Ladies, count your shoes

Add comment April 4th, 2008

I was just about drifting off to sleep last night reading the Wall Street Journal when I stumbled across an article about a woman who has more than 100 pairs of shoes and how she organizes them in her tiny Manhattan apartment. (She is a former marketing consultant to an investment-banking outfit. Good she walked on THAT industry.)

The article refers to a Consumer Reports poll and its finding that the average woman has 19 pairs of shoes, not counting sneakers. (Do you count flip-flops?) Anyway, I was so shocked at the number that I did groggy mental math: The reddish brown backless MaryJanes that are too narrow in the toes. The dark brown pilgrim shoes that are too ugly and slip on the hallways in the News Tower. And — ugghhhh! — must I consider the LL Bean hikers that don’t look a thing like Uggs?

To make a long story short, I do have 19 pairs. It’s just that I wear only about 3 or 4 of them regularly. In this economy, it feels criminal to have 19 pairs of shoes. But there it is. At least I don’t hang my stilettos on a 9-foot ladder in the foyer like the Manhattan lady does. Things are scary enough around my house with a 16-year-old nearly-licensed driver.

If the governor says recall is OK, why not?

Add comment April 4th, 2008

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is on record as saying he favors voters having a choice to recall elected officials. The fact that people are clamoring for the ability to recall elected officials because of the way Blagojevich has operated doesn’t seem to worry him.

There’s a measure working its way through the General Assembly that would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would allow you to get rid of inept lawmakers. The House voted 80-25 during a test vote this week. (More like a pop quiz, I’d say). A real vote could happen as early as next week.

The problem will come in the Senate where Blagojevich ally Emil Jones controls what’s going on. Jones could just sit on the legislation and never let senators vote. Jones wife and son have cushy state jobs thanks to this administration so Jones may want to protect the governor from losing his job.

I’d like to think that this legislation is too high profile to be ignored, but I will be pleasantly surprised if it is voted on in the Senate.