Items of Want 006

Shinola Runwell 47mm


I’m a big fan of matte black and the design of this watch is incredible. Assembled in Detroit and built for everyday wear, I’m not sure if I’d take this off my wrist very often.

Schoolhouse Slogan Pencil Pack


Sayings include: Trust The Process, Truth Always Happens, Want Better Not More, Things Are Changing, and Let it Go. Sometimes we need a reminder of these thoughts.

Cooperhill Hand Restored Union Tool Boys Axe


I’ve gotten to talk to Chris online a few times and he seems like a standup guy. When he’s not maintaining trails, he hand restores axes and puts them up for sale and I’d like to support what he’s doing.

Check Letterpress Cards by Smock


Just about covers all of the bases in a thank you note. I’m horrible at sending cards and handwriting in general but this may help jumpstart things.

S.


S. looks like an incredibly immersive reading experience and I honestly don’t know much about it other than the fact it looks extremely interesting. Watch the video and see what you think.

— Check out past Items of Want —

Items of Want 005

[Acquired] DDC Stuff Sheath


From receipts to stickers to scraps of whatever, the “Stuff Sheath” is meant to hold it. Made in the USA and designed by Aaron Draplin.

The Clean-Cut Wallet


The creator of this minimalist wallet reached out to me to get my thoughts and while I haven’t seen it in person, it looks great. Keep an eye out for the Kickstarter campaign any day now. Made in USA.

[Acquired] Palomino Blackwing Pencils


I have one of the pencils somewhere but my wife keeps stealing it. It’s incredibly smooth and just amazing to write with. You really have to try one for yourself.

The Sodbuster Jr.


While I don’t have any kids yet, this will most likely be the first knife they get. Made in Bradford PA by W.R. Case & Sons.

Campfire Cologne


I think this is equal parts funny and awesome. Photo by punktgestalten.

— Check out past Items of Want —

Items of Want 004

Machine Era Co. The Godwin


Made in USA and machined from cold formed steel. This model of opener features engraved art by William Godwin.

[Acquired] Cloak & Dapper Pocket Square - Park Green Plaid


I’m thinking this could make for a good hankie. Great colors and ready for Fall.

[Acquired] Fidelis Co. Field Pouch


A simple utility pouch is always useful. This one is padded to protect your valuable knick knacks.

Best Made German Locking Knife


The simplicity of this knife is what drew me in. The wood also looks fantastically aged but still strong enough to take on daily use.

Paddle Your Own Canoe


I can’t tell if I’m more of a fan of Nick Offerman or Ron Swanson but I think I’ll have to check out this book either way.

— Check out past Items of Want —

What's on your "Walter Mitty" Resume?

After watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I connected with the idea of creating an entirely new resume that gave more insight to my life than simply where I put in most of my hours for the day. I looked around online to see if anyone else got something from this “new Walter” and it seems that California Experiment shared my thoughts.

Walter's Old Resume:
  • LIFE MAGAZINE - Negative Asset Manager, 16 years. Reference: Sean O'Connell (address upon request)
Walter's New Resume:
  • One of 3 known non-Navy SEALs to helicopter “free release” in gale-force waters (North Sea).
  • In a single day: Biked, ran, and long-boarded over 17 kilometers to Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption.
  • Scaled highest peak of Noshaq Mountain (northwestern Afghanistan face)
  • On Icelandic fishing trawler, earned keep as boatswain (unpaid deckhand) for one day.

I’ll be adding my own experiences here as I remember old memories and make new ones.

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life."


  • After summiting my first 14,000 foot peak, I napped in the back of a pickup on a dusty Colorado road as I moved to the next campsite.
  • I’ve been caught in a sudden downpour and near flash flood while hiking in Utah canyons.
  • In the middle of a nonstop day exploring New York City with some of my closest friends, I took a nap on the rocks in Central Park.
  • I’ve visited the worlds most dangerous hot dog stand.
  • Through an open tent on the Yosemite Valley floor, I watched and was lulled to sleep by moonlit Winter rockslides.
  • A giant sea turtle once smacked me in the face with his fin while SCUBA Diving in Hawaii. I later ran out of air at 40 feet. Unrelated.
  • I’ve been on family trips to see ancient petroglyphs in Arizona and played soccer with local kids in the mountains of Romania. 
  • I’ve personally seen [what I consider to be] the original stealth aircraft, the Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star, in an Edwards Air Force Base hangar. 
  • I cooked and ate a fish I caught with my bare hands in a Colorado stream.
  • I’ve gone skinny dipping with my wife from a pitch black beach in Hawaii.
  • I climbed halfway into the cockpit of one of my favorite planes, an F-8 Crusader, at an air and space museum before almost getting caught.
  • I’ve walked 42.5 miles in 14.5 hours. 
  • The first vehicle I ever bought with my own money was a motorcycle. 
  • I searched for and found a shark tooth on the shores of a North Carolina beach.
  • I came in 2nd place in the first mountain bike race I’ve ever entered. 
  • I’ve followed bear tracks up a snowy trail on a Virginia mountain.
  • Twice I hit a steel target at 1,000 yards with a bolt action rifle.
  • I got my first tattoo while on vacation in Hawaii. Got my first speeding ticket that same night.
  • I dropped a cantaloupe out of a high rise hotel window into an alley in London. It sounded like a gunshot. 
  • I turned a 1 day visit into a 3 day, 1,100 mile road trip through California.
  • Drove 40 hours with a buddy to camp and mountain bike for 10.
  • I held newborns with AIDS in a Romanian orphanage because others were afraid of contracting the disease and didn't spend time with them.
  • I’ve nearly run over an armadillo while mountain biking in Texas.
  • Soaked my feet in an alpine lake at an altitude of 12,830’ after a week of hiking.
  • Got extremely up close and personal with Bull Sharks (and many others) during a shark feeding dive in Fiji.
  • The 837 photos I’ve shared on Google Maps have a total of 5,054,394 views.
  • Invited by Unsplash.com, I was part of a panel at the SoHo Apple Store that gave a talk on how to take better iPhone photos in front of over 70 people.


What’s on your "Walter Mitty" Resume?