Ode to Good Things

7 August 2026

Here are a few items that have been kind to me. All of these were a good investment, as I have gotten far more use out of them than I initially expected.

The boots

I bought my first pair of Croatian military summer boots in Autumn of 2016 and they have been my go-to shoes for harsh weather and rough labor ever since. I've had the soles replaced once during that time. For the past two years, they have been my main work boots, so I haven't been gentle with them. I have a new pair for everyday wear during the winter.

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The watch

My Casio AW-591 has been with me through thick and thin. I've worn it for 15 years and have only taken it off for the few airport security checks I've had to go through. It has been scratched and dinged, but it does not care. I've had the battery changed only twice.

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The mountain bike

I bought my YT Capra 27 CF Pro in 2019 and it has given me many good memories. It was there during my first bunny hops, manuals, jumps, and endos. While the bike was a considerable investment, the joy and fitness I gained from it made it one of my best decisions.

Last year, I bought the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo child bike seat which allows me to take the little one on rides. The seat is easy to remove when I decide to ride by myself.

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The black T-shirt

Simple, reliable, and almost always appropriate. The brand does not matter as long as the T-shirt has a round, close-fitting collar. This is the default choice for the vast majority my days.

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The music player

I've been using the FiiO M5 music player for 7 years now. It is small, works perfectly with Linux, and can act as a Bluetooth receiver if your phone lacks a headphone jack and you want to use wired 3.5mm headphones.

The earphones I've used for 10 years now are the Shure SE215. They are robust and offer good isolation. While their sound quality is not amazing by today's standards, they are a trusty workhorse. I've replaced the cable a couple of times and replaced the MMCX connector on one of the earpieces, but they are still going strong.

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