Shoes, Energy, and Grumbly Bits

October 4, 2026

This morning I decided to spend a portion of my grocery funds on a new pair of Vibrams. They're not my choice colors as they have hot pink on the back, but they're a third of the price the style normally sells for. They're the style I prefer for long-distance walking and hiking. And adding an alternating pair will put a little love back into my aging primary pair. I saw a new style I would very much like to try, but I will need to save for that.

I have went through my closet in recent months and gave almost every pair of boots and shoes I had away — minus my Vibrams. I don't wear them, and my feet have changed enough over the past many years that most were no longer comfortable. I couldn't even put my favorite Mary Janes on. An interesting side effect of either being barefoot or wearing Five Fingers for the vast majority of time for more than a decade.

There's a few new brands making more affordable Five Fingers. That excites me. One is also making more feminine styles. That really excites me. I've not needed to really dress up in a few years. I get a little anxious when I think about it, because if I dress up, I dress up. That is one area where my vanity can probably use a little work. Could I make myself walk out the door in my more feminine Vibrams? I'm truly unsure.

I want to say that I could. The idea of bending to societal expectations on the topic annoys me. However, I admittedly have my own expectations. I wonder if I'll even be comfortable dressed up that much. It is such a strange shift in thought since “dressed up” was my norm for the majority of my life. I feel uncomfortable just contemplating it.

I realize that I've changed a lot in the past decade concerning such things. I don't know what to make of it. The choice of stability over appearance was never meant to become my normal, but the shoes made such a difference in pain as well that they have definitely become my default. I have a gorgeous purple pair of Ryka Devotion Plus 2's that I purchased five years ago or so. They're comfortable, but my body throws a hissy if I try to walk in them for any distance. It's annoying. I've probably only worn them a dozen times. I keep them for “emergencies” but I should give them to someone who might use them. I'm going to think on that.

Have you ever tried to go on even a casual date in Five Finger shoes? You can learn a lot about a man by doing so. A whole lot. It's kind of amusing to observe. Perhaps that says something about the men I've dated since I'm sure those who also wear them wouldn't even blink.

New day. The above was written few days ago. It's raining, I'm smiling, and it's going to be a good day. I love the sound of rain and thunderstorms. It's just rain this morning, but it's so soothing. Add the whistle of wind, and I'm in my happy place. I'm really looking forward to when it comes with a crispness, too.

I really have to figure out my electricity approach for this winter. I think I'm going to struggle to hit the 1000kw this month. I guess I could drop my thermostat down another degree. Yes, I'll do that now. It really annoys me to be forced to use electricity I wouldn't just so my bill isn't around $300 during the hot months. Unfortunately, it's still hot enough that I can't drop it low enough to matter yet, so I'm already having to use more than necessary.

I've spoken to multiple companies about it. They don't care. Environment be damned. Even the 100% renewable don't care. In the Winter months, my usage drops drastically. I think the lowest I've had is in the 290s. The highest has probably been around 490. (Maybe lower or higher by a few. I'm not going to go look.) That's a lot of extra kw to come up with.

I figured out the math and if I'm really conservative, and we're not too warm for too many days a month, I could probably pull off keeping my bill the same without pushing for the 1k, but that would mean I'd need to watch everything closely. That's really not my style. But to hit the 1k, I think I'd have to alternate running ac or heat depending on the outside temperature AND keep my windows open. Then hope. That's just annoyingly wasteful.

You would think the companies would reward me for using less, but noooooo. Same goes for my landlord with water usage. It's one of the excuses given for rent hikes. “Would you like to pay your own water bill then?” At least he's wisened up and stopped asking me that. I don't know.

OK, that one degree drop makes it chilly right now. I should look up how wise it is to keep dropping the temperature. Let's see... For now, it will work as the nights are still warm enough.

So it looks like I will either be cooking a lot of water in the oven, amongst various other wastes, or I go as absolutely minimal as possible, which will potentially get screwed up with a heat wave or massive cold front. I should ask all my neighbors if they'd like to use my washer, dryer, and oven to save themselves money. 😹

It's utterly ridiculous to need to play such games. Especially in this economy. It also creates a false demand for energy usage. Just give me a fair price for my low usage, and stop punishing me because I use less.

Speaking of which, I could also complain about family-plan subsidization, but I will refrain. The thought of needing to keep up with tech alone in a family with multiple children would give me anxiety even with an amazing income. I also won't start grumbling about the economical advantages. Especially when there's many programs that either will not run at all or will not run well on cheap tech.

OK, I'm still smiling. That one degree will make a difference for now as long as I don't get annoyed each time the AC turns on. I really dislike oil, gas, and electric companies with their record profits. I enjoy having all of the above. I just wish the greedy owners would stop manipulating the system. They have enough houses and cars already. Do they really need another private jet? I don't think so.

Not proofed nor edited.