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 
Wow, I love that box compass! What a sweet and thoughtful gift!
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Thanks, BioScientific.
I think that’s when I realized she was a keeper.
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Your wife is lucky to have a guy with such a big clock.
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You should see what happens when the hands line up!
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A few things…
1. You open with “I can get within 5 miles of my target on a 500 mile trip. It’s that last mile that kills me.” So you are trouble free for 495 miles then have lots of trouble for the last mile. How would you characterize miles 495-499? Is it a crescendo of difficulty? Please clarify for those of us who want to know.
2. How do you mean that you understand your bearings better than the guys (ahem…people) who built I-95? If I remember correctly, the Florida-Maine route is, in fact, north-south. The road isn’t perfectly straight. It twists and turns along the way because of terrain and other considerations. Were you thinking that the public sector responsible for putting that road together were people who were working together? That they had a master plan? Thank you again, in advance, for your clarification.
3. I could have a compass app on my android but I’m afraid to use it. Isn’t it a really battery-draining app? Is there one that’s easy on the phone batter?
4. Did you mean watch model? I would never buy an arm like the one in the picture. With a little work, you could be a spokesperson for a razor/shaver. You could be the before guy. If I could post it here, I’d show you the picture I’d submit for being the after guy.
4. I’m glad you found TMWGITU. She’s a real keeper.
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1 – 496 to 498 are just growing confusion.
2 – I-95 along Long Island Sound is mostly east/west.
3 – Smart phone batteries generally suck, but I haven’t found this app to drain my phone faster than any other. This one is by Catch.com in the Android market.
4 – Hairy arms are well respected by the outdoors crowd.
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Sitting here watching a past episode of Grey’s Anatomy about a heart in the box and reading about a compass in the box. Dang … what a confusing world.
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Coincidence? Synergy? Synchronicity?
I admire your multitasking ability. When I watch a show I’m interested in, I find it very hard to do something else at the same time.
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But who knows how much of Grey’s I missed. After all, it’s my wife’s show, is more in the background for me.
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Surely she can update you on the parts you missed? or Netflix/hulu/dvd/reruns if you must know….
Used to work with an IT manager who was available 24/7 except when Greys Anatomy was on. Woe to the person that called him then.
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Ask her a question about something I missed while blogging? Sorry … I know better.
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I too have always loved compasses and maps. (I’m also a sucker for pocketknives, flashlights, axes, carabiners, hats, and pretty much anything designed for outdoor adventure, but I digress.)
At a store just the other day, I saw a small compass that comes with a velcro strap so you can wear it like a wristwatch. I almost bought it, thinking it would be fun to wear on my right arm, opposite the watch on my left. But then I thought I really don’t need it and would seldom use it, because people would probably laugh at me for wearing it around town, and lately I don’t have time to get out in the wilderness very often. (I’ll probably go back and buy it anyway, just because it’s so cool.)
That box compass of yours is beautiful, better than any in my collection. I can see why you call your girl TMWGITU.
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I agree, Brian. The outdoors is a great place to be and it’s a great excuse to get cool gear. My latest indulgence was for a backpacking expedition to the mountains. Sadly, that was a couple of months ago. Lucky for me, snow is in the forecast and soon I’ll be able to pull out the winter gear.
I also agree with EG. It’s not the necessity of the item that makes it a justifiable purchase, it’s the improvement in quality of life. Especially when it comes to outdoor gear…say a surfboard or a sailboat, right EG?
If only I could find a device that would get me into bed at a reasonable hour…
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In my case, I think the surfboard was something more than a “fun toy” purchase. It has more meaning to me than that…
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Sadly, I now ask myself if I can justify the purchase of a new toy.
More sadly. the answer is more often no.
But sometimes, I get the toy even if I really don’t need it. It’s a Quality of Life Purchase (QuoLP).
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Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any recommendations for first-time blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.
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thanks for stopping by, weather vane.
All I can suggest is write about what means something to you, and jump on other blogs to say hi.
So far everyone has been ridiculously friendly to me…
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Hi,
You couldn’t possibly get lost now with all of that going for you. 🙂
I love the gift you got from your wife, that is really a very nice compass.
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Thanks, magsx2. She told me it was in fact the first gift she got me.
And don’t worry, I still manage to get lost on a regular basis. It’s a talent, really
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nice blog, something else for me to read while getting paid to do something else. I will keep reading until I figure out what my job is…then I will read more!
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Thanks syghtsnbytes..
You must work down the hall from me!
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Wow , that’s a really nice box compass …. and overall , a disturbingly large number of compasses (0.o) .
Ok so I wouldn’t get it because I don’t need direction from the laptop to the food and back while making a detour to the bed ;).
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Ah, no. The point isn’t needing one. The point is having a fun toy you might somehow convince yourself you might someday have use for.
Even if you know you never will.
there could be swamps between the laptop and the fridge, and then you’ll really want a compass! 😉
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ha! this post is so perfect for me – i get lost constantly. even with GPSes.
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I know what you mean. At this point, since I know I’m going to get lost, I just want to look like I did it on purpose when it happens…
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Great post. Nice collection there. Have to agree with WG, there is a definite need for a device that leads one to bed at a reasonable hour.
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Kudos, John. For me 10:30 is more reasonable than last night’s time. Here I go!
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Thanks John. But please, don’t encourage her!
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When something makes perfect sense, one should acknowledge it.
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Why do you keep saying that? Do you think a lack of encouragement will stop me from being here? I expected more from you.
I’ll be back anyway. Even if you don’t want me to be here.
Thank you, John, for your support.
And now for real…off to bed!!
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Hey! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the superb work!
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Thanks, good directions weathervanes
Enjoy your phone.
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Pingback: Now where am I going – Metaphysical Edition | Guapola
Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
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Your collection is impresive and of course there would have to be an APP for a compass right? Incidentally WG and John Phillips – I am quite sure I have seen an APP for the reasonable bedtime thing as well, there is an App for damn near everything.
the gift from your wife shows she was pointed in the right direction and today I learned the plural for compass is compi – I never would guess that if I needed to. Cool Beans.
Peace 🙂
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thanks lizziecracked.
Thank God for whatever pointed us to each other!
Please don’t insist that compi is the right word for anything yet – I have to make an entry for it in Wikipedia first to prove it’s right!
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Hi there are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
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Nope. Both wordpress.com and blogspot.com let you set up an account and start posting.
Have fun, and thanks for stopping by.
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Pingback: Where I’ve Been – Overview | Guapola
Unfortunately I have been gone for some time, but now I remember why I enjoy this site so much. Thank you, I will definitely check back in much more frequently.
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