Simple Living

Ordered the steak and it was excellent.  Had a bunch of appetizers and amazing Old Fashioned.  This place has got it all.  Prices were not bad for the drinks.

I had some time again in Dallas for work and stopped at Nest Craft.  Love trying new coffee spots and the Cortado was delicious, but the Old Fashioned with Toki Whisky was meh.  They used simple syrup rather than muddling of fruit so it tasted more like sugar and scotch.  Strong yes, but wanted a proper drink. I plan to visit DFW quite a bit for work.  Love the per diem.

Enjoyed a delicious Barbacoa Mexican Breakfast.  Reminded me of Austin where I got something similar.  You can tell it’s gonna be good when the chips & salsa are good.  Coffee wasn’t too bad.

Had a nice lunch at Platia Greek Kouzina in Frisco, Texas.   Got the Brizola Steak and it was delicious.  I’d have preferred some fresh veggies as it was overwhelming carbs, but the pita bread is amazing and so was the hummus dish.

Updated my EDC over the years, but settled on some basic brand names. Card Wallet concerns.  For the longest time I’ve owned a Coach card wallet but always was nervous to use it as I found myself it falling out of my pockets at home.  I finally found a way to clip it to my inner pocket and weigh it down next to my keys.  I may try other attach point options to clip it to my phone. Another reason for downsizing to a slim wallet is to keep my back pockets empty as it’s painful during long drives and a nuisance to be mindful to relocate my larger wallet. March 2024: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Casio A168WG Victorinox Manager Victorinox Huntsman Coach Leather Card Wallet

Took the plunge and bought an Apple iMac M3.  Opted for the larger 16GB / 512GB HHD configuration.  So far it’s been pretty good and once I learn more of the OS and keyboard shortcuts the easier it’s going.  This orange version cost me about $2.1k (California Tax Rates). Why an iMac? I’ve been Windows and Linux for many years and for a few years in college did own an older MacBook.  For most of this time I’ve managed with cheap laptops.  Although I debated a MacBook, the price was too much and I figured why not a desktop computer again?

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.