Stupid shit you can't live without.

by **phractal** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 12:49 pm

I consider myself a pretty easy, layed back dude. I don't sweat the petty things and I think I'm fairly resourceful. That said, I've come to realize that there is something I can't live without. It may seem trivial to you, but I don't know what I would do without Q-tips. If I go 2 days without them, I can start to feel wax building up in my ears and it drives me crazy. All damned day. 3 days would turn my circuits to flakes of freakin carbon and pose a serious challenge to my medication.

What are some of the stupid things you couldn't do without?

by **majorhavoc** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:42 pm

Without providing detail, moist bath wipes.

Cheap but decent red wine in a box.

$1.99 TV downloads on Amazon

Crew socks that come in dress colors so I can wear them at work

NPR

Pillsbury cinnamon rolls

Overly engineered and unnecessarily complicated multi-function camping gear

boingboing.net

Draft microbrew specials at a bar.

Football season

Top Gear (the BBC version)

Luggage with wheels

by **fourway** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:57 pm

nicotine

by **Mall Ninja** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:00 pm

Clean socks. I've literally spent months at time backpacking and I can deal with sleeping on the ground, squatting over a hole in the dirt to take care of nature, going weeks without a proper shower or changing my clothes, etc., but when its before dawn and I'm in my sleeping bag thinking about the 20+ miles and 3000 foot elevation gain to get to the next reliable water, knowing that I have a fresh, clean pair of socks to slid my feet into makes it so much easier to get up and get going.

So come the PAW, when the pitiful remnants of humanity are either huddled in their shelters with their carefully horded but ever dwindling supplies or out wandering the devastation in search of sustenance to keep them alive one more day, I'll be the guy using some of his irreplaceable clean water to wash his socks...

by **squinty** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:22 pm

Most of the above, but I could get by. (Moist towellettes, or individually packaged hand sanitizer wipes, are daily survival gear for me.)

Decent coffee. I rock some instant coffee now, upgrading soon to a little foil brick (if it's ground coarse enough) and a french press. That's not exactly survival gear, but it sure is morale maintenance gear and morale matters.
Also, TWAWKI better not think about E before I've had my coffee, or there will be trouble. :wink:

by **bigmattdaddywack** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:28 pm

Bathing and clean clothes. That is it. I would get over it of course ( I would have no choice) but not getting those for an extended period of time sends shivers down my spine.

by **squinty** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:31 pm

Mall Ninja wrote:Clean socks. I've literally spent months at time backpacking and I can deal with sleeping on the ground, squatting over a hole in the dirt to take care of nature, going weeks without a proper shower or changing my clothes, etc., but when its before dawn and I'm in my sleeping bag thinking about the 20+ miles and 3000 foot elevation gain to get to the next reliable water, knowing that I have a fresh, clean pair of socks to slid my feet into makes it so much easier to get up and get going.

So come the PAW, when the pitiful remnants of humanity are either huddled in their shelters with their carefully horded but ever dwindling supplies or out wandering the devastation in search of sustenance to keep them alive one more day, I'll be the guy using some of his irreplaceable clean water to wash his socks...

Foot hygiene is important. Could make the difference between a successful foot bugout and death because you couldn't go far enough on your blistered abscessed feet. Nothing stupid about needing clean socks.

by **echo2** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:36 pm

going with out real coffee....will suck....but fresh fruit will probably be the hardest thing to do with out.

by **BCGarrick** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 3:07 pm

My damn cell phone....on this thing all the time....bad habit I know..

by **phractal** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 3:47 pm

fourway wrote:nicotine

Ditto.

by **Frosty709** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 3:49 pm

Coffee by far.

by **Skull_Hide** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 3:50 pm

Music

I'm glad I don't need coffee, same reason I don't smoke, because I have an addictive personality.

by **lab72** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 3:55 pm

Coffee and Nicotine .

by **mb2000inc** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:12 pm

Coffee, porn and cigarets..... After that, I can live without the porn.

by **wee drop o' bush** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:45 pm

Good coffee, HP Sauce & Knee socks.

by **lab72** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:57 pm

wee drop o' bush wrote:Good coffee, HP Sauce & Knee socks.

Oh yes HP source !

by **AKFTW** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:07 pm

phractal wrote:I consider myself a pretty easy, layed back dude. I don't sweat the petty things and I think I'm fairly resourceful. That said, I've come to realize that there is something I can't live without. It may seem trivial to you, but I don't know what I would do without Q-tips. If I go 2 days without them, I can start to feel wax building up in my ears and it drives me crazy. All damned day. 3 days would turn my circuits to flakes of freakin carbon and pose a serious challenge to my medication.

What are some of the stupid things you couldn't do without?

Wow I thought that was just me! When I was a kid, I once got my ears so clogged with water (wax buildup+swimming pool) that I basically went deaf in one ear, and had to go to the doctors office to have them remove it. I was on vacation and there was a plane ride in between and that was absolute hell. I keep leaving them off my packing lists out of oversight but I couldn't go a week without q-tips.

by **squinty** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:22 pm

AKFTW wrote:
phractal wrote:I consider myself a pretty easy, layed back dude. I don't sweat the petty things and I think I'm fairly resourceful. That said, I've come to realize that there is something I can't live without. It may seem trivial to you, but I don't know what I would do without Q-tips. If I go 2 days without them, I can start to feel wax building up in my ears and it drives me crazy. All damned day. 3 days would turn my circuits to flakes of freakin carbon and pose a serious challenge to my medication.

What are some of the stupid things you couldn't do without?

Wow I thought that was just me! When I was a kid, I once got my ears so clogged with water (wax buildup+swimming pool) that I basically went deaf in one ear, and had to go to the doctors office to have them remove it. I was on vacation and there was a plane ride in between and that was absolute hell. I keep leaving them off my packing lists out of oversight but I couldn't go a week without q-tips.

You're not supposed to put them in your ear, even thought they are clearly designed to be stuck in your ear.

I use them for a bunch of other, non-hygiene related stuff, too.

by **ForgeCorvus** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:57 pm

Tea...The real stuff not the herbal kak that I keep getting told is "Just as good and better for you" Bollocks to that. One word "Flavonoids"

My leather hair tie, nothing else grips as well while not damaging my hair.... I have to cut a new one about every 18 months or so

Polos

by **fourway** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:09 pm

phractal wrote:I consider myself a pretty easy, layed back dude. I don't sweat the petty things and I think I'm fairly resourceful. That said, I've come to realize that there is something I can't live without. It may seem trivial to you, but I don't know what I would do without Q-tips. If I go 2 days without them, I can start to feel wax building up in my ears and it drives me crazy. All damned day. 3 days would turn my circuits to flakes of freakin carbon and pose a serious challenge to my medication.

What are some of the stupid things you couldn't do without?

I have the same thing with qtips but have lived without them.
For a while I managed to hang onto a japanese mimikaki but it was eventually purposely misplaced by someone who was afraid I was going to puncture my eardrum with it.
they are quite satisfying to use though you do need to be careful.

I love coffee but after a week of discomfort I get along ok without.
I went almost ten years without nicotine and was completely useless the entire time.

by **TinCanSnipe** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:30 pm

phractal wrote:I consider myself a pretty easy, layed back dude. I don't sweat the petty things and I think I'm fairly resourceful. That said, I've come to realize that there is something I can't live without. It may seem trivial to you, but I don't know what I would do without Q-tips. If I go 2 days without them, I can start to feel wax building up in my ears and it drives me crazy. All damned day. 3 days would turn my circuits to flakes of freakin carbon and pose a serious challenge to my medication.

What are some of the stupid things you couldn't do without?

Oh man when I was in boot camp they wouldn't let us get Q-tips(typical "you'll pierce your eardrum" PC crap you'd expect from big Navy) and I went crazy. Once I got out and got some Q-tips it was like an orgasm hahaha.

So that, and coffee(bootcamp also killed my high standards for coffee, now ill drink anything)

by **skelco** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:36 pm

prolly chap stick... and coffee

by **Oneswunk** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:43 pm

Altoids, smokes and coffee.

by **Towanda** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:52 pm

An Ototek Loop is designed to pull out ear wax and short enough not to puncture your eardrum.