UNEXPECTED DELIGHTS! 

These beautiful, sweet but totally rockin’ stilettos are so much fun to wear; I always seem to get compliments whenever I have her on; maybe it’s because I feel like a rock diva in her and it shows! I named her Delightful Diva because delight is what I experienced the moment I tried her on; she felt wonderful on my feet and looked amazing. Carlos Santana (yes, the guitarist/singer-songwriter) and his designer did a wonderful job with these, the different shades of grey, the pointy-toe and unexpected strap at the front with the leather flower are what caught my eye right away. I have had my Delightful Diva’s for over eight years and whenever I put her on I think “Oh, my wonderful old friend, you still feel and look great!” I want to put on a Santana CD and start salsa-ing (not sure if that’s actually a word or not).  A segment from their advertising reads: “Carlos by Carlos Santana are hip, hot fashionable shoes designed for women who love to be in the spotlight.” I decided that was quite fitting for what happened last time I had her on my feet; let me tell you:

Usually during my busy work weekend I will wear a pair of my ‘power’ stilettos, so when planning my outfit for a less busy weekday (less busy people-wise, but busier with regard to paperwork) I decide I want something more comfortable and not quite as showy. On this particular Wednesday I choose a black skirt to my knees that has pleats all around the bottom (it’s one of those that's on the fine line of business-ey yet sexy), a grey & white pin-striped button-down shirt with white collar and cuffs with the cutest cufflinks. I then decide that my Delightful Diva’s are just the stiletto I need to complete my look.

On my way to work this morning I need to stop in at UPS to pick up a package I had sent to my old address by mistake. I drive up at about 8:30am and park right at the ‘will call’ door and notice all the UPS vans and trucks parked everywhere and am wondering what’s going on here this morning, it seems really busy. I walk up to the door and as I pull on it I notice it’s locked and the sign reads “Open 10am to 5pm”, I head back to my car and one of the men in brown asks if he can help. I tell him I am here to pick up a package, however ‘will call’ obviously isn’t open yet. He says “Let me see if I can’t get someone to help you.” “Thank you.” I respond. “Wait here; I’ll see what I can do.” He says as he heads into the massive warehouse. It dawns on me while I’m waiting that I have never been here at this early hour and since this is one of the UPS hubs, this is probably the time all the drivers pick up their loaded trucks for the day.

A few minutes later he re-appears and says “Susan is inside at her computer, she can help you, follow me.” I follow him into the warehouse that holds about 30 UPS vans and I am to quickly find out; 30 UPS drivers too! We head right into the fray; the men who seemed to have been talking, stretching and getting their morning coffee, part like the Red Sea as we walk through. I am aware that all eyes have turned to us and a hush passes through the swarm of men, however I can still hear a few muffled words; “Wow”, “Who’s that?”, “Sexy”, “Where’d she come from?” are all I can make out. I am looking from side to side, enjoying the view, back and forth I glance; when I suddenly realize “NICE” has escaped my lips (quite loudly, I might add). I hear several of them chuckle, one drops his aluminum travel mug and another says jokingly, “You made him nervous.” I laugh and I’m feeling a bit giddy and thinking this would be a great time for a musical number in the middle of the UPS warehouse. I want to be in one of Santana’s songs; E Papa Re, it has a great salsa beat and the words are close to what I'm experiencing at the moment:

“The sun is slowly rising, the day is just beginning.
Let me take you to a place you’ve never been to.
Imagine that you’re walking with me in the jungle.
The natives they are dancing and singing to a ritual.
The music’s getting to you, your knees are feeling shaky.
Your mind is getting dizzy, the spell is taking over.”

I swear I can feel the heat of the jungle washing over me and my feet want to start moving to the beat, when suddenly the cool blue light of Susan’s comupter brings me out of my musical daydream and I realize I've made it through the jungle of men!

Oh, well back to reality I guess……Now my mind goes to what I originally came here for; "Just where is that package of mine?"

GLADIATOR GIRL GOES DANCING

GLADIATOR GIRL GOES DANCING!

When a few of my girl friends suggest we go out dancing for our collective birthdays, I say “Why not!” So now the question is what to wear, hmmmmm what to wear? I ponder this while sitting in front of my open bulging closet. A dress? No. Skirt and top? No. Oooooh, how about some nice tight jeans and a sexy top? That’ll work! Now for the stilettos; I need to choose a color first to go with the outfit I’ve selected, then the style, lastly comfort for the occasion (yes even stilettos can be comfortable!).

I finally pick out my favorite Seven Jeans (I wear boot-cut because they make me look taller), a silver belt and a black and red geometric patterned top. I check out all my red shoes, then my white ones and decide I need black instead because you never know what someone might spill on you and black is more forgiving. Mulling over my many choices (I have over 20 pairs just in shades of black) I decide I must wear something with a platform to protect my feet and still be able to dance all night long. Once that decision is made it narrows down my options, so the final question is; something strappy or smooth? Then my eyes land on her; Gladiator Girl she will definitely protect my feet from the surging masses on the dance floor.

I named her Gladiator Girl when I first laid eyes on her because she was my first pair of gladiator stilettos; I did however own a pair of gladiator sandals back in the 80’s. I have a theory that women’s shoe styles don’t really change that much they just get recycled from a designers memory of a favorite shoe from the past and then they tweak  it here and there to modernize it. Gladiator Girl is so versatile (not only because of the color – black goes with everything) I can wear her with nice slacks to work, jeans for a casual lunch or shopping, I’ve even worn her with skirts and dresses and I love that I don’t have to mess with a bunch of buckles, she zips up the back! The way she covers the front of my foot, and has the five straps going across but leaves a peek-a-boo view of skin makes her strong, protective and sexy all at the same time. Yup! Most definitely the right stiletto for the evening.

Once all my choices are made and I’m dressed, I head to the night club ready for fun! When I arrive I realize I am the first one there, I text Georgia and her reply is that they are about 30 minutes away, so I decide to people watch while I wait. I go to the bar to order a lemon drop martini, however before I can get the bartenders attention a good-looking man comes over to chat with me, he orders our drinks and like a gentleman; pays for them too. After a few minutes I find out he is a yoga instructor (I noticed he was built quite nicely), we discuss yoga and its benefits to the mind, spirit and body. He gives me his card and before re-joining his friends suggests I call him for some private instruction; hmmm, sounds promising! Before dropping his card in my purse I glance at it, his name is Paul and his studio is in Riverside, I might have to try him out, after all I do love yoga.

While leaning against a bar stool sipping my martini a nice young woman sits down next to me and introduces herself as Tina, she compliments me on my look and she seems to be a bit tipsy. After a few moments her girlfriend (and yes; I mean girlfriend) comes over and says, “Sorry she comes on to beautiful women when she’s drunk.” “Thank you for the compliment.” I reply. “Can I give you a hug?” Tina abruptly asks. “Sure.” I respond. While hugging Tina I notice Georgia and the others have come into the club, as her girlfriend pulls her away Tina kisses me on the cheek and whispers in my ear “great cleavage”. Tina’s girlfriend then escorts her back to the other end of the bar as I greet my friends who have arrived.  Everyone decides to order drinks at the bar and while waiting for their drinks the bartender comes over and hands me a Purple Hooter from Tina (it’s a shot with vodka, Chambord and a splash of soda). I nod to her and her girlfriend in thanks for the drink and down it goes; mmmmmm yummy. My friends ask what that was all about; I tell them and they have a good chuckle over it.

The girls drinks arrive and with drinks in hand we find a table near the dance floor and listen to the wonderful 80’s & 90’s rock that the band is playing. It doesn’t take long before the yoga instructor comes over with a few friends to ask us all to dance. Onto the dance floor we troop; several songs later we plop down at our table and Paul buys us all a round of drinks, says thank you for the dances and excuses himself. We have a discussion on how nice it is that there are still gentlemen out there. For the next few hours we enjoy the music, we sing and laugh, we dance as a group and separately with different men who stop by our table and offer their services on the dance floor, Tina even stops by for a dance. By the end of the evening my legs are tired and I’ve had a really good workout and a wonderful time! Gladiator Girl kept my feet above the fray, out of any muck on the floor and were quite comfortable while dancing the night away; I have one word for her performance this evening and that is: FIERCE!

It’s now 1 a.m. and I need sleep before work later this morning, so I hug Georgia and all the girls goodnight. On my way out the door Paul asks if I’m leaving, when I tell him I am, he offers to walk me to my car; I accept his offer. Chatting all the way to my car, I’m wondering if he’ll continue to be the gentleman he has been all evening? We reach my car, Paul kisses me on the cheek and says “It was nice meeting you; I hope to hear from you soon.” He then leans in again and slowly kisses my neck ever so gently in several spots before whispering goodnight and walking away into the night…