Money Tree
This plant is called a money tree, and it’s supposed to bring good fortune. As someone who used to live in a dark 500 sq ft condo, I feel fortunate to live in a house where plants can survive for more than two months. In fact, this money tree might just be my greatest botanical achievement to date. Then again, the bar was pretty low.
Keyboard
I grew up playing classical piano. In high school, I started playing drums and played in a few bands in my late teens and early twenties. I’m not involved in the music industry these days, but I do love to tickle the old ivories every now and then. It’s a great way to relax, and I always make sure to have a few Christmas songs ready to go, come November.
Kindle / 4HWW
I don’t exactly devour books, but I do enjoy reading, especially fiction. The one book that really changed my life, though, wasn’t a novel. It was The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. This book quietly changed the course of my life. I don’t know what I would be doing if I hadn’t read it, but I probably wouldn’t be a full-time blogger.
Buy the 4 Hour Work Week$11I don’t have too many physical books because I gave most of them away last time I moved. As an aspiring minimalist, I prefer reading on my Kindle or Kindle app. I do keep books that are inherently visual, like Dressing the Man and the Edward Tufte books I got from one of his seminars.
Buy a Kindle$119Hue Lights
A couple of years ago, my dad gave me a 3-bulb set of Philips Hue Lights. Let me tell you: these things are awesome. You can change your lights to any color you want and, although the novelty wears off quickly (and annoys any women who might share your home), there are several other more practical things you can do with Hue lights.
For example, I have the living room lights on a timer, so they turn on in the morning and off at bedtime. I also change the temperature from bright white light during the day to soft orange light in the evening. If you’re struggling to think of a gift for a man in your life, I can almost guarantee he’ll like Hue lights.
Buy Now$164Leather Sofa
I’ve had my fair share of secondhand “if you can haul it you can have it” couches. When I graduated college, I told myself that when I got my own place, I was going to buy a sweet leather sofa. And that’s what I did. It was the single most expensive thing I’d ever bought at the time, and it’s still worth every penny. I hauled this sofa from the mid-Atlantic to the Southwest, and I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon.
Prints
My girlfriend, Becca, is an illustrator. One of the great things about living with an artist is all of the original artwork you end up with. Her creations can be found throughout our house, but these prints are two of my favorites. She’s from Arizona, so lots of her stuff (like these two prints) is inspired by the desert landscape.
