I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane

I leave for BlogHer tomorrow. I'm excited about this gathering of other smart, sassy women writers. There will be all sorts of interesting people to meet and panels to attend, covering things like: following your passion, self-branding and promotion, politics, crafts, sex, web design, making money, techie tools, storytelling, photography, racial tolerance, artificial intelligence, and food. Where else can you hear Elizabeth Edwards give a keynote address about social media and listen to Amy Sedaris' take on Craftblogging in the same weekend?

My plane leaves in 18 hours. Am I ready to go?

Let's see:

• Cell phone charging -- check!
• Camera charging -- check!
• iPod charging -- check!
• Packed -- not yet
• Business Cards ready -- not yet
• Out of office reply turned on -- not yet
• House cleaned up so I don't return to a disaster zone on Sunday -- not yet

Hmmm... There seem to be too many things in the "not yet" category. I'd best get to work!

Hoping to avoid Bandaids and moleskin

Okay, this post may seem shallow, unless you're a woman who understands the quandary of finding fashionable footwear that fits. (I'm also trying to appeal to literati types who appreciate alliteration and assonance.)

I'm going to BlogHer in two weeks (more on that later), and desperately need to find some new shoes that will accomplish two very important tasks:

1. Enable me to rock my outfits while exuding a "I'm-a-cool-blogger-in-the-know" vibe.

2. Allow me to walk around all day without developing blisters and a limp that says, "I chose my footwear poorly and will now pay the price."

Any suggestions? I will be wearing gauchos and capris, and would like something that doesn't make my lower calves look like tree stumps. Sandals with good support are preferable. Other shoes that don't look like I should be exercising in them would also work. And they should match black, brown, and dark blue pants. (Okay, I may need more than one pair.)

If you've been a lurker, now is definitely the time to de-lurk! Tell me your favorite place to buy shoes, your favorite brand of shoes, or get specific and point me to a specific pair.