Aesop Hand Cream

I have sworn by Aesop hand cream for years. It smells amazing without being overpowering, and does not leave a greasy residue on my hands. Most importantly, it really does a great job at moisturizing. I keep a tube at my desk and one in the car. We have a pump bottle of it in the bathroom at home. I have used both of the fragrances options, and really like both of them. I’m sure that it goes without saying that this stuff has been very clutch to have around during these times of hyper vigilant hand washing routines.

Vaccum Insulated Mug

This mug was actually marketing swag from one of the law firms I work with. It is constructed with dual aluminum walls separated by a vaccum partition. It is the same tech used for Swell bottles. It keeps its contents hot (or cold) by minimizing heat transfer to or from the contents of the mug. The only complaint that I have is that it occasionally works a little too well. I mean this in the sense that sometimes I have to wait a little bit longer than I would like to for the coffee to cool down to a drinkable temperature, and it has resulted in a scalded tongue on more than one occasion.

The only downside (in my opinion) is that the mug cannot be used to warm up my hand. This isn’t always a desired characteristic. But on chilly mornings, it can certainly be nice to use a traditional mug full of hot coffee to keep my paws toasty. I have to credit Britt for bringing these. She packed the kitchen box. I probably would not have even thought to bring these. But I’m sure glad that she did!

Saturdays New York City Sweat Pants

This is my foray into leisurewear modeling. I could only keep Britt engaged behind the camera for about 45 seconds, so I only got one take. Not bad, eh? These pants are a few years old, but sweat pants are a staple at Saturdays pretty much every season, varying by weight and construction. I freaking love these things in the winter. They have been super clutch for the chilly nights and mornings here in the Catskills. I highly endorse these sweat pants, as well as the Saturdays brand generally.

(photo cred: Britt)

Burton Bluetooth Speaker

This speaker is a collaboration that Burton did with Braven. It was made during the early days of bluetooth speakers, and as such is pretty basic. It has four buttons: Power, Play, Up, Down. I have used it almost every day since the day I bought it (over 7 years ago), and it is still going strong! It has been with me on three different continents, so it is only fitting that I have it with me now. It holds a charge for several days, and can be used as a backup phone charger if needed. The sound is pretty decent for its size, and it is basically bulletproof.

James Folding Blade Pocket Knife (Stuff I brought with me into isolation [part 1])

For the month of April I have given myself an objective: to write a little something each day about an item that I brought with me into “isolation,” while we weather the effects of this pandemic. Some of the items are essentials; others, less so. I have not planned out the whole month yet, but I have a solid mental list. Some of the items are brand specific. Other items, not at all. That is the gist of it. With this explanation out of the way, let’s get to it!

James Folding Blade Pocket Knife. This gem was found in the toe of my Christmas stocking last year (thanks Britt!). Since then it has basically sat in the valet tray on my nightstand, except for the occasional use breaking down Amazon boxes and the like. That was, of course, until I decamped to the Catskills two weeks ago. Since the day we arrived, this piece has lived clipped into the corner of my back pocket and used multiple times per day. It is dangerously sharp. I have used it to cut everything from wood to aluminum cans. Though I haven’t resorted to whittling yet, I have found that the clip works as a bottle opener in a pinch. This is hands-down my favorite blade I have ever owned (except for sentimental reasons, maybe the buck knife that my dad gave me in preparation of our first hunting outing)  😉

Isolationist Vibes

This month has brought some strange times, for sure. It is hard to say what life is going to look like after all of the dust settles. I have been lucky enough to be spending the past 1.5 weeks in relative solitude, away from other humans (except one other human, and one dog). In that Daniel Pink book, I mentioned a while back, a topic he explores is the science of humans being around nature. I’m very loosely paraphrasing here, but essentially Pink cites a study where the findings suggested that humans who are regularly around nature have generally improved moods compared to those who have no exposure to greenery. I have always thought this to be anecdotally true based on personal experience, but now I’m having a chance to really put it to the test. The levels of fear and anxiety that we are all experiencing as New Yorkers seems to be almost unprecedented. I’ll admit that I need all of the help I can get. For that reason I am especially grateful to be in my current day by day situation, greenery included.

Craving Spring

Bella in Harriman State Park – Spring 2019

It’s that time of the winter when the holidays are in the rear view and I’m basically just waiting for it to warm up. These sentiments especially acute this year based on the fact that I have to sit out on all the usual winter sports that I like. There have been a few warm days where I have seen people out on their motos. It makes me jones a little.

I wrote about the glamping ride I did with Union Garage last fall. They subsequently put together a vid of that ride (some of the footage by yours truly). I’m embedding it here below in anticipation of it being riding weather again very soon!

The 2019 Union Garage GBGR from Union Garage on Vimeo.

Winter Walks Cont’d

I made it to Tarrytown again for a walk around the reservoir. It is an easy place to be able to walk through the woods without having to go too far upstate. This time I brought a real camera. There was no fog this time. But there was plenty other cool stuff to look at, including a couple of bald eagles. I had never seen them in this part of the country before this. I did some unscientific internet research when I got home and learned that they are pretty common around here, you just have to keep your eyes open.