Below is the expanded version of an 
article that will be published in my column, "Say 
What!?!" on page 37 of the 
August, 2013 issue of The Vegas 
Voice Newspaper, which you should be receiving in your mail box within a 
day or two.
We thought we'd reprint it for those 
who may not get this free newspaper, which can easily be obtained and mailed to 
you each month, by simply calling The Vegas Voice at 
(702) 251-4441, and asking them to place you 
on their "VIP" mailing list.
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Man's Unconquerable Enemy..a Woman's Shoes 
Is there an argument no man can ever 
win?
Yes, 
there is....when in comes to a woman's shoes. 
 I 
guarantee any man who is married, that if a tidal wave were coming straight at 
you... if it came to choosing which should be "sacrificed"...every man better 
know how to swim, because the wife's shoes would survive, while the husband 
would be washed out to sea.
What is it about a woman and her 
shoes?  The male population will never understand.
Women need a pair of high heels, low 
heels, plain sandals, sandals with bobbles all over them, open toe, closed 
toe....in 1,200 different color combinations....all of which 
were acquired for one reason...
They were on sale !
"On 
Sale".... the two most hated words in the English language to every 
married man.  The words that every married man 
instead, interprets as  "How much did you spend this 
time?...the standard answer to which has to have been learned in some 
subversive girl school, none of us guys were ever informed 
of..
"but I want to 
look good FOR YOU".
They want to look "good to us"...and 
they believe the feet are going to be the big decider as to what is going to 
charge up the old batteries!  
The feet, those bumpy bunion blue or red or orange or green toenail painted 
things that look like little bent mutant fingers...as a result of wearing all 
those combinations for years...are the answer to every man's 
fantasy ! 
To us 
guys, you need a pair of clean sneakers and a pair of 
comfortable dirty ones.  Other than that, there is no further need, other 
than perhaps an old pair of dress "blacks" or "browns" to match the old suit, you'll be buried in....and 
that's only if the entire casket is open. 
Me? ...it's in the will...dirty 
sneakers on earth, and dirty sneakers to the 
hereafter.
My wife doesn't just have a place in 
a closet to keep them; she has a sacred "palace" 
within our home in which they reside...a shrine to 
every possible outfit she's ever purchased.
Over the years, as the outfits went 
out of style, they went out the door or to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or to 
Savers (for the 25% discount); but not the shoes, they somehow always 
survived...and they know their place in the closet....it is theirs, and theirs 
alone...
...and beware to any man who tries 
to use part of the "palace" for something he likes...or can't find room if he 
exceeds his 5% closet 
allotment. 
Yes... you macho beasts...you are 
merely a guest...she rules, and the shoes are the color 
guard.
Just go into her "sanctum" and try 
to remove a pair.  Other than the ugly stares you'll seem to get from the rest 
of them as they peacefully sleep while awaiting the queen's pleasure, the wife will ALWAYS know if one is missing...ALWAYS !
Try it, guys.  Find a pair she 
hasn't worn since 1978, and hide them. My guess is that if the remaining pairs 
don't "rat you out", she WILL notice the "78s" are 
missing.
Or take one of your old sneakers and 
bury it amongst the "her highness's" space.
Guarantee....it won't take longer 
than a day and she'll be at your throat saying....
"Why don't you 
get rid of those old things?"  "They're ugly and they 
stink."
Well, I'm a guy, and us guys like "stink"...and..."old"...and an occasional hole in 
a pair..."so...our feet can breathe."
So...there !  
Dick Arendt
Dick Arendt

Hi Dick.
ReplyDeleteThe article is brilliant and so funny and real.
In the morning I walk with two other women, and just a couple of days ago, we were talking about how men can't ever get rid of things, especialy shoes.
One woman said one of her husband's shoes has a hole in the bottom, and yet he still won't get rid of them.
My husband has a pair where the front of the shoe is separated from the top of the shoe, and he still won't throw them away.
But it was the third woman who won. Her husband has Velcro on his shoes holding them together.
Jill, how do you abandon "family" ?
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