Advanced Leisure

I was speaking to a friend and fellow aficionado of comfort. He told me that we are in the time of Crocs. He wears them everywhere now and got them for his family too. I set out to find a pair like Batali's, closed and with bright colors. Alas, I settled for a white pair.  I am wearing socks with these because they weren't working for me without them. I have high arches so the top of my foot was rubbing against the rim of the shoe too much. With socks though, I have to say, these are so comfortable! I popped off the Crocs strip so they are streamlined clogs now.  I am a big fan and I love wearing them around the house. These have great traction and cushioning. In cooler weather, I enjoy the classic boiled wool clogs made by Stegmann's but these are great for warmer weather. I can wear the Stegmann's with or without socks. They are also super comfortable; they have a Birkenstock style sole, which is firmer but more supportive. The wool inside is incredibly smooth and sof...

I am sorry to ask but do you remember Juicy Couture? They made terry cloth tracksuits popular (amongst teenage girls and soccer moms) when I was in high school, but they were completely garish. I shudder when I think about those outfits. I do not blame terry cloth itself, however. No, I have come to love terry cloth. Think instead of the thick, luxurious terry cloth robes and towels that have whisked away all of the moisture covering you. Let these happier memories return because terry cloth is perfect for lounging around and there is no shame in that! And why not embrace the poolside chic of terry cloth? Well, I did, once I saw my friend's "terry towelling" Orlebar Brown polo . They aren't cheap but they are incredibly comfortable and well-tailored.  The image above depicts their homage to James Bond's Dr. No shirt, From Orlebar Brown's website : "Imitate Bond’s beach style with this Seaweed towelling polo, originally worn in Dr. No (1962) when he first ...

My cat has a lot of pretensions. She prefers to drink water directly from the faucet. Her next resort is to drink out of a glass. I leave two pint-sized glasses full of water for her but this never stopped her from drinking from any unattended glasses. So, I just use water bottles.  I have tested several, as I have a few important criteria. The ability to drink lying down is of key importance because I get thirsty at night. This means that the bottle needs to have a fairly narrow opening/neck. I also want a decent amount of volume. Finally, I prefer cold water and want to be able to fit ice cubes into the bottle. At first, I used an early model the Camelback Chug  (see below): This water bottle met all of my initial qualifications, and I really liked the shape of its lip, which seemed made for the prone drinker. The cap was quite easy to take off with a few twists but it also came loose easily in my bags. That was obviously a problem. Eventually, I started noticing the prevale...

On March 31, 2020, I ordered an E95s from fast japan us on Amazon. It never came. I was finally able to submit a claim and get a refund a little while ago. What did I do? I ordered another one from a different company but this time I went with Burgundy. I first encountered the E95s at Anderson Pens in Chicago. I love this store and try to go whenever I am in Chicago. They have a wide selection of pens and inks and their salespeople are very helpful. When I asked an attendant what was popular these days, she pointed out the E95s. Instead, I got a mid-size Sailor 1911 with a Zoom nib (but that is a story for another day). I made a note to myself to look into the E95s in the future. Well, today it arrived and I had no way of anticipating how much I would like it. One thing that I especially love is the beautiful balance of its design. The cap serves as the body of the pen, making the capped pen very compact. Pilot notes this rerelease is based upon an original 1962 design and reflects t...

The renaissance of fountain pens might be compared to that of vinyl records in several ways. Both the fountain pen and the vinyl record were eventually felt to be obsolete technology. Nevertheless, each maintained a steadfast cult of aficionados. Additionally, like the vinyl revival, the fountain pen frenzy seems to be a response to the desire for a "hands-on experience" and a preference for quality over convenience. Fountain pen owners enjoy the experience of drawing ink into the pen, wiping the nib, etc. The appeal of multiple fountain pens relates to the variety of their nibs and one can affix different nibs to a given pen to customize the feel. In similar fashion, many people rotate between different phono cartridges to modify the sound of their system to taste. The golden age of fountain pens occurred in the early 20th century and ended with WWII. I have read that many collectors focus on pens from the 1920-30's, which featured luscious gold nibs and luxurious materi...

Amazon's Kindle has been the go-to-e-reader for some time. Accordingly, I won't bother summarizing its most obvious aspects. Instead, I want to briefly discuss why my Kindle Oasis (their current flagship) is one of my favorite things.  My Oasis can hold a tremendous number of books. It goes without saying that this is wonderful when I travel. Not only can I carry more books, but I don't have to think about which to bring. They are all there when I need them. If you purchase the cellular feature, you can download books without having to log onto a WiFi network. This is a one time fee and I highly recommend it because it is not that easy to get onto a WiFi network with your Kindle while traveling because many public networks require elaborate sign ins that can be serious obstacles for my little Kindle... I don't actually need my Oasis to access my Kindle library. If I am out and about, I can pick up where I left off at home by using the app on my iPhone.  The Kindle allow...