I started a Joke
Joke-telling isn’t my forte so I leave it to the experts, comedians and closet comics with more gumption than I’d ever have in a month of Sundays. You have to admire them! You do, I could never do it, I think too slowly. I’ve met a few though, they have a marvellous gift-of-the-gab.
I can’t resist sharing these somewhat crumpled Christmas bonbon jokes that I especially wrestled off other family members after our evening dinner. I’d forgotten all about them until I heard the giveaway rustles of paper in my coat pocket. I thought the jokes were a distinct improvement on previous years, but I should warn you, they’re Christmas bonbon corny.
Q. What is a computer’s first sign of old age?
A. A loss of memory!
Q. Why did the little boy bring a ladder to school?
A. He thought it was a High School.
Q. Why do bees have sticky hair?
A. Because they use honey combs.
Q. Did you hear about the two silly hunters?
A. They came to a sign that said, “Bear Left! and they went home!
Q. What did the Judge say when the skunk came into the courtroom?
A. Odour in the court!
Okay, enough! I’ve heard worse in previous years. Speaking of comics, two of my favourite improv comedians are Canadian Ryan Stiles and Scottish-Canadian Colin Mochrie. Ryan Stiles is straight up improv funny but I love him too for a completely whole other reason.
Esquivel Shoes
He wears beautifully custom made funky shoes. They’re custom made because he takes a size 15! That’s right, size 15. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches (or approx 1.98m) Stiles is an Actor, Comedian, Director and Voice Actor with BIG feet.
His shoe designer and craftsman is wizard George Esquivel. You have to look, the shoes are so scrumptious you’ll want to lick your laptop screen. You’ll find him tucked away in a cosy space off West 3rd Street an old-style atelier (the current atelier method is a form of fine art instruction often modeled after the private art studio schools of 15th to 19th century Europe.
Atelier
Taking its name from the French word for “artist’s studio,” an atelier usually consists of an artist, usually a professional painter, working with a small number of students to train them in art). The space off West 3rd Street showcases Esquivel’s remarkable collection of made-to-measure footwear alongside the work of some of America’s top bespoke designers: tailor-made suits by (wb) Collection, leather jackets by Dr. Romanelli and eco-furniture by Viesso.
“Because of the internet, we dress the same from Hong Kong to the Midwest,” explains Esquivel. Our customers want something that’s more individual. We know lots of designers who can offer this, so we decided to pool our talents.”
I liked this man the moment I heard him utter these eight wonderful words, “We want to give our clients undivided attention.” “We cater to manly men—football players, rock stars, businessmen—who just want to relax, have a drink and see what we’ve got. They don’t want to worry about breaking a glass display case or being watched while they try things on.” Exactly!
The nauseous ‘Pretty Woman’ scenario is, well, sickening. Granted his shoes will set you back between $USD650-$2,500 a pair but for customer attention and craftsmanship like that it’s a no brainer. Asian expansion is also in the pipeline, but as befits a designer who will happily spend five months handcrafting the perfect pair of stingray boots, Esquivel plans to proceed slowly.
Blind-sided by Stile size 15’s
“The media has trained us to think of fashion in terms of immediate gratification,” he says. “When you commission one of our products, you’re not going to have it tomorrow, but you will have something totally unique. That’s true luxury, and it can’t be rushed.” Isn’t that the truth.
This is what I love about blog writing like mine, I started a joke and in the words of the Gibb brothers, “but the joke was me .. ” I got blindsided by Stile’s size 15’s and totally loved it. You really do have to click on Esquivel’s name to see those shoes, they’re just so beautifully crafted. Makes Stiles a class act! For my money, Stiles and Mochrie are your everyman’s improv artists. Clever, funny and totally understandable.
