Rat thoughts

Finally got around to buying new shoes.  I've been wearing my old boots for at least 7 or 8 years and the soles were almost completely smooth.  It was getting dangerous to walk on ice, snow or mud because I had no traction at all.  They're also terribly scuffed, there's a rather large gash across the toe of one, and the lining is starting to wear out.  I'm a hard person to buy shoes for, so I just kept putting it off.

I'm a firm believer in steel safety shoes.  They saved my grandfather's feet when a 50 gallon drum fell on his foot, and they saved my foot from a poorly aimed axe.  But that requirement severely limits my choices.  I also prefer leather; no other material can hold up to abrasion and sharp objects.  I prefer black, but a dark, dark brown is acceptable.  I also need shoes that provide electrical protection.  Steel-toe + leather + black + EH = damn few options.

I've tried several places.  I bought a pair of shoes at WalMart, but they ended up hurting my feet and I couldn't take them back.  None of the other shoes or boots at WalMart seemed to fit any better.  I found a single pair that fit well and looked nice at a local boot shop, but it fell apart within a day of purchase.  Payless, Target, Sears and most other stores don't carry steel-toed boots at all.  I'd just about resigned myself to never finding a decent pair of boots and had considered trying to have my old boots resoled.

Someone suggested I try Tractor Supply Co., so I went there today.  I found two shoes that interested me, a pair of low-ankle shoes with a very aggressive sole pattern which would be great on ice and snow and a pair of Georgia Boot Renegade work boots with a 6" ankle.  I tried on the shoes first and they fit adequately, but low cut shoes just feel weird after at least a decade of wearing boots.  Then I tried on the boots.  It was like sliding my feet into butter.  I've never felt a pair of boots that fit so well right off the bat.

Those were the absolute last pair they had, in any size, and it fit me perfectly.  And just as I finished trying them on, they started closing the store early for New Years Eve.

They cost a bit more than I'd like, and they're "tumbled chocolate" instead of black, but I'm just glad to have a decent pair of shoes again.

I was looking for some cargo pants online today and I came across some Scarface novelty boxers.

My first thought was, "Say hello to my little friend!"

This morning the trees outside were bright white, covered in ice.  It hadn't rained or snowed, but the ice was a more unusual kind, rime ice.  Rime forms from below freezing fog; the ice crystals build up on any exposed surface.



I watched Modern Marvels:  Fast Food Tech last night and got a serious craving for French Freedom fries, so we went to Wendy's today.  The fries were good, but their Baconator sandwich is rather disappointing, especially for its obscene price.  Not nearly enough bacon.  We sat in front of a window advertisement with raccoons.




Went looking for boots today.  Ended up buying some cheap steel-toed shoes from Wal*Mart, only $25.  I also picked up a pair of almost knee-high rubber boots, also with a steel toe, for $18.  Probably a bit more than I need around here, but I wanted something I could walk around in the mud & sheep without worrying about messing them up.  I also bought a cheap pair of ice crampons, but they don't seem to fit my old boots or my new shoes.  I'd have to drive a nail or something into the heel to make them stay on.  :P

I ended up spending a lot more money than I expected today; while looking at flashlights in the sporting goods area, I saw a Gold's Gym weight machine for a mere $190.  I've been wanting to get back into weight training (I used to lift weights in high school), and thought this would be a good opportunity, especially considering the other machines I'd been considering were $800 and $2000.  My SO had been wanting an exercise bike for aerobic exercise, and they had a recumbent for $100, so I bought one of those too.  Now if I could just buy the willpower to keep using both machines every day....

Ended up spending a hefty portion of my tax refund today.

My AeroBed was just about gone, so I had to buy a new bed.   I found a nice Sealy Posturepedic mattress and box springs on sale for $330 at Nebraska Furniture Mart.    Since I didn't have any sheets or anything to fit it, I also picked up a "bed in a bag" set at Wal*Mart: sheets, pillow cases, pillow shams, comforter and bed skirt for a mere $30.  I think I should buy some new pillows too, the ones I have are kinda nasty.  And where the heck do you buy those funky flat pillows that go into pillow shams, anyway?

We also picked up a new stove, a Magic Chef with a glass cooktop.   It's not the model I'd have liked to have gotten (that would be the $2000 Jenn-Air with the grill), but for $370, it was practically a steal.  Besides, I still have a really great gas stove in my PODS container which will go into my home, whenever I get around to buying one.  (There's no gas here so it wouldn't work here anyway.)  So far it's proven to be MUCH better than the old stove (how old was it?  It was avacado!); I nearly burned tonight's dinner because I didn't realize the stove could heat up that fast.

My SO also took me to a local sporting goods/military surplus store.  I was tempted to splurge $400 for a leather bomber jacket, but they didn't have one in my size.  I've always wanted a leather flight jacket, but never got around to buying one since it was too warm in California to ever really need a jacket.  But with the current temperature of 9.7ºF, I could use something a wee bit warmer than the windbreaker my last job gave me.  I may end up ordering one from Sporty's Pilot Shop.

But while looking around for something to keep his head warm, I found some fur-lined aviator caps, in my size even (7-6/8, i.e., freaking huge).  I was tempted to buy the $40 leather version, since it's the more traditional look (and would go great with a leather jacket), but I went with the much cheaper synthetic.  I'd bought a balaclava a couple weeks ago, and it kept my head crazy warm, but it was really inconvenient to put on and take off and it tended to fog up my glasses, especially if I tried to wear it while driving.  And of course, the thing made me look like a terrorist or something; I always got funny looks walking into a store.  This aviator cap has fur-lined ear flaps that keep me nice and warm, but when I get inside I can tie them up to the top of the cap.

My right eye is beginning to bother me again.  It keeps happening the first week or so of every month.  At first I was wondering if it had something to do with the farmers next door spraying something on their crops, but the fields have been fallow since harvest time in October.  I'm still taking the Doxycycline, which I think has been helping to moderate the events.  This one doesn't seem to be as bad as some past events.  At least, I don't feel like clawing my eyes out yet.  I just wish I knew what the hell could be occurring on a monthly cycle to cause this.  (Don't say the moon.  Yes, it seems to occur just after the full moon, but there's no reasonable explanation how the moon could affect my eye)

Acrylic socks are supposed to wick moisture away from your feet. So why are do my feet feel stickier and smellier when I'm wearing the acrylic rather than my old 100% cotton socks?