Monday, June 13, 2011

You Know What They Say

Cold hands--warm heart...or something like that. Ok, I'm bragging.
And no, this isn't a do-it-yourself kit from George Cleverley or John Lobb. But it is my response to a request from the really nice people at Quoddy. I've probably already posited, mused or ranted here at my drivel depository about service as a strategy. It worries me when my clients over-rely on it. History for good reason, teaches us that it's too easy to replicate. Service however, has fallen to such all time lows in most aspects of our society that even when I sniff a mere transient waft of it, I'm impressed. The bar for average service is low. Very low. I'm talking swing low sweet chariot kinda low. Low down. Down low. Ok, I take the chariot thang back. That's kind of a positive twist on low-ness. Stay tuned for chariot lows. Harold Camping now declares October 21, 2011 as the day the chariot will swing low and take us, some of us...home.
So what motivated me to reach out to Quoddy...to ask that they consider doing a one-off for me? Some of you did. The crap that a few of you gave me about the pink, fleshy colored soles on the above Quoddy Venetians was the motivation. I'd have never noticed the sole color if you hadn't had such a visceral reaction to it. And usually when I evoke such dry-heaving primal reactions, I'm good with it.
Once y'all focused me on the sole color, I began to see things that I hadn't noticed before. Baby aspirin. Yep, those little pinky-orangy pills that my sister and I used to enjoy when we had whatever malady, pox, plague or condition that my mama deemed aspirin-worthy. Now I was walking on baby aspirin.
Or generic Adderal color. I was thinking this morning about how tricky the generic drug business model is. I'll be speaking on it at the Anaheim Convention Center this Thursday. It's a one-day-only show. If I was performing all week, I'd suggest that you join me...and try the brisket. Shut up.
So the nice people at Quoddy agreed to craft for me a less offensive version of their camp moc venetian. I sent them the photograph above and straight away, a very nice Quoddy lady emailed me back and promised to put a pair in the works for me. Darker traditional sole and a deeper tanned brown leather upper. Stay tuned, the ETA is late June 2011. "Well of course the ETA is 2011 man...you didn't have to mention that." Perhaps you're right but my Cleverley contrivance, fortunately, from an "I'll have to pay the balance" perspective, will gestate till 2012.
Ok, enough about shoes. Let's talk Snow Leopards. LFG's spring soccer season concluded yesterday and what a difference one season makes. I love her soccer efforts. Dance is her core passion but she's a stalwart  on the soccer field and a solid contributor to her team's success. Last season's finale saw players and parents slinking off to our cars warbling sulky little mumbles about "seeing you next season". There was no suggestion of pizza or presents. That's kinda how our soccer gang rolls when they end a season having won only one game.
What a difference one season makes. Our Snow Leopards only lost one game this season. Everything came together and these little gals just clicked. Providence and serendipity count too. Luck. The Snow Leopards were joined by a little gal from Sweden whose dad is here on a foreign service assignment for two years. She didn't carry the team but she complemented them in ways synergistic. And her dad and I mused maudlin about the demise of Saab. Shut up.
So our gals won their Division and we ate pizza till tumescent.
Onward. Pitching a new project with a new client this morning. Five makes ten that I get it. Now if I can just keep LFG out of the Perrier.

ADG, II. Proud daddy and Quoddy customizer.

19 comments:

Jane and Lance Hattatt said...

Hello ADG:
The dawn of realisation, at last, where the 'Germolene' soled Quoddy shoes are concerned.

Congratulations to the Snow Leopards. It is always so good to see girls taking over what, in the past, was considered to be a boys' game. High hopes for next season!

LPC said...

I need LFG to pencil in drinks with me, in about ten years. She and I will have a lot to sort through. I'll bring my kids, they can rein me in as needed.

T said...

Just a heads-up—don't count on that "late June of 2011" ETA. Then again, you ARE blogging about their product...I want to say it took 10-12 weeks for both the boat shoes and the bluchers on separate orders. Congrats to your daughter for kicking ass, taking names, etc.

TNN said...

I'm no expert, but those quoddies have a beefroll, wright?
Wasn't there a time, when you thought that was a major crime?
Nice shoes though...

ADG said...

TNN...No No No...I've already stated the diff between this little speed bump of an enclosure versus the beefy beef beefroll. It's somewhere in my blog. When you find it let me know.

TBone...Thanks for the congrats on LFG and her team. As for the Quoddy ETA? What will I do? I have no shoes.

LPC...Prunella...WHAT do you mean by this? Just what will y'all be sorting through and why would we want any of this reined in?

T said...

I guess you'll have to resort to shodding yourself in those elf shoes you seem to adore. Yes, I am expressing jealousy that you have a shoe budget.

ilovelimegreen said...

Hip hip hooray for LFG and company! Hip hip hooray! Don't complain about that Perrier headband- you and I know it might be something worse in a few years!

CeceliaMc said...

There's something about the top that shoe that looks gafukten.

TNN said...

Just noticed the "wright?" instead of "right?" error. Not cool!
I will search high and low for the "minibeef" post...

RHW said...

I like the pink sole, actually. What's wrong with being different? I'm toying with ordering a pair of Quoddy's but can't decide on which style… Carry on.

Anonymous said...

Your prototype with the dark sole, the vamp is pleasingly longer than that of the Adderal model, I counted and found that the number of burgers from roll to toe compare differently, I really like that extra bit of vamp in the new and improved customer relations model underway. Good job. And if congratulations are also in order for slathering sunscreen on that very sunburned Snow Leopard's face, then good job on that score, too. Verify this for me, Max: is the damn ultra-violent [hijacked your variation!] damage still believed to be cumulative over a lifetime? If so, the overbearing great aunt in me suggests a brimmed hat stowed on board your various convertibles to protect the face of the royalty you chauffer around town. She won't thank you now, but she will later.

David V said...

And I thought I had small feet!

JMW said...

That girl, she's such a cutie! Glad to see the team enjoyed themselves - LFG looks happy to be part of the team. My daughter's last game was a bit of a bummer - when handing out the trophies, hers was the only one missing. The look on her face about killed me. Should I ever coach for my kids' teams one day, I will open the box prior to the handing out of trophies. Sheesh.

ADG said...

Cheers from downtown Anaheim...the parking lot of Southern California....

JMW...that's tragic about your gal and her trophy. I trust that she eventually go it.

David V. ...I wear an 8. It's the perfect size. Proportional to the rest of my carcass.

Flo...I think so too. The current ones began to look like a square block of wood after I saw the other ones. YES...you ARE correct re the sequelae of sun damage manifesting malignantly, decades later.

RHW...bust on out and get yourself a pair.

TNN...now listen to me. Wright this minute. Another foul up like that and you are banned from here. My mini beef statement is somewhere. But it's not an exclusive post.

CMac...yep. That's why they'll be on ebay as soon as the new ones come in.

LimeGreener...there will be NO worse behavior. Stop it.

TBone...no shoe budget

Laguna Beach Fogey said...

The pink fleshy colour reminded me of dildos, or those creepy mannequins on which I was forced to practise life-saving techniques as a 14-year old lifeguard trainee.

ilovelimegreen said...

Whatever you say ADG, whatever you say.

Paul in NoVA said...

ADG - I actually sat behind you on the flight to Chicago yesterday but just didn't get a chance to say hello (felt a little awkward trying to strat a conversation while seated or with my head bent at 45 degrees), so: "I'm PHD - big fan of your blog."

Anyway, I just got my second pair of Quoddy's (the laceless boat shoes sold through O'Connell's) and they are fantastic. Since this was a business trip though I was wearing my Alden brown Cordovan full-strap loafers.

Keep up the great work.

Paul in NoVA

ADG said...

Laguna...why am I not surprised?

NDDC...you big _uss_. You shoulda said hello. I'm about to head over to John Wayne airport to take the ever so brutal red eye back home.

Zingiber said...

I like em. These guys make a great product; the brown chromoexcel is especially nice, esp. compared with the hides one gets nowadays from LL Bean.

I read your blog religiously; comment less often, as I have some weird issue with my computer and the explorer settings that prevents me from leaving comments in your particular format. Anyway, you go from strength to strength and your authenticity is still the best part.