Tag: shoes

Haha LOL you go to hell

On By Luther M. SilerIn idiocy, Reviews1 Comment

You might remember a post about some new shoes I ordered a couple of weeks ago, and how before the shoes had even been shipped much less arrived in my home the company was hassling me about becoming a “brand ambassador” for them, to the point where I eventually dropped the name of their company into my spam filter.

Well, they have committed two additional sins since then: first, the shoes shipped directly from China, which, well, I’m fully aware that a number of the goods I use on a daily basis originated there, but each and every time I’ve gotten a tracking number and it’s been from a Chinese shipping company I’ve had to brace myself to either receive nothing at all or to get a piece of fucking junk. I’m fairly sure that’s been a literally universal experience. Every single time.

Then I did something I really should have done before ordering the shoes, and Googled reviews of the company, and to put it charitably they are utter shit. I have got to learn how to deal with any new company that I’ve never ordered anything from online; I’ve gotten caught up in stupid shit too damn many times at this point and I’m too old to be this Goddamn dumb.

Today, the shoes showed up. These fuckers didn’t even put the shoes in shoeboxes. There are literally four shoes wrapped up in a polybag and taped up.

I’m not even opening the packaging; I’ve already initiated the return. It’s gonna cost me a few bucks to ship them back and I’m anticipating additional bullshit once they receive them (the refund is apparently contingent upon “inspection” of the product once the return center, which is in Utah, receives it) but I feel like “the package was literally never even opened and I’m returning these because I hate you” is about as ironclad a reason to return something as I can give them. If I didn’t open the damn package, it’s hard to suggest I ruined the shoes.

So, yeah. Fuck Gatsby Shoes. Don’t give them your money or your email address. That’s me being a brand ambassador right there.

I remain open for actual brand ambassadorship if Kizik decides they need a fat Internet guy to hawk their shoes, though.

In which I will not sell your shoes

On By Luther M. SilerIn idiocy2 Comments

I ordered some shoes off the Internet. No, not my beloved Kiziks, although I did order yet another pair of those,(*) but some other brand that are going to scan more as a business/work shoe than what I’ve been wearing lately. Am I going to tell you what the shoes are?

No, because they immediately emailed me– and they’ve emailed me several times since– congratulating me for my new status as a “brand ambassador” for them, and explaining how I can get money by getting other people to buy their shoes, and giving me discount codes I can share, and explaining their reimbursement structure, and I’m like … motherfucker, I don’t even have the shoes yet, and can you maybe ask me if I want to be a brand ambassador, maybe a week after I’ve had them, to see if I even like the Goddamn things?

(Also: I ordered these with my real name and personal email address and it’s not like you have to enter your website to buy shoes, so there’s no earthly way they could connect the shoe-buyer with this site. I’ve had things sent to me for review before, and that’s its own thing. I bought these and they think I should sell them as a side gig now. I assume they’re doing this to everyone.)

The aggressiveness is equal parts off-putting and alarming, and honestly it makes me want to return the shoes as soon as they arrive, which is vastly annoying, as I do actually like the looks of the damn things or I wouldn’t have ordered them in the first place.

(*) In all seriousness this is, I think, my fifth pair of Kiziks, and if they want me to be a brand ambassador I’m all over it, but these other folks are gonna have to generate some goodwill with a quickness if they even want to keep the business they already got from me.

On seven years, and other stuff

On By Luther M. SilerIn Blogwanking, WritingLeave a comment

I keep almost writing a post about cops, and about police departments, and about protests, but I’m not sure what else I could say that I didn’t say here. Ain’t a damn thing changed except it’s gotten worse, and six years after Ferguson (6!!) I am more than a bit less willing to grant the idea that cops can be good people now than I was before. We are at the point where the institution itself is so rotten that it’s impossible to participate in it without getting the stink on you.

Fuck the police, is what I’m saying.

Hm. Maybe this is why I can’t do WordAds:

I dunno if it’s something I can appeal or not, and I don’t really know if I want to, but after seven years of writing at this place and putting, at this point, a decent chunk over a million words into it, I’m not entirely averse to the idea of making a buck or two off of it here and there. I don’t know that I agree that I “serve mature content,” though. Sure, I don’t censor my language most of the time, but that’s just profanity. It’s not like I’m sharing porn around here.

Nut the fuck up, WordAds, is what I’m saying here.

So, yeah– we’re now two full years past the point where my first long-term blog died; the final post over at Xanga just happened to be on the site’s fifth birthday, and it had been months at that point since I’d been posting regularly. My slowest year on Infinitefreetime was 2017, which featured 247 posts and over 82,000 words. By comparison, this is 2020’s 150th post. It is also 2020’s 158th day. And at an average of 414 words per post, I’m writing longer this year than I have in any year since 2013. I don’t know if that will stick as the year drags on, of course, but who knows.

Still have not successfully ridden the bike, by the way. I’ll try again tonight. I went shoe shopping yesterday, and was in the mood to buy something lighter and brighter than the can-wear-them-to-work shoes that have been my primary pair for a while, and I took a long look at a pair that was a lovely burgundy red before realizing that they matched the bike. I liked the idea for all of a minute or two and then came to my senses and bought these, in navy blue. I only mention the specific pair because a day later they might be the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever purchased. I am lazy enough that I generally just try to shove my feet inside my shoes without unlacing them anyway, so buying a pair of laceless shoes seemed like a natural step to take. Right now, it definitely feels like the right move.

What’s going on in your neck of the woods, other than the world ending?

6:07 PM, Saturday, June 6th: 1,909,077 confirmed cases and 109,497 Americans dead.

In which oh hell no not right now

On By Luther M. SilerIn Blogwanking2 Comments

I had a great post planned for tonight, or at least parts of it; it has the potential to turn into one of those two- or three-day extended things.

Then I went on an emergency shoe-buying trip right after work– shut up that’s a thing— and now I’m going to go lie down for the rest of the night and hope that what really feels like it might be impending Hell Flu isn’t actually impending Hell Flu.

Universe: I do not have time for Hell Flu right now.

No.

If I don’t post tomorrow, assume I’m dead, and divide up my possessions amongst yourselves.  If, that is, you can find my house.