When the dog bites, when the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
JULIE ANDREWS, My Favorite Things
I strive to not be a materialist, but I do live in a material world with material needs. Some of those material things become favorite things. Here is a list of some of my favorite things.
1. Overshirts
When I met my wife, her modest attire made me want to elevate my game. I was into T-shirts, cargo shorts, and sandals at the time in the uniform I now refer to as "douchewear" because this is how douchebags dress today. I traded that look out for workwear which includes a button up collared overshirt. I have a collection of these shirts which I wear year round. My T-shirt has gone back to its historic position as underwear.
2. Coffee
Every man has his vice. For some, it would be cigarettes. For others, it would be cigars. Then, there is whiskey and other adult beverages. I don't have any vices except strong black coffee, and I am keeping it. I appreciate coffee as both a morning drink and an evening social drink that makes you friendly and talkative without making you stupid or costing you a DUI conviction.
3. My house hoodie
I have a black Carhartt hoodie that is a decade old that I wear around the house when it gets cold. I like it because I can cover my melon when its gets chilly and stick my hands in the front pocket. I never wear this thing outside of the house unless I am checking the mail. It is too casual to be a part of my daily uniform. But it is comfortable on cold winter days.
4. My Sony Walkman
I have owned this radio for almost 20 years now. The belt clip got broken, but that doesn't matter. It sits by my bedside almost always where I listen in the nighttime hours until I fall asleep. I also tune in the morning news and the weather band. It is my favorite radio.
5. Melon covers
I have male pattern baldness, and I shave my head. Naturally, I am a fan of hats which I call "melon covers." They come in three varieties--ballcaps, boonies, and beanies. The ballcaps are the default, but I will wear a boonie in the summer for walking and working in the yard while the beanie comes out when the temperatures become brain freezing. Otherwise, I wear ballcaps that most people recognize as "dad hats." I don't wear hats for fashion but for their utilitarian function.
6. Safety razors
When you have as much cranial real estate as I have, you need a quality razor that doesn't cost a lot of money. I made the switch to safety razors from cartridge razors in my forties, and I have never looked back. I can never understand why men abandoned safety razor shaving for expensive cartridge razors. Your grandpa got it right.
7. My wife's boombox
My wife wanted a radio for the kitchen, and I bought her a Sony boombox that also plays CDs and cassettes. That is one of the best purchases I ever made because it makes her happy. The happy wife equals a happy life. This boombox is the most played device in our home. She enjoys listening to oldies and eighties radio stations, Reader's Digest CDs, and the mixtapes I make for her. I confess that I enjoy listening to her tunes, too.
8. My wife's Chromebook
My wife had a Windows laptop when I met her, and she hated that thing. I stealthily bought a Chromebook for myself knowing she was going to steal it from me. And she did! She mocked it at first as a "Gameboy" and not a real computer. But she tried it that one time, and that was all she wrote. She was hooked and is now a huge fan of the "toy" she once derided. She doesn't care to own an iPad because she likes a keyboard with physical buttons.
9. Books
I have been a regular reader since picking up the habit in kindergarten. Books are tops for me when it comes to personal entertainment. I would rather read the book than watch the movie. I read slowly these days because of the fatigue from my TBI, but I am grateful to God that I am still able to read and able to see to read. Books have been good friends over the years. I also use an ancient Kindle.
10. My camouflage backpack
I own three backpacks. One is a very used backpack from the thrift store that belonged to a school kid. This is my "rat bag" I retain for carrying food and water for traipsing outdoors. Another one is an almost new blue JanSport backpack I got from the thrift store, but I keep it for future use. Until then, it remains in the closet. This leaves my primary backpack which is a camouflage hunting backpack made by Fieldline I bought from Walmart in my thirties. It still looks brand new which proves that you can buy good stuff from Walmart. I have never hunted anything in my life.
11. Taco Bell
It has been years since I have eaten fast food. I never go anywhere. When I do, I pack a lunch. When I do have to eat out, Taco Bell is where I go because they are friendly to my plant based diet and to my wallet. I hear their prices have gone up a bit in these inflationary times. Subway used to be a strong number 2 for me but fell out of favor for me with the end of the $5 footlong. Chipotle and Moe's are other options, but I find them too expensive relative to Taco Bell.
12. My Klean Kanteen water bottle
I own four Klean Kanteens, but the primary product for me is the water bottle I take with me when I go for a walk or a trip to town. It is also by my bedside. I drink from this thing all day long. I have owned that thing for more than a decade. It might be time to clean it.
13. Bic mechanical pencils
These are disposable pencils, but you can put new leads in them for a fraction of the price of a new pencil. You can't do this with a Papermate. A more expensive pencil like the Pentel would make sense except for the tiny eraser underneath the metal cap which is aggravating to use. The Bic eraser is not so good leaving smudges instead of erasures. Papermate wins on that score. Overeall, I think Bic is the best value for your writing dollar.
14. Georgia Giant workboots
I bought my first pair of these boots in my early thirties from a Quality Farm & Country store in my town that vanished a few years later. Georgia Giants been my number one workboots since then. I tried a pair of Wolverines that caused me pain and grief. Once you find your boot, you don't want to switch. I am now on my third pair of these boots.
15. Mysteries
When I was a kid, I enjoyed reading Encyclopedia Brown mysteries. As I got older, I graduated to The Three Investigators and the Hardy Boys. Finally, I got into Sherlock Holmes and watching Perry Mason on television. I also love Agatha Christie books and movies. My favorite detective of all time is Columbo. I just find the solving of crimes to be great fun.
16. Coast to Coast AM
I'm not sure when I started listening to C2C, but I remember listening to Art Bell sometime in the 2000s. You can still catch old Bell episodes on the radio on the Somewhere in Time show that plays on Saturday night. I have always enjoyed the show as cheap entertainment, and it is something my wife and I enjoy. These days, I don't stay up to listen to the show but listen to the free clips podcast.
17. Pocket calendar
I use a 2 year pocket calendar that I buy from Big Lots. I still use the original black plastic folder that came with the ones I used to buy from the office supply store in my town that went out of business. I hate electronic calendars. I prefer paper.
18. My flip phone
I am famous for my smartphone hatred, but I do love my flip phone mainly because of the form factor. I owned a candybar phone in the ancient past with the dreaded butt dial, and I was happy to get a flip phone. I have stuck with those flip phones to the present day. I was amused to discover that smartphones brought back the butt dial. If I am ever forced to get a smartphone, it will be a foldable one that fits in my pocket.
19. Douay-Rheims Bible
I am not a fan of Catholicized Protestant translations of the Holy Bible. One of my Protestant seminary professors said that there was no translation without interpretation. I agree which is why I prefer the Douay-Rheims translation. It is the Catholic translation.
20. Charlie's Blog
Most people have social media accounts. I don't. I tried Facebook and left. I tried Twitter and left with massive withdrawal and some relapses. The blog remains. The blog has evolved over the years, but it remains my favorite way to reach out to the internet world.
This is not an exhaustive list of my favorite things but just a list that I pulled from the top of my head. The only thing these things have in common is that I like them and appreciate them for what they bring to my life.
