Your Questions Answered, Part 3

The ongoing attempt to distract myself from the negative side of life...*

(Prior answers can be found here: Original Post, Part 1, Part 2)

Today's question came from the fabulous (and fabulously knocked up) Jen at "Maybe if you Just Relax."

She says: Here is a blog topic for you - Crocs: Friend or Foe? You're welcome.

Thanks Jen! To be honest, I'm almost always honest (but I digress), until this question was asked I did not have a firm opinion on Crocs.

And I've found myself pondering this question far more than a silly rubber shoe should probably deserve. Now I'm sure you are thinking "silly", Aha!, she doesn't like Crocs. However, I use silly deliberately because they are silly, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Until recently the only Crocs (and knockoff's) I'd been exposed to were the original clunky, open holed, duck-foot making beach or cayman models. Think Mario Batali on Iron Chef America and his signature orange shoes! This weekend while watching the mens and womens beach volleyball tournaments (sponsored by Crocs, who knew!) I was exposed to some models I wouldn't have expected...the cyprus model for one, the sassari for another...Crocs comfort in a cute slide heel? Either of those models would be sassy peeking out of a pair of long jeans or with a flippy sundress.

Even so, I hate to see them on little kids (I know, they are supposedly comfortable, but since I haven't worn them myself, I question the support...not that kids shoes have a lot of support, like they should, but that's another rant for another time). They aren't as cute as little pairs of Stride Rite brown fishermen style sandals for boys and white summer sandals for girls, and there have been so many reports of injury on escalators. On adults, Crocs with shorts and socks make me die just a little bit inside (sorry Mario!).

And then there's the issue of whether they make any that fit my undersized foot without having to go into the kids sizes. It's rough finding shoes when you wear a size smaller than most adult shoe manufactures lines start. (Have I ever touched on how bitter shoe shopping makes me? It's not a pretty thing to witness.) And I don't think you want me to launch into a detailed description on the effect jelly shoes had on my feet in the 80's, do you? As Crocs are not natural, I'm a little afraid the same effects would occur.

The answer I've come to in my deliberations is that Crocs are neither Friend nor Foe, they just are. In certain situations and occupations, they seem very appropriate. In others, not so much. Until I've had a chance to experience them for myself, I can't really form an opinion.

What do you think? Are Crocs the most comfortable shoes you have forgotten how to live without? Or are Crocs the most horrible things to which you have ever been exposed?





*Negative = looking at having to go to the next level of treatment which means starting shots instead of Clomid to force ovulation (so much for ovulating on my own) in the next cycle, unless cross-your-fingers, this last round of Clomid and timing does the trick.
Negative = a year and a half of TTC with nothing to show for it but medical bills.
Negative = a serious lack of prospects at work so I'm spending too much time on the internet and still feeling bored out of my skull.
Negative = feeling like time is passing me by without my having the chance to move forward.

Your Questions Answered, Part 2

The 2nd in a series of posts which have nothing to do with, you know, that topic I'm trying not to mention. Part 1 is here.

This is the 2nd of 2 questions from Leslie at Photographic Memory:

2) If time travel were a reality, what period in history would you choose to visit and why?

Ooh. That's a tough one. (why do I feel like a beauty pageant contestant when I write that?*).

Shocking as it is, especially considering that I live in one of the most historically important areas of the United States, I am not a big fan of history. I think that may be because much of history is made up of wars, and as such I get seriously bored when battles and ancient arguments are rehashed over and over. Of course, this lack of interest causes a dilemma when asked questions such as the one above.

What Leslie didn't specify was if the time travel was the sort in which you could interact and change history, or the sort where you end up as a viewer only, unable to affect the time you are visiting. That distinction could possibly change my answer, but I'll assume it's the prior.

I considered several options before settling on the number one choice. It would be fun to visit the European medieval castles and see what life was really like back then (dirt and disease!). I've also wondered what would have happened to Russia if Rasputin could have been prevented from doing his dastardly deeds (no WWI?). Or see first hand how the Egyptians built the pyramids (more dirt and disease!). Even explore South American cultures before the arrival of the Spanish (again, dirt and disease with a bonus side of human sacrifice!).

But what I'd really like to do is go back to the 1930's in New York City, and get to know my father's mother as a young(er) woman, before kids and before she lost her husband. She was very much of the "children are to be seen and not heard" generation, so I never got to know her as more than a distant figure even as I got older. From what she got up to with her friends as an older woman, I'm guessing she was a lot of fun back then, and I'd like to be able to find out first hand. (pie in the sky: maybe even convince her that smoking is a bad idea).



* Been there, done that. If you're good I'll tell you the story one day.

Your Questions Answered, Part I

A while back I asked for your questions to help give me some topic ideas away from the fertility issues which had taken over. I will be answering them in the order received. Here's Part I.

Leslie asked two questions...in order to stretch this out as long as possible I will answer the first today and the second later.

Her first question was: What's your favorite place/city in the world and why?

This is a tough one. I've not seen that many places in the world, but from where I have been there are a couple places which really stand out as favorites.

The first one which comes to mind is the Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort. DH and I honeymooned there and have since returned once more (last spring) and it's just a really special place for us. It's one of those places we'd love to visit every year and tend to daydream about when things are stressful. What can beat sunning next to a pool with unlimited chair side adult-beverage delivery?

The second is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I've been going there since I was a baby, and while it's really changed over the years, I know once I cross the bridge that all the stuff from home won't matter for the duration of the visit. A few months after DH and I started dating, we visited his parent's house down there. That visit was when I first knew that DH was "The One". There were some other highlights to that visit, but none so special.

What about you? What makes your favorite place/city so special?