I have a day off at work today, so decided to take a chill day today. Doesn’t give me an excuse to dress like a slob though, today’s outfit, a black knit short sleeve polo from h&m, a thin silver chain, some loose chino pants, and my favorite silver casio watch. my scent today is L’Immensite by Louis Vuitton, which has become one of my new favorites. I spent most of today doing chores, looking after my little brother, and practicing guitar and piano. I hit a great workout this morning, and recharged with a fantastic new lunch i made. All homemade, all eyeballed, just came up with the recipe as i went. A delicious ball tip steak with some air-fried fries, a creamy butter and pesto sauce i whipped together last minute, and a bowlful of pomegranate to the side, finished off by a red velvet roll cake i made a few days prior. Since im in a waiting period right now, as im between post graduation and about to serve my two year mission for my church, i might as well take this time to learn some cool skills, and cooking and baking are something i’ve been picking up at, along with a bunch of other handy home skills all useful to me lol. Have a wonderful weekend.

I’ve trusted Allen Edmonds for years because their Recrafting program is marketed as a heritage-level service — “the same craftsmen, the same machines, the same processes that built your shoes originally.” That message carries weight. It implies precision, pride, and an old-world standard of care. My recent recraft, however, revealed a very different reality — one that required persistence, escalation, and far more involvement from me than any customer should have to supply. Here is the full story, exactly as it unfolded with my custom patina A&Es October 8 – I purchased the recraft service with full confidence in the brand. October 20 – The shoes were shipped back as “completed.” A 12-day turnaround might look efficient, but the work told a different story. They looked rushed — uneven finishing, shape inconsistencies, and nothing close to the meticulous standard AE advertises. October 24 – I sent them back for correction. Any customer familiar with AE’s craftsmanship language would have done the same. The shoes simply didn’t reflect the level of detail they claim their recrafting is built upon. October 28 – AE received the returned shoes. According to their policy, I was supposed to receive recommendations and updates within 5–7 business days. Instead, I heard nothing. No updates. No action. No accountability. For weeks, the shoes sat. The process stalled. And the brand that built its name on service and heritage craftsmanship went quiet. Mid-November (Saturday) – I escalated the issue directly to the General Manager. Let me be clear: nothing moved until I did this. No progress, no traction, no corrective action. Within two days of contacting the GM, everything shifted. Updates came. Timelines were clarified. Work actually began. The contrast was stark. November 19–25 – I was given the new projected completion window. Ironically, this longer timeframe — nearly three times the length of the original recraft — said exactly what I had suspected: the first “completed” job was rushed. True craftsmanship requires time.