The Chronic Consumer

I’ve been jogging for fitness for the past two years now. I can only jog three times a week because if I try to do more than that, I’ll feel it in my knees. I don’t want to be one of those people who can tell bad weather is coming on just from joint pain, so I don’t push myself. Instead, I walk every other day instead of jog.

I never thought my knee pain could actually be due to my shoes, but that might turn out to be the case. I used to wear New Balance running shoes, but I recently switched to the Asics Gel Nimbus 12 because the store I was at didn’t carry New Balance. Let me tell you, there’s a HUGE difference in cushioning between these two pairs of shoes!

At first I was kind of conflicted because I’d read that you shouldn’t use a heavily padded running shoe. I’ve forgotten the reasons that were stated, but it had something to do with the barefoot running movement or whatever. So when I saw how much padding the Gel Nimbus 12 had, I thought in the back of my mind that I could potentially mess up my gait or whatever.

Anyway, so far that doesn’t seem to be happening. I’ve been using these shoes for about 3 weeks now, and feel great when I run in them! The heels absorb so much shock that I swear I can feel the shoes acting like a spring to push me forward. There is noticeably less force being exerted on my knees and hips, so I’m able to run pain-free for much longer distances than before. I’m even slowly working up towards running every day.

The only thing I don’t like about these shoes is the high arches inside them. I suppose that’s for extra support too, but they feel kind of weird for me — particularly in the left shoe for some reason. If the arches were normal, these shoes would be perfect.

Overall, I really like the Asics Gel Nimbus 12. They’re much more comfortable than the New Balance running shoes I had been using, and at $100, weren’t overly expensive. I think I’ve found a new running shoe brand!

I obviously shop a lot, which means I’m constantly bringing more and more stuff into my house. This poses a storage problem after a while, particularly since I hardly ever toss out old stuff.

Well, that’s got to change. I am tired of the clutter around my home, so I’m making a concerted effort to organize my closets. I need to head buy a bunch of boxes and bins from the Container Store, purchase one of those metal step stools that I’ve had my eye on for a while, and just get to work. I know my closet space isn’t being used efficiently. If I can organize what I want to keep and get rid of what I don’t need, I’ll be in good shape!

My mom’s birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, so I’m starting to look around for a present. I know she has mentioned wanting an iPad or similar tablet, but I honestly cannot imagine her combing through the app store to find all the apps necessary to make the tablet do what she wants. So I’m going to check out regular acer laptop computers instead. She’s had Acers in the past, so she knows this brand fairly well and should be far more comfortable learning a new Acer than trying to find her way around an iPad. Let’s hope I can get one at a great price!

For the past three seasons, Under Armour has been putting out some cool college football uniforms in support of their Wounded Warrior program that benefits injured service members and their families. This year’s unis, which will be provided to South Carolina, Texas Tech, and South Florida, will actually commemorate 9/11 and will have a stars and stripes motif. And players’ names will be replaced with buzzwords like “courage”, “duty,” “honor”, etc.

I’m not a big fan of changing uniforms just for the sake of it, but I think this is a pretty good cause and the unis look cool, so win-win IMO.

I wear clear plastic retainers at night (I think they’re called Essex, but I’ve forgotten already) as a follow-up to orthodontic treatment I had a few years ago. I like these retainers better than traditional ones because other people can barely tell I’m wearing them. But the big problem is that they collect tartar just like your teeth would, and they’re often caked with the unsightly yellow stuff. It’s pretty nasty!

I had been using denture cleaner like Polident to soak my retainers, but clearly that product wasn’t doing the job. I finally got around to trying Retainer Brite, which is a cleaning tablet made specifically for retainers. The product description says Retainer Brite can help prevent/remove tartar buildup while also eliminating odors. This was what I wanted.

At first, there wasn’t much difference between Retainer Brite and Polident. But after a couple weeks of consistent use (meaning once every morning) plus some extra brushing and scraping with a dental pick I have, my retainers look A LOT better! They haven’t been restored to like-new condition or anything like that, but they’re at least as clean as the courtesy touch up I get when I visit my orthodontist. Seriously, if I had been using Retainer Brite from the start, I’m 100% confident that my retainers would be in near perfect condition.

Anyway, I bought a year’s supply (a total of 384 tablets in six boxes or something) for about $50 from Dentakit.com. The order also came with a retainer case and a “soaking bath”, which I guess is just a deeper retainer case that you can use for, well, soaking. I didn’t really look too closely at that stuff, though. I just soak mine in an old mug that has been set aside for the purpose.

Overall, Retainer Brite is definitely a product I recommend. I’ve had great results after just a couple of weeks, and really wish I’d learned about this stuff earlier!

I just ordered a Kindle 3 (with keyboard). I know Amazon has a bunch of new touch screen Kindles available for pre-order, but after considering the dimensions, I felt the Kindle 3 would be the most comfortable. I actually don’t like my e-reader to be as small as the new ones are. For instance, I have a Sony that’s pretty small, and it’s just not comfortable to me. Plus, I don’t even want to deal with the Fire or the touch screen e-readers because I already have an iPad (which I simply cannot read on for long stretches, BTW).

Anyway, the Kindle should be here in a couple of days. So excited!

I needed a new bag to use on those rare occasions when I have to meet with prospective clients, go to job interviews, or attend other important meetings. I usually just carry a regular backpack or purse around, but obviously those items would be out of place when wearing a suit. After a lot of shopping around, I settled on this “Ac-Mess Granted” bag from Kenneth Cole.

The bag is made from Tasmanian leather and has a very shiny look to it, which I like a lot. It’s actually pretty stiff right now, but I’m hoping the leather will loosen up and become a bit more pliable after I break it in.

The size — 15.5 inches x 11.5 inches — is decent, though it’s slightly larger (lengthwise) than I prefer. The inside features a large main compartment with pockets for business cards, cash, a cell phone or MP3 player, and a couple of pens. It doesn’t have a separate compartment for a laptop or tablet, but obviously one can fit in rather easily. (I just use an iPad, and this bag certainly can accommodate that quite sufficiently). There is also a small zippered pocket in the interior compartment, as well as a larger zippered pocket under the flap. The pocket under the flap is just big enough for 8×10 documents, but I’m not sure what I’d put in the smaller zippered pocket. Maybe cash or something like that.

The closure is magnetic, which is really convenient because it allows for one-handed operation.

Overall, I really like this bag. I think it looks nicer/more expensive than the sixty bucks I spent on it, and I’m sure it will serve me just fine for those few times a year when I need to look presentable. This Ac-Mess granted leather messenger bag would be perfect if it was about four inches shorter, but whatever. I’m satisfied with the purchase!