If the Shoe Fits...

If the Shoe Fits...

Ever have one of those days when nothing goes right? It took me an extra hour just to get to work this morning because of the snow and ice conditions...

And then there was the shoe thing.

I noticed, when I sat at my desk this morning, that one of my shoe laces was frayed at the end (spare me the jokes about I'm a frayed knot) and looked in my drawer for a pair of scissors. Why is it called a 'pair' by the way? I guess the thingie at the end had fallen off the lace. Anyway, I found some, clipped the frayed bit off and thought no more about it... until a short while ago, I noticed it had separated even worse and was apparently unravelling itself.

Must be those new nylon shoelaces I bought at Walmart, I thought, but I know how to deal with that. When I go camping we often have to cut nylon lines and then we simply melt the cut end with an open flame to seal it off and stop it unravelling. Works like a charm. I don't smoke but I have a butane lighter in my desk left over from lighting Christmas candles last year some time. So... I pulled this out, touched it to the end of the lace and put it away. It left a burning smell which made me wrinkle my nose a bit and it seemed to get stronger. I looked down and it was still burning - basically the whole top of my shoe and the lace was on fire.

I stifled it quickly with a bunch of serviettes I keep on my desk and the lack of oxygen put it out. The leather didn't seem to be damaged - which was a good thing because these are expensive shoes. You'd think that was the end of it, but no... when I got up, the laces gave way and the shoe nearly fell off. I surveyed the damage with a critical eye and removed the burnt pieces. This left me with maybe a third of the good lace and I laced it from the back and tied it off half-way.

Not so good. The shoe still flapped because the knot was only half way
up the shoe...

Sitting back, I thought about it for a while and wondered what people do in this situation. Then it hit me. I cut the remaining lace in two and made two knots - one at the top and one in the middle.

Tada... success. I am able to walk normally again.... I just have to ignore all the people pointing at my feet and snickering.

Tonight I'll buy a new pair and this time I think I'll keep the good, old one as a backup.