Some Good Things

As I was grinding coffee this morning at 6am, I realized my Braun coffee grinder just turned 21, I'll have to buy it a drink after work. The little grinder has been serving me roughly 50 weeks a year (probably more) and has ground enough coffee to make almost 7400 pots of coffee. Helluva deal, I paid 16 dollars for it at a store in the Prudential Mall in Boston. That's .0021621 cents a pot.

As I drank my coffee, I thought about other good "deals" and products. Here is my list:

Cephalon Commercial Cookware. I bought a heavily used set at an estate sale in Mystic CT, in 1992. I've used it for 20 years. A deep saute pan, a smaller saute pan, 3 various sized pots and pasta-stew-you name it pot. This set looks like it should be in the kitchen at Spago, heavy, grey-black with aluminum lids that can stop a bullet. Paid 50 dollars for the set. I'd guess that they were in use at least 35 years before I bought them 20 years ago. They ain't pretty but nothing cooks better. Cakes bought me the pasta strainer for the big pot at Christmas a few years ago, it cost 125.00.

My 95 dollar stainless steel Swiss Military watch. 14 years old, 4 batteries. I wear it all day every day, even sleep with it on. Its been underwater in the ocean, in lakes and rivers. The watch keeps perfect time. The steel band with the clasp lock works perfectly. The stopwatch functions all work to this day. Best watch I've ever had including a Rolex and a Breitling. I've worn it with a tuxedo. I'll never buy another watch, ever. I think I could hit it with a hammer and it would still work well and look good.

Our Country French rustic coffee table. Cakes has pretty elegant taste, but she fell in love with this piece we found in a warehouse in Dedham, MA. You can put a sweating glass of beer on it, spill almost anything on it, put your feet on it and it still looks good. The dog sleeps under it, too. 200 bucks in 1998.

We found a Mission style table at the antique mall on McGrath Highway in Somerville, MA in 1998. This small round table is now over 100 years old. Its beautiful and we eat at it 3-4 days a week. We found 2 red leather office chairs from a law office in Boston and they match well with the table, they are over 100 years old too. We paid just over $500.00 for the table and chairs, I'd guess somebody will be using them 100 years from now.

I have a Sawzall cutter set, I bought it to repair the deck on my old sailboat. You can cut, grind, sand and polish with it. Its 14 years old, I paid less than a $100.00 for it. The last time I used it, I sanded down our teak patio chairs with it. And it does a hell of a job on barbecue grills.

Our Sunbrella patio umbrella. Its been outside in all kinds of weather for 8 years. It goes up and down perfectly, it doesn't blow over and the tan Sunbrella is as solid as when we hauled it home. I paid 198 bucks for it at Costco. Our neighbor bought one for $99. it was gone in the first spring rainstorm.

Our Mercedes Benz C 43 AMG. 142,000 miles since new in 1999. Routine maintenance, tires, brake pads. We did put a new headliner in it last fall (850.00) and had the alloy wheels repainted (stay away from curbs, Janny!) for $500. The car drives like a dream, still goes like a rocket and even kind of smells new and it looks good in the timeless way a Benz does. The sticker was 52k, its still worth 12 and we both still like to drive it, alot!

North Face 30 degree sleeping bag. I bought it on sale in 1983 for about $100. I've used it in the mountains, on boats and in three different countries. I've had to get the zipper repaired once. I don't think I'll ever need to get another. At the same sale I bought a Coleman backpacking stove, still works perfectly. The next year I bought a Lowe Expedition pack, bullet proof.

My Giant 770ATX mountain bike, 1992 model. As the guy at the bike shop said, "an old school classic". Everything works, it's kind of beat up. (patina?) I bailed off it just in time and a car ran over the front wheel and fork in 1999. I put a shock absorber fork on it and new lightweight wheels, so its a custom model! $895 in '92.

Anything I have made by Patagonia.

That's my partial list, what's yours?