Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Christmas Wish-List, Part 3
Day-1 and Day-2 of my Christmas wish-list were pretty lame. Three out of four items on the wish-list, so far, are shoes. I’m old. Not like today’s gonna get much better, as I’m about to ask for a set of headphones to be worn at night so I can drift to sleep while listening to Podcasts or books on tape (sorry ladies …I’m taken). And I want copper pans.
Copper Chef Round Fry Pan Set: I have two non-stick pans and, like microwaving things in plastic containers, I know they’re giving me Cancer everyday. So, for now, until someone discovers copper lined pans are the worst thing for your health, and because 2017 was the year we did a total kitchen make-over, I want a set of these copper fry pans. I don’t know if you’ve seen the infomercial on TV, but these are the real deal. I think they burned something onto them awful and with just a paper towel, all that burnt mess just wiped away. On, the Cancer thing …I guess the longer you have non-stick pans, that Teflon coating chips away and we ingest it, and that can’t be good. And since cooking in Teflon non-stick is the only unhealthy thing I do (sarcasm), hellooooo 100th birthday, here I come.
Bedphones: I’m embarrassed to say (but only slightly embarrassed) that I’m on my 5th pair and their known flaw (the left side will stop working) isn’t a deterrent to me. For almost a year, I’ve been using just the one-ear version I have to listen to Podcasts or music at night. I love these things because they’re so lightweight and they sit on the outside of the ear like a mini on-ear pair of headphones. Their whole thing is they lay flat on your ear so you can sleep in them and they won’t jab into your ear like an ear-bud, and they’re not big and bulky like on-ear and over the year headphones. I’m not alone …sometimes I have trouble sleeping and it’s because my mind races and thinks of a million things at once, so if I fire up a book-on-tape about the life of Albert Einstein, lemme tell ya …I fall asleep fast. My fall-back always is, however, if that I still can’t sleep, I’ll learn a heckuva lot about Albert Einstein and insomnia won’t be a waste of time. However, I set the sleep-timer for a half-hour and I never hear much more than five minutes of whatever I’m listening to. Bedphones saved my life – I’m not exaggerating.
Now …enjoy a quick video about the pans.
Christmas Wish-List, Part 2
Two more things for my Christmas Wish-List, and I’m so sorry I’m dripping these ideas onto the world. Yesterday, I indicated I want a Bongo Bamboo Bluetooth Speaker and slip-on Johnston & Murphy’s. Today I’m going for a replacement of a Christmas classic and something retro.
Bogs Urban Walker: For those who remember my Christmas of 2014, you remember I got these fully waterproof slip-ons for walking the dog. Three years later, my first pair have worn a bit thin on the bottom (so many miles on them) and a seam has split …so it’s time to replace them with the exact same thing. They were better than I ever imagined, in fact, because I learned they were warm to a -20 degrees and they pretty much became my go-to, quicky footwear.
Adidas Sambas – Classic: If you can believe this, I bought myself a pair of Adidas indoor soccer shoes around 1999 and have played countless games, coached hours upon hours of my kids’s games, and have run even more practices. I don’t know how they held up. 
We’re talking 18 years!!! Well, this past season, the finally died on me. The upper separated from the sole and, yes, duct tape fixed it, but I know one more rainy outdoor practice and those things will be toast. So, it’s time to revisit a classic …I had these Adidas Sambas all through high-school and into college until they were stolen from my room at the frat during a party, and a little part of me died that day. It’s time I recapture my youth and rock some classic Sambas.
Sorry to be making you click around …by this evening, I’ll publish my master list so you can easily shop for me.
Christmas Wish-List, Part 1
With Thanksgiving so early this year, I really blew it in not getting this out sooner. I’ll expand on this, but wanted to get the quick-wish-list out a.s.a.p. You’re welcome.
Bongo Bamboo Bluetooth Speaker: It’s soothing to look at, water resistant (because I’m such a beach-going type of guy), and gets rave reviews on sound. My current music-anywhere option is using my son’s speaker. He’s generous and doesn’t seem to mind sharing, but I’m always using his badass headphones and his equally badass Bluetooth speaker, so I think it’s about time I get my own. Plus, I have a vision of this sitting on a corner shelf in my living room and it should look this good. I’m partial to the Oslo or the North Fork.
Johnston & Murphy Penny (or Tassle) Ski-Moc Loafers: There comes a point in every man’s life when he just has to say, “aw, hell …I’m old and not getting any younger, and I need to buy quality, classic shoes that will last me the rest of my life. The two pairs of Johnston & Murphy’s I’ve had have been the best built, longest-lasting shoes, ever. Shoe-shine guys seem to light up when they
see quality shoes. Shoe repair places gleefully re-sole them. “But, Don,” you ask, “is it really necessary to spend that kinda money on a pair of shoes?” Well, in the past 4 years, I’ve gone through 2 pairs of $100 black shoes, 3 pairs of $100 brown shoes, and I’m hanging onto a pair of black Cole Haans that have holes in the bottom and can’t be re-soled. In four years, it’s safe to say I’ve spent $600 on dress shoes. So, if I spent a little more on Johnston & Murphy’s, and I could keep them for 5 years each …well, don’t make me bust out a spreadsheet and just trust me …it will pay off in the long run. And they’re sooooo versitale. They can be dressed up or dressed down.
That’s all for now. More tomorrow during my Saturday morning writing.
Lungs, Brain, Heart
2018 will be the “Year of the Lung, Brain, and Heart” (for me, anyway). It needs a better name. Maybe “Brain, Breath, Beat?”
I’ll come up with something.
Basically, it’s just another thing to Blog about, but if I do it right, it might help someone else.
Starting with the brain – Step 1 – reduce sugar consumption by a lot as a major first step.
Actually, there’s five steps to fixing my brain (according to this Dr. Masley cat. Here’s the first two he gave me in his FREE video series.
- Limit toxins (sugars, white bread, and processed meats – guilty)
- Limit and manage stress – some stress is good (elevates things), but long-term stress does harm. And to manage stress, add (a) daily exercise, (b) laughter, (c) adequate sleep, and (d) meditation, prayer, and calm.
So, I tricked my son into working out with me every day and rekindled Project 44. More on that in a future Blog …but it’s basically 44-minutes of exercise and each exercise is done 44-times.
Weekend Mornings Are My Happy Place?
I’m a hermit a few hours a week.
Nearly every Saturday and Sunday morning, I wake early (by 6:30 a.m. at the latest), take my dog for a half-hour walk, Aeropress myself a cuppa coffee, and then have “me time.” Typically, that includes burning through my backlogged personal Yahoo! and Gmail, watching YouTube vids I’ve filed into “Watch Later”, writing, listening to Podcasts, and randomly surfing the Internet.
The teens in my house sleep in. My wife sleeps in. I feel productive and healthy. And I try to suppress the feeling that this is actually some sorta mental issue that I’m not sleeping in on the weekend and look forward to two hours all by myself.
Am I the only one?
Like this morning, I was really able to start nailing down my Christmas wish list, started looking at old journals and short stories to begin assembling them into a book, and I read a few stories about my Spartans and about the Thanksgiving parades of the day (oh …my weekend hermit sessions are a paaaaarty).
Mornings are important to me. I’m thankful, on this Thanksgiving day, for peace, quiet, and tranquility on early weekend mornings.
Blog About Nothing?
Remember when I used to Blog about nothing, pretending as if thousands of people hung on my every word? If you’re one of the thousands of readers who used to read my Blog, oh, you so remember.
I’m moved to Blog today about two things:
- I discovered Perry Ellis Travel Luxe Elite Pants
- Fall Out Boy released a new single and it’s amazeballs (I’m going to personally bring that word into the world of 40-something men).
Pants are pictured top-right and a link to the Fall Out Boy video is below. You’re welcome. Oh, you probably wanna know why I like these pants. OK. Here goes. They cost $20. They look like dress pants. They wear like stretchy workout pants. They’re $20.
Were You Wondering About My Face?
Thanks to the TheraSCAR, I won’t have a scar from my paintball injury.
And now I’m a bit addicted to Dr. Gray‘s TheraSCAR. I had two other odd scars on my face and they are gone!!!
This TheraSCAR stuff is like the fountain-of-youth! It’s a miracle. Seriously. It clears up every flaw on my face.
Thanks for all the prayers and candlelight vigils held for my face.
The iHeartRADIO App is the BEST (use the All Access version FREE this weekend)
No. This isn’t me “drinking the Kool-Aid.” This is me, Don, the music and App lover.
This is me saying, “iHeartRADIO All Access is the best music App, followed by Spotify, followed by Pandora.”
Don’t believe me? Dude. Try the All Access version FREE this weekend. Here’s why it’s the best.
- Listen to all your local radio stations, or any station in any city in the U.S.
- Listen to a custom station that you curate with the classic ‘thumbs up’ and ‘thumbs down’ option.
- Listen to niche stations that are built by true Program Directors who love music and the playlist isn’t left to chance. It’s like a radio station. I like Smells Like the ’90’s, The Vinyl Experience, and Gen X Radio.
- Podcasts!!! Like everyone, I’m addicted to Podcasts but kinda hate the iTunes version (especially the latest update) and that sometimes they download as a file to my phone, sometimes they don’t, but when they do, they take up storage space. Not on iHeart. They have 99% of all the Podcasts you want and it’s streaming. Most of the time, I’m on WiFi, and even when streaming via my cell phone data, it’s just audio and doesn’t use that much.
- Save and play Albums – any album. Save your favorite artists. Make a playlist. I made a playlist called “Music from my College Years” and add to it all the time as random songs jump into my head.
Here’s an old sizzle reel, but you’ll get the idea. I didn’t dream up this FREE All Access weekend, but I endorse it. Try it.
Telling Stories
Last night I got a call from my Church. It wasn’t a solicitation for money. It was merely a friendly conversation prompted by a few quick, easy questions. It turned into a 25-minute conversation. I don’t know quite how it happened, but I started answering questions, going off on tangents, and I guess sometimes when I start talking about my faith, what it means to me, and how it helps me, well, I can’t stop.
Same thing happens when I start talking about coffee, lawn maintenance, writing, and a few other topics.
This isn’t meant to brag about how great I am, but aren’t we all the same? When we get talking about and sharing our passion, nothing can stop us or shut us up. The woman who called said, “I wasn’t looking forward to making these ten phone calls, and 6 so far were answering machines and voicemails, but you’ve made my night. When are you going to speak at Mass, next.” Sarcasm? Well, if invited, I would love to.
That’s something else that might be good or bad – I enjoy talking to groups if I can entertain or inspire, or make them laugh.
But the story I tell myself is, Don, you really should shut up. What do you know about anything? You’re not a millionaire. Your marriage ain’t perfect. You’re 15 pounds overweight, showing a clear lack of commitment to perfection. You procrastinate. You sleep-in when you say you’ll get up early. You ate cookies yesterday at Starbucks, then had a full dinner, and then happily had a piece of apple pie with ice cream. (that goes with my theory that if you eat lots of calories and nobody knows about it, you won’t actually gain weight)
Who are you, Don, to tell anyone, anything?
Who are you, Don, to have a Blog? Get back to being silly, talking about The Bachelor and American Idol, and leave the advice, pro-tips, and life-tips to the experts.
What makes them experts?
Where am I going with this? I’m thinking, it’s about the story I tell myself that dictates what I do? If I tell a story about a wasted year where I gained 15 pounds, didn’t write my book of short stories, and sat too much on the couch from 8:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. watching mindless TV instead of exercising, writing, and finding a “side hustle”, then I’m telling the story of a guy who’s tragic.
But what if I told the story of a guy in his mid-40s who woke up one day and said, “today is the sequel to the first book about a guy who did nothing?” Like, Bridgette Jones …but about a middle-aged father of three who took control and changed his life.
Now …that would be a great story to tell.
Curious About My Face?
Well, this is a curious development in the face-fixing treatment. I seem to have taken a step backwards.
You’ll notice a curious and contemplative look on my face. This was two days after I decalred “miracle on my face.” Looked worse, if you can believe it. But, I’m gonna keep gooping that stuff on and see where it goes.
Oh, and here’s a great message from the magnificent Mel Robbins about procrastination.
Don Kowalewski 
