Thanks

As my blog approaches its fourth year, I just want to say thanks to all you readers, those that buy my stickers and shirts, and especially those who have taken time to give me feedback on my writing and encouragement to practice creativity.

The Loot 2013; part two

Welcome to part two of The Loot!

The Accidental Creative - a book on how to be brilliant at a moment's notice. For me, just a reminder! ;)

Theo Chocolate - nothing like getting quality chocolate for Christmas! Santa picked some interesting (and weird?) flavors this time: ghost chili salted caramel (spicy!), Fig fennel and almond dark chocolate (vegany), coconut curry milk chocolate (like Indian or Thai food in a chocolate bar).

Harley Davidson motorcycle - as typical in design, Santa presented me with a scale model of my future bike for approval before proceeding with full size production. Dear Santa, change the saddle to brown leather and add a rifle scabbard and have the elves proceed. I look forward to riding it soon!

Sporti swim briefs - the chlorine kills them eventually so I got a couple of these minimal coverage suits. So far the best I've had.

Field Notes notebooks - fits in my back pocket, made in USA, and less bulky than a moleskine. Perfect for recording my brilliance at a moment's notice!

Klean Kanteen food canister - highly anticipated due to my fondness of my Klean Kanteen water bottle / security blanket. Basically a stainless steel canister to use the rest of my life to store all kinds of edibles. A replacement for ziploc bags. 

Thanks for The Loot Santa!

The Loot 2013: Part 1

Hey mom dad and bro,

Thanks for the loot! (Or gravy or booty)

Izod sweater. Or is it Lacoste? I always get those two mixed up!

Spiral bound sketch pad. Fits in backpack for mobile sketching wherever inspiration strikes.

Pacific Rim DVD. I think it's a warm hearted Christmas tale about humans using giant mechs to fight aliens. Will watch tonight and find out!

Stay tuned for part two of The Loot 2013!

Snow Peak Carry On Chopsticks Review

So, what do you get when a company takes a simple perfect eating utensil composed of two sticks that cost virtually nothing to make or buy, that billions of people have been successfully using to feed themselves for thousands of years...and decides to make it out of four different materials (stainless steel, birch, brass, and rubber), requires user assembly, adds potential failure points and loss of parts and charges $30 for it, all so it won't stick out of your pocket?

The Snow Peak Carry On Chopsticks.

aaand...never run errands again

Ok, say actually running errands isn't your thing. Heck if outside isn't your thing you can run all your errands indoors. On the internets. On the toilet.

Take a picture of your check and deposit it to your bank while you do your other deposit. Pro tip: place check on bathroom tile floor, brace iPhone on knees to steady your shot, don't strain.

Never go to the library again. After all, that's where the homeless hang out and there are boogers in ALL the books. You can borrow free digital copies online. The boogers on your iPad screen are your own problem...

Tired of getting charged extra because you forgot to return your redbox movie? Or getting scratched up DVDs? Take your pick. Tons of companies to download rental movies.

And of course you can order every possible product online and never have to step into another store. Delivered right to your doorstep. How you get it from the doorstep to your throne room when your legs are numb is your problem.

Bam. Another quality post in the can. From the can. Pass the tp. I can't get up.

Running Errands

No seriously, actually RUN* errands.

* ok you can jog, walk or shuffle if you want to.

If you are within a mile or two of a grocery, bank, post office, library, drug store, video rental, you can literally run your errands. As much as i like to drive it seems wasteful to start up Rusty to go a mile or two down the street. It may save a little wear on your car and gas, but more importantly you get a little side benefit of outdoor exercise. 

1. Plan your route.

As a directionally challenged individual (my inner compass got demagnetized) this is pretty important for me. Several factors I look for: shortest route, least amount of traffic, sidewalks. Remember to run against traffic!

2. Carry on.

If I'm carrying small items like a letter, checks, DVD's, I'll just hand carry. If I'm returning or checking out books I'll bring a small backpack that will hug my back as well as cinch the gear against my back. If your stuff or pack is loose it will be annoying even for a mile or two. If I'm coming back with a heavy load I'll walk. If I'm coming back with groceries I'll bring two reusable or shopping bags in my pack and walk back with the loads balanced in each arm.

3. Dress to impress.

No reason to shop or browse the library while sweat-soaked. Wear non-cotton clothing that will wick sweat away from your body and dry quickly. 

Review: Patagonia 5" Stand Up Shorts

Patagonia 5" Stand Up Shorts. Broken in. Perfect.

If you're not a fan of The Hemingway Baby Shoes(TM) style review, read on below.

Classic Patagonia.

Stand Up Shorts got their name because the cotton canvas used was so heavyweight you could actually make the shorts stand up. Not legend. fact. Try it. I have. Don't forget to button the waist. 

10 oz organic cotton. Double fabric seat forms large back pockets. Velcro back pocket. Metal button closure and zipper. 5" inseam.

Trends be dammed. Shorts are supposed to be just that. Short. 

I'm talking 5" inseam or less. I'm too old and life is too short to care what anyone thinks (except for you Babe).

These are perfect shorts. It is society that is imperfect in not allowing you to wear them until they fall off your body with only a metal button and zipper to remember them by. They get better with age. The organic cotton burnishes, fades, and frays, describing a life well lived. Denim fanatics have nothing on stand up shorts.

A famous guy with a neck beard once said "beware of enterprises requiring new clothes" (No, not Chouinard). If you only own one pair of shorts, these should be  it. 

Perfect.

Book review: Inferno by Dan Brown

Welcome to my book review!

If this is your first time at one of these things here is a little info regarding style and content. Style wise I'm inspired by 140 character limits of texting and tweeting, haikus, and Hemingway's Baby Shoes (for sale: baby shoes, never worn). As I hopefully improve my writing, maybe my words will be fewer and more essential. Until then...

Content wise I'd rather not give too much away about the book. I'll give you a heads up if I think I'll mention a "spoiler". And of course I'll let you know if I like it and if you should buy borrow or avoid.

Dan Brown ( not to be confused with Dale Brown, at your own peril) writes the type of books I can read over and over again. His best are actually his non-Robert Langdon books like Deception Point and Digital Fortress.

On to Inferno!

Inferno takes Robert Langdon on an adventure to historical locations full of puzzles, action, and conspiracy. Huh, just like EVERY Robert Langdon adventure! Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I kept checking to see how much of the book I had left and was a little sad as the pages wound down. I also kept rereading previous pages as I fell for the little tricks and twists the author set up for the reader. The descriptions of historical art and architecture make me wonder if we currently make anything that will stand the true test of time.

I recommend you borrow Inferno from the library. Twice.

One year with my Klean Kanteen

Meet Harvey Dent.

One year ago yesterday I purchased this 12oz classic Klean Kanteen with stainless steel lid. I probably have used it every day since then.

I don't like promoting brands, especially without compensation, but I'll make an exception here (unless you want to send me some product Klean Kanteen! Call me!). I am convinced that these guys make the best, easiest to clean bottle with an all stainless environment (excluding replaceable silicone o-ring on lid) for your liquids. All others just don't, um, hold water.

No commercial bottled water for me. No plastic to recycle. 

No plastic water bottles for me. Plastic is either hard to clean or will break when dropped. And if your plastic bottle survives for decades are you sure you want to drink out of it? 

Glass bottles? Shatters. 

Titanium? Yes please! Just make sure you have a titanium lid and I will buy it. As soon as this one wears out.

My bottle just dents. Will I ever break it or wear it out? We will see. One year down, a lifetime to go.

Trashed

We rented Trashed a few days ago.

It is a documentary hosted by Jeremy Irons (Scar from the Lion King). It shows and describes (in an English accent) in gruesome and vivid detail the awful effects our trash has on the environment and our health. 

From the documentary it looks like most of the trash is plastic bags and plastic bottles. Just because it's recyclable doesn't mean it gets recycled.

Don't use it in the first place.

Do you think you're doing enough? You're not.

Stop using plastic bottles. Get a stainless steel bottle with a stainless steel top instead.

Enough with the plastic bags. Use a reusable bag instead. 

Stop buying junk that doesn't last and that will have to be thrown away or recycled. And certainly don't give me junk.

And yes, recycle what can be recycled.

There is an alternative to all this trash.

All it takes is money, thought, creativity and effort.

We are going to step it up. How about you?

solenoid and thanks for all the fish

Ever since i was a kid I had a talent for taking things apart. Getting it all back together was what eluded me. Toys that would have been collectors' items today became a pile of random screws, wheels, etc.

This talent and lack of talent continued to adulthood. Just ask my parents, who inexplicably allowed me to disassemble a 1973 BMW 2002 in a carport designed for two, my project being the third car. It remained in pieces probably for a good five years, never completed. I think the back half of my parents' cars are sunfaded from hanging partways out the carport for so long.

Like anything in life with a fair amount of uncertainty, the secret to taking things apart is to have absolutely no fear of screwing up. Which brings me to the Maytag.

An odd clanking sound interrupted my regular laundry session. The rinse cycle wasnt working. Crap. Just what I needed. Another problem right after my car issue. Fiddling with the settings didnt help so it was time to get serious. 

Armed with screwdrivers, wrenches and a socket set, the Maytag soon succumbed to my haphazard attack, to finally yield this:

Hey look! Solenoids!

More screws visible mean more to take apart, so I pressed on until every piece of the valve assembly lay on the floor. Nothing looked broken so back together it went. Yes you heard right, I actually got it back together! I started the wash cycle again and...rinse cycle still broken. Dang. Hmmm...the hot water works and the rinse cycle that doesnt work uses cold water... I switched the hot water and cold water hoses then switched the wires to the solenoids. 

Bam. Papa. It works.

Proving (once again) I am smarter than a washing machine. 

My girlfriend quickly orders a replacement valve assembly. Good idea. I agree. But it does work. Part of me wants to wait until the washer fails again, but I imagine walking into work, my clothes soiled and stinking, my boss stops me...

"Ralphie, what is going on? Why are you so filthy and smelly?"

Embarrassed, I answer in a voice barely above a whisper:

"It was...it was...the solenoid."

The final frontier

I just checked my notes. Since September of last year, Ive been annoyed by the jammed up bezel of my Seiko Black Monster. It no longer spun easily, making it a trying process to time anything. I tried turning it in soapy water to try to clean it. Didn't work. I gave up. I figured I'd one day have a jeweler fix it when I finally have the watch mechanism serviced. 

For some reason, perhaps my frustration with a lot of things failing or breaking lately, I decided to fix the bezel. I did a quick search on the Internet on how to remove a bezel yourself and went for it. I slid the thin blade of a Swiss Army knife between the bezel and case. I used my leatherman pliers to grip the blade and gently pry the bezel. A small gap appeared. I then used the can opener blade to pry the bezel off. 

Success! Eeeeewww! Almost 10 years of what probably was dead skin cells and soap scum was built up on the inside. I used a buck penknife (if you're keeping count this is the third knife involved) to scrape away (gag) the build up. A q-tip and paper towel later, all parts were nice and clean. I set the bezel and watch face down on my mini chopping board and pressed down. After a few failed attempts (where the bezel actually jammed worse) I finally got the bezel back on! Success! Zero cost. A lot of satisfaction doing it myself. And knowledge for the future when it jams up again. You know the old saying, teach a man to clean his bezel...

All this brings me to the point of my post. Select your possessions carefully and be willing to perform your own maintenance and repairs. 

Your stuff should:

1. Last "forever". 

Or at least as long as you do.

No disposable items.

2. Be a simple design with fewest failure points possible.

3. Zero or low maintenance.

4. Field maintainable.

You should be able to perform repairs or parts replacements on your own with simple tools. Shouldn't have to be a genius.

5. Durable.

6. Be environmentally considerate.

7. Does not become obsolete.

8. Move to space (Suggested by my girlfriend).

The broken arrow: part 1

As I write this I am waiting for a call back from a locksmith. A sick feeling resides in my stomach, stress compounded from my regular morning cups of coffee.

Three days ago, I was walking to my car, just having finished work for the day. I had some relaxing plans for the evening and as usual was in a hurry to get home. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and...oh. That's not good.

Bent spear.
My car key was bent at a rather extreme angle. I cautiously bent it back and as I feared, it snapped.

Broken arrow!

A little background. My car key has always been a pain. Through poor design it was cut to a very thin taper halfway down the key, making it prone to bending and splitting. No matter how many copies I made, they always started bending and splitting.

Back in the parking lot I weighed my options carefully and chose the wrong one. I decided to tape the pieces together assuming I would be able to pull the key back out. As a commuter, I was impatient to get home and did not want to spend the time to get a spare key. As myself, I saw it as a challenge. I was positive I could handle this myself and not have to ask for help. I was smart. I was resourceful. I...was stubborn.

I inserted the key and tried to turn the ignition. Nope. I pulled the key out and sat there staring at a stub. Of course the other half was in the ignition. What did you think would happen? I put the other half back in and to my surprise, it turned and the car started! Success! I would make it back home!

Girlfriend movie review: the Hobbit

Special treat! Guest post by my girlfriend.

I have never read a J.R.R. Tolkien book and have never seen a movie other than the past movie trailers. So I come in on the first one, the first book - The Hobbit. It's a great movie and I love the way that Peter Jackson took the style from Lucas and presented the first in the series...as the last. WORKS FOR ME! Now I will understand the old stuff that shows every other season on popular cable channels.

I remember as a child in 1977 my father was head-over-heels into this Hobbit crap. He spoke of it, read the books and we had this extremely fantasy driven Tolkien calendar that hung in our kitchen. No one paged forward to the next month as the spell would be broken. After the year was up, he took it down and cut the images off to keep if he chose to frame later. Not sure where they went but they were truly a piece of work even with a slight glaze of kitchen Chinese/Italian excrement coating them.

Also that year, my father handed me a book in the Tolkien series and said with much gusto, "Here you go. I know that you are going to love this book. It is excellent. You may have a hard time with it now but come to me and I will help you with it. You are going to love it, I did." It was The Simarillion and I was 7...in the second grade. The year before I had learned to read with Dick and Jane Books and was, at this time really getting into the Little Toot and Curious George series'. So I took the book, shoved it into my bookcase and went off to climb a tree or play in the creek.

So yes, watching The Hobbit last night brought up the total disinterest that I had over the books that were shoved in my face as a child. The ones I still have not read. But once it started, I was hooked. The HD threw me into fantasy overload and I bet it was ten times better on the screen. But alas, we redboxed it.

The movie was vivid and dramatic it told of a fantasy land that I wish I could see. I know parts were shot on location. But where? I want to know now and will go to research the background on it. And there is more. This story ended with another beginning and another. It looks like Jackson has taken The Hobbit and stretched it into a mini series of three! Come on special effects! They will get better and you know this guy will use power, influence and $ to get it right.

I guess I have taken my movie review down a different path. I like the knowledge and inter-workings of a movie. After all, my father was a director and producer and this is what he showed me as a child. Like a surgeon, he carefully opened up the skull and showed the brain to me - how it worked. That's what I like. That's what I want to know. The entire movie shows me that Peter Jackson really loved the series as well and like my father could never have done, showed us his version of a much loved series of books.

Froyo

Speaking of hobbits...
Froyo baggins!

Lightning movie review: the Hobbit

Speaking of barefoot...hobbits!

My girlfriend's not a fan of fantasy, JRR Tolkien, and doesn't know a dwarf from an elf...I selected this movie with concerns it would not resonate with her.

(Me) "Dragons LOVE gold."
(Her) "how do YOU know they love gold?"
(Me) "they just do, it's common knowledge."

All you need to know is this:
She cried during this movie.

Highly recommended.


(She just said "Peter Jackson sure knows how to make a movie")

Speaking of walking...barefoot!

On our beach trips, the second I get to the condo, I kick off my flip flops, rarely revisiting them unless we need to go to the store.
Pedaling the beach cruisers? Barefoot.
Walking in the sand? Barefoot.
Swimming in the ocean? Barefoot of course.
Barefoot, barefoot, barefoot!

So why relegate a sensational feeling to once a year?
Now that it's warmer, it's sandals when I have to and barefoot when possible.

Drawbacks.
It bothers people. Heck you get more looks than if you were wearing toe shoes. You must be a weirdo if you're barefoot outside and not at a pool.
Burning hot pavement.
Oh yeah I did step on a fish hook and sand burrs.
Poop.
Glass.
Rocks.
Ringworm.

Benefits.
It bothers people.
Groundfeel.
Airiness.
Freedom.
Warm sand or pavement.
Soft pine needles.
Saving money on footwear.
Hobbits!

Walking

Simple.
There is really no fancy clothing or gear you need in order to walk.
Just open the door, step outside, and keep going.
Wait! Put some pants on!

Contemplative.
Walking allows you to exercise while taking time to think, observe and enjoy your surroundings.
- There's a turtle on that log!
- Hey the neighbors got 22" chrome rims on their Hummer!
- That bird just farted when it flew by...why yes, it was that bird...
- It smells funny right here (not related to the bird).

For goodness sake don't walk and talk on your cellphone or listen to music on your iPad (true story...sullen teen trailing enthusiastic dad...iPad cradled in arm..no headphones...music blaring in the woods). You will miss out.

Just walk.

patagonia

My favorite company just got better.

patagonia will take back your worn out patagonia gear when you are done with it and recycle it. Heck if it's polyester it may end up in another patagonia product.

When my patagonia stuff finally wears out I'm definitely doing this. Until more companies offer this I may not buy clothes and footwear (only when I need them) from anywhere else.

So when you tire of that patagonia trucker hat, sell it, donate it, or send it back to patagonia.

Did I say patagonia enough times?

patagonia

Chinese New Year Resolutions

Happy Year of the Snake!

Time for some Chinese New Year Resolutions.
They are basically the same as regular new years resolutions except:

1. you add the words "in bed" after each resolution
2. you end up feeling the need to make more resolutions 30 minutes later

12 things I'm doing to improve my diet

new years resolutions...getting old (thebacknine)...fear of diabetes...watching Food, Inc....getting healthy...there are many reasons I'm trying to improve my diet.

here are 12 things I'm doing:

1. Drink water.
I drink a ton of water. filtered tap, in a stainless steel water bottle. I do drink coffee, low cal Gatorade on swim days, and occasional soda.

2. cut back on sugar. due to fear of diabetes.

3. soda on rare occasions.
"I don't always drink soda, but when I do, it has real sugar." I've decided to cut back even more on soda this year and try to drink ones without high fructose corn syrup (azucar!) or artificial sweeteners.

4. lots of veggies. no brainer.

5. don't overeat.
I still need to work on this, especially when my girlfriend cooks. her food is so awesome! I do cut veggies very well and wash dishes adequately.

6. plain Greek yogurt.
it has a lot of protein and not too much sugar. also if it wasn't for Greek yogurt, I'd have no culture at all.

7. cut back on bread and pasta. no more daily pbj sandwiches, but still enjoying breads and pastas, whole grain when possible.

8. cottage cheese.
oh wait! more culture!

9. nuts.
my nuts aren't big but I have a lot of them...in the form of almonds, pistachios, and natural peanut butter (no added sugar).

10. dark chocolate!
I love dark chocolate. I'm trying different brands, flavors, focusing on responsible companies. I'm only buying one bar at a time and trying (trying!) to only eat a little at a time.

11. less eating out and fast food.
another no brainer.

12. try new things.
the past couple weeks we've tried kale, bulgar, flaxseed smoothies, and seaweed...no, not in a smoothie. it's interesting and who knows? maybe we will love them and adopt some of these healthy things to our diet. maybe.

13. cheat.
i can't eat perfectly all the time.
maybe get a burger, fries and soda sometime.
in fact, I think I'll have a pizza tonight!

Singletasking

Have you seen the "it's not complicated" ads from the telecom company touting that doing two things at once is better? go watch them and come back. here's the link

funny but multitasking sucks. and i suck at it.
anytime i try to multitask, i end up dividing my focus and energy, mentally scattered, stressed and the tasks end up not well done. i also end up unable to enjoy any of the things im doing.

im going to try to focus on one thing at a time. do it to the best of my ability. savor it. enjoy it. i dont necessarily have to finish it but should come to a natural stopping point then i can switch my full focus to the next task.

single tasking is better.

Food, Inc.

holy (chicken, cow, pig) crap!
dont watch this documentary unless you want to become a vegan and triple your food expenses.
but do watch it.

in a nutshell(dont get me started on nutshells!), it shows "how the sausage is made" in the corporate American food industry.

1. read the ingredients in your food

2. know where your food comes from

3. pay for quality food but not more than necessary

Happy Groundhog Day!

Isn't it funny? Ever since that Bill Murray movie Caddyshack, Groundhog Day has come to mean an unpleasant situation that continuously repeats itself. No matter what he does in that movie he cannot break free of his loop until he begins to improve himself. Go watch it. It HAS to be on tv today somewhere.

Life is too short to have a groundhog day. If I find myself in one, only I can break myself out of the loop. And only by improving myself.

Isn't it funny? Ever since that Bill Murray movie Caddyshack, Groundhog Day has come to mean an unpleasant situation that continuously repeats itself. No matter what he does in that movie he cannot break free of his loop until he begins to improve himself. Go watch it. It HAS to be on tv today somewhere.

Life is too short to have a groundhog day. If I find myself in one, only I can break myself out of the loop. And only by improving myself.

Isn't it funny? Ever since that Bill Murray movie...

thebacknine

Welcome to February!

this month's theme is thebacknine to commemorate me passing the predicted midpoint of my lifespan(and apparently my secret love of golf euphemisms). all posts this month will contain morbid thoughts on being past my prime.

Enjoy!

My very first thought about this momentous occasion came about a week ago.
"Well, I guess I should probably start acting more mature."

My dear reader, let us end this first post here and allow my girlfriend, parents, and brother time to recover from their tears from laughter...ARE YOU GUYS DONE?

Alright.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Have you watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi?

SPOILER ALERT. it's about sushi!

This documentary is about Jiro Ono, an 85 year old master who is continuously trying to perfect his skills in the art of making sushi. He is so obsessed with sushi that he um, dreams of it.

Worth watching.

(Newcomers, per my Lightning Quick movie review policy / Hemingway baby shoes school of writing i try not to get too descriptive about the movie. just a quick one or two sentence summary then if I recommend it. Bam. Papa.)

In addition, here are a few of my takeaways from the movie.

1. try to find something to do that you love so much that you dream about it.
whether it's working for money or just a hobby, everyone needs a passion. 

2. whatever you do (even if you dont like it) do your best.
after watching this movie i found myself at work trying to do tasks to perfection, whether i like it or not. hopefully however mundane the task maybe there is some art visible in it.

3. balance.
dont let your obsession take over your life.

Patagonia: from dirtbags to douchebags

Dear Yvon Chouinard,

As a vocal fan of you and patagonia, I have two questions:

1. What's with the increased logo size on your latest products?

most of my patagonia clothing (circa mid '90's and '00's because the last so long) have a tastefully sized logo. they are visible but not obnoxious. Now, go look at your Adze Jacket and new Torrentshell Jacket. they now scream "patagonia!" in the most (the) North Face-esque manner.  I love your gear but as an unsponsored ambassador I would think twice before buying something with such a superficial branding treatment. If nothing else, make it removable for those who may seek that option. Often i find myself happily dressed snout to tail in old patagonia, but in what i consider an understated manner.


2. What's with the douchebag trucker hats?

it is well known that patagonia was born from dirtbags and adopted by yuppies. now i fear it has been kidnapped by douchebags.
Every time i see a patagonia trucker hat (with an admittedly nice patch) i want to punch your accessories designer. Sometimes it seems like you've gone from cutting edge and timeless to on trend.

For me, patagonia has always meant minimalist, multifunctional, timeless, and long lasting clothing and gear from an environmentally conscious company. With that in mind I ask you to remind consumers of your common threads initiative (reduce, repair, reuse, recycle, and reimagine) when they tire of their trendy big logos and trucker hats.


Still love you,
theevildrsin

secret revealed

ok i'm ready to reveal a secret...
I actually like running.

despite all the sticker designs below i have made over the years i actually like running. it is a minimalist activity like martial arts, swimming, bouldering, etc. you technically don't need any gear.

what i hate is all the bs marketing, hype and sales that are involved in the running industry.
26.2, 13.1, barefoot, minimalist, toeshoes...
i hate staring at all your running stickers plastered on your SUV. how ironic. 
i hate hearing you talk about how much you love running, how far you ran, how many mm drop your shoe has.

just run for fun
just run for exercise.
just run for transportation.

Just Do It.
aww crap.

a quick list of stuff I purchased in 2012

note, clicking on highlighted items will go to an affiliate link to purchase the brand item. i theoretically would get paid a little if you buy from the link. thanks!

sporti euro swim briefs - 5 pair. 2 of these are still functional. the chlorine kills them in a few months. Until i find a longer lasting minimally cut swim brief for a better price, these do nicely. a necessity for me to swim.

timbuk2  pack - as you will notice i'm addicted to backpacks. I didn't need it and rarely use it. I was attracted by the cheap price. whoops.

goruck tac hat - the ultimate baseball cap. 

patagonia stand up shorts 5" - because shorts should be. the go-to short when you're not in water.

patagonia baggies 5" - the go-to short when you're in water, or really doing anything else active. in lime green just for the heck of it. a black pair would be much more practical and boring.

klean kanteen 12oz stainless steel narrow mouth bottle plus stainless steel cap. - one of my better purchases of 2012. will last much longer than plastic bottles.

fleece pants - not a necessity but very cozy!

patagonia sun hat - bought it mainly for the beach for sun protection.

Create more

One of my resolutions is to do something creative everyday. Write, draw, make stuff, etc. In the first month I've already missed tons of days. To improve these stats I plan to do a couple things.

1. Make sure I have tools that make it easier and attractive for me to create.

a. take a pen / pencil everywhere
b. jean pocket-sized leather journal with refillable notepad (fieldnotes?) everywhere. first use up my pocket moleskine.
c. alternatively, write / post on my ipod touch.
d. alternatively, get an ipad mini to facilitate taking photos, writing and blogging.

2. make a habit of creating.

I recently looked at the number of my blog posts per year.
2010 - 48
2011 - 103
2012 - 59
and this year is off to a low average. So this year I will try to double my high score of 103, which means I should be posting an average of four times a week. yeesh. I better get going!

What does this mean for you? You may be reading less refined posts about a variety of topics. Another thing I've noticed is;

1. that a lot of what I write down is in a list format.

The Obligatory New Year's Post

This season a blogger usually makes two posts, the Holiday Gift Guide (I didn't do one, however I suggest a Snow Peak Titanium Spork for everyone and every occasion. It is perfect. Will last forever. Affordable at under $10. Snow Peak Titanium Spork (Google Affiliate Ad) Exotic material. Titanium. Compact for people who don't want to be bogged down with stuff. Useful and Multi-functional. Great fork. Mediocre soup spoon. Lousy for cross hatching peanut butter cookies.) and The New Year's Resolution post.

The New Year is like the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah in Empire Strikes Back.
Luke - "What's in there?"
Yoda - 'Only what you take with you."

Leave behind the negativity of any disappointments or failures of the past year.
Take with you you must, an optimism for new adventures and successes in the New Year.
And a spork.

The Loot: Part II. Snow Peak Titanium Double Wall Cup.

Welcome to Part II of The Loot. In part 1 I mentioned how good ol' titanium and stainless steel was getting a little boring (how spoiled am I?) due to no visible wear characteristics aside from scratching. Enter the Snow Peak Titanium Double Wall Cup.

in Anodized Purple!

Hey it makes for a good ornament!

 Though anodizing is a durable coating my guess is that through the years it will show scratches better than plain titanium. Yes it's a little crazy to buy stuff for its wear characteristics but it is mighty entertaining to me.

I figure this is a lifetime product compared to a plastic, ceramic or glass cup that can crack, chip or shatter when dropped.

I also got a lid to keep my cat from stealing sips and washing his paws in my cup!

Thanks Santa!



Get your own Snow Peak stuff here...
Snow Peak Mini Solo Titanium Cookset (Google Affiliate Ad)