding summer shoes! I have a beige sandal that I bought at Sears of all places, which works well now that it's been broken in. But I have to wear it with the old 3/4 length arches, rather than the full arches, or it looks totally dorky.

For sneakers, I absolutely adore my Mephisto Allrounders (http://www.shoes.com/Shopping/productdetails.aspx?catalog_name=web&pg=5057621&p=EC1078644&CMP=OTC-GoogleBase&partnerid=GoogleBase&cpc=GoogleBase&=campaign=ALLROUNDER+BY+MEPHISTO&category=W&cpckw=ALLROUNDER+BY+MEPHISTO+Women's+Master+Shoes+(Desert+Suede/White)&CAWELAID=190727029) which are so much lighter and girly looking than the Brooks sneakers. I picked them up for half price at the shoe store in Manchester, and love them so much, I'd pay full price for replacements!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

The Brooks are heavy but I like them better than the ones you like.

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but as previously determined, our feet are entirely different shapes. I've got short, thick feet, and you've got long, skinny feet. Those one shoes you liked, by Rieker or something, I couldn't even get my feet into! And the Keenes I liked kept falling off your feet when you tried them.

So of course, I like styles that make my stubby paws look longer and narrower, and you like styles that make yours look shorter and wider. :-)