So Long DSW!

Over the years, I have bought and replaced countless pairs of shoes. Many of those pairs were purchased at the crap shoot known as DSW where the prices are usually pretty good (at least in the clearance section) but the durability can sometimes be questionable. In reality, most of the shoes that have any kind of longevity for me have been ones that aren’t usually found on the discount or clearance shelves.

My most recent workhorses were a couple of pairs of Johnson & Murphy dress shoes which I surprisingly found on clearance at Macy’s for about $40 a pair. The brown shoes met their maker a few years ago while the black ones held on until just recently. In the past, I had a pair of Allen Edmonds loafers that put up with daily abuse for over four years before finally giving up on me… holes in the soles are never fun when you step in a puddle. These were also the most comfortable shoes that I have ever owned and I hoped to once again buy a pair but the price has always been prohibitive running about $400+.

With my work and lodge shoe choices dwindling and few stores carrying wide sizes, I spent some time a few weeks ago trying to find some decent shoes at a good price. After having a few options returned to Amazon due to foot strangulation issues, I decided to see if I could find any of the Allen Edmonds shoes on sale somewhere at a price that I could at least justify. My thought process was rather simple… I currently spend about $50-75 on a pair of shoes that last me a year so if I can find a pair of Allen Edmonds for $200-250 that last me four years (like my last pair), I am basically breaking even.

So I started my search scanning the numerous Amazon sellers, sifted through the Nordstrom Rack website, and quickly clicked on and backed out of Shoebuy. All of them had limited selection, prices that were still too high, and didn’t carry the right size for me. I had just about given up on trying to find this unicorn when I clicked on one more link to a website that I didn’t recognize. This is when I found the Shoe Bank, Allen Edmonds' factory seconds website. It didn’t take long before I came to the realization that the site met all the criteria that I was looking for including prices that were far lower than I was expecting… basically at the same price point as lesser quality brands found at DSW. And I am fine with a small blemish that prevented it from passing quality control but that no one else is able to find.

The only aspect of the buying process that may prevent some people from taking advantage of these prices is the fact that there is no e-commerce capabilities to be found on the site. While the current stock and prices are listed, you have to call the store to place an order. Not an issue for me, I was on the phone within 30 minutes and had the receipt emailed to me shortly thereafter. A week later and my feet are once again enjoying the comfort of a luxury shoe. And now, a few weeks later, and nearly all my shoes have been replaced with the only holdovers being my work and combat boots.   

So, if you find yourself in the same position, definitely take advantage of the prices and quality offered at the Shoe Bank. You will not find the same quality for these prices anywhere else and, if you go through shoes like me, it is going to save you a heck of a lot of money in the long run. One big category checked off the shredded wardrobe overhaul list… on to the next.

Firearms Friday: Green Is The New Black

When it comes to firearms the federal government is very concerned with color. It seems as though they are obsessed with how something looks rather than taking a closer look at what it actually is. The most prevalent obsession is about black rifles in which they clump together all kinds of firearms, attribute fantastical powers to them, and don’t bother looking at the actual functionality of the various semi-automatic platforms. This is an ongoing problem that continues to bother many of us as the claims made are false and the solution that these “lawmakers” have is to strip away the rights from everyone.

Now many politicians are focusing on a different color… green. And I am not referring to environmental issues. They are determined to prohibit the sale of green tip ammunition which, not so coincidentally, is used primarily in the AR15 (“black rifle”) platform. The increased popularity of the AR pistol platform seems to have provided the impetus for the ATF’s proposed ban just as it did for the recent opinion released by the ATF that the Sig Brace can no longer be shouldered. In reality, anyone who thinks that an AR pistol can be concealed as a handgun has never bothered to consider the facts in that scenario. However, there is huge hole in the ‘logic’ behind this proposal as was outlined by Robert Farago on TheTruthAboutGuns.org:

“Mark Glaze [Executive Director of Every Town For Gun Safety] wants American gun owners to use ammunition that doesn’t pierce the “bulletproof” vests of police officers, but the fact of the matter is that any commercially available 5.56 ammunition will do that same job. The vests worn by cops simply aren’t designed to stop rifle rounds… Nor is there any ammunition in the intermediate or large rifle caliber range that will fail to penetrate a Level IIA vest. .308 Winchester? .30-06 Springfield? 7.62×39? All of these calibers will pass straight through a “bulletproof” vest, no matter what kind of projectile is used — “armor piercing” or not.”

Yes, this is the same Mark Glaze that made the following confession last year to The Wall Street Journal shortly after resigning as the executive director of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns: “Mr. Glaze said the movement hasn’t solved one of its signature problems: Many mass shootings wouldn’t have been stopped by tighter regulations proposed by gun-control advocates, even if they might have prevented other gun crimes.”

The ATF’s proposal really isn’t about the banning of a popular surplus ammunition, this is the back end work that continues to happen in order to limit the availability of ammunition for this platform. While it may be seen as a leap in logic for some to see this as an affront to our rights, when looking at the larger picture the common motivation is quite clear... they are trying out flank the banning of the AR platform since their direct assault failed. And, as Glaze has previously admitted, any legislation that does pass will not satiate the emotional fervor that they, and other similar groups, have instilled in many people. These types of policies just don’t work!

Black, White, And Gray

Most people in this world, especially the vocal ones, see the world as black and white and, at times, I can be the same way. There are some topics/subjects, as you may have read, that I can be very opinionated about and can even seem very narrow in my view but every opinion I have offered on this blog has had at least a hint of gray in it. This is why I like putting my thoughts in these posts… it has been a great way not only to open up discussion with others but also think topics, subjects, or viewpoints through. If anything, this blog has added quite a bit of gray into my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I will still openly debate people and stand firmly behind my views which many people may not agree with but I have had to put in the time and the energy to think things through and come to those decisions/conclusions. Putting that energy into those opinions has also allowed me to enjoy what I have and stand behind my decisions. It seems all too common these days that people are willing to be part of a collective that leads them around based on the beliefs of few. While I may be a part of many groups we are all individual thinkers and have very divergent opinions on a variety of subjects. We all live in the independent gray rather than a life dictated by black and white allowing us to be blindly herded between the extremes.

Embracing the gray hasn’t always been a part of my everyday life. There have been a number of times, periods really, in my life when things were all or nothing. The holidays are a perfect example of this change in my views. A couple of years ago my wife and I tried to distance ourselves from the Christmas holiday as much as possible. It really was a season when we did all we could to avoid the festivities. However, as I have previously written, now I am much more open to the experience simply as a time to enjoy the spirit of the holiday. I think of it as going to a foreign country… you can enjoy were you are and the spirit of the place but it doesn’t make you a citizen. Thanks, just visiting.

This is just one example. While apt for the time of year the gray is not limited by the calendar. It is a means to be open to experience and to see the best in both people and places. I hope you all have a gray holiday.