Today is my son's 21st birthday! He going out with friends tonight but we will celebrate with the family tomorrow. Busy week but casual Friday needed. Still alot of work to do. Twillory performance houndstooth patterned button down shirt with rolled sleeves over Vertx dark wash jeans. Brown Anson belt with silver buckle and brown Thursday President boots. Monterey Kitty Hawk blue dial watch and Spice Bomb Extreme. Didn't talk about it but my grandmother had a rough week, being admitted to ER Tuesday night. Just got news she is home now. Wife's cousin actually sat up today and communicated with speech nurse. First time all week. Still in ICU.

Happy Friday, everyone. The day began very well with our longest client asking us to prepare a contract for a two-year project. She was also providing us for information on a presentation we just had accepted at a major conference (major for my niche industry) on the comfort and appropriateness of using AI in patient-reported outcomes research from the perspective of experts from pharmaceutical companies, major consultancies, and AI experts (who, interestingly, are the most hesitant). I will be presenting this research in Vienna in November. Today is also a good day in that it is my first official wear outside (after my 24 hours of break in) for my Yearn oxblood Balmoral boots! I am loving them. Unfortunately, the outfit I have on reveals that the slacks and jacket need alterations, and the slacks were already altered! I think I may have grown taller... Charcoal, blue and oxblood for a polished Friday video-conference look Friday rotation check: The Friday rule was met at the time of selection: DS-051, NT-065, and DSo-095 each had zero prior recorded wears and therefore fell within the 35 least-worn items. Today’s entry raised each to one wear; additional low-use pieces included DSh-022 (the new boots! I did count a wear inside my house one day as it was all I wore during a weekend day) and DOJ-008, while overall harmony took priority over forcing more zero-wear items into the outfit. • Jacket — DOJ-008 (Hart Schaffner & Marx): A charcoal-gray wool odd jacket with restrained light-brown detailing, notch lapels and a fully lined construction. The charcoal contrasts deliberately with the light-brown trousers, while its brown accent connects naturally to the oxblood leather. • Trousers — SL-019 (Ralph Lauren Green Label): Light-brown basket-weave wool trousers with dark-brown and cream details, cut in a classic 34W × 27L fit. Their subtle sheen and warm coloring bridge the charcoal jacket and oxblood boots without resembling an attempted matched suit.

It’s Friday!! And while I certainly enjoy the feeling of reaching the end of another work week, I don’t look at Friday as a day to simply coast toward the weekend. For me, intentionality means finishing the week the same way I try to begin it — with purpose. Today is a more casual office Friday, and with a cooler August day here in NY, I went with light grey trousers, a checked shirt, brown shoes and a coordinating belt. Relaxed? Absolutely. But still intentional. I think there is something important about finishing things well. Whether it is the work week, a meeting, a project, or simply the commitments I made to myself on Monday, I want to arrive at the finish line knowing I gave the week my attention all the way through. And then comes the weekend. I try to be just as intentional about that time. Time with family. Time to slow down. Time to enjoy some of the things I love. Time to reflect. And time to reset so that when Monday arrives, I’m ready and excited to begin again. The older I get, the more aware I become that none of these days are promised. Every day really is a blessing. Happiness is also a choice. I choose to be happy. I choose to be thankful. And I choose to be grateful — not just when everything goes perfectly, but every single day I’m fortunate enough to wake up and have another opportunity to live, work, learn and spend time with the people I love. So today I’ll finish the work week strong… …and then very intentionally enjoy the weekend. 😎 Be grateful. Choose happiness. Finish strong.

A good friend and brother captured this picture of my transformation. I was taken back to see where I was and where I am today. Not that my time with the Christian Motorcycle Ministry was bad, but rather to remind me where I was and when I was trying to find and figure who I am. I have so many people to thank who have encouraged me and has helped me in my journey to becoming a gentleman. It's so much more than dressing in style or looking nice, which I thought it was. It is a lifestyle and a way of life that you are not given as a birth right, but rather a conscious decision you make and a journey that has no end. It is a continuous evolution of growing and learning that unfortunately too many view as too tedious or not worth the effort. But when you get the opportunity to look back or someone captures the moment, you see what this was all about.