Today’s Music: Stray Cats
I can get within 5 miles of my target on a 500 mile trip. It’s that last mile that kills me.
But I’ve gotten smarter. I have a GPS for the car. I have maps. And I have a compass.
Actually, I own several compasses. I have analog ones, digital ones. I have GPS, I have them bundled in other tools.
When making screened t-shirts was on my list of things to do, the front logo was a compass.
It came with the car!
I love my compi (plural). When I’m on a car trip, I take note of where I’m going, and never fail to laugh during the large east/west section of I-95 North/South. It makes me feel kind of smug that I, outdoor adventurer, have a better idea of my bearings than the guys that built a road from Florida to Maine, but couldn’t even get the orientation of the road correct.
But sometimes I’m on foot.
Fits in my pocket!
For that, I have this little gem. It came with a carabiner! It has a little Canadian flag as a souvenir of where I bought it!
It worked for two whole weeks!
But the key ring on the other end holds all my keys, so I keep it even though the compass doesn’t work anymore and is not worth the effort to recharge and recalibrate. Besides, I have an Android.
It's on my phone!
With a compass App! It’s pretty accurate. It also has other features, and with the phone’s GPS, I can keep a record of my path and (more importantly) find my way back out.
Which has been really helpful sometimes. When I remember to turn it on.
Though, there are times when electronics are just persnickety.
I could have been an arm model
So I can align my watch with the sun and adjust the bearing dial to find general direction. Doesn’t work as well at night though…
Of course, sometimes I’m not tramping about on roads or through the woods. Sometimes I’m doing it underwater.
I could have been a hand model
Sadly, I have no idea how to use this underwater. But it’s really cool. And is my second favorite compass I own, behind…
My wife (the most wonderful girl in the universe) gave me this, one of the first gifts I ever got from her. It means more to me than a lot of other things I own, because for me, it’s a perfect gift. It’s small, it is elegant and it works.
I love this little box compass.
So there’s really no reason for me to get lost in the world anymore.
Next time we’ll do the Metaphysical Edition…
Guapola 