> I had a pair of those when I was younger - my mother bought them for me and my brother right around when they started to become "all the rage" around here. I couldn't stand them - they caused huge blisters on the sides of my feet.

We hates them too, Darien. We hates them!

The one time I wore these was in New Zealand, actually. Leen bought me a pair before we went, figuring that they'd be convenient on beach days. In all fairness, the day I wore them, we ended up doing some untevalike activities, but I wore them enough to know that I would never wear them again. And I haven't.

My feet got cold enough (on a ferry, where the winds are chillier than on land) that I had to put socks on. The choice between fashion and comfort, for me, takes less than zero time for me to decide, but it was amusing watching Leen and Dave and Brunnen-G all gasping and/or making fun of me for it. But, hey, I was *already* dressed stupidly with those idiotic sandals, so I might as well dress stupidly in comfort.