Simple Living

I've discovered 1858 Paso Robles and was impressed by the Cabernet Sauvignon.  It's from Caymus Vineyard and for the price it beats the more expensive Amici, Royal Prince and Flowers that I've enjoyed in the past. It's more of a mix in texture between a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon, than a pure heavy Cab; I actually like that.  It didn't seem as aromatic as a Pinot, but I only had one bottle and want to try a few more to see what are the consistent characteristics. Caymus also appears to have another interesting choice in Red Schooner that uses Mendoza Malbec grapes from Argentina.  From listening to reviews, I'm starting to understand why I gravitate towards Malbec wines, they have a smokiness that instantly reminded me of my preference for Islay scotch. Very exciting as I start to learn and understand more about red wines.

For $5 you can buy a pair of wireless Bluetooth earbuds from Target Stores. Vivitar brand is known for basic headphones and you shouldn’t expect more than something that just works in the model WE-ES62-WT headphone earbuds. It’s shaped and designed to look like a pair of Apple AirPods and from a distance can be mistaken for a pair of AirPods. Pairing Process — follow instructions These are not AirPods, so don’t expect Apple experience in pairing.  This is one of the few times you must read the instructions to avoid frustration. A lot of negative reviews are because people don’t bother to read.  For cheap tech, it’s cost of buying cheap. Design & Form Factor — Good Vivitar wins.  They look and feel decent and actually amazing for the low price of $5.  Makes you wonder how much Apple marked up their earbuds? Sound Quality - Poor, but Ok for $5 How did they sound?  Tinny.  Harsh at times for treble heavy music.  Bass is almost nonexistent. Honestly, they sound awful.  But remind yours

Scored a deal and got the JBL 510BT Bluetooth Headphones for half off and paid $30.  They are decent and so far suit my needs as a cheap pair of wireless headphones. AirPods are awesome, but the charging case is an additional thing you need to carry and I sometimes have to move quickly that causes earbuds to fall out. For $30.  I’m not worried about knocking about the JBL. I’ll need to use them for a few days to give them a proper review. One Week Review - Buy this headphones for $30. Buy them for $30.  The JBL 510’s are worth it at that price, I wouldn’t get them at full retail as there are many other choices in the $60 range. What makes it good at $30?  Sound quality is decent and pleasant; remind me of wired Sony ZX310s. Battery Life - Good Battery life is excellent.  I haven’t tested its claim of 40 hours but have been able to use it for a week without recharging.  Typically, I use them 30-60 minutes music listening or several hours when streaming movies and shows.  Probably racked

Finally found a decent red wine under $20.  The Meiomi Cabernet Sauvignon.  It has a nice fruity full body with little bitterness.  It’s delicious, at same times almost syrup like finish. A pleasant table wine and was still delicious the second day after being corked. I have a Daou and giving Josh another go to see if they can round out my budget wines. Update 1/20/23 - Pinot Noir I've also discovered Meiomi's equally impressive Pinot Noir.  Both are amazing and ideal for the affordable category.  I've stocked up on both as they’re so inexpensive relative to their quality.

I’ve become enamored with IKEA and have built a small collection of pieces to furnish my place.  5 items I bought pre owned and saved about $600 that way. Vika Grevsta Desk - $40 ($90) Jokkmokk Dining Set w/ 4 Chairs - $50 ($250) Malm Bed - $150 ($300) Tarva Bed - $40 ($200) Malm Dresser - $25 ($150) Kallax Shelf 12 - $129 Gladom Table - $25 Lack Table x2 Small, 1x Medium - $40 Rugs (5’ x 8’) - 3x - $130 Nissafors Utility Cart - $33 Hemnes Night Stand - 3x - $50 ($390) Billy Bookshelf - $50 Tagarp Lamp x5 - $25 ($60) Vidja Lamp - $25 ($60) Omar Wine Rack - $60  Bankesta Coffee Table x2 - $25 ($150) Vintage is better with solid wood With exception of the Vika Grevsta, everything else is fairly new and common pieces.  The Vika is a 20 year old vintage piece made from solid wood and of much higher quality.  I was very impressed with the Vika and been searching for more vintage items, but probably everyone else is too. On my list for future acquisitions: Lisabo Table x 4 Chairs Lisabo Coff

The door has opened for me to the world of Red Wine's and I'm starting to appreciate the nuances and why it can be appealing to enjoy a nice glass of wine. I still have a lot to learn and for now have graduated from $4 Trader Joe's to $13 Malbec's and now venturing into the $40 options.  There is obviously a huge difference between these price points and unfortunately, I haven't found much in the $20-30 range as they all taste about the same as the Malbec. Thus far most $40 wines I've tried have been amazing and I even tried a $90 Cabernet that was just wow, but too pricey to become a habit so I'll settle for $40-50 wines as I still hunt for decent $20-30 choices to curb my budget. My choices at $40-50 all 2019 vintage Caravan Darioush Amici Royal Prince So far the Amici was the best, followed by the Royal Prince.  Caravan was nice too. I'm finding I prefer a more dry taste or those with lower tannin bitterness.  The dryness helps offset for any bitter t

I’m surprised so few people have posted comparisons between these two iconic shoes: Air Jordan 1 Low Air Force 1 ‘07 Both are basketball shoes and famous in their own right and they share similar price points of $110 with comparable materials and build qualities. Versatility - Air Force 1 I give it to Air Force 1’s.  In Triple White colorway it can match so many outfits and styles… A close second are Jordan 1’s in certain colorways can make a bland outfit really pop.  The one exception, Air Force 1's look better with baggy jeans as they are a chunkier shoe profile.  Jordan 1's can pair with slimmer jeans. Comfort - Air Force 1 I’ll have to break in the leather on the Jordan 1’s as they are stiffer than Air Force 1’s.  But with the thicker sole and air unit my feeling Air Force 1’s will win out for long haul treks.   I'm sure after the stiff leather on the Jordan 1's break-in it'll be just as comfortable as the Air Force 1's and remind me of breaking in a pair of

Went with a classic colorway of Red/White/Black with my first pair of Air Jordan 1 Low.  I’ve always wanted a pair of AJ1’s for quite some time; ever since I tried a pair of Air Force 1’s made me curious about the Air Jordan’s. I’m glad I waited as initially I was going to get a pair of Mid’s, but decided the Low’s are more versatile and can match more outfits in my wardrobe. Looking forward to wearing them and seeing how they go.  I’m anticipating buying a few more Air Jordan’s as I want different color ways. Future Planned AJ1’s Green/White/Black Black/White UNC Blue/White Purple/White/Yellow — LA Lakers Red/White Undecided if they will be High, Mid’s or Low’s.  Types of materials and so on…I’ll figure that out in future years. Collecting shoes is kinda fun. 6 months later these AJ1’s have traveled the globe

I’ve grown tired of trying to find good coffee shops and spending $5-7 a pour.  So, I invested in a Nespresso Vertuo machine selling for $140 at Costco. It came with 30 pods and a $40 coupon that I used to buy 40 more pods at the Nespresso store.  I also bought another 100 pods online to get the welcome gift with 10 more pods and 2 free coffee mugs. In total, I’ve purchased 180 vertuo pods for this machine!  And at the rate of my consumption easily knocking back 2-3 a day and about 3-4 days a week.  So 6-12 a week.

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 paid a visit to Otto Coffee in the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas.  It’s a very nice old world style establishment with dark wood panels and leather seating. I tried the Latte, Cappuccino and the Texas Pecan Sticky Bun.  All were excellent. I give this place a 9.0 out of 10 Cappuccino Rating. I’m taking notice and Otto uses the La Marzocco for espresso.

Change of pace and got a Boba Milk Tea from FULLL (yes 3 L’s).  It’s rated 4.6 stars on Yelp and it’s accurate, it’s good and good price too. I prefer mine minimal sugar and did 30% and less ice.  Yum. Tiger Sugar is #1 in Dallas so far.  FULLL is 2nd, but beats Tiger on price.

Mr Brown Coffee is one of my favorite canned coffee.  They are not gourmet and likely bad for me, but I love ‘em.  They finally brought out a sugar free version (or at least very low sugar) cold brew and it’s perfect. Sometimes, I just want a plain iced coffee, no sugar, no cream, plain black.  This hits the spot and at $1.49 is a convenience vs brewing and chilling my own.