The Vine: December 18, 2009
Hi Sars!
I recently returned from a trip to Europe, and I have a photo of a gorgeous alley in Amsterdam. I couch-surfed while in the Netherlands, and my host told me a famous writer/philosopher had once roomed in an apartment along this particular alley, but I can’t remember a) the name of the alley or b) the name of the famous individual.
So my question is the following: do you or any of the readers know of a website or service that could help me out with this (i.e. where could I send in or post the photo and then have readers or website moderators or something identify the place)?
Thanks for your time!
Really wish I had scratched the names down on a napkin or something, sigh
Dear Names,
I don’t know of a specific resource — besides, of course, the international/well-traveled readership, so let’s see if they can help you.
Hi Sars,
I have recently been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis (I think I spelled that right), which basically means my feet hurt all the time. I’m going to PT to get some help, but my physical therapist has told me, repeatedly, that I need shoes with better arch support. Or arch support at all.
I basically live in ballet flats. I was hoping you or the Vine readers would be able to point me in the direction of some ballet flats that have good arch support and are actually cute, not bulky, and that maybe, hopefully!, aren’t super-expensive. I’m not having much luck finding both cute AND inexpensive.
Oh, and I have seen that Fit Flops are supposed to be great, but I live in NYC and refuse to wear flip-flops due to not wanting gross feet all the time.
Katie
Dear Katie,
The thing is that a ballet flat is derived from a ballet shoe proper, and if memory serves, Capezios and their ilk have no arch support whatsoever.It’s kind of like expecting a size 7 not to pinch if your foot is really a size 8 — you can keep wearing the size 7s if you really want to, but they’re going to pinch.
The readers may have suggestions for ballet flats, or a similarly cute style of shoe like maryjanes, that do give you some better arch support, but because it’s pretty much the opposite of what ballet flats do, the best option for you is to investigate other styles, and start weaning yourself off ballet flats, at least a little bit.
If I can find this, it will seriously make my mother the happiest woman on earth. She is a woman of simple pleasures, and one of them is…her pop-up hair brush.
It has a simple plastic handle/base. The bristles are (this is key) wide-set, and stiff (somewhat similar to this brush, but with all the bristles sticking straight up). It’s key because, like myself, my mother has curly, volume-y hair and narrow-set bristles generally separate too many of the curls and give a total fluff-head look. I digress a little bit, but mostly to point out that something like this wouldn’t be right.
The other difference I’ve found between this brush and all the “pop-up” brushes I’ve found online is that this brush doesn’t fold. The bristles are inside the base. You press a little knob to pop the bristles out to brush. When you’re done, you turn the knob to retract them, so you just have a neat little plastic flat thing in your bag, ready for hair-brushing. My mom just loves it.
The problem is that the bristles are starting to break off. This is a cause of distress and concern for her, as she realizes eventually it will be bristle-less. She got it years ago, someplace, can’t remember where, can’t find it again. She went so far as to try to track down the original manufacturer via the patent number on the brush, but that just led to the name of a company in South Korea and no way to contact them.
I could give more info about color, handle shape, etc. but the truth is this company and the original brush are more than likely gone. Anything that fits the general category of pop-up hairbrush with wide stiff bristles would probably do the trick, if I could just find it (extensive Googling has failed thus far). Seriously, if my mother opened another one of these on Christmas morning she would be so happy. Anyone have an idea?
This would definitely beat a tea-of-the-month club membership
Dear Tea,
See if you find anything here.Failing that, maybe a site like Flight 001 (which specializes in clever travel stuff) or J-List (nobody beats the Japanese at fitting necessities into teeny packages).
Or maybe the readers have a specific suggestion.Readers?
Tags: Ask The Readers health and beauty popcult retail
I’ve never had PF, but I do have super high arches, and have amassed an impressive collection of inserts to go with various pairs of shoes. I’ve had really good luck using these [ http://tinyurl.com/y9konhk ] in some seriously tiny ballet flats. While they don’t give you as much support as a full insert, they do keep you in alignment while being very low profile.
Oooh, PF=haaaaate. Several ideas:
I got PF years ago and my footise salvation was Birkenstocks. Yes, they’re pricey, and potentially ugly, but I’ve seen various flavors at Ross and Costco for steep discounts. My chiropracter commented that the Birk footbed very nearly matched my orthotic prescription anyway, and he stuck a couple fit pads on to make it perfect. Your PT might be able to make similar suggestions/mods. He also told me that those squishy-foamy arch “supports” from the drug store are basically crap, and said to get the hard ugly institutional ones from the sporting goods store instead.
An elastic ankle brace from the drug store keeps my heel wedge in place when I want to go “barefoot” – these might help if you find that orthotics/inserts slip around in the ballet shoes.
Recently noticed that the local CVS has a new foot-exam machine. You step on it in your socks and it determines which of its $49.99 inserts you need. If these are any good, it might bridge the gap while you save up for custom orthotics.
Finally, consider the Trigger Point Therapy Workook)and see if it might help between PT visits. My partner’s fibromyalgia was kicking his ass this month, serving up nasty restless leg symptoms and spastic twitching hands. We started working his trigger points and now he is kicking fibro’s ass for a change. The book is amazing and if it does nothing for your feet, it will help with the back/neckache you’ve probably gotten from limping. (I have no association with the book or writer, BTW, just impressed and hope the rec can help someone else.)
I work in a podiatrist’s office and yes, you need orthotics. PT will help to some extent, but orthotics are what are going to get rid of your pain. If you have insurance, you can call the customer service number and find out if they are covered on your plan or not. Then find yourself a podiatrist and get yourself fitted for a pair. Really, it’s only going to get worse if you don’t have some constant arch support when you’re walking.
As far as wearing ballet flats, it is possible that normal orthotics wouldn’t fit into them, but you can get dress orthotics, which are made slimmer to fit into dress shoes. Depending on the shoes you wear, you might only need a pair of dress orthotics and not regular ones. You can also try strapping your feet in the meantime, which would also work when wearing flats, but the tape might show … it depends on how much tape you use and what your shoes look like.
Anyway, to strap your feet, get some non-stretch tape and put one piece about four inches long halfway between your heel and your arch. Then another piece halfway up that piece of tape (overlapping), then a third piece halfway overlapping the second piece. Then put one last piece right on your arch over all the other tape. The key is to pull up as much as you can so the tape is tight and creates support on your arch. I had someone at work do it to my feet when they were hurting (I also love shoes with no arch support) and it worked like a charm. Do this every day when you can and remove the tape at night. It kind of creates a temporary orthotic, but taping every day is a pain, so you’ll want to get actual orthotics when you can.
@Katie: Naots!
See http://tinyurl.com/ygt9kdq and http://tinyurl.com/ygub8rl
Firstly, believe that they look cuter on your feet than they do on the page. They’re made of buttery-soft leather, many of the styles are really low profile, and most of them (while larger than a ballet flat, per se) go wonderfully with skirts and such. They’re wretchedly comfortable, and come with replaceable cork footbeds so that when the original ones wear out (One set of mine did after about 18 months of near-daily use) you can replace them.
My first pair well over two years old and they still look good enough to wear out for a business-casual-style dinner. They’re pricey, but worth it.
Tea, the epibrush, I’m thinking. It’s apparently not made anymore, because on Google so far the best I’ve found is the patent:
http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/6968848.html
Wait, a picture!
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-71178719-cepillo-para-cabello-epi-brush-autolimpiante-super-oferta-_JM
I have two of the brushes, and never use them. I can sanitize one and send it to you, if you want it.
Names, could you upload the photo somewhere? I’m Dutch (though not from Amsterdam), and there’s bound to be more of us – maybe we can work it out for you? If you can tell us roughly where in town you were staying, we might be able to narrow it down somehow.
Katie, I’ve had PF in my right foot for a year+ at this point (I waited a looong time to do anything about it), and this has been a godsend:
http://tiny.cc/XjZPz They’re basically arch supports that you don’t even need shoes for. I’m a martial artist and train barefoot, which made finding supports tricky, to say the least. I wear birkenstocks most of the time, and started out wearing the Tandem Arch Pro Tech only when I was training, but pretty soon realized that it helped even when I had good support.
I’ve worn it with all sorts of shoes (and none at all), and can comfortably wear it underneath my sock, so I bet they’d work with ballet flats. Even if it shows, it’ll be just a black strap, and relatively low profile. Worth a try, at least. Seriously – best thing ever. My PF is getting fairly close to being healed – I can go without supports now with much less pain, and I’m pretty good even when I first wake up (which is when PF is the worst). Can’t recommend them highly enough.
Katie, I agree with Sars that you are likely to need to move away from ballet flats.
I need decent arch support because of a tibial tendon problem and can’t wear ballet flats at all, with or without orthotics. Add to that the easy to find size 11s and you can imagine the fun shoe shopping is. But I strongly recommend, if you live near a Nordstrom, going and trying on shoes the very knowledgeable shoe salesperson recommends for good support. You’ll have greater choice in decent quality at many price points and even if you decide to go home and check them out on Zappos you’ll have a variety of choices of style and brand that fit and are cute to choose from. I tend to go for maryjanes for cuteness and femininity.
Good luck.
Katie, I don’t know if these will help you at all, as they are a bit price-y and definitely on the bulkier side, but for all my high-arched sistahs in the comments, I have to heartily recommend the Skechers Shape-Ups. Ostensibly they’re supposed to help tone your legs and butt; I don’t know about any of that. All I know, is I’ve been wearing them for 3 weeks, and they have changed my quality of life. I’m on my feet 10-12 hours a day, and have circulation issues, foot cramps, and chronic lower back, knee and hip pain; my pain level is down from a 7 to a 3. My circulation is better, and my feet and back feel AMAZING. They’re the first shoes I’ve owned that have worked with my feet (narrow heel, wide through the toes, arch so high you could roll a marble under it). It feels like you’re walking on a thick, plush carpet, or beach sand, or CLOUDS IN HEAVEN. They are like magical shoes.
I got the Mary Jane style; they are definitively platform-y, but super-cute; I wear ’em with slim pants, or my hippie skirts, and get compliments either way!
http://tinyurl.com/y92ryrf
@Names: If flickr or other resources don’t pan out, and if you can remember something about the location of the alley (like a previous poster said, east or west of Centraal, near Dam Square or Nieuwmarkt), and if you can post a link to the photo here, my sister lived in the city for 10 years (now in a town just outside Amsterdam). You can email me at mcvitski at hotmail dot com, or post more info here and I will check back.
@Names: I’d try asking the good folk in the forums at Boots’n’all (www.bootsnall.com). They’re ultra friendly and they’ve been everywhere. I’d try posting in the section for Amsterdam and I’m not sure if this is still going or not but they used to have a “Where in the world” game going where people would post their photos and others would try to guess where in the world it came from. The people who participate in these games have a great eye for detail and incredibly good memories so they may be able to help you out.
@Names: I’ve never used it, so I don’t know how active the community is, but I found a website a while back – http://www.picanswers.com/ – where you can post photos and request information.
I doubt your mom would want a pet-hair brush, but this brush (http://petsupplies.nextdaypets.com/buy/Product~15633/?aff=gbase) looks much like the one you’re describing.
Also, this one (http://tinyurl.com/ybl7smo) is round, but retracts in a similar fashion.
Names: I assume you’ve probably already gone this route, but why can’t you contact your host and ask him or her again?
I have PF, and I second the Fit Flop idea–I’m lucky to live where I can wear flops year-round, and they’ve been my saving grace. I wear a brace at night that I got at Walgreens, which really alleviates the symptoms. When I know that they’re flaring up (usually after a night out wearing the “wrong” shoes”), I make sure to tape my foot (youtube has a bunch of tutorials on how to do it) before leaving for the day, which helps immeasurably.
PF sucks, but there are definitely ways to get around it and still be able to wear your ballet flats.
Tea,
http://tiny.cc/ZmL0M Is this what your looking for? The website looks a little sketchy but it’s the closest I could find to what your looking for. If not have you tried searching around for a similar product on Naturalycurly.com?
Names, you could try the community section of Lonely Planet – the people that read and contribute to that kind of site are likely to have done a lot of travelling themselves and might be able to help you: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/community
Bria wrote: “Names – was the writer/philosopher Spinoza?”
That was my first thought as well. I thought I’ve passed a place in Amsterdam marking where he lived or worked, but I don’t remember where it was (the Jordaan?) Apparently where he was born doesn’t exist anymore, it was on the Zwanenburggracht near the City Hall.
Oh, or maybe it’s Descartes, he lived in Amsterdam for a time. And I think it is this plaque that I am thinking of seeing before: http://tinyurl.com/y8v4vhe. I think this is at Westermarkt 6, but that’s not in an alley. He apparently also stayed on the Kalverstraat, but that’s hardly a gorgeous alley.
Katie – just another fasciitis-prone individual chiming in here. I got nothing on the arch support shoes–my feet are actually so fussy that good athletic shoes make things worse–but I thought I’d join in on the “not what you asked” passalong knowledge. The two almost completely mitigating things for me: always wearing slippers instead of going barefoot (which was sad, as I’ve always been a real barefoot person) and stretching out my calf muscles (regular yoga is what did it, downward dog after downward dog every freaking day, where physical therapy exercises never really did). I know it seems like it’ll never go away, but you really can overcome it, I promise–good luck!
TG:
OH MY GOD THAT IS IT! THAT IS THE EXACT BRUSH! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!
Oh this is super exciting :-) I would love to buy one of the brushes from you if possible – are you in the U.S.? Otherwise it looks like an Argentinean website and one of my sister’s best friends lives there…she could probably order one for me.
YAY TOMATO NATION!!!
Tea: I had that brush 12 years ago, lost it when I moved;I loved it! I want another one for my daughter and I. I found something similar on http://www.beso.com (page 2 its purple with a mirror) it’s small but it may work. Also www. amazon.com or http://www.hairbrushes.com then type in epi brush, it’s the same one as beso.com. If any one wants to get rid of 5 of them let me know I desperately want them.
Tea: oh, my email is FjazzS@yahoo.com or direct me to a website that sells the brushes legit.