Friday open thread: What can’t you live without?

It’s Friday, so it’s time to ask you a question! I know we just did this the other day, but let’s do it again. Today’s question is in a more product-oriented vein, but it’s still pretty straightforward: apart from the essentials (shelter, food, etc), what’s one thing you use in your life that you either can’t live without or that would make your life much more difficult/less interesting?

For me, this time of year, the answer is simple: arm warmers.

See, I bike to work. Pretty much every day (he said, having already not ridden twice this week because of circumstances). And when I bike to work, this time of year, I generally do not dress appropriately for my commute. It’s nothing weird - I just wear shorts and a t-shirt pretty much year round. I tend to sweat a lot when I exercise, and wearing rain gear or even a jacket and long pants when it’s cold is a recipe for being my own personal sauna, and it’s even worse when it actually rains. So, I just wear the same stuff all the time.

But, this time of year, I do make a couple concessions to the decreasing daylight and declining temperatures, one of which is to wear arm warmers to keep my arms a bit less frozen when it’s not summer. I actually own two pairs - one of which, a gift from the lovely mrs. pdb, is good for the early days of fall, when it’s still in the 50’s or so in the morning. That’s not freezing, but it’s chilly enough that even a thin layer is helpful.

But on days like yesterday, and in the depths of winter, which in the NW means early morning temps in the 30’s and 40’s mostly (we’re spoiled!), I have some thermal ones that keep my arms nice and toasty, even into the wind, and since they’re skin tight, they don’t let the sauna effect happen. I can’t imagine facing fall/winter riding without them.

What about you? Is there one thing - whether it’s clothing, technology, or something else entirely - that you almost look forward to using, because it makes your daily life so much easier or better?

Also: happy Friday! Any fun plans for the weekend?