Neanderpundit

Francis Porretto posts about luxury items.

Me, I don’t consider shoes a luxury item. Of course, (some of you have noticed this) I am not a girl.

Luxury, in my mind,is having something that is better than you need, just because you want it.

I have a 1998 Ford Explorer. It suits my needs almost perfectly. Not a luxury item.

I have a Coach wallet. It has outlasted every other wallet I have ever owned, and other than damage from a car seat spring, is still in remarkable condition after many years.

I wear a Swiss Army Chronograph. I think in order to stop this bastard you’d have to shoot it, it’s incredibly reliable and durable. It wasn’t expensive by fine watch standards (I think it retails for under $500) but it’s the only watch I’ve ever had that will put up with the abuse I give it. I would LIKE an Omega Seamaster Chrono, but it’s not worth the thosands of dollars price difference.

I have a Snap On brake service tool. No other I’ve ever used is as good. Most of the rest of my tools are Craftsman, because the difference in quality does not reflect the difference in cost between Snap On and Craftsman. I use a Wadsworth Tool screwdriver set, more expensive than a Snap On set, because none are as useful or versatile.

it isn’t a luxury to own expensive things if they are of practical use. it’s ridiculous to buy on brand alone just because it’s a prestigious name.

Steve is spending a great deal of time talking about tools and his acquisition therof; it’s amusing and nice to see him learning what tools to use for what jobs and how to use them.

Growing up around people who used tools for a living, it never occurs to me that people don’t instinctively understand tool use.

It also doesn’t occur to me not to do stuff myself. Sure, there are diminishing returns, but for most jobs, I rent or buy or DIY.

Example: I have a Michigan ledge in my basement. A michigan ledge is what you get when you dig out a crawlspace to form a basement. Usually they stay back from the house foundation about 4′ and pour a new wall and footing. FOr reasons unknown to me, they didn’t do that here, they dug flush to the foundation and poured a wall. I’m concerned about the way they did it, so in order to make sure the walls don’t move around, I bolted them together. I did this by drilling a series of holes along the wall, and anchoring the michigan ledge walls to the original footings. A lot of work. Work I think should have been done by the folks who poured the ledge walls, but wasn’t.

This wasn’t brain surgery. I calculated that I wasn’t going to induce any unwarranted stresses, so I knew the plan was sound. I knew how many bolts per wall I needed so I was secure there. And I just did it. At the sdame time there was a segment of wall that had shifted, and the blocks cracked. I supported the beam over it, removed the blocks, relaid the blocks with sharp sand mortar.

it doesn’t dawn on me that other people are mystified by this stuff. It doesn’t dawn on me that I am doing anything unusual. I just do the stuff, and am done with it.

Are there times when i might be better served to let someone else do the work? Maybe. Maybe I might even be better served to move to an apartment that doesn’t require any maintenance. It’s just not me.