the beat of my shoes

one reason I hate flip flops is because when you walk on ground that has been rained on OH THE BACKSPALSH. not only do you end up with the backs of your legs and ass being covered in a filthy street salad (composed of twigs, wet leaves and any other debris that happened to be on the ground during the downpour. this includes garbage), but the flatness and thinness of these 'shoes' creates a sort of pool under the ball of your foot that traps excess stagnent street water resulting in a prominent 'squish' with every step.

now some people do not mind this 'squish'. i think that is because it reminds them of being young and dirty, but in this particular situation, to me, that squish is a uncomfortable reminder of how my shoes have just flung the street debris on to the back of my body. it is worse than on a bike. at least when you are biking you are enjoying yourself and going so fast you do not even mind or notice the filth all over your body (keeping in mind that the extent and coverage of this debris when biking exceeds flip flopping) because their is usually a layer of sweat protecting it from coming too close to your pores. but with lollygagging flip flops there is no such speed or endurance to motivate or distract you. its also amazing how far up your back it can go. today a wet flower hit my shoulder i SWEAR!

the one thing i do love about flip flops is the nose they make. especially when there is more than one person walking in them. although this can be embarassing and draw unwanted attention (like when I wear them in the quiet, echoey AGO --"who is that asshole in the frigging two dollar shoes distracting my viewing pleasure"), mostly i find it gives my life rhythm. like a weak bass line. what we really need (andrea and I are actually starting one) is an army of people - all in flip flops - to make a lot of noise when they walk. for no particular reason other than to make a normally quiet action into a noticable one. just because i like it.

so even though they are annoying and dirty and cheap and hurt my feet, any beat is better than no beat. so flip flops are okay, as long as you dont wear them to church, weddings, anytime you are coming in late to a performance of some kind or need to be excused to use the washroom, the AGO, or any other place of culture and especially not after a rainstorm.