An Evening out with the Guys. . .

Had a good time yesterday playing pool, enjoying a few beers (Stella Artois for me), and losing quite a few games of Nine Ball with a couple of good male friends, a chemical engineer and a poet/English professor.  While I did finally manage to win two games by evening's end, more through dumb luck than any great skill, the conversation during all of this was priceless.  We covered everything from critical theory and psychoanalysis (I know, I know.), to Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan war literature, to sci-fi movies, to 1960s garage rock, and bebop vs. cool jazz among other things.  

Before we knew it, four hours had elapsed, and it was time to say goodnight.  However, we've decided to do it again before too long, and our English professor friend has even invited us rock climbing, something I've never tried before, but one must be open to new experiences.  Oh, and all three of us were dressed decently for a summer's evening.  Very casual and nothing particularly outstanding or outlandish, but comfortable and certainly acceptable for a neighborhood bar/pool hall here in the wilds of Central Illinois.  It was, by all accounts, a delightful evening.

As far as shoe style goes, our English professor friend was wearing a pair of navy Toms on his feet, which seem to be a modern take on the classic espadrille.  The entire line of footwear and accessories can be viewed at Toms.com.  Prices seem reasonable, the company also offers a variety of accessories although some of these strike me as a bit hipsterish.  In addition, the company seems to have its mindset in the right place though I must admit that I remain more than a little skeptical of companies that make their "green" stance such a prominent part of their marketing efforts.  

Navy linen Toms like the kind worn by one of my friends during our pool and B.S. session yesterday evening.  I like these.  Photograph lifted from the Tom's website.

In any case, the shoes pictured above look good for very casual summer footwear and succeed in hiding the otherwise unattractive male foot -- with its typically hairy toes, calluses, and yellowed toenails in dire need of a trim -- covered during the warmer months.  I might just have to add a pair of these linen numbers in navy blue to my own summer shoe rotation.

-- Heinz-Ulrich