sneakers of the day

You can actually run in this first shoe, the "Kalypso" by Fred Perry, but it isn't necessarily recommended. I own several of these ballet flat (UK: ballet pump)/sneaker hybrid shoes myself - I call them "skimmers", which is what Keds calls them - and I can say that their primary virtue is walking. Not if you're going to be running up stairs, or on your feet all day, or climbing trees - take something else then. A skimmer is more of a loafer substitute. More comfortable than a ballet flat, far more convenient than a full-bodied sneaker (even the kind that's closed with elastic, or loosely laced so you can wiggle your foot in and out), they're good for a day of mixed activities - sitting, standing, strolling, slipping in and out of your shoes quickly - in short, for spring and summer (summer in Finland is never warm enough for sandals, whereas summer elsewhere is frequently too hot for closed toes).



The second are the Nike "Finstar", which have a simple shape and combine running and walking shoe properties. I have to admit, I can easily see how you could find that rather 80s metallic neon violet on black off-putting, but I look at it this way: it's a (superior) alternative to the plain black sneaker, if you go for that.

keeping the fun parts

For this poll, no real knowledge of Merlin, the new tv show and its associated fandom, is necessary. (In fact, that's kind of the case with the whole show and the whole fandom, too: no briefing required, dive right in!)

[Poll #1346855]

I kind of love that the popular choice, for question #2, is to slash Gwen with Morgana in the young and shiny Merlin fandom. And then there's OT4, which hadn't occurred to me, but I kind of love that someone did that, too.