Here it is, my Holy Grail: personification via footwear.

Some people aspire to be captured forever by way of bronze—their raised, tarnished fists nobly providing a perch for pigeons and the occasional squirrel, in city parks ‘round the world.

Others prefer to have entire buildings erected in their name, brick and mortar with shiny black tiles quipping “so and so. so and so. so and so” every time heels click down their very own halls.

Me? I just want to be the heels. Not any old heels, mind you. Those heels, up there, in the picture.

They are dangerously high, purple suede heels with a red sole, just like God and Christian Louboutin intended. They are breathtakingly, perfectly me: slightly impractical, colorful, and not meant for long distance walking and/or running.

Perhaps when I kick the proverbial bucket, Mr. Louboutin’s team will be kind enough to issue a shoe just like this one, in my name.

I like suede better than bronze, anyday.

Oh. My. Goodness. I am officially freaking out, in a total boy-band obsessed tween kind of way, but it can’t be helped.

Do you know what this is? This is the email that I just received from E. Jean Carroll, as in, Elle magazine’s advice goddess. As in, E. JEAN!

She was responding to my Better in French blog launch email, in which I asked my nearest and dearest (and E. Jean) for feedback, and she thinks it looks great. Actually, she thinks it looks great with two, count them two exclamation points!!

No, I do not randomly add famous writers to my emails, in hopes that they will respond. I actually had her email address from over two years ago, when I applied to be an intern for her advice site, Advice Vixens. Alas, I had missed the cut-off date, but she sweetly replied with words of encouragement.

And here she is, in my inbox, again! Oh, happy day.