10 Things I Can’t Live Without

Summary

The author shares a list of ten things they cannot live without, including music, coffee, cigarettes, pens, legal pads, ASMR on YouTube, Marvel Cinematic Universe, great fiction, Tex-Mex food, and bookstores.

Abstract

The article titled "10 Things I Can't Live Without" is a personal reflection by the author on the ten items they consider essential in their life. The list includes music by Bruce Springsteen, coffee, Camel Crush Menthol cigarettes, Pilot G-2 pens, legal pads, ASMR on YouTube, Marvel Cinematic Universe, great fiction books, Tex-Mex food, and bookstores. The author provides a brief explanation for each item, revealing their preferences and habits. The article is inspired by a YouTube series in which celebrities share their top ten essential items.

Bullet points

The author's top ten essential items are:
- Bruce Springsteen's music
- Coffee
- Camel Crush Menthol cigarettes
- Pilot G-2 pens
- Legal pads
- ASMR on YouTube
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Great fiction books by authors like Ernest Hemingway, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and Robert B. Parker
- Tex-Mex food
- Bookstores
The author enjoys consuming at least one pot of coffee per day.
The author prefers Camel Crush Menthol cigarettes over non-filtered Camels.
The author writes a lot longhand, especially first drafts of fiction, and the Pilot G-2 pen is their favorite.
The author buys legal pads in bulk and has a stack of them with ideas jotted down.
The author is an insomniac and uses ASMR on YouTube to help them sleep.
The author has recently become a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and re-watches Marvel films frequently.
The author enjoys Tex-Mex food and considers it one of the reasons to stay in their state of birth.
The author has a deep love for bookstores and has spent half their life in them.

No, really.

I imagine these are essential items for a tech-savvy priest. (Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash)

The idea for this article came from Eric Pierce, who is apparently addicted to the GQ YouTube series in which celebs show off the 10 things they can’t live without. It is a pretty cool series; below is Trevor Noah’s:

If you know me, you’ll likely be able to guess at least a few of mine. Unlike Eric, I don’t have photos, so you’ll have to make do with just my words. Here’s my list of 10 things I can’t live without.

1. Springsteen. You didn’t think that anything was going to rank higher than him, did you? Of the over 200 articles I have written on this site, I think there are maybe 20 in which I didn’t manage to sneak in a Bruce reference of some kind. If religion is the thing that gives you comfort and feeds your soul, then I am definitely a member of The Fellowship of the E Street Band. Tramps like us…

2. Coffee. Whether black, with milk, Bailey’s Irish Creme, or Wild Turkey, if I don’t consume at least one pot per day you really don’t want to be around me. I usually hit that mark by 10 a.m., and I’m one of those old codgers who drinks coffee all day long.

3. Camel Crush Menthols. Yeah, they’re bad for me, but better than the non-filtered Camels I smoked back in the day. Besides, I have so few vices left. I do miss the days when you could smoke inside, but I’m holding out hope that the pendulum will swing back around. If bell bottoms can make a comeback, anything’s possible.

4. Pilot G-2 Pens. Eric included these as well. I write a lot longhand, especially first drafts of fiction, and the right pen is crucial. The G-2 has been my favorite for a long time now, and is one of the few brands of pen I’ve ever owned where I use up all the ink before I lose the damn thing.

5. Legal Pads. These go along with the pens, obviously, and I buy them in bulk. There is a stack on the floor in front of me with more ideas jotted down on them than I will get to in a lifetime. And I never throw them away after I use them; I’ve told my kids to donate them to a university when I die as part of my “personal papers;” you can get a decent tax write-off for that crap.

6. ASMR on YouTube. I have always been something of an insomniac (four or five hours is a good night’s sleep for me, with maybe a short nap in the afternoon), and I only get the sleep I do because of videos with rain sounds or ASMR from the likes of Gibi or Ozley. Check them out; they are super-calming.

7. The MCU. Considering that I had never seen a Marvel film two years ago, this one is a surprise even to me. But since binge-watching all of them at the start of the pandemic, not a week goes by that I don’t re-watch at least one. In fact, I just finished watching Iron Man again with my youngest daughter a few hours ago. The first thing I did with the new Lists feature was make one for all my Marvel stories.

8. Great Fiction. This is another one Eric mentioned. For the purposes of this list, I am specifically referring to my all-time favorite authors, whom I re-read fairly often: Ernest Hemingway, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Robert B. Parker. They’ve been better friends to me for more years than just about anyone I know besides my family.

9. Tex-Mex Food. One of the only reasons I remain in the God-forsaken state of my birth is that it’s the only place you can get really good Tex-Mex (the “Tex” part makes that kid of obvious). It’s what they’ll serve in Heaven, or so I hear; I better enjoy it now since it probably won’t be on the menu where I’m heading. And if I ever tell you that I love you more than a good cheese enchilada, go ahead and book the wedding chapel because things just got serious.

10. Bookstores. This one really doesn’t need much explanation. I’ve spent half my life in them, written about them, and was even lucky enough to own one once. The fact that they still exist is the only reason I have any hope for the future of the human race. Go support your local indie bookstore today.

So that’s my 10 things I can’t live without as of 12:32 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. I don’t expect it to change much anytime soon. If you want to play along, post a story with your 10 things and tag some friends. What do you say Paul Mansfield, Terry Barr, Alex Markham, Kevin Alexander, Arpad Nagy, Corrie Alexander?

Let’s all use the same tag to make these easy to find: 10EssentialThings