Simple Living

Leatherman vs. Swiss Army Knives: Two Different Multitool Philosophies Cutting: The Swiss Army Knife Advantage During a November trip, I found myself thinking about why, despite owning several Leatherman tools over the years, I always end up carrying a Swiss Army Knife. SAKs are built around the blade, and the Trekker is a perfect example of that design philosophy. It handled every cutting task I threw at it—slicing small logs, feathering wood, cutting cord—with an ease that felt natural and intuitive. Light, quick to open, and optimized for real-world cutting, the Trekker highlights why SAKs excel when most of your multitool use revolves around a knife. Pliers: Where Leatherman Leads Leatherman tools take the opposite approach: everything centers on the pliers. The Supertool 300 showcases this perfectly with its strong, grippy, durable plier head built for twisting, tightening, and tough hardware. If your multitool work is genuinely plier-heavy, a Leatherman is the tool you want...

1st Epic 16-Day Road Trip Across the Southwest & West Coast Planning 4,500 Miles • 67 Hours of Driving • May 2026 After a handful of successful shorter road trips, decided it was time: 1st  true EPIC road trip — from Dallas all the way across the American Southwest, up the California coast, through the Rocky Mountains, and back home. I wanted a journey that blended nature, adventure, and city fun .  I'll continue planning and adjusting as I near May 2026, before setting out on a 16-day adventure (13 nights + 2 buffer nights) covering national parks, beaches, famous cities, and stunning landscapes. Long Term Goal - 30 States by 2028 Eventually, I want to visit as many States accessibly by regular roads and envision breaking it out into a series of multi-week excursions starting with this tour then a Southeast (2027) and Northeast (2028).  If time permits, I'll try for all 48 States, but even just a single epic road trip is awesome. States Visiting (In Driving Order) T...

Thanksgiving Road Trip: Camping, Bricktown, and a Smooth Cruise up I-35 Adventure Creek Ranch - Texas Lido Restaurant - OKC Renaissance Hotel - OKC Bricktown - OKC Bricktown Brewery - OKC Road Trip I-35 1. Adventure Creek Ranch @ Forestburg, TX I kicked off Thanksgiving break with a much-needed escape into the outdoors near Forestburg, Texas, at Adventure Creek Ranch. They have some incredibly creative cabins—everything from Star Wars themes to Hobbit-style hideaways. I spent two nights in their Yellowstone-themed cabin, which turned out to be exactly what I needed to unplug. With barely any cell or internet service, I spent most of my time outside—driving around in a Kawasaki UTV, enjoying the quiet, and embracing the challenge of cooking over a campfire. It took me about 90 minutes to get that first fire going. I made it intentionally difficult by using wet logs and limited tinder—just dry grass and strips of bark from mountain cedar trees—to test my survival skills. Armed only with ...

Smartphone vs. Laptop: Why I’m Rebalancing My Digital Life Introduction: When Did Smartphones Become Our Default Device? At some point, smartphones shifted from being convenient pocket devices to becoming the main way many of us browse, watch, read, and communicate. But while smartphones are incredibly capable, laptops are still better suited for many tasks—yet we often reach for the phone first out of habit. The Everyday Appeal of Smartphones Smartphones have an undeniable advantage: instant convenience . They’re always with us, instantly on, and built around a touchscreen interface that feels fast, intuitive, and effortless. Even though laptops now include touchscreens, the experience still doesn’t match the responsiveness of using an iPhone or other modern smartphone. It’s no surprise that phones dominate our screen time. Mine gets six to eight hours of daily use, while my laptops—despite being over a decade old—barely see action. Why Smartphones Win the Day Ultra-portable:...

Costco Wine Haul for the 2025 Holiday Season Getting Ready for the Holidays I stocked up on a few wines from Costco for the 2025 holiday season—something for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. I love GSM blends from Côtes du Rhône, so I was drawn to the Bordeaux and Priorat options. Costco’s European wines continue to deliver great value compared to California bottles, though Paso Robles is catching up. I’m still not ready to spend $80–100 on Napa Cabs, so the $20–40 range at Costco is perfect. I’ve tried three of the four wines so far, saving the Priorat for Christmas. 2019 Reignac - Bulk Buy This one blew me away. It had everything I love—great aroma, smooth texture with a touch of dryness, and a clean finish. At $30, it rivals far pricier Bordeaux labels. I bought several more and plan to let a few age. 2023 Pauillac - Bulk Buy Another hit. For $20, this is a fantastic deal. I tried it after the Reignac, so I’ll need to revisit it on its own, but I liked it enough t...

Texas Roadhouse Bone-In Ribeye: Their Best Steak I recently tried the bone-in ribeye at Texas Roadhouse after years of ordering their regular steaks — and now I wish I had discovered it sooner.  The flavor and juiciness are on another level. The bone helps keep the steak tender and adds that rich, steakhouse taste I usually only find at higher-end places. At $30.99 for a 20-ounce cut, it’s an incredible deal. You get a big, flavorful steak that easily beats most others on the menu. If you usually stick with the sirloin or boneless ribeye, do yourself a favor and try the bone-in next time — it’s the best steak Texas Roadhouse serves. As I learn more about steaks, the bone-in ribeye is a secondary cut from the larger ribeye subprimal which is from the rib primal, 1-of-8 primal cuts.  The other popular primal is from the loin that yields filet mignon, NY strip, T-Bone and Porterhouse.

Stepping Out of the Box: My First Pair of New Balance 515s Moving Beyond Nike and Adidas For years, I stuck with what I knew: Nike and Adidas. My daily lineup included Air Force 1s, Stan Smiths, Air Jordans, and Nike Milers. But after logging 7–9k steps a day, I started craving something different — something built more for walking comfort than style alone. A Solid Find: New Balance 515 I’d always been curious about New Balance, so when I found the 515 in Navy, Size 10 Wide for $50 (down from $75), I jumped on it. Right away, I noticed a big difference. The uppers felt incredibly light , almost like I wasn’t wearing shoes at all — a huge contrast to the more structured feel of my Nikes and Adidas. That Retro Feel The 515s have a vintage, laid-back style that instantly reminded me of my old Onitsuka Tigers . That mix of suede and mesh, paired with a low-profile silhouette, gives them a nostalgic edge — like a modern update on a classic runner. It’s a subtle throwback that sti...

2026 Wardrobe and Reflections on my 5-Year Spending Patterns As 2025 comes to a close, I’m focusing on refining my wardrobe and budget for 2026. Over the past few years, I’ve built a system that prioritizes intentional purchases, high-value basics, and long-term wear. This year is about thoughtful upgrades, smart replacements, and sticking with what works. What surprised me was how much I spend on clothing & shoes.  For past 5 years its constituted almost ~70% of my total expenditures.  In comparison, I spend very little on hobbies and technology.  But this makes sense as I've been investing in more expensive but quality clothing items. Funding Source I budget myself $60 a week in discretionary spending for annual $3,120 personal allowance.  About 1/3 dedicated to these planned purchases and rest for meals, drinks and incidentals.  As I've not seen a major increase in spending, I've not seen a need to increase this any further. 2026 Budget Overview ...

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone Air: My Take on Form vs Function Why I Care About This Comparison I’ve used the 14 Pro in the past, and more recently the base iPhone 16. Those experiences shaped how I look at Apple’s lineup today. While the Pro phones impressed me with their 120 Hz ProMotion displays, I found myself frustrated with their heft. The battery life wasn’t dramatically better than the base model either, which left me questioning whether all that extra bulk was worth it. That’s where the iPhone Air won me over. It’s slim, elegant, and feels fantastic in the hand — quintessential Apple design. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but it strikes a balance I appreciate in day-to-day use. The Form of the iPhone Air For me, the Air represents form at its best. It’s light, beautifully balanced, and carries that classic Apple minimalism I’ve always admired. It doesn’t overwhelm my pocket or my hand, which is more than I can say for the Pro Max models. Yes, it sacrif...

After One Month: Why the iPhone Air Is Losing Its Shine After a month with the iPhone Air, I finally understand why some people are returning it while others are holding on to it. Personally, I’m leaning toward the first group. The excitement has worn off, and I’m starting to feel a bit of buyer’s remorse. In hindsight, I probably should’ve gone with the base iPhone 17 instead—it’s got a 6.3-inch screen, dual cameras, better battery life, and it’s $200 cheaper. As sleek and modern as the Air is, it’s starting to lose its luster for me. Why I Chose the iPhone Air I’d been holding on to my aging Samsung A32 as a work phone for too long. My main device had been the iPhone 16, but with the launch of the iPhone Air, my plan seemed perfect: the Air would become my personal phone, and the 16 would move to work duty. What caught my attention was Apple’s marketing pitch—a thinner, lighter iPhone that still featured the 120 Hz ProMot...

The Best Smart Home Upgrade: Kasa Smart Plugs The Kasa smart plug has been the most cost-effective upgrade in my home. I’ve connected almost every lamp to one, letting me control them all from my iPhone with a tap or simple schedules. They’re inexpensive, easy to set up, and don’t require a hub. That made it simple to expand room by room without spending much. The biggest bonus comes when traveling—my lights can make the house look lived-in, and if my cameras detect movement, I can instantly turn lamps on for extra security. Small device, big impact.

When Retirement Savings Finally Got Real Disclaimer & Personal Context (2025) These notes reflect my personal thinking and understanding as of 2025 and are shared for educational and reflective purposes only—not as financial advice. I began saving for retirement at age 23 through a 401(k), but made the mistake of cashing it out when changing jobs, assuming I had plenty of time to restart. In hindsight, that was one of my worst financial decisions . I opened a new 401(k) at 27 and made a second misstep by misunderstanding asset allocation . Instead of using a target-date fund, I self-managed and allocated roughly 40% to bonds and other lower-risk investments, which significantly reduced long-term growth. By age 30, after finally learning the fundamentals of retirement investing, I shifted fully into a target-date fund to better align with long-term equity returns, closer to historical S&P 500 performance of roughly 10% annually. Looking back, I effectively lost seven of ...