Month: April 2018

Note: I’d originally published a few of these lists as a Medium “Series” set, but I’ve found that format to be pretty problematic. Here they are again compiled into a single post, with a few new sections and edits.

Part One: Constant Companions

I’ll start with a list of the essentials (things I have with me almost all the time).

iPhone X: The best phone I’ve ever used

Apple Watch: Still rocking the “Series 0” launch model, and still finding it valuable

AirPods: Perhaps my overall favorite product of the past few years (especially as a podcast junkie)

Nomatic Wallet: I switched over to this a while back to de-Constanza my life, and it’s been awesome

KeySmart: Some pro-level keychain streamlining

Warby Parker Glasses and Sunglasses: Fairly sure these are required by L.A. County ordinance for anyone that’s even hipster-adjacent

Part Two: Get In My Belly

As the opposite of a foodie, I often just want a quick solution to my hunger. I’m also (to my wife’s chagrin) deeply obsessed with sparkling water in all of its magnificent forms.

Soylent: Some friends at an old job got me on this bandwagon, and I have a pretty consistent “Coffiest for breakfast” pattern (often followed by some original flavor on the train ride home)

LaCroix: Yeah, I’m that guy (I also love Spindrift and trying out various other random offerings)

Clif Bars: Pretty filling for a quick snack

Avocados: It took me around thirty years to realize that avocados are pretty good, but I’m now a full convert

Edamame: I could shred these forever

Pistachios: Ditto for these, and I find the act of removing the shells slightly therapeutic

Juicy Fruit: While I’m not swallowing the gum (a la Sean Spicer), I dig the flavor and find it to be pretty long-lasting

Part Three: Office Space

Since starting a new gig in February, I’ve tried to keep my desk pretty minimal. Here’s what’s on or around it (along with the items in Part One).

MacBook Pro 13″: Company-issued and a few years old, but always a favorite (having used both options, I definitely prefer the physical function keys to the Touch Bar)

Some Random Monitor: A pretty “eh” generic external monitor, but it gets the job done

Apple Magic Keyboard (With Numeric Keypad): Lovely

Apple Magic Mouse: Equally lovely (though I have the old-school AA battery-powered version)

Anker Qi Charger: I’ve become addicted to wireless charging pads at home, so I got one for work

Sony MDR-7506 Headphones: Recommended by a former co-worker, these are legends for a reason

Timbuk2 Backpack: My older “Blackbird” model has been a faithful companion through countless commutes

Idle Hands

I fidget. A lot. I’ll leave any psychoanalysis around this fact for another time, but here are some of my go-to fidgeting tools.

Koosh Ball: Loved them in the ’90s, still love them now

Antsy Labs Fidget Cube: The legit version, accept no knockoffs

Duncan Butterfly Yo-Yo: I don’t use this as frequently, but between winding the string and actually yo-yo-ing, it’s some solid fidgeting bang for your buck

Home Sweet Home

In addition to the previously-mentioned Qi chargers, a house with two married nerds and three boys does not suffer from a lack of technology.

Chrome OS Devices: Everyone in the family has accounts on both a Chromebook and a Chromebit (hooked up to an old monitor), and I’ve become a big fan of their simplicity

Echo Dot(s): We have two of them, which I use primarily for music playback and controlling lights and other switches (we have a Google Home Mini too, but it basically just serves as a speaker for the Chromebit)

Video Monitoring: We have a Ring Video Doorbell 2 (duh), as well as a Nest Outdoor Cam

Video Streaming Devices: I have a bit of a problem on this front, so we’re represented by the Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku Stick and Chromecast

Kindle Paperwhite: Still my favorite way to read long-form content

iPad mini 2: I find myself using this less and less these days, but it’s still a winner for reading magazines

NES and SNES Classic: Just holding the controllers is like getting a hug