A sad, sad state of affairs...

So the other morning I'm on my way to school, and I stop in at Starbucks for a morning coffee. I'm cranky, as I have been all week, because this class is just plain pissing me off. But, that is another story... a multitude of other things had already gone wrong that morning... I woke up late (or rather, couldn't pull myself out of bed on time), simply could not pick out what to wear (I'm so sick of the same clothes I have been wearing for the last month!), realized when I had gotten downstairs that I had forgotten something upstairs, and there wasn't time to go back up the 7 flights... it was one of those mornings.

So anyway, I get into Starbucks, and the thought of the caramel macchiato that would soon be filling my mouth with tasty pleasure perked me up just a bit. (Of course then I thought of this class again, the professor specifically, and my mood dropped again...oh wait, that's another story, right...) Anyway, I get my coffee, with my 30 euro cent discount (yay!) and I'm headed out the door...

And then it happens... my flip flop (thong for you Aussies, and SLIPPERS for you from India!) catches on the last step out the door. I stumble, but regain my footing. Then I start walking.... something doesn't feel right here.

I look down to see that my flip flop has come apart... the part of the strap that goes between your toes and down through the sole of the flippy has come out. Well, this has happened before, and because of the durable nature of these shoes, I have been able to push it back through, and continue to wear my favorite pair of summer shoes.

Not this time. :(

I realize with horrified disgust, that this time, the pull was so forceful that part of the sole actually ripped out and is dangling around the strap of the shoe. There is a hole in the sole, just the size of the little part that keeps the strap from coming out, so basically, there is nothing to keep it in anymore.

I try to walk a few steps anyway. Kim, one of my classmates, looks on in sympathetic amusement as my shoe flails and it is apparent that I will not be able to walk like this.

What could I do? I took the darn thing off my foot, and walked the block to school with one bare foot. Of course I'm in a big dusty, dirty city here, so by the time I get to school, my bare foot is now a black-bottomed foot. Ew.

The one good thing this professor did for me this week was offer me some tape about an hour into class (when we had to get up to break into groups and I started grumbling about my shoe again...).

So gosh darnit, I taped up my shoe. I taped it up really well. And I wore it for the rest of the day, my foot sweating profusely against the packaging tape. Ew.

So, here are my shoes now...

the sad pair...

And a close up of the extremely sad flip flop

This is my last homage to them... before they hit the bin. I mean, it's not like I can keep them now. These dear, dear shoes, imported to me in Latvia from America by a caring friend, worn just about 99% of days since summer arrived this year (and maybe last!) are done. They are just plain done. As I said to my roommate who asked me what I was going to do with them, "You wouldn't wear shoes that look like that, would you?" No, you wouldn't. Bye bye flippy flops.

And in other news... while I was taking pictures of my shoes on the balcony, I thought I would take a picture of one of the very cool buildings that is just down the street from me. There is another building just across the street from this one, that leans in towards this one. Kind of freaky!



In good news, I'm done with that paper that I couldn't get out the other night. Which means I'm done with all assignments for this summer's courses. WHOOO HOOO!!!! Tomorrow it'll just be a bit of revision and such in class, and then off to party the night away! :)

(Of course, preserving a slightly mournful state over my dead shoes...)