Crocs As Feminist Statement

I recently joined a Facebook group called “I Don’t care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass” and quickly sent out invitations to like-minded friends.

From: Facebook
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2008 5:37 AM
To: Jxxxxxx
Subject: Lxxxxx invited you to join the group “I Dont care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass

Leslie invited you to join the Facebook group “I Dont care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass.”.

Leslie says, “These things are a new trend, and preferably worn with a not-quite contrasting outfit. I would rather walk on sticker-balls barefoot than wear a pair of these monstrosities.

My buddy immediately replied:

I have forwarded this message to my friend Rxxx who bought 6 crocs.

I sure hope he wasn’t trying to get into her pants, because the little poseur immediately fired off a Feminist Manifesto based on the concept that feminism isn’t about political or moral values, it’s about shoes. Six pairs of ugly shoes that don’t quite match any of her outfits.

From: Rxxxxxxxx
To: Jxxxxx ; Leslie
Cc: Rxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 5:13 PM
Subject: Re: FW: Lxxxxx invited you to join the group “I Dont care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass

I don’t know how old you are, Lxxxxx, but you obviously do not yet not have to worry about whether shoes are comfortable or not. These shoes weigh almost nothing, wash in soap and water, and because they are seamless, have no edges to poke and are totally foot shaped, as opposed to 98% of women’s shoes that are about 1/2″ (at least) narrower than one’s foot. As you age, Leslie, your feet will spread and you may be more amenable to a shoe that leaves your foot feeling better – due to its little ergonomic bumps in the sole – at the end of the day than at the beginning! I am diabetic and am in love with these shoes.  (and so are a couple of other diabetic friends, in particular).  As to the looks, Crocs do make some more streamlined looking shoes that, although still plastic, have the ‘cute’ factor you obviously crave. The Mary Jane style is a nice compromise, since it is still roomy but is not quite so wide at the front as the original style. And comes in some really interesting colors. They remind me of childhood shoes, which is kind of fun. And great at the beach.
Feminism is not just about bra burning and being pro-choice; it is about being ok in a shoe that some might see as “dumbass”…Beauty, in all things, is in the eye of the beholder, and an eye that sees beauty in functionality and comfort has an evolved kind of vision.
So much for the obnoxious lecture!
Be well. Rxxxxx

Happy Feet

My reply.

If you think I was too harsh, I didn’t even hint to her that infantilism is a paraphilia. She’s proud of being an aging Lolita!

51. Men’s 8-1/2 2D sneakers. Very cute and oh so the rage!

So you’ve bought 6 pairs of crocs. That means you can match them to your outfits. A fashionista, are we?

Oh, and mine were made by child slaves in some sweatshop in Asia. Bonus!

I sure hope John wasn’t trying to get into your pants.

Update 8/27:
She seems to be ignoring my answer. BTW, I don’t know whether my New Balance 608s were made in sweatshops or not. It’s about the feet. Maybe Oprah can find out for me.

Photo credit: BrittneyBush

E-mail encrypt

HONcode: E-mail encrypt

This little gadget is on the HonCode site. Enter your email address in the top section and it will generate a little javascript snippet to hide it from spiders.

8.8.08 meme

Get out one of the books you are reading – the first one that comes to hand is ok. Find chapter 8, the 8th paragraph or section and the 8th sentence or first sentence in the 8th paragraph. If you can’t figure out what I mean, do something that has a bunch of 8s in it.

Mine:

“They observed a significant peak in depression for women in November, with a secondary peak in April, and a peak for men in admissions for both depression and mania in April.”
Manic-Depressive Illness Second Edition, Goodwin & Jamison.
Chapter 8
Section 8
first sentence in Paragraph 8

Boring, huh? I’ll try another book later. Or another combination of 8’s from this one.

What’s yours?

Microsoft DreamSpark

Microsoft DreamSpark

Dreamspark is Microsoft’s program for getting free development tools into the hands of students, in hopes that when they get out in the business world they’ll ask for the tools they’re familiar with. Or in Microsoft’s own words:

It is our hope that the DreamSpark program will spark your creativity and help you harness software’s transformative magic to turn your good ideas into reality, by equipping you with the tools you need to succeed and excel during your academic experience and skills you will need after graduation.

Are you a student? Here’s what you can get:

  • Visual Studio 2008 Professional
  • Microsoft Virtual PC
  • XNA Game Studio

… and more.

That’s right, these are the same goodies that old women like me have to pay hundreds of dollars for.

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TFTD: Sin

“Sin is occasioned precisely by the fact that man refuses to admit his ‘creatureliness’ and to acknowledge himself as merely a member of a total unity of life. He pretends to be more than he is.”
Reinhold Niebuhr

BBQ Done Right!

funny pictures
moar funny pictures

George H. Gobel is an engineering professor at Purdue. Back in 1996 or so, he was attempting to design the perfect method for lighting a barbeque. After many trials and the occasional error, he settled on liquid oxygen (LOX) as a lighter fluid. Brilliant idea! The coals are perfect!

However, the barbeque grill was vaporized.

With the 4th of July coming up in a couple of weeks I thought I’d resurrect them.

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! Turkey fryers are SO much safer…

Have a safe and happy 4th of July.

Photo/video credit: Joe Cychosz

See the video here:
http://jeff.nieusma.com/toys/grillx.mov

TFTD: Self-reflection

Byron Katie Newsletter: June 2008

The following quote is exactly what I have been going on about, the need to have an objective observer, one who pushes the ego out of the way and takes a good long look at who we are. The first step to healing is to know what has to be healed.

Byron Katie’s “The Work” is an interesting tool for examining how much misery we cause ourselves by forgetting that what is, is.


Stop by The Work web page to read and listen to the freebies.

I want to go to one of the 5-day events.

“To question that things might not be as they seem can shake the very foundation of habitual clinging. This questioning spirit is the starting point for self-reflection. Could it be that this tightly-knit sense of self is not what it seems? Do we really need to hold everything together, and can we? Is there life beyond self-importance? These kinds of questions open the door to investigating the cause of our suffering.

“The actual practice of self-reflection requires us to step back, examine our experience, and not succumb to the momentum of habitual mind. This allows us to look without judgment at whatever arises, and this goes directly against the grain of our self-importance.

“Self-reflection is the common thread that runs through all traditions and lineages of Buddhist practice. It also takes us beyond the boundaries of formal practice. We can bring the questioning spirit of self-reflection to any situation, at any time. Self-reflection is an attitude, an approach, and a practice. In nutshell, it is a way to make practice come alive for us personally.”

— Aryadeva, Buddhist teacher.

Flickr

This is a test post from flickr, a fancy photo sharing thing.

FTC – Annual Credit Report

FTC Consumer Information – Your Rights: Credit Reporting

It’s a good idea to check your credit report every year. Please ignore TV commercials telling you about free credit reporting sites. Go to the Federal Trade Commission site and use only the web pages they recommend.

Heaven as Holding Tank

I feel very threatened when I hear someone touting the virtues of a religion that espouses death to non-believers. Further, it is predatory to try to suck in vulnerable people by pretending the the Bible is all sweetness and light.

I read the bible a couple of times, too. I know what it says. It SAYS that the way to enlightment is blocked by your prophet. In fact, the way has been blocked since the angel with the flaming sword denied us the fruit from the Tree of Everlasting Life.

Other traditions consider the snake to be a symbol for wisdom, the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. So again, enlightenment – having your own epiphanies instead of accepting dogmatic interpretations is forbidden.

So sad that they block the way by diverting your soul to a sort of holding tank. The road to enlightenment, the cycle of birth and rebirth ends for you at that point. Game Over.

Mostly it’s the prophets’ words pulled together as a checklist to follow in order to give the appearance of having fulfilled thousands of years of prophecies. Except that this happened a couple of hundred years after Jesus death when the Roman Catholics decided to pick and choose which books to discard and which to keep in the Latin Vulgate Bible. And most of it was translated from the Greek, not from the Hebrew or the Aramaic.

The Protestants did their own picking and choosing during the Protestant Reformation. The point being that whatever version you use, your bible has been spun and respun so many times that it is totally irrelevant.

I know, the bible comforts you. But it doesn’t comfort those of us who are in danger from Radical Fundamentalists.

Photo Credit: “The force be with you” controltheweb

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