a few weeks ago i got worried i had contracted some kind of flesh-eating bacteria. that’s probably mostly due to having heard about a couple of recent instances of it happening in houston within only a couple of degrees of separation from me, but the fact that things on my feet went from nominal to “holy crap that’s extremely painful and scary looking” within a matter of a couple of days had something to do with it too. i saw a couple of doctors and they didn’t seem freaked at all, and just gave me some general antibiotics and some antifungal stuff. within a few days things had left the critical and worsening phase and were subsiding.
during this time i had to once again reconsider my choice in footwear. for most of the last 16+ years all i’ve worn is full leather shoes or boots. seeing as i ride a lot these days, it’s currently also the most practical and appropriate footwear. but from what i hear, feet like to breathe. stupid feet, getting in the way of my fashion (or lack thereof) choices.
i have some blue dr. martens fisherman sandals i’ve had for 4 or 5 years but only wore on and off (and hardly at all in the last 3 or so years), so i broke those out and was wearing them while trying to get my feet recuperating. unfortunately, within three days of wearing them they started falling apart. i think it’s just the glue, so i may try to get them repaired. nevertheless, i began a search for new sandals. i looked around online, then went around locally, looking and trying different styles and brands. in the end, i ordered a pair of dark brown dr. martens fisherman sandals online (image at onlineshoes.com). the exact same style as the ones i had.
why? i like the look and coverage, plus it’s a design that is a little better for my wide/high arch. and that, by the way, is why i don’t plan to buy ‘d’ boots any more…i tried some ‘ee’ boots for the first time a couple of years ago and my feet thank me for it all the time. people were wrong when they said the boots would become comfortable after breaking them in…they never stretched enough. i think these new sandals were a tighter fit than the first ones i bought, but they’re still pretty close and it’s just the edge of one leather strap that needs to stretch a bit.
seeing the general practitioner about my malady is also what led to him scheduling me for a physical (which i mentioned in my july 5th entry). i got the lab results back today and i’m basically at the same place i was last year: everything’s nominal, except i’m overweight and have somewhat high cholesterol. the numbers this time: 151 ldl (low density or “bad”), 34 hdl (high density or “good”), and a total cholesterol value of 214. (the desired values are >41 hdl, <130 ldl, and <200 total.)
i also had them go ahead and run the hep/hiv battery while i was at it and everything came back negative. so all of you ladies that were holding out because you thought i might be packing something nasty due to my reputation as quite the ladies’ man, i’ve got a photocopied clean bill of health to ease your fears. i’ll be waiting for your call. 😉
shifting gears now… over the last couple of years i’ve from time to time perused belt buckles to see if i could find one that just lept out at me. i’ve seen a few decent ones, but nothing that really caught my eye. i’ve bought three super-cheap antiqued chrome/silver-colored seal of Texas buckles, but they wear down and look pretty nasty within a few months and have to be replaced. it was time for a fourth and i was thinking maybe i should pay a bit more and buy something that should last longer.
i still didn’t find anything that totally just made my heart leap, but i made a purchase. i paid $40 for a montana silversmiths “german silver” (which has no silver in it) medium oval buckle. it’s a silver buckle with leather-style scrollwork and flowers with a raised gold Texas state centered on it and the word “TEXAS” in an arch across the state in a black-filled western style font (image at cavendar’s site). while i’m not a fan of gold, it was the best compromise i could find for something fairly simple but with a bit of gaudiness and about Texas.
the 11th anniversary party for the radio show i am a part of (geekradio.com) is this friday. (more info by following that link.) come out and make fun of me.
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failure is not an option. it's a requirement.
Is there anyone who visits a doctor and isn’t told they’re overweight?!?
yes, but that’s usually because they can tell them they’ve got a different kind of eating disorder…er, problem.
it’d be nice if my lack of enjoyment at being overweight could translate into doing something about it. unfortunately, my laziness and procrastination levels are high — it’s my metabolism that’s low. if my metabolism were any lower, i couldn’t be classified as living. my appreciation for grains and starches and sugars isn’t really helping either. but as louis fyne (john goodman) in _true stories_ put it, i “maintain a very consistent panda bear shape”. (speaking of _true stories_…i need to break that out and watch it again.)