Simple Living

Another year has gone by and I’ve accumulated quite a bit of new stuff from clothes to tech.  2022 was a banner year for me. 2023 is a time to improve the quality of my wardrobe and invest in a new computer. My planned purchases: Tech - $106 Dell Precision 7530 - $250 - Sold JBL 510BT Headphones - $30 - Done Vuolao V8 Headphones - $16 - Done Apple Airpods 2nd Gen - $60 - Done Shoes - $311 Jordan 1 Mids 9.5 - $110 - Done Jordan 1 Lows 10.5 - $130 -Done Air Force 1’s 10 - $71 - Done Clothes - $323 Uniqlo - Clothing Haul - $150 - Done Northface - Winter Jacket - $173 - Done Hobbies - $0 Swiss Army Knives - $0* - Done Total expenditures $ 740 Keeping it simple.  For the Jordan 1's...I'm considering the Black & White Panda colorway or Green/Black/White.  I want something a bit more subdued than my current pair. Added a pair of cheap Bluetooth headphones.  While I love the Airpod Pros.  I’m finding it easier to have headphones. Update - 5/13/23 - Dell Laptop Wanted a project and

My old wireless keyboard died and was using a wired USB one for interim.  Saw this Apple style set on Amazon for $25. Overall, it’s ok.  I’ll see how it fares long term. Update - 11/17/23 - 11 months This thing still works great!  Use it daily and still on the original battery.  I’m impressed and for the price it beats the previous crap I bought from Beat Buy. Mouse is a slimline design, but you get used to it.

Finally!  They had the Moon Swatch in stock and snagged the Mission to Mars.  My 1st choice would have been the classic Mission to Moon, but the Red Mars is captivating. The watch is so thin it actually does better on a NATO strap and the stock white strap is too stiff and bends at an odd angle that swapping to a new strap is a must. Overall, for $260 this is an expensive Swatch, but seems worth it as a value prop in getting a cool collaboration with Omega. Ironically, this is the closest I’ve gotten to acquiring a real Speedmaster…someday. Update - 11/11/22 - 5 day review So, the verdict is in…the MoonSwatch is a meh…it’s too fragile for certain tasks and I have to be mindful if I’m near water like cooking or washing my hands. Otherwise, it’s comfortable and light on the wrist.  Takes a few days and adjustments to wear in the watch strap, but it starts to settle and you get used to how it sticks out on the side buckle. The best part of this Watch is the red and white colors pop and gi

It shouldn’t be this hard to close all 3 activity rings for my Apple Watch, but this is only my second time ever and the first time was almost 4 years ago! My goal for rest of 2022 is to make this happen 12 more times in the final 12 weeks! Then keep it up in 2023 and onward. Update - 5/14/23 This is hard!  I only got my 4th consecutive just now this week in May 2023.  Last time I got this was October 2022. I’ll keep trying and will hopefully get it a few more times this year.

This is probably not a fair comparison as the 11 is the entry level model for the 11 series and the 14 Pro is one of the premium ones for its series, but I own both and very familiar with the 11 having owned one for two years and just started using a 14 Pro. Initial Impressions? Since the 5.8 inch iPhone X, most modern iPhones since have looked and behaved roughly the same.  They seem to have standardized around the 6.1 inch form factor that was introduced with the XR and then the 11; the only real difference between the XR and the 11 were the single vs dual back cameras. So the 14 Pro being the exact same 6.1 inch screen as the 11…it basically feels like a similar iPhone in function. Yes, triple cameras that are huge and 48MP vs 12MP.  OLED screen, better processor, memory, and so on…but a lot of these features feel like they are incremental…nothing significantly different. There was a big leap change when the iPhone X launched and sadly the 14 does not feel anything like that. Next y

Did it.  Got the Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen 44MM in White.  I have the Cellular+GPS model so curious to see how that compared to my old Series 2 GPS only model. I wanted to wear for a few days then get around to giving my review.  Overall, it’s very similar to my old Series 2. Update - 10/1/22 - 10 day review It’s good.  I’d recommend an SE 2nd Gen for anyone seeking a smartwatch and didn’t want to spend $400 for a Gen 8 or $800 for an Ultra.  The SE covers all the basics and I find it helps me ‘untether’ from my phone. There is something liberating not having to always have my phone with me. It takes time to configure the watch faces and I’ll likely continue to experiment until I find the right set of Watch faces. Another benefit, the activity rings help motivate me to exercise more and I’ve pushed my daily walking average to about 8k steps; before that I was closer to 4-5k steps. Update - 7/23/23 - 10 month review The SE 2 has been a good watch.  It does what its supposed to, but I'm

Pulled the trigger and picked up the Timex Mk1 Mechanical Field Watch for $79 on Timex’s website; they had it both 50% off and another 20% discount offer code EXTRA20. The MK1 reminds me of my Zenith and I’m planning to retire that watch and replace it with the Timex.  Overall, it seems like it’ll be a Seiko 5 grade watch and something fun and simple to wear.  Lack of water resistance limits this to casual wear, but that’s totally fine. While, I should have waited for the Apple Watch 8 or  Swatch Moonwatch…eh…why not?  I made room by selling $2,000 worth of stuff.  Something inexpensive and fun to alternate between my Casio’s and this Timex. And based on the brand, design and low price, this is sure to become a future classic.  Specs Case Material - Stainless Steel Case Diameter - 36mm Case Height - 11.5mm Lug Width - 18mm Water Resistance - 50 meters Movement - Mechanical (Seagull ST6?) Accuracy +11 seconds/day Frequency - 21,600 bph (3 Hz) Power Reserve - (43 hours) Update - 8/13/22

Wow its already 2 years later and time to upgrade my iPhone?  I've owned the iPhone 11 since 2020 and unfortunately feel the tech is dated due to its 4G connectivity and non-OLED screen. Options   I have many options in upgrades between the 12, 13 and upcoming iPhone 14 series about to drop next month September. iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 13 Pro   First Choice - iPhone 14 Pro My sights are set on the latest and greatest iPhone 14 and specifically the Pro model that is rumored to include a faster chip, better quality screen and some other enhancements that made the wait worth it. Form factor its comparable, both the 11 and 14 Pro have a 6.1" size screen, with the 14 Pro opting for a 120 Hz OLED.  And in just about every other spec category from battery, camera, processor and more it's leaps and bounds ahead of the 11; which is expected since it's several generations older. Second Choice - iPhone 14 Pro Max I'm not a fan of the 'phablet' big-scre

Making some room as I find stuff that I seldom use anymore. Victorinox INOX watch - $300 Swatch - $400 Timex - $170 Tiffany Ring - $250 Tiffany Bracelet - $200 iPad 2018 - $150 GoPro 5 - $150 Switch Lite - $125 PS4 - $175 Fire HD8 - $25 Sansa Clip - $40 Anker Speaker - $15 I’m taking a bath on the electronics all selling for less than half their original purchase price…but that’s the reality of tech, they depreciate in value. Overall, not a bad haul and about ~$2,000 in cash.  Although that’s 60% of the original value of all these things. The Switch and PS4 were worth it in terms of how much use I got out of them..the rest I’ll need to reevaluate my spending habits . Update - 12/4/22 Added a few more items for sale this year as I clear out my storage and collections.  Was good timing as I ended up spending over $1,200 on new stuff this year. Update - 12/25/23 It’s actually cheaper and more profitable if I don’t buy stuff that I end up having to resell later at a loss.  While sometimes

It’s amazing what a simple strap change can do to the look and feel of a watch.  I’ve tried multiple combinations with the Zenith and none felt right (leather - to dressy, NATO - to casual, all metal - this is not a sports watch…) I never considered the Hirsch as it’s meant for 20mm lug width and the Zenith is 19mm, but surprisingly it fits, barely. And wow, I’m really liking this combo.  It feels like a good compromise between semi-formal and semi-casual; that sweet spot to make this watch ideal for daily wear. Never stop experimenting, you never know what cool new thing you may discover. Update - 8/2/22 - Timex Mk 1 Mechanical The watch bug is biting again and I saw the beautiful Timex Mk 1 Mechanical for sale at $99 and was sorely tempted to pick one up, but instead sought out my Zenith to prevent me from spending money. It seems to have worked and only way I'll opt for a new field watch is to replace the Zenith.  Ironically, I have the best field watch out there in the Rolex Ex

For 2022, I’ve reduced my collection to six watches.  I’m planning on adding 3 more watches (Apple Watch 7/8/SE2 Timex Mk1 and an Omega x Swatch). As it stands my collection: Rolex - Explorer 114270 Omega - Seamaster 2531.80 Zenith- Cal 126 Seiko SKX781 Casio - Gshock DW5600 Casio A168 Future additions: Omega x Swatch (Mars) - Nov 2022 Apple Watch SE2 44mm - Oct 2022 Timex Mk1 - Aug 2022 — Oct 2022 My daily wear has been mostly quartz models and occasionally sporting an automatic like the Seiko or Omega. My hunch the Timex Mk1, Omega x Swatch or Apple Watch will become my main daily wear with only some slight wrist time for my other quartz watches and sparingly my mechanical watches. Culling the Herd Again?  Parting with the INOX & Zenith I parted with the INOX to get to six and am considering also letting go the Zenith to limit myself to 7-8 watches if and when I acquire the Apple Watch and MoonSwatch. I’ve considered also parting with the Seiko, but at same time it’s a rare and c

I received a free Inland 256GB SSD Hard Drive from a friend and decided to try it out.  I always wanted to upgrade my Linux Rig (HP15 i3-4010u from 2014) even though it runs perfectly fine on a traditional 500GB HDD. Overall, it’s a decent upgrade and even on a cheap SSD (these go for under $30) the performance boost is noticeable. I'm rating level of difficulty from Easy 1 to Difficult 5. Physical Installation - Easy 1 (well if you know your hardware)   Installation was straightforward and I'm familiar with taking apart the HP15 and swapping in the SSD.  Took me about 15 minutes.   Linux Install - Medium 2 (took me 3 attempts)   Installation of Linux however took several trial and errors.  I used several different USB drives and found the best method was to boot up to non-persistent mode in Linux Mint then perform the installation. I tried both Lubuntu and Elementary as I had them loaded on different USB keys.  I love Elementary for its GUI, but its sluggish and Lubuntu used t

I didn’t get one yet…I was in line on Saturday morning, but alas they only had a few units for sale.  But I’ll keep checking in and eventually try to snag the Mission to the Moon and Mars versions. Kinda cool and exciting that Omega and Swatch did this wild collaboration…it actually makes sense. I’ve always liked Chronograph’s and someday do want to own the original Omega Speedmaster Professional…this Swatch version would be a fun daily wearer.   Update - 4/20/22 I'm hearing word that some of the watches bleed ink and saw a video for the blue Neptune claiming to show the blue dye left a stain on a person's wrist.  Hopefully, this is limited to specific colorways and doesn't impact the red Mars or gray Moon that I'm waiting to acquire.    

I kinda liked logging my car maintenance and gas fill up’s when I owned the Lexus and will do the same with the Camry. Jan 2022 - $900 - 90k Service I like to do preventive maintenance so I paid $900 to do whatever was needed. 3/8/22 - 27.7 mpg 9.8 gallons on 271 miles.  Did a partial fill-up as prices are going up daily and have easily gone up a $1 in just a few days! Had I filled up a few days earlier I would have saved $8 on 10 gallons of gas. 3/13/22 - 31.4 mpg 9.45 gallons on 297 miles.  Did a 260 mile road trip on the weekend.  Most of it was highway miles so was expecting better gas mileage. 3/23/22 - 26.8 mpg 8.2 gallons on 220 miles.  At this pace I’m using a full tank every 10-20 days or about 15 days.  At that pace I need to fill-up 24 times a year. That’s 408 gallons of gas (17 gallons x 24).  At $5 a gallon that’s $2,040/year or $170/month on fuel cost. To save some money, I’m gonna cut that down by 25% to 306 gallons or 18 tanks.  That’ll save me $510/yr. It’s feasibl

I was curious about the entry level Android devices and got a $100 Samsung A32 5G. Initial thoughts , the A32 5G is an impressive phone for the price.  It's on par or exceeds my iPhone 11 in most areas except maybe the screen display, which is a pity considering Samsung usually have amazing screens, but they had to cut corners to make the low price point. In hindsight, while the processor, ram and storage are good...I miss the AMOLED screens of some older models like the Note 4 and S8+. I'm not much out-of-pocket so it's fine as a backup phone and can honestly work as my primary phone as well. Screen quality matters... In hindsight, you want a better screen as these days one of the most valuable feature of a smartphone is the ability to stream high-quality video. 2 year review.   The A32 5G still is an excellent phone and very responsive and snappy.  It's on par with my brand new A15 5G, a testament to buying quality can last.  Had I gone with a cheaper A13 back then I

I am paranoid and wanted a way to find my keys so I bought an Apple AirTag and key case.  Overall it’s about $40 ($30 AirTag and $10 key case). It works as expected and I feel a little safer knowing I have a way to find my keys. If it works out, I may add one to my car as a way to track it (heaven forbid, it ever gets stolen!)

  Picked up a 2015 Toyota Camry XLE as a replacement for the Lexus IS250.  I’m optimistic the Camry will enjoy the famed Toyota reliability, but hedging my bets with another $3200 extended warranty. The Camry cost me about $18k, then $3200 for the warranty with an out the door price of about $23,000. Yes, it’s a bit high, but it’s the top level trim for the 4 cylinder and had only 88k miles. I did the math and no matter how I spin it, the monthly cost to own any reasonable car was going to be about $350-$400.  The Camry hits the high end of that range. Specs - 2015 Camry XLE Engine - 2.5L - 4 Cylinder - 2AR-FE HP - 178 @ 6000 Torque - 170 @ 4100 Transmission - 6 Speed Performance: 0-60: 7.9 seconds 1/4 Mile: 16.2 seconds @ 88 mph EPA MPG: 25 City / 35 Highway Dimensions: Length: 190.9 inches Wheelbase: 109.3 inches Height: 57.9 inches Width (w/o mirrors): 71.7 inches First Impressions — Old Reliable Eh…it’s a Camry and it’s a smooth and reliable ride.  Acceleration is a modest 8

Both my old 8 and 10 amp power banks died and I replaced them with a new Anker Power Core 10400 (10.4 amp).  I’ve always wanted an Anker and figured now was as good a time as any to get one. Cheap as it’s slow charger 12W max The Power Core 10400 is an older model and usually retails for a lower price (I got this one for $20).  The reason it’s so cheap is it’s max output speed on charging is about 12 watts which is fine for smaller devices, but would take forever to charge bigger phones that are used to 15-45 watt fast chargers. Besides the wattage limitations, it has good capacity relative to its weight and size.  But unfortunately, because of the slow charging speed I can only use this for smaller devices. Unless you can snag this for $20 or less, consider spending more for a faster charging model and newer Anker’s can run at 4.8 amps or higher which translates to 24 watts or more of charging speed, it actually makes a difference.