Electrical Tape - or - Why I Won't Just Go Buy Some New Danged Boots

A manifesto and a rant combined in one—isn’t this what blogs were made for?

I mentioned in yesterday’s post about how I used electrical tape to hold my boots together. Here is the backstory and the front story and a little more in the middle, as well:

When I was a young naïve spendthrift living in the Dirty South, my roommate came home one day from shopping with a great pair of name-brand high-heeled ankle boots. Unforch for her, one evening of wearing them around convinced her that they didn't fit. I bought them from her. It’s six years later and I’m still wearing the shit out of them. 

They’ve been re-heeled once by my very favorite shoe-guy ever. I don’t know if he’s even in business anymore but he was one of those “I’m open when I’m here” guys. He’d just as soon sew up your black dress shoes with red thread as change the spool on the machine, unless you specifically asked. If you’re a kid and you needed your baseball cleats to last you one more season, he’d probably charge you a quarter or fifty cents for the fixes.

I noticed this boot season that the new heel cap on the right boot was starting to loosen. Tuesday, the glue and the nails gave up the ghost. Off came the heel cap, well before lunch. I tried to pound it back together, without luck. One of my co-workers graciously offered to bring back some super glue when she went home for lunch. Comedy of errors: the glue tube was empty. Staplers wouldn't penetrate the cap but I did have some tape--both industrial strength squishy double stick tape and black electrical tape. As luck would have it, there was a board meeting that afternoon. I just decided that if anyone noticed the electrical tape, it would just be evidence of how I needed a raise.

Incidentally, Husband seemingly fixed my boot. I don't know if the fix will hold, because they haven't been worn yet, but we'll see.

And now for the manifesto...

I wasn't always so anti-consumerism. There were times in my life when my closet was five times the size of my current closet and it was packed full. But with the belated and slow-moving onset of adulthood, I realized that no matter where it came from or how much it cost or how it looks or what you do with it, it's--all of it--is still just stuff. I've eventually decided that, if it ain't broke, don't buy a new one. And if it is broke, fix it. Sure, I like nice stuff as much as the next person, but I don't want a lot of it. I don't want to move to Walden (yet?), but the less stuff I have, the less stuff I have to take care of and the fewer choices I have to make. No buying; less stuff; more life.

And now more ranting...

I sure hope the boots last because I'll be using them a lot more to get back and forth to work after the first of the year. Ironically, boots and a parking pass cost about the same amount of money. I've decided to avoid this O. Henry story and forgo both. After all, I've got a lot of electrical tape left over...
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Breakfast: Muffin 75 cents--I could say "free" because Husband bought them...

Lunch: Not so hamburger helper and cottage cheese 94 cents

Snack: red pepper and Laughing Cow, banana, Oreos $2.05

Dinner: Saltines, deer sausage and cheese 47 cents

 

Total:  $4.21