One Day Without Shoes 2010
by V.E. on April 9th, 2010
Yesterday, April 8th, was One Day Without Shoes sponsored by TOMS Shoes. I participated in New York last year… It was much harder then. This year, I barely left the house except to bring the trashcans up from the street (Thursday’s trash day on my street) and check the mail.
Since this year was boring, I’ll relate how I fared last year. My trip “to get cat food” turned into an excursion into Manhattan to meet with a friend. Here’s how it went down.
I woke up around 8 AM and shuffled around the apartment until my cat’s meowing irritated me enough to brave the big bad outside. Luckily for me, One Day Without Shoes is in the spring, so it was bearable outside (read: I didn’t literally freeze my feet). I made my way down the three blocks to the convenience store without so much as a sideways glance. I took one look at the tiny shop and decided against going in there because the floor was so dirty I didn’t even want to think about it. I went into the CVS across the street after checking for a No Shoes No Shirt No Service sign. (There wasn’t one that I could find.) I’d been in that CVS before, so I knew where I was going, but I passed by a woman with a small child who shooed the girl into the next aisle when she saw me coming. I picked out what I needed and, on the way up to the front, I got a phone call from a friend who was seeing a movie in Manhattan and wanted me along. My trepidation apparent (I told him I’d explain when we met), I agreed. At the check out counter, the cashier raised her eyebrow at my lack of footwear but said nothing. New York is, apparently, a city where money talks.
I headed back to my apartment to drop off the cat food (and feed the cat so she didn’t just up and die on me or start a rebellion while I was gone) quick as my feet could carry me while still avoiding puddles, rocks, sticks, and things of that nature. Back on the street, I braved the 20th Ave. D line subway stop and was given a look (courtesy of the station attendant) before brushing on through the turnstile. On the platform, I had to watch for spit, gum, and other people’s feet. Ick. The train ride was relatively uneventful, though one young boy did ask his mother why I didn’t have enough money for shoes before being told to be quiet and stop staring.
I transferred to the N line at Atlantic Ave. and got off the train at 42nd St. to find my friend. Times Square was packed and proved to be—while relatively clean—a nightmare for maneuvering when I had to think every second about my feet possibly getting stepped on. After about twenty minutes of delicate progress, my friend nearly ran me over and immediately inquired about my bare feet after I had to hop out of the way of some passersby. I explained One Day Without Shoes as well as I could remember offhand and was rewarded with a “Ah, V, that’s what I love about you. You’re so strange in the most entertaining ways.”
Commence momentary eye-rolling, but my friend and I had always had an interesting dynamic, and I wasn’t really bothered by his comment. We headed to the theater and he posited that perhaps we should’ve met at Stillwell Ave. because people go barefoot there all the time, though he admitted that it was probably a little early in the year, even for that. At the entrance to the theater, an attendant stopped us and told me that shoes were required in the building and I wouldn’t be allowed to go in without them. I tried to explain the situation, but all I got in response was, “Sorry, ma’am, it’s the theater’s policy.” A pause, and then, “Usually don’t have to enforce it until summer, though.” Maybe the Stillwell Ave. thing wasn’t such a bad idea.
So, we headed back outside; it hadn’t occurred to me to bring shoes with me since, in retrospect, I thought that would be defeating the whole idea. We bought Greek food from a street vendor and leaned against the building eating—me dancing around so as not to be stepped on and him being highly amused by the whole thing. He didn’t seem to mind that he’d been kept out of a movie and, after a moment, suggested instead that we visit Central Park so I could walk on the grass and not be stared at so much. I readily agreed.
We spent three or four hours in the park, where I received fewer questioning glances and was generally able to walk without worrying about catching some incurable disease from the pavement. When it was time to go home, I braved the subway again and endured his light teasing for being so idealistic until we split ways at Atlantic Ave. I exited the train at my stop and made it back to my apartment without incident.
I learned a few things from my first One Day Without Shoes. First, New York City is dirty and I had to scrub to get the gross off that evening in the shower. Second, having to think about where one’s feet are every part of every day is a pretty tiring task, and I can see how having shoes would allow someone to focus on more important things the bigger issues. Third, in developed countries like the U.S., not only are shoes a generally good idea for health/safety reasons, they’re often required to even participate at all. Fourth, shoes are so much a part of daily life here that other people will think something is wrong in the head with a person who isn’t wearing them.
There are so many reasons to support TOMS and One Day Without Shoes, and if you’re on the fence about the cause, think about what I learned. Would you want to go even one day without shoes?
What rape is.
by V.E. on January 5th, 2010
filed under fyi, health, personal, wtf
Rape:
The crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse.
… or…
unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception
… or…
the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.
… or…
sexual intercourse with a woman by a man without her consent and chiefly by force or deception
Therefore, Mr. Jakob Free:
When you post something like this asking feminists to “chill out” and then admit to being a rapist, don’t expect much sympathy. Just… don’t.
Sincerely,
V.E.
Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change
by V.E. on October 15th, 2009
I signed up for Blog Action Day 2009 back when I thought I might have half a mind to talk about climate change. I’ve found, however, that personal life, school, and OCD are making my world smaller and smaller by the day. I’ll do what I can, but this entry won’t be the best, or even my best. Sorry in advance.
This window has been open on my computer since two this morning, and I’m still not really feeling the climate change vibe. There’s too much on my mind, and it makes me wonder if that’s why people haven’t already done something about climate change. That is, maybe everyone’s too caught up in their own worlds that nobody’s even thinking about the… well, the world around them.
Even the stuff we, as humans, have done as a positive act to fight climate change has been couched in terms of how it will benefit us. Going “green” is always about how we can benefit, not really about how good it is for the planet. And really, what do we even know about what’s good for the planet anyway? I mean, what we want is what’s good for us on the planet. Future generations and all that.
I’m all for it. I mean, if climate change is your thing, then awesome. I support you. But, honestly, it’s not my thing. It’s never even been close to being my thing. I’m for social change. I understand when someone says, “But if we have no planet, social change will mean nothing!” and I agree. But, it’s just not in me to care as much about the earth as I do about people.
I’m contradictory. I believe people are like cockroaches: irritating, gross, annoying—and really hard to kill off. We may be killing the planet, but if the planet decides to bitch slap us, I have no doubt that some of us will survive and adapt to really hot or really cold, or whatever else Earth deems necessary for us to learn our collective lesson. And if we don’t survive, well then I won’t be around to worry about it, will I?
Humans are more devious and self-preservationist than we give ourselves credit for. When we have a common enemy, we come together very well to squash it and maintain what we know.
Week of 14 September
by V.E. on September 14th, 2009
filed under anime/manga, health, personal, to do, writing
Send Katie’s chocolate to Johnny
Manuscript (haha; as if one word really covers it)
Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the Republic of Texas
CANAAN eps. 3-11
Driver’s license
Frame for 501 picture
Do something with tabs
Fanfiction
Finish The White Horse
Conversation w/ Phil Brady?
As Easy As Lying
Blue Cross NY membership
The Lace Reader
Lace review
CANAAN ep. 2
———
Last updated: Friday, 18 September 2009, 9:05 AM PT
Continuance of this post.
This Week
by V.E. on September 7th, 2009
filed under health, meta, personal, to do, writing
Send Katie’s chocolate to Johnny
Blue Cross NY membership
Manuscript (haha; as if one word really covers it)
Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the Republic of Texas
Driver’s license
Frame for 501 picture
Do something with tabs
Fanfiction
The Lace Reader
The White Horse
As Easy As Lying
Dinner with Daylin and Jonathan on Monday
Cell phone battery on Saturday morning
Mom’s closet on Sunday afternoon
Finish reading The Disappearance of Seth
Review of Seth
Cancel shoe club
Cancel TV Travel
Artbooks
Web journal
Set up doctor’s appointment
Call with Dr. Lennon on Tuesday at 1 PM
Talk to Mom about storage costs
Ask Dad about unreconciled Quicken items
———
Last updated: Monday, 14 September 2009, 5:48 AM PT
Continued in this post
Anti-depressants
by V.E. on April 26th, 2009
filed under beauty, beda, health, personal
To the person who wrote this, I know. I know exactly how you feel.
From PostSecret, 26 April 2009.
Also, I’m not sure what to think of this one.
420
by V.E. on April 20th, 2009
filed under beda, health, personal, politics, school, wtf
I am so, so, so unimpressed with today. The weekend rocked. Today did not. I say “did not” because I’m calling in my “get out of day free” card and requesting to just move on to April 21. Seriously.
1. Hitler‘s birthday.
2. Anniversary of the Columbine shooting.
3. Pot makes people stupid. (Just… don’t ask.)
4. Stephen Hawking has been hospitalized.
5. I found out that a friend from elementary/junior high/high school was killed on April 11.
I have pictures from the weekend, but I’ve run out of real-life action points, so everything is just going to have to wait.
