Several weeks, a few dozen photos and four thousand words later, we’ve finally made it—the Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad 2017 wrap-up, filled with stories aplenty of 365 days spent in my not-so-orthodox life.
After wrapping the year up on a quiet note (because two sick children under five will do that to you), I still felt it necessary to do this. These year-to-year changeovers offer a lot of perspective for me—with so much happening all the time, I often forget what I had for breakfast, so I write everything down. And if the height of the pile on my desk is any sign, 2017 was quite the year. But it’s also the time where I’m the most transparent, looking back objectively at everything I’ve done and celebrating successes, owning up to failures, hoping all the while that I’m somehow growing from the process.
But yeah—let’s do this as we did in 2016: look at the year in excruciating detail, figuring out what’s worth taking with me into 2018 versus what doesn’t feel part of my world anymore.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me present—the 31 things I did well in 2017! Let’s get it!
If you send me to Vegas and you’re all like, “Hey Casey, here’s $1000 to spend,” you’d better believe I’m going all-out!!!
In the nine years we’ve been together, Sarah’s seen firsthand how I operate. When I need something, I usually get it myself. My purchases usually involve a ton of research and consideration before committing, but when I’m ready, I’m not one to wait for permission to add a new tool to my life.
Which makes it really hard to get me Christmas gifts when I’ve already bought the things I’d put on my wishlist months in advance. But my fierce independence didn’t dissuade Best Buy Canada who approached me with a mission—to choose a cool gift for myself from their Top 20 Under $200, a list curated by my helpful local Best Buy Blue Shirt, and find someone on my “nice list” who’d get something too!
I guess there’s plenty of people I could’ve chosen for my nice list, but really—the more I hustle, the more I realise how important my family is to me, and whether good times or bad, they’re always the ones I’ll think of first.
So after making a list (and checking it twice), I saw something I’d always wanted to try, but never saw reason to buy for myself, and added the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit to our home!
At home, it’s all about my audio-technica M50s that fit comfortably over my head while banging out the blog posts. While on the go, I prefer something a little more portable and use my Shure SE425s (because R.I.P. SE535s…), which combine dual drivers and a nice long cable to keep me from tying myself up—especially in the sardine can commute home, where all I want to do is vibe out a little before I get home to my kids and the real job I have when away from the office. (That’s parenting, for anyone who didn’t catch it.)
But what about the times you want to go wireless? When you’re working on getting the perfect beach body or biking around town enjoying the unseasonably warm weather we’re getting this winter?
That’s where the AfterShokz Bluez 2S comes in.
What do the AfterShokz Bluez 2S DO?
Last I remember using a Bluetooth headset, they were all the rage—these dinky earpieces you’d clip on your ear to let the world know you were far too busy to interact with it.
But things have come a long way since then, and AfterShokz is out to prove it has a premium, durable headset, with the wires often made synonymous with sound quality, lengthy strands of wires and insulation to get your favourite tunes from your devices to your eardrums.
Using patented bone conduction technology originally developed for military special operations and law enforcement 15 years ago (yes, you read that right), AfterShokz’s open ear design for the Bluez 2S is not only comfortable, but it also delivers sound through your cheekbones to your inner ears via mini vibrations, which gives you solid sound quality without removing the ambient noise awareness that comes in handy when you’re trying to do things like not get hit by traffic. It’s only been out for a number of months and retails for $99.99 USD—and better yet—one of you lucky readers will walk away with an AfterShokz Bluez 2S of your very own in the colour of your choice! The contest is open to Canadians aged 18+ outside of Quebec and runs until April 5th at 11:59 PM—may the odds ever be in your favour!
The AfterShokz Bluez 2S—A New Way of Giving Your Earbuds the Good Stuff!
Every now and then, a new technology comes along that asks us to rethink how we think about the world and open our minds to new possibilities if we take a step away from the norm. The AfterShokz Bluez 2S may very well start to change the way we think about mobile audio, but it all starts with the willingness to do away with wires and experience a whole new world of sound in the most unexpected of ways!
Good luck to everyone who enters, and if you need me, I’ll be here jamming to some tracks from the latest Rihanna album!
Adios and until the next,
–case p.
Disclaimer: AfterShokz compensated me for their giveaway with a pair of AfterShokz Bluez 2S wireless headphones for myself! I already own numerous wired sets—since I basically can’t work without music in the background—but I’ve gotta say; I never saw bone conduction technology coming! You should give a try if you’re given the chance ????
Tell your wife, tell your kids, tell your husbands:
