Burgundy Mist makes an appearance on a very affordable Telecaster
I like the look of this one. A lot. And the price is certainly right.
I'd argue this is one of the best applications of the Burgundy Mist finish I've ever seen.
Usually I only see this color on Strats. This time it's on the Squier Affinity Telecaster Deluxe.
The great part about this guitar, other than the color, is that it's a Deluxe model, meaning it has the contour curve in the back like a Strat does. What that means is that it's a very comfortable player. Looks like a plank from the front, but the back is where things get really comfortable whether playing sitting or standing. Very nice.
In addition, being it's an Affinity model, the tuners are better than on the Bullet series. Generally speaking, the Affinity series from Squier is good stuff. It's not the bargain basement Bullet, nor is it the upper priced Classic Vibe. It's right in the middle. You get something good without having to pay a bunch for it.
Great to see the Burgundy Mist finish again, and this is the best yet.
Bad vision friendly watch, Casio W218
This is probably the most legible digital watch there is, and it's fortunately cheap.
I'm middle aged, and while I'm not 50 just yet, I am starting to experience vision issues related to age.
Seen above is the Casio W218. Before getting into that, some info relating to my vision.
The specific thing going on with my vision happens right after I get up in the morning. Right after I wake up, I can barely read anything. Glasses on or off, doesn't matter. It takes me a good 5 minutes before I can really start to focus.
I don't use an alarm clock because I use the phone for that. However, I don't want to fumble around for the phone to check the time after just getting up, so I wear a watch to sleep. This is when I realized I need a watch that has high legibility without being a goofy-big thing, and it absolutely had to have a good night light for low-light reading. Casio W218 works great for this.
When I get up, my vision is fuzzy, the room is dark and I need a clock I can read. All I have to do is turn my wrist close to my face, press the night light button and oh yeah, I can read this even with glasses off. The amber night light fills the whole display and I can see and read it all.
Some specs and further explanation of what makes this watch so great
First, bear in mind I have a 6.5" (16.5cm) wrist, but whether you have skinny or big wrists, anybody can wear this.
Dimensions are 44.4mm lug-to-lug, 43.2mm width, 10.8mm thick. That makes it sound like a goofy-big watch. It isn't, and that's primarily due to the fact the lug-to-lug is short.
Also bear in mind the actual display itself. Yes, the watch is 43.2mm wide, but the bezel is thick. The display itself is about 21mm wide, which sounds too small, but that is compensated for with large LCD digits.
On paper, the dimensions make it sound like it wouldn't work at all, but in practical use, it's actually just right.
Another thing going for this watch is high contrast LCD. The LCD panel is a light gray, basically identical in color to the F-91W. Easy to read at any angle. But the huge advantage over the F-91W is the night light.
Looks like a classic square G-SHOCK, except you can actually read it
When talking about the classic square G-SHOCK, the two models most people go for are the DW5600E (basic) and GWM5610 (tough solar, atomic timekeeping). Both of those are great watches with great night lights, but have displays with small digits and an LCD panel that washes out easily when viewed at an angle.
The W218 does have a classic G-SHOCK square appearance. It doesn't have the water resistance of a G-SHOCK (50m compared to 200m) nor is it anywhere near as tough, but the price is right and it's far more legible.
Is the W218 basically an F-91W?
Functionally, yes. If you took an F-91W, gave it a bigger LCD with bigger digits, far better night light and thickened up the strap, you get the W218.
Literally, the only difference in watch operation is that two buttons are flipped. On the F-91W, the night light button is on the left and start/stop button on the right. On the W218, night light button is on the right and start/stop on the left. Other than that, the feature set between the two is exactly the same.
It pretty much doesn't get any better than this for digital watch legibility
The W218 has a high contrast LCD with large digits and great night light in a case that isn't goofy-big, and it's easy to operate. It doesn't get any better than that.
It comes in several colors. I prefer the classic black myself, but there is also red, orange, green and blue.
How I feel about the phone these days as a Gen-X in the 20s
Phones are good for everything except talking on them.
I'll first that that yes, I'm calling this decade the '20s. We're over 20 years into it now, nobody confuses the 2020s with the 1920s, so it's okay.
Do I call the 2010s the tens? Yes. But for years 2000-2009, I do call those the two-thousands (or 2000s in written form for short) because referring to them as "oughts" is just weird.
Also, small complaint: It annoys me whenever anybody says "year two thousand" when referring to that year specifically. Just say 2000.
We're never getting back how awesome phone conversations were in the late '90s
I'm not referring to what people talked about in the '90s but rather the feel and the sound of the conversations.
Landline phone tech for the home had its peak in the late '90s and early 2000s. This was a time when the sound quality was as good as it ever got on the old style systems. Absolutely no lag from when you spoke to when the other person heard you and vice versa. The phone designs were amazing, and the handsets had great battery life. Speakerphones even on cheap home systems were great too.
For the cordless systems, gone were the retracting antennas, replaced with small stubby ones. And the wireless frequency that worked best was 2.4GHz. There was a short period where 5.6GHz was promoted as an "upgrade", but it was terrible compared to 2.4. The range you got on 2.4GHz was incredible. Talk anywhere in the house, outside in the yard, basement, wherever. It always worked.
In addition to that, it was not uncommon to keep a phone for 5 to 10 years before replacing it. There was simply nothing to break on them.
The modern smartphone: Very usable with data OFF
I use a prepaid smartphone service that allows me to receive normal calls and texts using no data. Whenever I need data for some internet thing when not at the house, I can enable it temporarily. When at the house, I just use Wi-Fi when needed.
The reason I mention this is because there are some carriers out there that require data to be on all the time just for phone service to work. I hope it's a good long while before I ever have to deal with a phone that requires always-on data, as I would find that genuinely annoying.
I like texting, taking photos and making videos
These are the 3 things I like best about the smartphone. I use the Textra app for my texts (it's amazing). It's easy to make high quality videos. Where photos are concerned, I really like that I can geotag them.
Before the smartphone, I had been searching for a point-and-shoot digital camera that had GPS specifically to geotag photos. I never bought one because they were way too expensive and still are. For whatever stupid reason, getting a point-and-shoot camera with geotagging is a big ask. On the phone however, it's built right in.
Granted, a camera like a Canon PowerShot or a Panasonic LUMIX takes far superior photos when compared to a phone... but the phone makes geotagging, storing and sharing of photos stupidly easy.
I don't like talking on the phone anymore
It's been years since I've had any sort of long conversation on the phone. Once you go smartphone, long voice conversations just isn't a doable thing for several reasons.
There's no way to comfortably hold a plastic brick (the phone) for a long period of time.
The sound quality is terrible.
I refuse to use an ear bud because it makes my ear sore quickly, and I don't like having a speaker physically in my ear. Yes, I've tried several different types of buds. All terrible.
All smartphones have "overtalking" problems where if you use the microphone and speaker on the handset itself, you're guaranteed to talk over the person you're conversing with and them talk over you. This is because the mic and speaker on smartphones, including expensive ones, are just cheap tinny little things. The phone tries to smooth it out with audio processing, but nope, it's bad. That's just the way it is.
Use the speakerphone? Forget it. Same overtalking problem, only louder.
Because of all this crap, I can only stand to talk on a smartphone for maybe 5 minutes.
Is there a way to use an old style cordless phone with a smartphone when home?
Yes.
Panasonic, as far as I'm concerned, does make the best cordless phones. Back in the day I spent over $100 on a set from them, and wow, was that phone glorious. Loved it.
They're still making great cordless phones now with the addition of linking it to a smartphone. When you search Panasonic Link2Cell, that's when you find their BlueTooth handsets.
These things have the stuff that makes talking on the phone not terrible. Some have an amplification option. Some also have a "SLOW" mode that literally slows the speed of speech you hear in real time.
Is this the same as talking on the phone at home in the late '90s? Not exactly, but it's the closest thing to it.
Do I prefer text over talk?
I'm not one of those guys who believes things were oh-so much better when people actually talked on the phone.
From years ago before the smartphone era, I can distinctly remember having certain friends at that time who did the extremely annoying thing of calling me while loud things were going on around them. Or worse yet, doing that, talking to me and other people in the room at the same time.
Yeah, I don't miss that. At all.
Another thing I don't miss are people that don't know how to end a phone conversation. You know the type. They seem to enjoy long awkward moments of silence. After enough of that crap, you say, "WELL OKAY THEN I guess I'll talk to ya later" and suddenly then they have a bunch to say, then stop... and the awkward silence happens again.
I don't miss that either.
It's safe to say yes, I do prefer text.
I wouldn't want to go back to cordless phones
If I really wanted better voice calling, I'd get that Panasonic set. But the fact I'm so used to not talking on the phone makes it not worth the bother.
I'm also not hot on the idea of using a separate camera from my phone, which would not have geotagging.
Right now, as things stand, I'm okay with my smartphone. It's not perfect (what phone is?), but it does get the job done.
Some people "live on their phone". I don't. But at the same time, I've come to realize that in this modern era, the smartphone is required. Not just for communications but also because there are some services where if you don't have a smartphone, it's not only inconvenient but outright prevents access to certain stuff.
It's fun to look back on what I used to use in the late '90s for phone tech, but it's definitely something that should stay there.
A better green Fender Telecaster
If you're going to go green with a Telecaster, this is the way to do it.
I made mention of a seriously fugly Fender Telecaster Player Plus elsewhere in a terrible color called Cosmic Jade. Horrible. Green guitars are terrible.
However, this one isn't.
Take the Fender Player Telecaster in Olive. When it comes to a green Telecaster, this one is done right.
The darker green works great. The mint green pick guard works great with the body color. The dark fingerboard works with the body color also.
Would I actually own this guitar? Yes. I could see myself playing something like this often because it's a CME exclusive color (meaning not part of the standard Fender catalog).
I actually like the understated look of this quite a bit, because sometimes it will look black depending on the light, and other times the green shows up. I also really dig the fact there is no metal flake in this finish, giving it a super "smooth" look.
Olive, when done right, really works. And this Telecaster does. Heck, even the chrome looks more shiny and special when against Olive.
Is this Tele priced higher than others? No! You don't have to pay any extra to get it, so if green is your thing, get this guitar.
Living with a high mileage car (over 144,000 miles!)
This may be a new thing for some, but it's the norm for me.
At the time I write this, my car just came back from the shop for rear brake adjustments and front passenger side wiring repair at a cost of $450 for the whole job. You may think that's expensive. It isn't and I'll explain why.
I am no stranger to driving a car or truck with over 100,000 miles on it. In fact, I consider any vehicle with under 100K on the odometer to be a "low miles" car.
I've learned a few things over the years when it comes to the care of a high-miles car.
Lube those tracks
This is for power windows. I unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way.
The window is held in place with tracks. These tracks over time dry out and need to be lubricated. The lubrication to use is WD-40 Specialist Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant. Roll the window down, spray the lubricant into the tracks, then roll the window up and down 10 times to work the lubricant in. Do this once a year.
Before I knew to do this, I spent several hundred dollars on repairs for a driver's side window. When it started rolling up/down slowly, I just figured "Oh, it's just doing this because it's old." No. It was slow from no lubrication. Had I lubricated the tracks, the only cost would have been the price of the lubricant and nothing more.
Stop slamming the damn door
The only thing slamming the door shut hard does is break stuff sooner, and not just for stuff on the door. Every time that door is slammed shut forcefully, a hard shock is sent through the whole car. Not smart.
It's especially stupid to forcefully slam shut a car door with the window open. Watch the window shake when you do that and you'll understand why.
Over the years, I've had to tell passengers a few times to stop slamming their door shut so hard. Yeah, they get annoyed when I say this. I don't care. It's my car and not theirs.
Air and rotate tires routinely
Air should be checked every 90 days. Rotations should be done every 6,000 miles or twice a year. That's how you get 50,000 miles or well beyond that out of a set of tires.
I'm honestly amazed at how many people I see driving around with semi-flat tires.
Don't "top off" the fuel tank
When the gas pump clicks after filling it, STOP on first click. There's a thing called an evaporative system within the fuel assembly. Namely, the canister. Topping off the tank will break that canister sooner. Not cheap to fix.
Replace the fuel cap if loose
If the cap is loose (it's obvious if it is), that can make the car's computer trip an error code and put a "check engine" light on the dashboard.
Clean the fuel cap area
This can get gummed up with black crap over time. Baby wipes clean this area easily.
Replace the radiator cap
This is more than just a cap. There's a valve inside it, and that valve eventually wears out. If the car has over 100K miles on it, replace the cap. Cheap.
Clean the MAF sensor
This is another thing that will prevent a "check engine" light from happening. Getting the MAF (mass air flow) sensor out for cleaning is usually easy on most cars. Spray it with MAF sensor cleaner, shake dry, reinstall, done.
Replace both air cleaner filter and cabin filter
This is a once-a-year thing. The air cleaner gets junk in it, and while true you can just shake out the dust and debris, better to just replace it outright. If the car has a cabin filter (mine is behind the glove box, sometimes a different location on other cars/trucks), do the same.
Sanitize the floor carpet
Resolve carpet cleaner from a spray bottle. Wear kitchen gloves when using this stuff, and don't let the spray get on to any plastics or leather. Spray, let sit for 5 minutes, use a hand towel to work it in to the carpet, let dry.
This also works on normal cloth seats.
Clean the dashboard
303 automotive protectant spray. Spray or wipes do the same job. Makes the plastics last longer and prevents discoloration/cracking.
Replace tire valve stem caps
Cheap to buy and should be replaced once yearly.
Always use simple black plastic caps, because they typically provide the best seal using the least amount of weight. I can't see how adding weight from metal caps to a valve stem would do it any good.
Replace license plate screws
If you see rust on these, replace. If the screws that are rusted also rusted the screw holes they were in, repair those holes as best you can first, then fit with new screws.
Install a new battery in the key fob for keyless entry
If it's been more than 5 years since the fob battery was replaced (if ever), replace it with a new one.
Have a spare key
If you only have one key for the car and no spare, that's not smart. Have at least two, and make sure both keys work.
Also make sure the spare is in a place where you'll actually remember where it is in case you ever need it.
Lubricate keyholes
If the car uses regular traditional keys with older style keyholes, spray some of that WD-40 silicone lubricant into the key hole (you can hold closed keyholes open with a pen), then move the key in and out a few times to lubricate. Lubricate all keyholes. Ignition, doors and trunk/hatch.
Clear out dust and debris from switch areas
Use dust removal spray to clear out dust and whatever from power window/lock switches. Vacuuming never gets rid of this dust. You need the spray for it.
What was the deal with a $450 charge just for rear brake adjustments and wiring repair?
When you have a car with over 100K miles on the odometer, you get what I call "100K mile problems", which basically means age related things that go wrong with a car.
In the area of the engine bay on the passenger side front where the headlight is on that side, the part of the main engine wiring harness that connects electricity there had two little frayed wires. The wires were frayed right at the connector, preventing the passenger side turn signal from working at all, hence the need for the repair.
On top of that, the break in the wires was on the engine wiring harness side of the connector and not the headlight side. If it were the headlight side, I could have fixed that myself with a new $20 headlamp replacement wiring harness from eBay. The way this wiring break happened was something way more complicated that I could not fix.
To fix this, the connector had to be re-pinned completely, wires trimmed, stripped, re-soldered, entire system probed and checked to make sure there wasn't a break elsewhere, then put all back together and re-shielded.
All of the cost was labor. The shop barely charged me anything for the brake adjustments (e-brake cable tightening and rear drum cleaning).
Did I pay too much?
No, I didn't pay too much.
$450 for two little wire connections sounds insane, but again, this was engine wiring harness stuff. Outright replacing that harness would have cost $800 just for the parts. With labor included, it would have easily busted well over $1,000. The price of $450 was a bargain, especially since the car is paid in full.
What caused the wire break? Unknown. Could have been a rodent that chewed through the wires, or something flew under the car while on the highway and yanked the cable hard, or maybe something else entirely.
Newer cars don't have problems like this, but older ones over 10 years old do. My guess is something yanked the cable, and since the wiring is over a decade old, yeah, that can cause a break.
If it's paid and it runs right...
If the car is paid off and running well, which mine is, then it's worth putting some cash into it for repairs. The alternative to that is financing a new car. And $450 is way, way cheaper than that.
My car just turned over 144,000 miles recently. I looked at the miles before writing this, but at this point I don't pay much attention to the miles anymore otherwise. Car maintenance is performed based on time (in months, specifically) because it's just easier to schedule things out that way. My odometer is digital and can be switched over to trip odometer, and that's what I use because it's easier to tell when to fuel up based on miles rather than fuel gauge.
What's it like to drive a car with this many miles on it?
Not all that different from a low-miles car - if you keep up on the maintenance.
It is the maintenance more than anything else that's key to keeping a car running longer.
I'm not saying this is true for all cars and trucks, because some of them are just stinkers like the 2011 Hyundai Sonata and 2014 Ford Focus.
But for cars and trucks that aren't known to be stinkers, running them up to 100K and well beyond that is a totally doable thing, again with proper maintenance.