One of those awkward moments....

I was just at the store with our daughter getting some last minute
supplies for the BBQ tomorrow. Being out as Heather does have its risks
I suppose. Today while we were at the grocery store one of our
daughter's schoolmates' moms walked by and asked if she was excited to
be going back to school. We chatted for a few and she asked me if we
were ready for her to go back to school yet. I honestly think she
thought I was katya's mom. Let's face it, most parents don't know the
parents of their kids classmates all that well. When I got home I told
my wife to be prepared for a possible awkward moment if they met up at a
school function. My wife said "Oh, you met my husband's cousin, Heather?" :)

Ahh... the logic of a 6 year old.

Yesterday was a pretty typical Heather day for me. I went to get my
nails done and then we went for a ride on the motorcycle, just a couple
of biker chicks. We took a run to a winery and bought a few bottles of
wine. After we got done with our ride we picked our daughter up from
daycare and were heading out to get some dinner and grocery shopping.
Since it was a Heather day, my wife went in to get her. When our
daughter got in the car, she asked "So, where are we going out for
dinner?" I replied "What makes you think we're going out to dinner?" Her
reply really showed just how a 6 year old can think. She said "Miss
Heather is in the car. Whenever Miss Heather is in the car, we go out to
eat."

She was right.. More often than not, if we're going to eat out it's a
Heather day when we do it. It is just the way that it ends up working
out for us. We don't plan it that way. I just think it is interesting
how she can put things together like that.

Writing, writing, and more writing

I finally got back to doing some writing on my book. I knew when I
started that this would neither be easy nor quick to do. I am getting
some of the basic concepts put down in a somewhat coherent form. I keep
coming back and re-reading what I have written and adding a little here
or there, maybe rearranging some text to make it flow better. I have
like 9 documents started on various topics which will eventually be
melded together into chapters of the book.

Google likes me again

I checked this morning and Google once again likes my site.

--
Hugs,
Heather

I am like a Geisha. I am an artist, and as such am expected to be a living work of art. I am not transgendered because I want to be. I am transgendered because I must be.

TG and proud of it!
www.heathercd.org
www.therainbowlounge.org

I've been hacked!

Well it looks like someone figured out my FTP password (it wasn't all
that secure) and hacked my page. Needless to say my password has been
changed to something much more secure. The site has been fixed. If you
get the warning from google, you can ignore it at this point.

New pics

I just uploaded some pics to the site, including ones from the July 5th BBQ.

New page added

I just added a "how to walk in heels" page to the site.

How to walk in high heels

Let me start by telling you what I have observed that many who walk in
heels do wrong.

Most people who wear high heels walk in them the same way as if they
were in flats, heel to toe. When you put all of your weight on the
narrow heel you inevitably end up with the typical ankle wobble which
can lead to sore ankles, or worse a sprained ankle. In order to properly
walk in high heels, and especially stiletto heels, you need to walk toe
to heel. Now, in an ideal world you could do this. In reality you want
to have your toes touch down right after the heel. If you are putting
more than about 10% of your weight on the heel while walking then you
are doing it wrong.

The way to learn to do this is to start barefoot. While you are
standing, try raising up onto the balls of your feet. Now, try to walk
on the balls of your feet. It will probably take a few weeks of regular
practice to build up your calf muscles enough to support your weight.
Once you have gotten to the point where you can walk all around your
house this way, you are ready to put on a pair of high heels. When you
first stand in the heels, stand the same way that I mentioned earlier,
with all of your weight on the balls of your feet and little or none on
the heels. Now practice walking like this while wearing your heels. Keep
your steps very short so you can keep the weight off of the heels. As
you grow accustomed to walking in the heels you can gradually increase
the length of your stride.

Another thing that you need to watch out for is many people walk with
their legs too far apart. If you walk like that, your weight is actually
focused to the side of your shoes and not over them. This also
contributes to sore ankles because you are constantly having to counter
balance your weight using your ankles. You need to keep your feet as
close to center line as possible when walking in heels.

The way to learn to keep your feet close to centerline is to find a
curb, any curb will do. Practice walking the curb like a balance beam
(in flats at first). When you can walk the curb in a normal stride
without losing your balance or looking down, you are ready to move on to
practicing while wearing heels. When you can comfortably do this in
heels, you have mastered keeping your feet centered. Now you are keeping
your weight balanced over your feet instead of to the side of them.
Remember this when walking in your heels and you will do fine. There is
another side effect of this technique. You will have achieved that walk
that will have all the guys checking you out as you walk by. ;)

The next thing to watch out for is taking steps that are too long. If
you try to walk in a normal flat-footed stride you are placing your feet
where you have no choice but to place all of your weight on your heels.
Shorten your stride. Think baby steps. Go for shorter, faster steps if
you want to maintain a faster pace. Remember - toe to heel, not heel to toe.

Stairs can be fun in heels, especially for those of us that have larger
feet. Your entire foot simply can't fit on the step. When ascending
stairs, walk up them on the balls of your feet, just like you practiced
when you were starting out. Don't even try to put your heels on the
stairs. When descending stairs, I have found that it is best to turn
slightly sideways so that your entire foot comes down on the step flat.
If you have larger feet, your toes will not sit on the step and you
certainly can't balance your weight on a stiletto heel very easily.
Also, don't be afraid to use the hand rail. There's nothing less sexy
than falling down the stairs on your face when you mis-step.

Rocks, loose gravel, and grass present an interesting challenge -
especially when wearing stilettos. But, if you were paying attention to
what I said earlier you will have no trouble at all. Simply shift your
weight to the balls of your feet and shorten your stride. I can walk
across a freshly watered lawn in 4" stilettos and not even sink in 1/4"
with my heels. I love the look on people's faces because they are
expecting to see me sink in and have trouble walking in these conditions.

Now for the next problem with high heels, no cushioning for your feet.
Almost all flat shoes have some sort of cushioning built into them. High
heel shoes, for some unknown reason, do not. The best solution here is
to hit your local shoe store or shoe department and look for cushioned
inserts. These days you can find inserts that are designed for open toe
shoes, open back shoes, even strappy sandals that won't be noticeable
when you have the shoes on. These inserts will help relieve the soreness
in the balls of your feet if you have to stand in heels for any length
of time.

I hope these tips help you learn to properly walk in heels.