Casio G-Shock

Sometime during my vulnerable youth, I developed a minor watch fetish. I would paste my face against the glass display of watches whenever my family went to Target or K-Mart, and lust for the coolest digital model. I was, and still am I guess, a loyal Casio-ist. Since circa '88, I have begged or scraped together enough allowance + pennies-under-the-couch to go through a few Tele-memo models, a calculator model, and two analog-digital models. None of them were over $40.

Until yesterday. When the holy grail of my childhood wonders arrived in a nondescript UPS-delivered box: A G-Shock!

I had never been able to afford G-Shocks. They were the Zeus of digital Casios, always perched on the top shelf of the display, overlooking the pathetic little blue-collar models. Underneath, their price tags would start from $80 and soar up to $150-$200. I used to view them with a dispassionate eye, like how a middle-class citizen would view a mansion in Malibu; very nice, but why bother wasting drool on something out of my league.

Things are different now. I hold a job. I actually make money. For someone used to being perpetually stymied by the lack of dough, this is a stunning 180. Even after all these years, I still have to forcibly remind myself that, yes, I can afford stuff. Stuff like G-Shocks.

So, I got one! Isn't it a beauty? Beyond the aesthetics, it is the feeling of fulfillment that is the most satisfying. The feeling of scratching that itch you developed as a kid. The little things in life. Awesome.

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