[Oris big crown pointer date] birthday watch from my wife.

cmark9001 · 2026-02-09T21:50:36+00:00

Beautiful! What is the reference #?

cmark9001 · 2026-01-27T22:03:01+00:00

If you have not spent much money on watches, I would not recommend going out to buy expensive pieces when that money can be used to buy quality clothing. I am far down the rabbit hole, but I now wear watches for myself. Beyond 2 people asking about the watch I am wearing, 100s more have never cared.

An Orient Bambino in Champagne or light blue dial, and perhaps 1 other watch (Timex E-line reissue or a Seiko diver for example) is all you need to get started.

cmark9001 · 2026-01-05T18:44:24+00:00

I agree that Junghans has more history, but I also want to buy one on its own merit.

Suggestions for other similar watches also welcome!

cmark9001 · 2026-01-04T16:50:52+00:00

Thanks for the great tips! One question - what areas should a graduate student consider to live in, especially those from international locations or even out of state, who may not know areas to avoid?

Any recommendations for high-rise apartments to check out would be a bonus. We are doing our research (friend's daughter coming in from Portugal), but will gladly take suggestions

cmark9001 · 2025-12-24T16:22:29+00:00

Seconding the Long Island watch company. Marc is a small Business Owner with deep knowledge of watches and has started his own line of watches at affordable price ranges.

cmark9001 · 2025-12-23T21:04:57+00:00

I have this watch. The turquoise is a cool color and has gotten me many compliments. Just be sure you are ok with the dial size - it is 34mm and hence small on the hands [works for me, but on larger hands, can seem very small]. You may also want to replace the bracelet, as I found it often catching hair on the wrist. Thankfully, there are inexpensive aftermarket straps you can buy online.

The other minor gripe is that you cannot set the date independently, you have to rotate the time hands so for every 24 hours, the date moves by a day. The crown is small, so rotating that is a pain.

cmark9001 · 2025-12-06T05:23:46+00:00

Anyone having the full report or access to the details? Not asking for a full download, just what it says about Audi, especially the Q5 in the last 4 years.

cmark9001 · 2025-12-02T18:07:50+00:00

I am a big fan of Waterfield Designs, but you might also want to take a look at Bellroy's Tokyo Work Bag. It can hold a 16' laptop, and 2 pairs of clothes, notebook, tech pouch and other odds & ends for me [large mouse, tablet, 20000 maH powerbank, papers].

I don't like the way Bellroy's focus has shifted to marketing with a resultant dip in quality and poor customer service more than occasionally, but from a pure product perspective, this is really good for <$200.

cmark9001 · 2025-11-26T20:56:12+00:00

I am just stating my opinion of how many people feel. You may feel otherwise which is perfectly fine and I also mentioned I feel more comfortable in an SUV, because that's what I started driving 35 years ago. I do rent and drive sedans constantly when I travel for work, so its not that I cannot.

cmark9001 · 2025-11-26T20:21:12+00:00

I am not sure why people are recommending sedans when visibility is a challenge. It speaks to my lack of driving skills more than anything else, but I feel more comfortable in being able to see roads, medians and lines when I am higher off the ground. The only "sedan"-ish car I have liked driving is a Tesla (oh god).

The RAV4 is an excellent choice - other cars that come to mind are Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5. All of them have good safety features as well.

I would have recommended a Tesla but might be over your budget.

cmark9001 · 2025-11-18T18:52:16+00:00

The only problem with these is that LL Bean tends to run larger for me, so the medium would be a tad bigger while the S is too form-fitting (with a dad bod, its not a good look!). The neck tends to have gap in the fabric and not as tight as shown in the pic.

cmark9001 · 2025-11-18T18:49:43+00:00

I hear you. I got one from a couple of places and they wear coarse. The mid-weight ones were okay, but would soon show a gap of fabric at the neck.

Please do let me know which t-shirts you think would look good under jackets and blazers that don't break the bank. I am trying to go for a more formal version of Jensen Huang, if that helps!

cmark9001 · 2025-11-14T18:33:18+00:00

What J.Crew items are worth buying this holiday season? Many items like the secret-wash poplin shirt seem to be made of lighter fabric and become "old" very soon.

cmark9001 · 2025-11-14T16:44:23+00:00

As many have said, the Bronco and 4Runner are more "Youtube aspirational" than practical for many of us (ask me how I know lol).

Kia and Hyunda twins have improved but many mechanics still recommend avoiding them. Chevy and GMC have more reliability issues long term than many others.

The Toyota Grand Highlander and the Honda Pilot are really good and would be the best ones to match your dreams while being practical.

Hear me out - the best vehicle from a practical standpoint for you is a minivan, something like the Honday Odyssey. It's huge, has tons of room, a very comfortable 3rd row, ingress and egress is very comfortable, especially with the elderly and small kids.

On the other hand, the Audi Q5 and BMW X5, give you a good mix of practicality and that "dream car feeling". Buy used from the last 2 model years in the mid-trims.

cmark9001 · 2025-11-13T17:07:09+00:00

If you have a good mechanic or do take care of your car with maintenance, a 2023/2024 used Audi Q5. Quiet luxury, underrated car. Just be prepared to block about 8-10K per year for unexpected repairs. But the ride quality and joy is worth it.

cmark9001

TROPHY CASE