Justified

A year or so ago, I heard an interview on Fresh Air with Walter Coggins who plays Boyd Crowder on the television show Justified. The interview was interesting and I was especially interested that the show is set in and around Lexington, KY, where my aunt and cousin live. So I started watching the show last season. Not only is the main character, Raylon Givens, hot, but the acting and story lines are excellent. Think Harlan County, KY, the site of one of the most contentious labor disputes in American history, the Marshall's service, Oxycontin trafficking, moonshine and murder. This season's storyline has included Detroit mobsters and a guy who picks up rent boys and holds them hostage until he kills them. If you haven't watched it, you totally should.

The Tao of Flip Flops

It's sort of a joke that I will wear flip-flops in any weather; I've been known to wear flip flops in snow and/or ice...at least to drive in them. My feet rarely get cold so it's usually not a problem. Flip Flops are just the most versatile of footwear. If you're running around the house and your floor is dirty and you don't want to get grit on your feet? Slip on a pair of flip flops...problem solved! Need to walk that dog but don't want to put on shoes? Flip Flops are the answer! I absolutely love the freedom of flip flops, although I don't always love looking down at my jankety toes. I love the sound flip flops make, especially when I'm in Wal Mart and I'm trying to be kawntry and exaggerate the sound the flip flops normally make.

Flip Flops were popularized by servicemen in the Pacific returning from World War 2 and wore them in Japan. Ironically, my father, who served in the Pacific in World War 2, could never walk in flip flops...it was sort of funny to watch.

I don't like slides...I need that little tab of rubber, leather or, my least favorite, plastic, in between my toes to help them stay on. Slides just seem too lazy...plus, one normally can't wear socks with flip flops, and socks with sandals is just too foxy for me.

I remember when I was a little boy and we would go to the beach for our summer vacations. My Mom would buy these rubber flip flops for me to wear, and I could barely walk in them. Plus, I hated having something in between my toes! Actually I had a foot issue after watching this movie one time where a vacuum cleaner goes after a woman's toes...but that's another story. The first time I actually wanted to and was able to wear flip flops was when I was visiting my sister Patricia in Dallas one summer and she had these awesome flip flops with a sort of woven insole and padded strap for the foot. I loved those flip flops and have been looking for another pair like them for years. It didn't register at the time that I wanted a woman's shoe but again, another story.

All flip flops are not created equally. The top strap needs to be tight enough that the foot doesn't slide out when you walk...unlike these that I bought recently at JC Penney. They keep falling off my feet!

These flip flops I bought last year at Whole Earth Provision are some of the best I've ever had...

the best pair of flip flops I've ever had are ones I bought at Abercrombie...they had huge soles and were super cute...so the next time you hear that distinctive flip flop sound, think of me...