So yesterday was my 59 birthday, and it was a truly beautiful day. One of the best things is having someone that not only supports your changes up also sees the benefits and opportunities from them and encourages you as well as their selves. One thing I love, is drinking coffee, especially after dinner having a nice cup of coffee. I had started getting into the gourmet coffee, teas, and different types of coffee, teas and brewing. So my beautiful bride for my birthday surprised me with an espresso machine and also created a space in our kitchen and set me up our own Barista coffee area. She ordered things and created our own Barista area in our home, then informed me that more is on the way. Gentlemen, celebrating your life, your achievements, are great, but having that one person who not only celebrates them with you but also makes the journey with you is priceless. Then my bride tells me, “ as we learn this and grow into it, we can take this espresso machine to your office and buy a bigger one for the house.” Who can ask for more. I am truly blessed.

While I'm not going to delve into the pros and cons of any economic or political system in this post - and I encourage others to refrain from doing so - I had a recent conversation on this very topic in which I expanded on the original concept after explaining its origin and felt that there are, in fact, a number of lessons to be learned from it. Originating from a series of fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett, the 'Boots Theory' of socioeconomic unfairness, as generally stated by Captain Samuel Vines, is that the wealthy are wealthy because they can afford to spend less money. His example was a pair of boots. A pair of quality boots that would last a man 10 years might cost $50, which a wealthy man could afford to buy. A cheap pair of boots, however, might only cost $10, which a poor man could afford to buy. However, when the cardboard started to break down, the poor man ended up with wet feet and needed to replace those boots every year. So, after 10 years, the wealthy man has spent $50 on boots while the poor man has spent $100 - and still has wet feet. While this illustration may or may not have been literal in that fantasy world, it can certainly be taken figuratively in the real one. Quality items typically last longer than inferior ones. However, the expansion I made on the topic - still figuratively centered around boots - is that the original illustration, while elementary, is actually also underselling the point. You see, it ignores the factors of time and redundancy. Following the original illustration, a wealthy man can afford to buy five pairs of quality boots in different styles and/or colors - along with higher-cost maintenance products to accompany them. For the sake of argument, let's say that adds another $50 - bringing the grand total to $300. This allows the wealthy man to rotate his boots, making each last much longer than if they were worn every day. A wealthy man also has the time to regularly maintain his boots - especially the ones he isn't wearing, giving them time to rest and dry. As a result, that wealthy man could expect to get well over 60 years' worth of boot wear out of that $300. Meanwhile, the poor man can only afford one pair of cheap boots at a time and has neither the extra time nor the energy to keep them properly maintained. As a result, for him, we are back to the original calculation, plus a little extra cost, averaged out to each year, for things like patches, broken laces, and the emergency replacement pair of boots from time to time ahead of the expected 1-year lifespan - bringing the poor man's annual cost up to, say, $15. This means that after 60 years, the poor man has spent three times the amount the wealthy man has spent on boots.

I chose a blue basket weave Oxford shirt and built my outfit from there. Blue is the most versatile shirt color hands down, after that comes white and after that comes pink. With these three colors one’s wardrobe choices are virtually endless. The suit I wore is a fancy stripe with a warp and weave of charcoal brown and light grey which reads beige from a distance. I had this suit made in 1996. I also commissioned the Allen Edmonds shell cordovan brogues in a Brittish tan color when I ordered this suit. I was very intentional in ‘95 and ‘96 having made three suits in those two years. One was the medium grey suit I wore last week with a yellow tie, the other one is a true navy herringbone I wore to a gala a couple of weeks ago. These thirty-plus year-old suits have served me very well in many ways since the styling is perpetual: 3/2 buttoned coat, the dart-less single vent and the double forward pleated and cuffed trousers. Not only is the styling classic but the colors are as well. Since I already owned the most versatile color of suit one can own- an off the rack charcoal grey Southwick suit which I still have, and once I settle in on weight and dimensions will have the moth holes rewoven, in the 1990’s, I decided to complete my suit wardrobe with the medium grey suit, and then the navy followed and then one year later the basic wardrobe was completed by the tanish color (the suit I have on today). The point of all of this is to prove how, while expensive at the time, these colors and style choices were very intentional and have served me very well for a long time. Accessories: argyle brown socks 1940’s Earnest Borel watch Reversible wool pocket square Silk printed Paisley tie