Comments on: It only costs a dime, just a nickel a shoe

By: littleflowerpetals

littleflowerpetals — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:59:26 +0000

I went into the Air Force right after high school, in the late 90s. Every Sunday night, I’d starch and iron my uniforms for the coming week, and polish my boots (whilst watching Star Trek Deep Space Nine and/or Voyager on one of the channels we had one base – both are now forever linked to those activities).

I’m a klutz. I am decidedly poor at doing anything dexterous. I was one of those kids that got yelled at all through boot camp for not being able to march in a straight line or fold t-shirts in perfect squares or hang my uniforms right, etc., etc. And I was never more than adequate at ironing — usually ended up with starch-shiny spots and ironed-in wrinkles. But dang, I could polish boots. I could polish up even the nastiest pair of scuffed up muddy combat boots until it glowed, until you could see your face in the heels and toes. My method involved Kiwi black polish, plenty of cotton balls, some water, and a soft flannel rag. I’d explain in more detail, but then I’d have to kill you.

Man…now I really kinda wish I still had combat boots, much as I prefer sandals for actual wear. If I go missing, I may be hanging out by the nearby Army base, begging random strangers to let me shine their boots…

Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

By: mpclemens

mpclemens — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:16:03 +0000

Band geeks will inherit the Earth, I tell ya’. We always had to keep our white shoes with black soles shiny-clean and scuff-free for games and parades, and after each they would come back looking like… well, like you’d just march a mile or two in them on a muddy football field or city street. I’ve never owned “dress shoes” that didn’t require polish, and have always polished them.

I think I’ve already established that I’m a retro-freak, though, so perhaps a poor representative sample here.

Me, wearing a pair of black Dr. Marten’s shoes, on their 12th year.

By: duffymoon

duffymoon — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:35:00 +0000

1) I have arch problems, and use rx arch supports, and therefore rarely go barefoot.
2) Plus as a kid I was bowlegged and nearsighted and clumsy and tended to stub my toes alot, a condition which doesn’t improve all that much it seems, and so I wear shoes for general pedal protection.
3) Rockports are pretty much the best, as far as I can tell, for my particular podiatric ailments. I never have the need to dress up all that much, so a brown casual pair and a blue suede athletic-style shoe suffice for most situations.
4) My older brother was, in his youth, a ROTC ranger, and he was completely anal about polishing his shoes. Spit-shined them constantly. He had this awesome (in retrospect) oak shoe-shine box with a slanted shoe-rest on its lid, and inside it was full of (black) kiwi polish and rags and brushes and those weird mannequin-orthotic shoe tree thingies to keep the shoes stretched out into their proper shape.
5) why am I numbering this?
6) any comment that requires numbering is too darned long.
7) so, sorry about that.