The origin of fieryboots

The last couple of weeks have been really busy for me and lots of stuff is swirling around in my head, but most of it I can't really talk about here yet, for various reasons. So, I figured I'd take this time to explain what the heck are "fieryboots."

Years ago, I was really into ska music. And, by "really into," I mean obsessed. Luckily, at that time, there was a big ska scene in the Boston area to feed my obsession. Sometimes, my friends and I would go to see ska bands play three nights a week. We had a lot of fun and that's how I met A.

A key part of enjoying ska is dancing. And, it's a particular style of dancing just for ska called skanking. I think a friend of a friend described it as something like crazed bowling. It involves lots of arm-swinging, shoulder-lowering, knee-bending, jumping, and head-bobbing. You could probably use it as a form of self-defense because there are so many limbs flailing around at high speed that you can cause some bodily damage. (Actually, sometimes we did use it that way to clear out people who were blocking our line of sight of the band - isn't that awful?!?) But it's so much fun and I loved doing it for hours on end.

When you're doing that kind of aerobic activity for three and four hours a night, with only a few breaks for water and adult beverages (always making sure someone saved your place right in front of the stage), you need some good, sturdy shoes on your feet. And, my friends and I generally relied on our Dr. Martens boots. My preference was for my vintage 8-eyes. I wore those boots every day, everywhere. To work, out at night, on dates, with pants, with jeans, with skirts, etc. I still have them today, and I love them immensely. I can't bear to throw them away.


But after a while, the leather wore down and they got pretty sad-looking. Plus, Dr. Martens and other companies were coming out with so many cool new colors and designs. One night, I spotted a pair of these amazing boots that were covered in flames. The flames were made of leather and were wrapped around the toes and the heels of the boots. I really, really wanted those boots - enough that I mentioned them to A the next day (he wasn't with me when I discovered them). But they were way too expensive for me in my recently out-of-college job.

A few weeks later, A and I were going on a date (we were still dating! *sniff*) to see a zydeco band, C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band. When A came to pick me up, he was carrying a box. Inside were my beloved fiery boots!

This picture does not do them justice - I'll have to take one myself

Not only had he tracked down the store and the boots, but he somehow figured out my shoe size without my knowing.

I've taken really good care of my fiery boots. They don't see the light of day too much anymore, though. A and I don't get out to see bands much these days and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to wear them to work like I used to. So I let them live on in my username, which is a constant reminder to me of that fun time in my life and, of course, the thoughtfulness of the man who later became my husband.

So, that's the legend of fieryboots!