> > 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.
>
> Well, it's not *our* fault you're an unmitigated wuss.
>
> I wear sandals exclusively in the summer. I wear them even though they *do* occasionally give me blisters and are often uncomfortable to walk long distances (or even medium distances) in. I do it because they're still far superior to wearing sneakers and socks. If there's one thing in this world I can't abide, it's my feet being sweaty. And my feet get sweaty in about .03 seconds in the summer while wearing socks and any sort of shoes, no matter WHAT I'm doing, including just sitting on the couch and watching TV. Doing any sort of movement just makes it WORSE. Therefore, I wear sandals. They are far superior at preventing foot-sweat than anything else besides bare feet (which, if not for the fact that every place in the world requires you to have shoes on to enter, I would much prefer) and the occasional discomfort is not near reason enough for me to suffer sweaty feet. Besides, if you pay some actual money (instead of always going for the cheapest stuff like I do) sandals can be quite comfortable.
>
> In fact, the first thing I do when I get home, even in the winter, is take off my shoes and socks. If my feet get cold, I'll put slippers on, but I won't wear socks in the house generally because they'll eventually cause my stupid feet to sweat. If it were possible, I'd go barefoot all year. Barring that, my second choice would be sandals year round.
>
> -- Dave

I wonder which is better for the bloodhounds; bare feet or sweaty feet? They might even prefer bare, sweaty feet. If you could manage that, they would have an easy time following you.

When I was a kid, I wrote a story about a guy who stole a steak from the 'frige in the prison kitchen and then after he escaped, he tied a string to it and dragged it across a field. On the other side of the field, he tied the string to a horse's tail, gave it a swat on the caboose, and took off in another direction. Naturally the prison guards and their bloodhounds spent so much time following the horse, the escapee was able to hop a freight and get away.

I don't think I ever finished the story, and that was the only part I can still remember. I don't think he would have been wearing sandals.
Howard