The pocket knife.

There are two things that I EDC (which stands for Every Day Carry) besides my keys, wallet and phone: a flashlight and a pocket knife.

The flashlight writeup will come sometime down the road, but here's my pocket knife. (I felt a little weird taking a picture of a knife, so I just took a picture of it clipped to my pocket):



It's a Benchmade Mini Griptilian - an incredibly sturdy and tough knife. It's big enough to get a good grip on it, but small enough to fit in your pocket and not really feel it. It stays clipped inside my pocket, as shown, every single day of the year. The clip has takin' a beating, but that's what I like to call "character marks".

I admit that I mostly use it to open and break-down boxes at work, but it also comes in handy surprisingly often, in a variety of situations - mostly other people asking to borrow it! (same goes with a flashlight - they think it's goofy I carry one, but the same person usually will ask to borrow it to look under their desk the very next day).

Benchmade knives are mostly Made in USA, although some are imported. They have several product classes (coded by color), which correspond to price, materials, build quality, and country of origin. The Mini Griptilian belongs to the Blue Class, which are Made in USA. Their website says if a knife is made in the US or not, so check there before buying! (although go elsewhere to purchase it for much less!)

The Mini-Grip can be had for $56 from New Graham Knives - I recommend getting the ComboEdge version, which has a serrated portion of the blade, for cutting rope, twine, and other materials that benefit from such a cut. New Graham is a great company - awesome customer service, follow-up, and will most certainly help you find a knife to your likings.

Good luck, be safe, and check your state and city's knife laws before you start EDC'ing a pocket knife.

The Band Aid.

I was at Walgreens the other week, buying medicine - for my cat - and remembered that I was out of band aids. While I was waiting for my cat's prescription to be filled, I ran over to the first aid section, grabbed the Band-Aid brand box, flipped it over, and to my surprise: Made in China.

Hesitantly, I grabbed a Walgreens-brand "Adhesive Bandages", and even more so to my surprise, a big ol' "Made in USA" is on them! Who'd have thought that a brand like Band-Aid would be made in China, and the generic stuff would be made in USA?



So, for your first aid needs, The Ethical Shopper recommends: Walgreens Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages. $2.99 for 36 of 'em. They're awesome - flexible, breatheable, and durable. And for you rough'n'tough types, they're even available in a "Strong-Strips" version, which is even more durable.

I never would've dreamed that a household name like Band-Aid would rub salt in my (ethical) wound. (sorry, couldn't resist).

The ukulele.

A while back, I thought I'd pick up a new instrument to play in my band.. a ukulele! The Uke has a long awesome history, and since it's a Hawaiian instrument, I thought I'd research Ukes made in Hawaii.

I found a few different brands that were Hawaiian-made:
Kamaka
KoAloha
Maui Music Ukulele (no website)
...as well as some custom builders ($$)

I ended up buying a KoAloha Concert Pikake from the Old Town School of Folk's music store called the Different Strummer - an awesome music shop with a knowledgeable, helpful, and really nice staff. The Concert Pikake is now discontinued, but you can still buy the regular Concert-sized uke.



It's a beautiful instrument made of Hawaii's local Koa wood. It's got a very natural and well-rounded sound, with a lot of punch when you need it. Learning the Uke was a breeze - it never ceases to be fun.

While your local music store is the best place to check out an instrument, you can also buy the above brands direct from their websites, or go to Ukes.com to check out all of 'em! They have a discussion forum as well, which is handy, considering they have so many brands.

Either way, go buy a Hawaiian-made Uke!

The bike helmet.

I checked out a new bike shop here in Chicago called Roscoe Village Bikes, (a really great little shop - they have an awesome dog named Buddy in the shop!). The owners, Alex and Leslie, were great - super helpful and knowledgeable.

They carry a brand of helmets called Uvex, who makes most of their helmets in Germany! Although I wasn't in need of a new helmet just yet, just out of curiosity, I tried on a Uvex helmet - the Boss Race model. I have a narrower head, and helmets tend to fit very uncomfortably - leaving a ton of room on the sides of my head, and creating a lot of pressure on the front and back. But, to my surprise, the Boss Race felt GREAT! It fit my narrow head really well, was really adjustable and well-padded, and was venty. I special ordered a white colored version, and a few days later, picked it up!



Uvex helmets have slots where you can put on a rear blinking light and two front blinking lights (also made in Germany) - they're awesome!

Visit the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute - a great resource on bicycle helmets - plus, they say WHERE most helmets are made! Randy is a super knowledgeable and nice guy.

That's that!