I am wearing a tank top. It is that hot here in sunny SoCal!! That is one of the few things that I like about living here.

I had some retail therapy today and bought a much needed pair of shoes. I went into one of those giant shoe warehouse places and took 1 1/2 hours of trying on everything from heels to sporty shoes (although I really just need everyday shoes). I wandered half the store with a box of black moccasins under my arm. I didn't love them, but they were comfy and they fit.

Then I found the more sporty, hip section which was only about one aisle in the whole place. I think I spent about 45 minutes there. None of the cuter shoes were in my popular size 8. I was getting desperate when I looked at some strange, showy, kinda ugly shoes. Michael Jackson's red jacket came to mind. They had a lot of boxes under the display, including quite a few size 8's. Apparently everyone elsse thought that they weren't the cutest shoes in town either. But I liked that they had rounded toes and snap on straps. I love shoes with easy closures. Laces are too much trouble; velcro is great. My disorganized life is always being hit by a tornado and I like that I can batten myself down at a moment's notice.

So there they were and I thought, what have I got to lose by trying on those renegade shoes? If they are as ugly on me as they are on naked display then I'll just toss them back into that dark shelf where they will be destined for the clearance rack and then some $10-and-under super-store. I tried the red first and walked to a full length mirror. Hm, I kinda like them. In fact, they are kinda snazzy! I even asked for a couple of shopper's opinions in case my judgement was way off base. I modeled both the black and red pairs and got a unanimous vote on red. A guy told me that red is like black; it goes with most outfits.

I was torn: sensible black or radical red? Instead of picking the more practical black, I chose red. These are going to be my new everyday shoes. To hell with practicality! I am not ready to run around in conservative, moccasined feet yet!! No siree, this gal isn't afraid of having her feet looked at!

Wait! Maybe I just go back and buy the black version and have the best of both worlds!!