I'd throw 'em in the washing machine, sj. Regular cycle.If they can't hold up for one wash, you know not to get that brand again. I say this as someone who went to an old-fasioned shoe store where they measure you (and keep index cards of notes on customers with special fit needs) with one of the people I assist, and specified that along with having velcro straps, the shoes she got needed to be tough enough to survive multiple trips through the washer. The guy brought out leather New Balance sneakers. And I know they've been through the wash at least twice, looking not much worse for the wear. Mind you, might put canvas sneakers in the dryer, but not the leather ones.

Vortex, is your profile addy good? I can email you pictures.

Yes! Please! Not only do I love pens, I love pens with history. And when someone compliments me on a no doubt beautiful pen, I can talk about my awesome friend Bev.

sj, am I misremembering that you are in the Worcester area? If you are, how do you feel about dinner on the 9th?

Hey, keep me in the loop. I am not exactly in the area (about an hour away), but to see you, I would drive :)

an old-fasioned shoe store where they measure you (and keep index cards of notes on customers with special fit needs)

WS, how do I go about finding a shoe store like that?

Steph and Skye, when things get rough for me, I think about you guys and I know I'm not alone and it helps me feel like I can handle it.

WS, how do I go about finding a shoe store like that?

All the ones I have been to, had a family name, [Surname] Shoes, except for one that was [Town] Shoes in a town that was small enough you knew it was the only shoe store there anyway. They exist in store fronts in downtown streets of small towns or if in a city then on the busy shopping/commercial streets of various neighborhoods. They tend to have a leather repair guy in residence. They sometimes have a resident custom orthopedic insert guy. I have a hard time imagining them in strip malls or enclosed malls. They don't do BOGO sales, but they might have coupons for 10 or 15 % off. They have often been in their location for generations, passing the family business down, weathering the onslaught of Payless and DSW and outlet centers by the weight of their customer service and knowledge of shoe quality and the needs of feet and the kind of sales charisma that comes from deep and arcane knowledge.

Dayum, did I just wax poetic about shoe stores? I, who loathe shoe shopping with a firy loathing?

I went to work.

And so covered I don't start until next week. Head desk.

But I needed to fill out something else and I found out we get paid weekly.

I'm getting my car inspected and pull changed.

Also yesterday at therapy I was going over how I have handled stuff and my therapist was reaffirming that it may seem small bit it's huse steps and I'm kind of exploring with progress.

Even a year ago I felt like I was trapped in the cold Drake quicksand surrounded by thorns and I was never going to get out. That it was where I'd live forever.

I'm not out but I've worked my way out of some and I have help...I've been visualizing a dog and cat coming out of the woods .

WS - perhaps you hate shopping for shoes because there aren't enough of those family-owned stores.

And so covered I don't start until next week. Head desk.

Hey, so you were early!

Paid weekly is nice.

WS, small family-owned stores are worth waxing poetic about! There has to be a shoe store like that here in this old town.

WS, thanks. I'd be more worried about my washer than the shoes. It's a delicate creature. Maybe I'll take them to the laundromat. I'm usually a fan of local shoe stores too, but the last time I went to the local sneaker shop I couldn't get anything to work with my braces, and they just gave up on me. So I ended up at a name brand hiking store and found something that worked perfectly.

I had a lovely dream last night, dinner with Jeremy Renner. We talked about houses and historical recreation and archery, and he was fascinated by my stories of SCA combat and being on the battlefield. There are worse ways to spend time than to have a gorgeous man listening to you intently.

askye, you are making progress. It's definitely good to be proud of that.

Connie, that does sound like a good dream.

perhaps you hate shopping for shoes because there aren't enough of those family-owned stores.

Not exactly. If we could go back to cobblers making your shoes to fit your feet, that would take all the unhappiness out of it. But I have size 11 EEE feet, wide enough that sometimes a 12 fits better. Far too many shoe manufacturers give up after size 10. And the ones who do offer 11s do not often go as wide as I need them. My wonderful local shoe store generally sends me out the door with a pair of men's shoes. In fact the time I was in there during a women's "duty whites" sale, they said, "you're getting these for work, if you buy 'em in white, we'll give you the discount, men's shoes or no." The shoes I danced in at the Madison F2F prom were men's sandals to which I had affixed mother of pearl ornamentation.