Run This Way

 I'm hoping today turns out to be a slow day at work.  Maybe we can have a Sunday like we used to have in previous winters.  I don't mind if the weather is overcast, I'm inside.  Whether it's sunny or not, the dogs are going to be home sleeping, one on the sofa and one on the futon.  

Since I bought my running shoes from Amazon, I knew I should be expecting one of their little 'review' emails.  What I wasn't expecting was the product.  The running shoes I bought are evidently 'women's' running shoes.  My selection was made on size  (9 1/2 wide US) and color alone, not gender.  So tell me, do these look like women's running shoes?  If so, what makes them specifically for women?

I did file my 2020 taxes yesterday.  Evidently the Fed doesn't accept them until February 12, so I'm no in the queue awaiting my refund.  I use a service called OLT which takes care of my Fed and State returns but not my local taxes so they will have to wait since I find them such a bother.

And I went for a 15 mile ride around Amsterdam yesterday on a route I created with their maps.  Really nice, though my legs were a bit wobbly afterwards.  Oh, and I no longer use the earbuds.  I simply shut the door and turn up the speakers, that too is very nice.

Arizona Republicans censured Cindy McCain yesterday.  She was not alone; two other high level Republicans were also censured because they opposed the Idiot Jerk.  And the Fool in Florida is now talking about starting a 3rd political party.  I am too kind by calling him a Fool, but then neither he nor his base understand January 6.  On that day, a large majority of Americans flushed them down the toilet.  They are now truly the minority party.  This idea is beyond their comprehension.  Over 5000 Republicans in Arizona changed their party identity on January 7, and while numbers disavowing the GOP have slowed down, they are continuing. This is happening in every state.  Son of a Bitch!  Instead of assessing the damage done to their party by the Washington Riot, they are clenching their teeth and buckling down as they screech 'screw you.'  That's right, they're going to bury themselves in their own shit.

Beep... Beep... Beep

 So, yesterday was slow at work... really, really slow.  Not that there weren't customers in the store, the foot traffic we saw was light, though to be honest was normal for this time of year.  Winter is turning out to be a bit cooler here then last year.  On most days temps hit the 40's (F).  

I did receive the first of my 2 yearly reviews.  The process has changed.  Gone is the folder with pages of critique, your strengths and your weaknesses.  This was more of a chat, shorter then some as I have no interest in growing my career at this point in my life.  I did mention the fact that there are times when I am still put in position of authority; I don't like that.  I took a cut back in $$$ because I no longer wanted to deal with 'situations.'  

Cori, the artist who does my cover-art, told my she should be finished with The Body in the Loch sometime next.  I'm excited.

My new running sneakers arrived yesterday.  The uppers are some sort of meshy material which fit snugly across the top of my foot.  There's also a removeable insert made of Parley ocean plastic, which is upcycled, not recycled, and evidently better for the environment.

Like many of you with smart phones, mine is set up to give me notifications, not personal Facebook Pablum, rather when something of interest happens in the political spectrum I get notified.  So, last night I'm in bed and I hear this 'beep.'  A few seconds later there is another 'beep.'  Because my sleep is important, I did what I always do, rolled over and started grabbing another few minutes of rem.  Well, around 0330 Biggie decided he needed to pee.  When a 118 pound dog tells you it's potty time, you better rouse your butt out of bed because baby it's potty time.  Grabbing my phone as I headed downstairs to let him out, I began checking the headline.

Congratulations Raphael Warnock!!

I am so glad someone has finally braided the locks of Kelly Loefler.  Of course you know she's going to contest the election.  That's what all Republicans are going to do from now on until we vote them into extinction.

Dick's fails and Underarmour loses

In a follow up to the previous post regarding Dick's and their lack of wider width running shoes, I did receive the following email response:


Thank you for your product inquiry. We are always happy to help you find
the right merchandise. The Running Shoes for Wider Width are available
and can be found in our Internet store catalog. Please copy and paste
the link below in to the URL field of your Internet browser:

I was just told that because my feet are slightly wider then average I will have to buy my running shoes on line.  Holy Shit!  I replied, of course, noting that I if I had to buy my running shoes online it would most likely be from Amazon since they have the same brands at better prices.  Some executive moron at Dick's made the decision to only carry D width shoes in their stores, at least the closest store to me, in Mechancisburg, PA.  No doubt, for them this is cost effective thinking.

This store's bigger then the one I shop in, maybe they have E width shoes!

To my surprise, when I went to the Underarmour website to check out their running shoes, I discovered they don't sell them.  How do I know?  Shoe description in comments.  Every one of their shoes was made for average width only.  There were questions from potential customers regarding shoe width, if shoes were available in wider sizes.  The response was always the same:  not at this time.  Tell me that doesn't suck.

One size does not fit all!

Don't these people understand it's all about finding a shoe that fits comfortably.  If you need to purchase a shoe that is 2 sizes larger in order to get the proper width, it's a big fail.  If the only shoes available don't fit and you end up with blisters, it's a fail.  At a time when companies are trying to increase their market share, ignoring one potential source of revenue is a fail.  For those interested, ASICS, New Balance, and Munzio sell shoes for those who need wider width shoes. 

Running shoes, the losing side of Dick's

A long time ago, when I went into the US Navy, I was surprised that at 8.5 D my shoe size was rather small for a 5'11" man, in fact, I think I had the smallest feet in my division.  This was no big deal, I mean, feet are feet, the vast majority of us have at least 2.  However, over time, as I matured into middle age, my feet changed.  I now wear a size 9 E.  The new shoe size shouldn't be a problem, should it?  Well, it is.  Evidently we people with wider then average feet are a minority in the world, and as such, retailers tend give us short shrift.  Let me give you an example.  Two days ago I went to Dick's Sporting Goods planning to purchase a new pair of running shoes.  Guess what?  I spent fifteen minutes crawling around on the floor, pulling out shoe box after shoe box, looking for a pair that was not sized a D.  No luck.  So I went on line and looked.  They don't give customers an option.  They list one standard size.  Now I could order a pair of those running shoes if I wanted to, but I can tell you they wouldn't even come close to fitting my feet.

Only average sized shoes here

A rule of thumb when ordering running shoes, or training shoes, or any kind of shoes on line is to add to your shoe size, so if you wear a 9 you should order a 10.  Excuse me, but am I not the only one who thinks this is a bit crazy?  I checked out Zappo's, which offers wide shoes,  and then looked at the same sized, wide shoe at Amazon and most of the comments were "not big enough, order a size larger."  True, there were a few comments praising the shoe, but there were not that many.  Feet are like people, they are not all the same.  Unfortunately, I suspect most manufacturers and retailers prefer to focus on the average because it's more cost effective, thus leaving us wide footers out in the cold.