Relearning basic skills...

[alexpgp]

I dropped by the kids' place around noon, thinking that was when Huntur's birthday... gathering (too small and not rambunctious enough to be a "party") was to take place, but found out the main event was scheduled for 6 pm. That didn't stop me from shooting some video, and it gave me an opportunity to take part in that traditional of Pagosa pastimes, patching a tire.

Drew stopped by the house during his break and noted that the left rear tire on the Ford was dangerously low, and after spending time with the family, I set about taking the tire off the car, finding out the spare is, um... "underinflated" (no pressure beyond atmospheric inside the tire), and then borrowing a car to go get the punctured tire - I could see the bent nail - fixed.

In between, I accepted an assignment for Tuesday, which topped off my work meter for the weekend. I plan to go visit Feht tomorrow, for dinner and a catch-up session. It's been eight months since I've seen him (more to the point, since I've been around!), and am debating whether to go to Durango earlier in the day to see about getting a proper pair of shoes for Kazakhstan. I'm all set as far as flip-flops and sandals are concerned, but neither are appropriate for duty inside of 92A-50.

Then again, it occurs to me (as I type this) that a trip to Durango and back will consume between 5 and 6 gallons of go juice, which translates into $20-$25 of mazuma, which might actually tip the balance in favor of local merchants. Another alternative would be to wait until I get to Baikonur and get a pair of shoes there (though there's no telling how long it might be until the first shopping trip into town).

Galina tells me someone will be coming by tomorrow to look at the New York house with an eye to renting it, after which she will take off for Colorado. With luck and Providence, she'll pull into town either really late in the evening on Monday or (preferably) on Tuesday.

Cheers...

Comments

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Alternatively, if there's time, there's the internet, which is where I've been buying all my shoes for years.

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

I understand the mechanism of buying stuff over the Internet, but I can't quite wrap my mind around buying shoes that way. It would seem all too easy to end up with something that doesn't quite fit. Any tips? Sources?

Cheers...

P.S. Not that there's any time; I'm just curious, for future reference.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Mostly I buy soft shoes - whatever you call them - tennies, running shoes, hiking shoes. I know my size, and I don't have problems with fit, so it's pretty straightforward. I've bought most of them from Sportsmans Guide, based on price, brand and looks. Doing it that way, you have to be prepared to end up with a few clinkers, but on the whole I think it works out very well given that I never spend very much - probably less than $40/pair.

I also prefer several brands - HiTech seem to work well for me and I get a lot of mileage out of them. On the other hand, I'm the poster child for wearing shoes and T-shirts until they look like lace ;)

I've also tried buying climbing shoes online, but the fit is much trickier, and even the same size from the same brand won't always fit right. So if I need any in the future, I'll get them where I can try them on first.