Simple Living

For 2016 Toyota Highlanders that use a key ignition to reset the oil change maintenance light do the following: Power off the car. Insert the key and turn it 2 positions to ‘on’. Press odometer button to Trip A. Turn key to off position. Hold odometer button and keep holding then turn key to ‘on’ position. It’ll flash maintenance resetting and when done you can let go of odometer button. Car maintenance light is now reset.

My first watch in 2 years…for 2024 picking up a gold Casio A168WG to complement my silver one.  After much consideration I’ve decided to grow my digital Casio collection and this will be my 3rd Casio to join my 5600 G-Shock and silver A168. Why Casio?  The value proposition as the price and functionality are perfect.  I’m also finding it a lot more convenient as I’ve grown self conscious at times with the Rolex and bored of the Apple Watch.  Both still are nice and I’ll wear the Apple Watch for workouts and the Rolex when I’m feeling nostalgic. Initial impressions .  The clasp is rock hard and requires effort to open and adjust, but it feels solid and durable.  The gold resin case really pops and shines, exuding some confidence. It’s true though that the display is harder to read and the buttons are also harder to push than the silver A168.  But otherwise this is a great watch.  I’ll need to wear it for a few weeks to get a better feel for the gold version. One week review.  It’s a

My next bottle of champagne I wanted to try a Bollinger Special Cuvée as I learn more about this brand’s history and contribution to the craft.  They developed the riddling process that help usher in the production capacity of champagne. I’ll save it for a special occasion and see where this fits in my recurring rotation. Tasting Review This is a delicious drink and I’m getting hooked on champagne.  It’s better than the Veuwe Cliquot I had previously.  It’s perfectly balanced in terms of dry and hint of fruit. Flavor Profile: Dry Slight Sweet (hint of fruit) Balanced (not sour / low acidity)

Got into gardening thanks to Covid lockdown and have 7 plants so far in my home with a plan to increase it to a total of 8. My Sansaviera is my oldest plant at 3 years since I’ve had it and it’s grown so much I had to repot it to a larger 8 inch pot and also was able to propagate part of it in its original 5 inch pot. I’m keeping it simple and have them only in my living room and bedroom.  Most of my plants are 2-3 years old now so I’m repotting to larger pots and refreshing the soil. 8 inch Sansaviera Parlor Palm 6 inch Xanthosoma - Elephant’s Ear 5 inch Sansaviera x2 Epipremnum aureum - Golden Pothos Update - 1/13/24 - Xanthosoma Picked up my 7th plant for $14.99 at Lowe’s a Xanthasoma or Elephant’s ear.  I was debating that or a Monstera but wanted to try this one.  It’s quite nice and look forward to it growing to double its size; if that’s feasible. I’m going to reserve my 8th and final plant to be a larger 10-12 inch pot and really considering a parlor palm as I wait for my small

Another year, another review of my personal collections.  My last review was in 2021.  I've dropped the Whisky collection as I'll treat it as consumables. Headphones -- 8 -- $600 Tech -- 11 -- $3,000 Watches -- 6 -- $8,000 Swiss Army Knives -- 34 -- $500 Sneakers -- 7 -- $700 Fountain Pens -- 4 -- $400 I. Total Value ~ $13,200 The value of my collections is actually modest as only a few items make up the bulk of the monetary value primarly my Rolex, Omega and iPhone 14 Pro.  Remove those and its about ~$2,400 value of rest of my 'stuff'.   This may change as I'm contemplating a major purchase in 2025 and finally acquire either a Rolex Submariner 14060 or an Omega Speedmaster Professional budgeting ~$4,000 to $8,000 for such a major acquisition.  This would double the value of my collections.   II. Full Collection 1. Headphones -- 8 Decreased by -1 as I chucked the AKG’s and can’t find a 3rd pair of old Apple earbuds, while same time adding several wireless options a

I want to increase my cash on hand to $1,000.  I presently have $720.  This is separate from my regular savings and retirement accounts.  I just like having some physical cash on hand. I squirrel it away in several locations and rarely keep more than $150-200 in my wallet.  Most stashes are small about $40-60. Goal are 7 stashes: Wallet - $200 Safe - $400 Med Stash - $100 Med Stash - $100 Med Stash - $100 Small Stash - $50 Small Stash - $50 I like to grow them gradually about $20 per week so it’ll take me a year to reach $1,000. If this goes to plan, I’ll do this for 2 more years adding $500 per year until I max out at $2,000 physical cash by 2026 with: Wallet - $400 Safe - $1000 Med Stash - $200 Med Stash - $200 Med Stash - $100 Small Stash - $50 Small Stash - $50

I’ve tried enough wines to select a few for my revolving selection.  These are mostly fun, drinkable table wines for an affordable price.  Mostly from Trader Joe’s, Target and Costco. My tastes range from fruit forward slightly sweet reds to dry white wines.  Sometimes I like an earthy GSM or bourdeaux, but typically I prefer nothing too overtly of any taste profile.  I also like variety and mix things up. *BB - Bulk Buy Trader Joe’s Red Wines Rancho Viejo Reserva *BB La Sonriete - Garnache *BB Fruit forward. Campi  Rudi Appassimento Rosso Puglia IGT Passito   *BB Syrupy sweet.  Similar to Meiomi. B by Fonbadet Bourdeaux *BB Revelation - Cabernet Merlot Maison Barboulot - Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah Sweet. Patroferno Appassimento Puglia Primitivo Sweet. Javier San Pedro Randez - Tempranillo White Wines Revelation - Chardonnay Sweet with slight bitter aftertaste.  Drink first day only. Target Red Wines Meiomi - Pinot Noir Meiomi - Cabernet Sauvignon J Lohr - 7 Oaks - Cabernet Sauvi

Tried a new restaurant in Carrollton Dallas Texas called Saemaeul that specializes in BBQ Pork.  It’s quite good as it’s very tender and delicious.  They slice it thin and looks almost like beef tongue. The ban chan side dishes were excellent and I also tried the cheese & egg side dish, tasted amazing and was like a fluffy omelette with corn and cheese.

Embarking on a 3 night road trip to Waco, Austin and San Antonio.  Riding in the 2016 Toyota Highlander V6. Planned Itinerary: Day 1 - Monday - Waco, Austin 10:30 am - Dallas to Waco 1 pm - Waco (2.5 hrs drive) 1:15 pm - Magnolia Market 1:30 pm - Lunch - Club Sandwich Food Truck 2:30 pm - Waco to Austin (3 hrs drive) 5:40 pm - Austin 6 pm - Dinner - Ramen Tatsu-ya Day 2 - Tuesday - Austin, San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9 am - Umlauf & Downtown 11 am - Domain Shopping Center 12:30 pm - Lunch - Miyo Sushi 1:30 pm - Chi Cha Boba Tea 2:30 pm - Austin to San Antonio (2 hrs drive) 4:30 pm San Antonio 5 pm - Riverwalk Mall 5:30 pm - Dinner - Dave & Buster 6:30 pm - River Walk Day 3 - Wednesday - San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - Alamo 11 am - River Walk Boat Tour 12:30 pm - Lunch - El Castillo 1:30 pm - River Walk Mall 4:30 pm - Dinner - Ostra 6 pm - River Walk Day 4 - Thursday - Austin, Dallas 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - San Antonio to New Braunfels - Bu

I have 7 jackets thus far: Track Jackets (60-70 degrees) Adidas - Red - DUO454 - 2019 Adidas - Navy - DUO461 - 2019 Adidas - Black - 2020 Light Jackets (50-60 degrees) North Face - Venture 2 Raincoat - Navy - 2021 Generic - Bomber - Green - 2023 Middle Jackets (40-50 degrees) Uniqlo - Puffer - Navy - 2021 Winter Jackets (0-40 degrees) North Face - Ski Jacket - Brown/Green - 2023 Temperature ratings also depend on other factors including if it’s raining, windy, sunny or overcast.  I could get away with a track jacket on a sunny day with no wind even if it’s 50 degrees. I typically layer and can wear a hoodie or sweater with my light jackets to add 10 degrees of warmth.  Winters don’t get colder than 0-10 degrees so I typically am fine with the puffer over a hoodie inner layer.  The North Face Ski jacket affords me options as it includes a puffer inner layer and a hard outer shell. Future Changes - 2025 After some thought.  I’m gonna hold off on purchasing new jackets until 2025.

Couldn’t resist and picked up a pair of Air Force 1 ‘07 in larger Size 10 on sale for $65.  These feel so much better on my feet than the cramp Size 9’s and the mid sole support is a lot better than the Air Jordan 1’s. I’d prefer all white AF1’s but these are fine and will become my daily wear rotation with the AJ1’s 10.5  Next year I’ll pick up another pair of AJ1’s in Size 10.5 to complete my rotation set and leaning towards a pair of black & white’s or another two colorway combo.

Enjoyed the 22 oz Cowboy Ribeye at Al Biernat’s Steakhouse in Dallas, Texas.  Ordered it medium rare and for $70 it was worth the price. Was cooked to perfection and every bite was phenomenal.