Simple Living

I've become interested in Fountain Pens and spent a few weeks researching online to develop a plan of how I want to approach this new found hobby. My plan is to invest in about a half-dozen pens over a period of sixteen (16) months and hopefully during that time acquire a decent level of knowledge and experience in using and maintaining a Fountain Pen.  I'd also like to develop some degree of penmanship. 1.  Practice Phase (Pilot Varsity , Pilot Metropolitan) - 2016 (1 Month) Having absolutely zero experience  using a Fountain Pen, I am going to start small with some Pilot Varsity and Metropolitan pens. Pilot Varsity - October 2016 Online there have been many rave reviews about the basic $3 Pilot Varsity or Platinum Preppy and I was okay getting either one.  My local office store had the Varsity in stock and I picked up a pair to begin writing. Selection was limited and they had only Medium Point and in Purple Ink (other choices were Red or Pink). Pilot Metropolitan - October

Everyone needs a reminder that hard work pays off and this year has been an eventful one.  To commemorate and cap off 2016 I'm adding a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label to my modest Whisky collection.  It'll sit front and center next to my JW Black and Red Label as a constant reminder that I've achieved quite a bit in life, but have much more to accomplish before I feel satisfied. I have set some goals in life and perhaps in five years on News Year Eve I'll crack open this little gem to celebrate.  Until then, I'll just glance at it each time I pass by my liquor cabinet to remind me that I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

Having now owned several G-Shocks I've come to appreciate certain features of various models.  For most part all I care about primarily is 'size'.  Features are secondary and so long as it has World Time, I'm happy. Size (5600 wins) In terms of size the 5600's are my favorite, but the convenience of the illumination button front and center on the 6900 is beautiful. The compromise?  It has to go to the 9000 series Mudman.  While the buttons are difficult to press it is the right size and button arrangement that just connects with me as one of my favorite G-Shocks thus far.  Now Module versions this is probably a bad selection to compare as I have a GLX, G and DW types.  But form factor wise they are roughly equivalent representatives of their model series.  There are certainly much larger G-Shocks, but for me the 6900 is where I will draw the line for now. Features (G9000 Wins, GLX5600 Good Second) Most G-Shocks have the standard basics down pat and all I car

Purchased a Casio G-Shock Mudman G-9000MS-1 in Black.  It is part of a Military Inspired Series and uses a 3031 Module.  The watch is relatively small and feels like a 'round' 5600.  It's slightly larger than a 5600, but is dwarfed by a 6900. Overall had the watch for a few hours and I rather like it.  The buttons are very difficult to push, but otherwise acceptable.  Out of all the G-Shocks thus far I like the Mudman quite a bit, almost as much as the 5600's. The Negative LCD display is a bit iffy and can be difficult to read under certain lighting conditions.  I'll endure it for a while, but may opt to purchase a standard G9000 and swap out the housing as I prefer the all black bezel and strap of this version.

Drink:  Godiva - Hazelnut Trufflelata  Enjoying a Lazy Saturday at the a New Mall.  They surprisingly lack a Starbucks so gave Godiva a try and ordered my Coffee Fix.  It's certainly not my normal Cup of Joe, but was an interesting audition. Overall, while this New Mall looks very nice & upscale it lacks a lot of basic stores that suit my tastes and more importantly I was on the hunt for a a new Casio G-Shock and hoping to find any store that had on display either a black GW-M5610 or a Mudman G9000.  Sadly, nothing. I ended up chilling by the Fountain Area and ordering from Amazon a Black Military Series Mudman G9000MS-1CR.

Enjoyed a weekend vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii at the Hilton Waikoloa Resort.  I've haven't been here in years and walking around brought back fond memories of running around here as a little kid.  The places hasn't changed much and now as an adult I'm noticing little details that a kid wouldn't have cared for.  There really isn't all that much to do here on the Big Island and after sunset, all you can do is watch movies in your hotel room.  Another thing is to hit up the local grocery store before arriving at the Resort Hotel as the prices are much higher here...although a cup of coffee was reasonably priced at $ 4.50. I stayed in the Makai Lagoon Tower and this was more convenient then the Ocean or Palace Towers as its an expansive resort and took me 15 minutes to walk from one side to the other. My watch of choice on this vacation was the Casio G-Shock GLX5600 in Red.  Handled the water perfectly and was comfortable on the wrist even in the high heat

Hmm...maybe I'm the first to post a pic of a Rolex Explorer I on the Red/Black Hirsch Robby Performance Strap.  The 20mm band fits snugly and does chafe a bit on the middle edge, but otherwise works.  The Red/Black color scheme accents the Explorer I quite nicely. I was curious and pleasantly surprised at how good it looks and feels on the wrist. At times I almost forget I'm wearing a watch.  I'll likely get another Hirsch strap in the Black/Blue color design for the Omega and that'll give me a nice pair of versatile watches.

I bought my 2016 Highlander new and paid $31k.  It’s been a good car and served me well.  Hope to keep it for many more years. Specs - 2016 Highlander V6 LE FWD Engine 3.5L V6 - 2GR-FE HP: 270 @ 6200 Torque: 248 @ 4700 Transmission - 6 speed Performance: 0-60: 6.9 seconds 1/4 Mile: 15.2 @ 89 mph EPA MPG: 19 City / 25 Highway Dimensions: Length: 191.1 inches Wheelbase: 109.8 inches Height: 68.1 inches Width (without mirrors): 75.8 inches Why the Highlander?  The V6 Engine The main reason I wanted this car was the V6 engine.  It’s one of Toyota’s best motors ever created and provides performance, reliability and decent gas mileage.  It’s probably one of the best engines ever made for a car and if they had one available for my 2015 Camry I’d have bought one too. Overall how has it been? So far so good.  After 7 years of ownership other than preventive maintenance, it’s been an excellent car.

To complete my headphone collection I needed a good pair of earbuds and selected the Klipsch R6i Earbuds.  I tried to look for the now discontinued prior model S6i, but couldn't find any for a reasonable price.  Other contenders included the Jaybirds, but I wasn't ready to try bluetooth just yet. The R6i's are quite nice and little touches like the anti-tangling flat cable and in-line volume control make it useful.  This will be for traveling as I want to keep things light. Basic Specs: 6.5mm Drivers 10 ~ 19,000 Hz 110 db/mW 18 Ohms -22 Noise Isolation 3.5mm Plug

Finally did it, purchased a bottle of Laphroaig 10 Year old Scotch Whisky.  I had tried some at a party a few years ago and wanted to get into Islay Single Malts.  The first dram didn't disappoint and I could feel the 'peatiness'.  It's certainly an acquired taste and most of my drinking habits have centered around Speyside or Blends, but I can see Islay's as a natural progression.  It was only my first drink in a while and I'll see how it goes over time.  I do plan on making this a regular staple in my collection and adding more Islay's from Lagavulin, Caol Ila and more.

Building back up my Whisky Collection for 2016.  After being on the fence for a number of years, I am going to go all-in and focus on learning more about what are my preferences in various Scotch Whisky.  Basically, this means I'll be buying more bottles of Whisky... Consumption Rates My overall Whisky consumption has held at around 175mL/week; equivalent to a six-pack of Lite Beer, fairly pedestrian numbers.  This translates to: Month -- 750mL (1 Bottle) Year --  9 L (12 Bottles) Consumption Ratios (Blends vs Single-Malts) First Half 2016 (80 / 20) -- 5 Blended ; 1 Single Malt Second Half 2016 ( 50 / 50) -- 3 Blended ; 3 Single Malt The 80/20 Ratio turned out to be rather boring and left me room for only a single bottle of Single Malt (Glenfiddich 12).  JW Black was pleasant and JW Red acceptable, but drinking the same thing for several months is uninteresting.  I am hopeful a 50/50 Ratio is more palatable and not that much more in cost to add-in additional bottles of Single Malt.

I've always wanted to try a DAC (Digital Audio Converter) and Amplifier for my headphones.  It's difficult at first to pick one and I settled on the Fiio model e10k Olympus 2.  In hindsight I should have gone with a model that's portable and accepts an audio line in...but the e10 proved okay when hooked up to my laptop. And I have plans to build a 'soundbook' with the Netbook. How's it sound? In some ways it improved the sound quality.  Certain frequencies are clearer and I do hear things that were not as noticeable before.  The music sounds more 'forward' if that's what they call it.  It's a bit overwhelming at first, but after a while I kinda like it and getting used to the refined soundstage.  Another thing I noticed was how awful sounding some of my cheaper headphones are with the e10.  I was hoping with increased power they might sound better, not so.  The exception were the Sony ZX100's...not bad. Overall For the price I paid

By luck I was at a thrift shop and saw a pair of Sony MDR-ZX310 for sale.  I scooped them up as I've heard so many positive online reviews that they are great for the price point of $18. Basic Specs: 30mm Drivers 10 ~ 24,000 Hz 1,000 mW -- Max Input Power 98 db/mW 24 Ohms 125g -- Weight 1.2m -- Cable Length I  also own the lower end model ZX100's and can compare the two. Sound Quality The 310's have a wider response range than the 100's and I can both feel and hear it on the bass.  Mid and treble are almost the same to me, but due to the weaker bass on the 100's it feels more pronounced on the Mid and Treble, but with deeper listening the 310's are at least on par with some frequencies coming through more that were not as clear on the 100's.  If you like vocal and mids the 100's might be better. Even with EQ bass reduction the 310's sound tinny and need the full bass to sound decent.  Overall the 310's are tuned for bass

Surprised I never discussed in more detail my pair of Audio Technica ATH-WM77 on-ear headphones.  I got these two years ago from Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku Tokyo for $40 in Yen.  They are a fun pair of headphones and one of my favorites.  The one downside has been the plastic housing on the left speaker popped out of place and I had to use krazy glue to fix it.  They work just fine, but the left speaker has lost the ability to swivel making it no longer convenient to stash into my backpack. Basic Specs: 38mm Drivers 10 ~ 23,000 Hz 500 mW -- Max Input Power 103 db/mW 36 Ohms 133 g -- Weight 1.0m -- Cable Length