I walked barefoot through the wide, safe and bland streets of downtown Minneapolis last night. It was 10:30 p.m., and E. and I had just eaten dinner at a tapas restaurant with an old editor of his, and we had tried to flag down a taxi in vain for the 1-mile trip back to my car.
My feet were still smarting after having hoofed it in 2 1/2-inch pointy patent leather slingbacks for the entire mile to the restaurant (E's old editor: It's just around the corner. Wait, I mjeant around the corner after that. No, wait ....) from the hotel hosting the journalism conference we're in town for.
We walked quickly, through crowds of restaurant revelers dining al fresco, past chi-chi bistros and boutiques, and past a Midwestern mustachiod good old boy and his girlfriend, a bottle blond in 3 1/2 inch red spiked heels and a red dress that looked spray-painted on. She saw me striding swiftly by, holding my heels in my left hand, and instantly took off her own shoes.
Man: What're you doing? You couldn't pay me a million dollars to go barefoot here. You might step on a hypodermic needle (they were in front of the best hotel in town).
Woman: Oh, be quiet. My feet are killing me.
What we women go through to make ourselves attractive. The hotel doorman, upon seeing me sans shoes, grinned and asked, "How're the feet?"
"Much better now," I said, and danced through the revolving hotel doors.
Running Update: It rained much of the day yesterday, so after a long day of conference seminars and luncheon (guest speaker: former vice-president Walter Mondale), I logged a 5-mile tempo run on a hotel treadmill. After warming up for 10 minutes, I ran at 8:41/mile with a 2 percent grade. Afterwards, I did a very thorough upper-body free weights workout. Ahhhh.
Travelin' Blues: Will I successfully board my Northwest Airlines flight tomorrow morning back to Washington, D.C.? Or will I be one of thousands of air travelers stranded here in the Twin Cities? More importantly, will I be able to board my NWA flight to Hawaii next week for my wedding and honeymoon?!
Inquiring minds want to know.
Hawaii will be a blast. Have a good time and try and enjoy it. About the wedding and reception - ask yourself, "Will this all come off okay if I stop and just enjoy it?" Somebody wil make sure it happens. You're the bride. You're the highest ranking person in this event. Everyone serves you. Lead the pack!
ReplyDelete