Jim Sande

Monday, October 12, 2026

NPR - 'Weird Al' Yankovic - Tiny Desk Concert

Walking Diary On Monday

I left the house at 7AM for my daily morning, first thing, walk. I passed four dog walkers including the tall thin woman with the little dog, who walks very fast and always smiles and says hello. I passed three walkers without dogs, including one very serious looking woman who was deeply involved in her thoughts. The fall leaves are here, very pretty, as we get into the reds and oranges. The Catholic Church was about to have an early morning Mass. The Halloween decorations are up and seem the most elaborate of any year.

Closings

CNN: A ‘tsunami’ of church closings is poised to remake America by John Blake

Daylight

Brass Against - 'Wake Up' - Rage Against The Machine Cover Featuring Sophia Urista

Eggs

artwork by Alai Ganuza

Rilke

“Make your ego porous. Will is of little importance, complaining is nothing, fame is nothing. Openness, patience, receptivity, solitude is everything.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

Leaking

AP News: Heat-trapping gas once frozen in Arctic ground is slowly leaking and warming the planet by Seth Borenstein

The Cranberries - 'Dreams'

Crossword

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Friday, October 09, 2026

Weekend!

Have an excellent weekend. See you first thing Monday morning.

'Bransle De Bourgogne'

This is my new solo classical guitar track with G2 Records, just out today. The music was written by Robert De Visee in the 1600s. De Visee was a musician in the court of King Louis XIV and King Louis XV of France. This is upbeat dance music 1600s style. Imagine elegantly dressed people in the king's court, smiling and flirtingly bowing or curtsying to each other while this music was happening.

Walking Diary On Friday

Did my first thing early morning walk today, like most days. I started the first thing walks several months ago. The temperature was in the 40s, so I had on a sweater, a jacket, light gloves, and a hat. I saw three dog walkers and I politely walked in the street so the walkers could have the newly renovated sidewalk. I did not see the tall thin woman with her small dog who likes to walk very fast and always smiles. Everything seemed about as normal as ever. The Sun now rises in the 7AM area, and the clouds and sky at sunrise are rather impressive. The Republicans in the area have lots of yard signs, while the Democrats have few. It is a solidly Democratic area, and no one around here believes the Republicans will win in this town in November. I walked quickly and my new On Clouds are great, it's a great shoe.

'Bugout' - Post Apocalyptic Film

Stevie Wonder - 'Superstition' Live 1974

High Heals

From AI Gemini:

Historically, women began wearing high heels by borrowing a trend from male fashion during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. High heels didn't originate as feminine footwear; they were created for military function and masculine status before being adopted by women.

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The Persian Cavalry Origin

In the 10th century, Persian horse soldiers wore heels to secure their feet in stirrups while riding, giving them a stable base to stand up and shoot bows effectively.

When Shah Abbas I sent a Persian diplomatic delegation to Europe in 1599, European aristocrats were captivated by Persian military style. High heels quickly became a symbol of masculine power, status, and luxury across Western European courts.

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Why Women Adopted the Heel (1600s)

During the 1630s, European women’s fashion adopted several traditionally masculine elements—including short-cropped hair, hats, epaulets, and heeled shoes—as part of a broader cultural movement toward a gender-neutral or androgynous aesthetic among the upper classes.

1500s: Practical Precursors: Chopines
Before heels proper, Venetian noblewomen wore tall platform shoes called chopines to keep long gown hems off dirty streets. These served as an early precedent for elevated women's footwear, signaling wealth through immobility (wearers often needed servants to help them balance).

1630s: Fashion Borrowing & Masculine Trends
European women officially adopted heels by copying men's riding and court fashions. Higher heels visually elevated stature and signaled elite social status, showing the wearer didn't need to perform manual labor.

Late 1600s: Gender Differentiation in Heel Design
Men's and women's heels began to split visually. Men wore thick, broad heels for stability and stature, while women’s heels became narrower, curved, and more ornamental, designed to peek out from underneath full skirts.

Men Abandon the Heel
Late 1700s

Following the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, men discarded ornate dress, bright colors, and heels in favor of practical, understated attire ("The Great Male Renunciation"). Heels became almost exclusively associated with female fashion from that point onwar