Thoughts on Elizabeth Edwards, From an Ex Supporter of John

Elizabeth Edwards' decision to write a book about various happenings during her life including the cancer that has returned and metastacized, and her husband's affair is certainly getting alot of people worked up and commenting in the blogosphere and places like HuffPo. Many want her to go away, others are supportive. Everyone assumes she doesn't need the money. But I see a few problems with this picture. First, Mrs. Edwards is fighting a horrible and I'm sad to say costly disease - I know, I was paying bills after my Mom passed away from lymphoma and she was really lucky she had two types of insurance that ended up covering most of her care (even then I had to sic my lawyer on her doctor to get him to reimburse me for one bill). Second, the other woman has been supported by parties close to Senator Edwards and who's to say she won't try to get her hands on as much of what he and his wife have as she possibly can? Yes, he may be the father of the other woman's young daughter but questions persist that indicate said woman might want more than is needed and reasonable to raise one child. However he and his wife have three kids - two quite young - who have every right to inherit money and property after their mother is gone. Third, she isn't going away because she wants to hand her husband his arse in public. He deserves it. So does the other woman. They chose to have this affair. Period. Elizabeth Edwards can still love her husband and want to hand him his arse for this horrible lapse in judgment, and she can also feel it should cost him his future in politics. And as for whether she knew about it being ongoing, I think she really truly did not. Love is blind. I've been there.

I not only support Mrs. Edwards, I picked up her book today and other customers were waiting for the book to be put out on the shelf, taking it out of the sales associate's hands. He even asked me if I was waiting for it and I said yes. Makes me think other people who were there earlier had been taking it right out of his hands too. Which might speak volumes - no pun intended - of whether people really want Elizabeth Edwards to go away. I don't really think they do.

Thoughts on Various Footwear

About those sneakers that seem to have alot of people crying foul over whether the first lady is going overboard with spending money on clothes and shoes...one angle I have heard little of is the possibility that they were a gift. If so, the Obamas will have to make it public and I have faith that they will.

I heard from an insider involved with Imelda "5000 pairs of shoes" Marcos' racketeering trial in New York City that she didn't buy all those shoes herself. Rather, they had been given to her by the Filipino shoe manufacturers who wanted their first lady to promote their shoes and wear them. I'm in no way, shape, or form excusing the things she and her husband did while he was in office, but given the source I heard this information from, I believe she had all the shoes given to her.

Sometimes appearances are deceiving. But speaking of footwear and having multiples of footwear, I'm inclined to hoard my latest favorite shoes. A couple of weeks ago, I ran across a Lands' End online shoe sale and picked up shoes for my eldest who needed a new pair. While I was at the site, I grabbed these for me:

I fully expected to have to return them because I have a sad history of falling for driving mocs and finding them just too narrow for my wide-ish feet. But no, I am nearly living in these and am happy that my size got back in stock in the last 24 hours, yayyyy. What's more, I got stuck in a downpour on Monday and had to make a dash for my car, pushing a fully loaded grocery cart while I ran. Again, I fully expected the worst, a wipeout. Didn't happen. And the shoes made it through the soaking without falling apart or getting otherwise ruined. So if you need shoes that look good in a preppy meets fashionable kind of way, aren't pricey and won't hobble you when keeping up with kidlets or dodging rain bullets, these may be a good bet for you.