MasterChef

A TV show i like to watch when i exercise is Masterchef. i used to listen to music when i exercise, but music could only keep me going for maybe 6 miles, then i’d get bored. a few years ago i switched to tv and that’s allowed me to keep going up to 13 miles per day.

Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy is one of my favorite TV shows.  I think part of the reason I like it is that the main characters are good and bad in the same person, rather than just having some who are good guys and some who are bad.  Kind of like the show The Shield.

Detergent

For the last couple of years I’ve used this Tide detergent with Febreeze from Amazon.  Good thing about it is it comes in two small containers, so you don’t have to lug a heavy container of detergent w you to do laundry.

My apartment complex only has one small washer for the whole building, so I do my laundry offsite.

Paper plates

I’ve used these Chinet paper plates for many years.  they’re very sturdy and can even handle soup as they have raised edges.  I get them from both Amazon and Costco.

Air Filter

My neighbor in the adjacent building smokes, so I got this air filter.  Works well so far.  at the lowest setting, you pretty much can’t hear it.  Has 3 fan speed settings and the filter can be washed or vacuumed so that you don’t have to keep buying replacement filters.

High ratings on Amazon.  By the way, pretty much everything on here has high ratings on Amazon, otherwise I wouldn’t buy it.  4 out of 5 stars or better.

Amazon Gift Card

Multiple uses for this.

1.  Easy way to give someone a gift when knowing only their email address.  Closest thing to being able to gift cash hassle free when you only have an email address.  You can use it for friends, friends who have helped you in the past, friends you haven’t talked with in a while, family, etc.

2.  Whenever I get like… a $50 cash gift card, I use it to buy amazon gift cards for myself, so that I don’t have to keep track a bunch of separate cash gift cards and the balances on each.  The last two times I did this was when I got a cash debit card as a rebate for buying tires, and when i won a $50 cash card for placing 3rd place in a doubles ping pong tournament with random partners.

Outlet Adapter

Outlet adapter, for when you need one or two more electrical sockets, but don’t want to buy a whole power strip and take up precious space.

Women’s walking shoes

My wife bought these for walking.  Highly rated on Amazon, 4+ stars out of 5.  About $50.

Headphones

Main benefit of these headphones:  Highly rated on Amazon.  I prefer headphones instead of ear buds because ear buds don’t feel comfortable in my ears.  Also, the cord connecting to the sound source only connects to one side, instead of both sides, so it doesn’t rub against your face.  These are Philips brand.

Duct tape

Ahh universal duct tape.  On Mythbusters the TV show, they showed that if you use enough duct tape, you can lift up a car.  I previously had this… white duct tape that wasn’t as strong.   so i recommend going w the real gray duct tape.

Car Washer Fluid

So there was a post on reddit.com titled “best $10 you’ve ever spent” and this product I think had the most upvotes.  I haven’t used it yet, but I plan to use it today and I can update this post on its effectiveness.  Highly rated on Amazon of course.  Basically it repels water from the windshield, allowing you to see much better in rain.

Wedding ring

My wife chose this wedding ring from Amazon.  $43.  She has worn it 24/7 ever since.  We got a free ring sizer to see the size of her finger from bluenile.com beforehand.  Thank God my wife and I are compatible and don’t spend much money.

Vacuum cleaner

I have a irobot roomba, but it’s over 5 years old and doesn’t pick up some stuff, so I got this vacuum to get the stuff on carpet that the roomba doesn’t pick up.  I considered getting a new roomba, but they’re like $300, and the Dirt Devil below was only $25… so -90% cheaper… hehe funny thing is i haven’t used it yet… it’s still sitting in its box in the closet.  but high ratings on Amazon of course.

Prevent Chafing

I used to get chafing between my legs after walking/running 10 miles, but a marathon friend told me about Bodyglide anti-chafe balm and i haven’t had problems since!

Pedometer

A coworker gave me this pedometer as a Christmas gift many years ago, and i think it’s the most useful Christmas present I’ve ever received, as i use it nearly daily.  It measures the distance you walk based on steps.  You initialize it by estimating the length of each of your steps.  the default is 2 feet 6 inches.  I used the default and measured one mile on Google maps, and it measured out to be 1.00 miles exactly!  Also gives calories and other info, and has a USB port to upload info to PC.

Queen mattress

The first mattress I ordered, I got from Costco due to their return any time policy.  When i was looking for my next mattress, a queen size, Costco didn’t have it available.  So I got one from Amazon.  Works great so far, and much less expensive than other options!

Wedding Band

I was looking for something inexpensive and light.  At first I was going to get something wider because they looked more masculine… but then decided, hey, I’m married now, comfort is more important than looks.  I still take it off when I get home though.

At first I got a size 10, then 11, then 12, then I just ordered a 11.5.  They’re only $10 each from a merchant on Amazon.

So it’s made of titanium, one of the lightest metals.  At first, I thought due to the low price, I suspected it wasn’t fully titanium… but then I looked up the price of titanium, and the weight of the ring, which is less than 1 ounce, the data matched up and it looks legit.

Pawn Stars

One of my favorite TV shows, about the buying and selling at a pawn shop in Las Vegas.  I mainly like it because they’re funny, and maybe because of the negotiation aspect.

There’s like I think over 10 seasons of it.  I watch a lot of TV when I exercise to keep from getting bored.  And thankfully my video player can change the play speed so i can watch the more boring parts on a faster speed.

Cake Boss TV show

Funny TV show about a popular bakery in New Jersey that makes big fancy cakes.  The employees also play pranks on each other.  There are also a few times when the cakes fall apart.  I’ve watched all seasons of it while exercising.

The Shield: TV show

Different from cop shows because the main cop characters are sometimes bad, and cross the line, like killing people.  Very good.  Has some… producers that also did Sons of Anarchy later.  It’s currently available for free streaming if you have Amazon Prime.

Breaking Bad: TV show

Ahh one of the highest rated TV shows.  I think I’m going to rewatch some of the older episodes.  So I think some common elements of my favorite shows are that

1) things happen in them that don’t happen in other TV shows,

2) the main characters are sometimes very bad, but you can understand why they do bad things and empathize with them.

One example (SPOILER):  The main characters need to get a laptop containing evidence against them from a police station.  So they get this huge magnet that they use to lift cars in junkyards, put the magnet in a truck, drive up to the building where the laptop is held, and turn on the magnet, attracting all the metal objects and causing them to fly off the shelves in the police evidence place and destroying the laptop.

It’s creative stuff like the above that don’t happen in other tv shows or movies that make shows like Breaking Bad, The Shield, and Sons of Anarchy great!  Well one of the reasons =)