Simple Living

For 2018, I've purchased about 12 bottles of liquor @ 8 Liters for $404 (albeit $65 was estimated due to Johnnie Walker Blue being a gift).  That roughly equates to about 1 bottle per month, which is about on point. I increased my bourbon percentage to 33% of total consumption to help expand my horizons.  In general, I found them a little too sweet and it tends to overpower and alter the taste experience that I'm more used to with scotch whisky.  But after having tasted bourbon on a regular basis, I'm finding that I need to have a bottle on hand to enjoy a dram every so often between whisky pours. House of Johnnie I already knew that I lean heavily towards Johnnie Walker and 1/4 of my total consumption this year was in Johnnie Walker Red & Black.  Those are my go to favorites, but I'm finding Monkey Shoulder and Jameson are worthy alternatives. 2019 Future I'm going to continue my 1:2 ratio of bourbon to scotch and continue to sample other brands.

 My weight has held steady at 173 lbs for past 5 years.  I started gaining a lot of weight from 2004 to 2010 and it since leveled off above 170 lbs ever since; that's roughly when I stopped long distance running (I used to run 25-30 miles per week). as My Diet 2019 ~ 2022 I've been reading about keto diets and the issues with processed sugar and contemplated trying a keto diet, but was concerned with the side effect of feeling tired/sluggish due to ketosis.  I will however try to reduce my carbohydrate intake by avoiding processed sugar and increasing the amount of protein and fat. To keep it simple, I'll make just four (4) changes to my diet: Breakfast (egg or tuna salad sandwich) Eat veggies ( 8 oz/day - Celery, Carrots, Cucumbers, etc) Drink more water (48 oz/day) Avoid processed sugars I've been trying this for a few weeks now in 2018 and seems to be working.  For most part I've been eating an egg or tuna salad sandwich for breakfast, snack on the crunchy veggie

At a company party I got two (2) surprise gifts...a bluetooth Sony speaker SRS-XB10 and a pair of Apple AirPods.  I'm quite happy as I've been wanting some bluetooth audio gear.  The Sony is fairly decent for its size and will be useful at outdoor parties and events with its 12+ hour battery life. The AirPods are more interesting and after several days of regular use I'm finding them very convenient vs. conventional wired Earbuds due to the freedom from tangled cables.  I ordered a silicone case with clip for added security and convenience as I didn't feel comfortable carrying the charging case in my pocket.  A clip or way to securely tether the AirPods is almost a necessity. A very nice Christmas.

In regards to my Technical Domains, I've had quite a few 'dead-ends' where I chose to quit at some point or am taking quite a bit of time to complete my studies (i.e. stop/start).  This is not a bad thing and demonstrates my ability to know when to 'stop' and change paths accordingly.  Whatever I can glean from my studies is still good, albeit not to the levels and depths of knowledge I would initially desire. At same time, my non-technical domains is quite healthy and reading numerous books over the years to keep my brain fresh and stimulated as purely technical pursuits can get repetitive and boring. My Past Study Patterns (Technical Domains): 2014 T-SQL Pro // Quit MCSA - SQL Server // Stop/Start for years 2016 MCSA - Window Server // Quit MCSA - SQL Server - Success! 2017 MCSA - Web Apps // Quit 2018 MCSE - R // Stop/Start Art of R - Matloff Book // Done! MTA - Python // Stop/Start Python - Lutz // Done! Statistics WMU Book // Do

 I'm quite impressed at my original iPad 2 that I purchased 7 years ago in 2011 is still going strong.  Just checked the battery health and it's at 85% useful life, which is impressive.  The iPad 2 is probably one of the oldest pieces of technology that has survived and continues to work as designed. Granted it's a bit laggy relative to my more modern laptops and iPhones, but is totally functional and I rely upon for both its size, weight and form factor as its unparalleled in terms of reading PDF documents; especially with the handy bookmarking feature. While it's required me maintaining a set of old charging cables, the battery life allows me to use this tablet for several days between charges, so I'm not as concerned.  Perhaps in 3-5 years I'll finally retire this device and upgrade to a new iPad or relevant tablet. Update - Aug 2023 - Digital Photo Frame Now in its 12th year, repurposed it to become a digital photo frame.     It's too slow

One of the biggest eye-openers was the realization that 'Data Science' really means 'Statistics' and there is a time honored college major and discipline that focuses on statistics.  In many ways, data science is not new, but rather it appears to be so as it leverages modern computing technology with statistical analysis software like R or SAS. To that end, studying programming languages and writing code is one thing, but to understand why is probably equally important.  I'm spending some time to study statistics textbooks and found some decent, free material online. I've retooled my Study Plan for 2019 accordingly (original 2018 plan was more Language/Platform specific, but weak on Theory/Technique).  My Study Plan // Eventual Skillset: I. Domain: Statistics DW/BI (Data Warehouse / Business Intelligence)  Math II. Tools: SQL Tableau R Python I. Domain A. Statistics: Statistics and Data Analysis (WMU - Statistics 160 Textbook)  //

 I have about 92 items in my primary collections.  By treating them as 'collections' helps me focus and carefully select which items to add, replace or keep. Headphones -- 15 -- $700 Technology -- 11 -- $1700 Watches -- 11 -- $6000 Fountain Pens -- 4 -- $100 Whisky -- 5 -- $300 Clothing -- 46 -- $3200 Value Estimation -- 91 // $12,000 10 items constitute the bulk of the valuation at about $8,000; of which the Rolex and Omega constitute most of that.  The rest of my possessions tally up to barely $4,000.  I used a combination of depreciated or replacement cost to determine valuation; for example I can find my Rolex Explorer online for about $3,700 and used that as the value basis.  Kinda surprising how much money I've spent over the years accumulating all this stuff and in only 91 items! Reflecting on that, none of these are actually my 'primary' expenditures.  I spend more on food, housing or transportation each year.  My car costs at least several thousands in car

I adopted a minimalist wardrobe several years ago and went from 175 articles of clothing to under 38 pieces.  I've been fine-tuning that number and have 45 items as of 2018 with a planned increase to 48 items in 2019. My initial approach was to drop the total count and now the fine-tuning process is to identify specific colors and types of clothing to ensure a proper balance across my entire wardrobe ensemble. Core Colors I've settled on three core colors:  Black, Blue and White.  They constitute roughly 70% of my total wardrobe and I'm slowly increasing different color choices in 2019; notably a Red Adidas Track Jacket. Brand Quality I've been experimenting with various types of clothing and color choices and when I'm satisfied with a certain type or color I then seek out the best brand quality that I can reasonably afford.  In general, I spend on better brands for work attire and limit my discretionary budget for casual clothes on mostly fast fashion

I scored a pair of Beats Urbeats Earbuds as my friend switched to bluetooth only headsets.  I was naturally skeptical as I used to own a pair of Series 1 Beats Studio headphones and was quite disappointed with them. But when I tried on these Beat Earbuds, I was surprised and impressed.  The bass was toned down (unusual for 'Beats') and the mids/treble are tuned to be a bit brighter.  I immediately had to compare them against my Klipsch R6i's. Environment Sound Source - iPhone 6s Volume - 50% Klipsch R6i Specs: Drivers -- 6.5mm Frequency Range -- 10 ~ 19,000 Hz Sensitivity -- 110 db/mW Impedence -- 18 Ohms Noise Isolation -- -22 3.5mm Plug (Gold) Flat Cable (Tangle Free)  Microphone In-Line Control (Volume Up/Down, Start/Pause) $60 @ Amazon Beats Urbeats Specs***: Drivers -- 9mm Frequency Range --10 Hz ~ TBD Hz Sensitivity -- 112 db/mW Impedence -- 18 Ohms Noise Isolation -- -20 3.5 mm Plug Flat Cable (Tangle Free) Microphone) In-Line Contr

Stocked up my Liquor Cabinet with two (2) bottles: Basil Hayden Bourbon Jameson Irish Whiskey Whiskey Front The Jameson was decent and on par with Johnnie Walker Red Label.  It's excellent on the rocks and will be in rotation with JW Red and Monkey Shoulder for my standard Whiskey. Bourbon // Still Trying I'm really trying to get a taste for Bourbon.  Buffalo Trace was decent and Basil Hayden was always on my list to try.  Generally, most Bourbon's I drink are part of an Old Fashion. Was interesting to learn Basil Hayden is part of Jim Beam and one of four brands they are segmenting along with Bakers, Bookers and Knob Creek.  I'll eventually try them all. Thoughts so Far... I'm just a Scotch drinker...took almost 10 minutes to decide whether to pick up Laphroig or Basil Hayden.  I haven't had a dram of Johnnie Walker Black Label and had one on the rocks recently at a bar and it tasted delicious.  I have a bottle of JW Black (Jane Walker Edition), b

 I recently picked up a 2nd Generation IS250 and driven it for a few weeks.  Paid $11k for it.  The IS250 is a joy to drive and satisfied my basic requirements: Daily Driver (mostly freeway/highway miles) 6-Cylinder (V6) Motor Sedan Bodystyle I'm probably in the minority of car owners as I disdain SUV's / Hatchbacks and Turbos; which seems to be what the majority of models car manufacturers offer these days. Specs - 2007 Lexus IS250 Engine - 2.5L - V6 RWD - 4GR-FSE HP - 204 @ 6400 Torque - 185 @ 4800 Transmission - 6 Speed Performance: 0-60: 7.4 seconds 1/4 Mile: 15.4 seconds @ 88 mph EPA MPG: 24 City / 32 Highway Dimensions: Length: 180.1  inches Wheelbase: 107.5 inches Height: 56.1 inches Width (w/o mirrors): 70.9 inches I. Highway Cruiser - Yes In short, the Lexus IS250 was designed for the open freeways and highways and feels most at home above 60 mph.  It's when you overcome its anemic 7 second 0-60 and can rev into the 3-4k RPM power band when the IS250 is

Part of my EDC while I'm studying.  I sometimes also carry a Swiss Army Spartan, but lately haven't felt the need.  Only recently, I started lugging around my old Zippo and upgraded it with a Butane Insert (very convenient). Not pictured are my ATH-MSR7 Headphones & iPhone 6s. EDC June 2018: iPhone 6s Black Leather Wallet Swiss Army Knife - Spartan Rolex Explorer 114270 Zippo Lighter (Butane Insert) Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen NY Yankees Baseball Cap

I've enjoyed a Minimalist Wardrobe for about 2 years and maintain just 41 articles of clothing: Pants - 11 Slacks - 5 Jeans - 2 Shorts/Gym - 4 Shirts -20 T-Shirts/Gym - 7 SS Shirts - 8 LS Shirts - 5 Outerwear - 5 Blazer - 1 Jackets - 2 Hoodies - 2 Shoes - 5 Dress - 2 Sneakers - 3 Future Purchases I am planning on a few purchases in 2018-2019 White GAP Hoodie Denim Levi Jacket Update 12/16/18 Bought the White GAP Hoodie, but decided not to get a Denim Jacket.  I'll reconsider in 2019 as I plan to add a Jacket and not sure what brand, style or type.

Purchased a 750 mL bottle of Buffalo Trace for $28.  While I prefer Scotch and imbibe primarily Single Malts or Blends, I wanted to expand my understanding and appreciation for Bourbon's. 1st Dram - My basic take: Bite - similar to Johnnie Walker Red Label; has more than I'm used as a regular Scotch Drinker. Taste - ranges between a Blend (JW Black) and but less than a Single Malt (Highland Park 12).  There is alot going on and reason I need a few more drams to appreciate this.  It is a bit spicier and some sweetness; but nothing like a Macallan 12 or any Cognac. Nose - similar to Hennessey VSOP. For the price, its worth a try to see if its worthy of adding to your liquor collection.  It has a distinctive taste that is nice to add to a taste library and for me helps gain a better appreciation when sampling other brands.  The main thing I love about Bourbon's at this point is usually mixing it in an Old Fashion as I appreciate the Spiciness and Sweetness. 2nd T