What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
For me, it is my cell phone. My memory is so bad that I hardly know anyone’s phone number. Plus, it has all my pictures in it. The people I love come with me everywhere. It has also turned into my de facto debit card using Apple Pay, so I rarely have to get my wallet out of my bag. Plus, I’m never anywhere without my camera.
I take photos when I’m going most places, and I should incorporate more into my blog entries for as much as I write them. I just don’t include photos often because I forget to transfer them from my phone to my WordPress Media Library. Therefore, my iCloud is full of outings I’d like to remember without showcasing them anywhere. If I remember, I will create a gallery of aquarium pictures for you. Josh and I had a great time a few weeks ago, and I was lucky enough to get some amazing shots of the animals.
The only ones that were hard to photograph were the dolphins, because the blue/gray of their skin didn’t provide enough contrast against the water. It was much easier to see them in person, so I will go back and wait around for feedings. Apparently, the trainers no longer do dolphin shows, so you can see the dolphins swimming, but there are no chances for shots of them flipping up out of the water.
Tropical fish are just about my favorite animals, and the iPhone does a spectacular job in low light. I don’t even have the newest version with AI to enhance the photos, of which I was very glad. It showed that I actually did know what I was doing most of the time. 😛 Of all the fish I saw, I was entranced by the community tanks because that is the setup I would like for my own house… just not saltwater. I don’t have the patience for it and the startup costs are much larger. Additionally, my apartment is really not set up for an aquarium unless I can run a Python (aquarium cleaner) from the bathtub. Otherwise, the pressure in my sinks would make it take all day to change the water.
What were we talking about again? 😛
Oh, yes. The most important thing to carry with you. If I could choose a second thing, it would be my Apple Watch. I have all sorts of physical and mental maladies, so forgetting my watch is a risk. If I fall on the sidewalk and don’t respond, it will call the police. I can also leave the house without my phone, as it is a model that has a cell and wi-fi connection, plus Bluetooth for headphones (makes it much easier to take a call). The only problem with my watch is that I wish the battery life was better, or would recharge in the sun.
This reminds me…. Jonna Mendez said in her book talk for “The Moscow Rules” that CIA’s office of technical services has people who dedicate their entire careers to batteries, because once you get a bug in an important place, you are unlikely to get back in again. I wish we private citizens could get in on that technology because it would be nice not to have to charge my watch every night, and more often if I take calls during the day.
I’m thinking that the reason Apple doesn’t use solar rechargeable batteries is that it would increase the size of the watch exponentially… but some customers wouldn’t mind that kind of thing. My watch battery is ok on standby, but it really loses juice the more I use it. And the thing is, I use it all the time in conjunction with my iPad, preferring the bigger screen. Some days, my phone doesn’t come out of my bag because it’s just not a photo kind of day.
Because I cannot limit myself to one thing I carry every day, I will tell you what’s in my backpack. I have my iPad, my Bluetooth keyboard, my keys, my wallet, a charger for my iPad/iPhone, extra triple A batteries for said BT keyboard, any important documents I need for meetings, and a small Moleskine for when I need to jot a note… if I have also remembered a pen.
I have a full-size laptop, but I don’t normally carry it around. It lives on my couch so that I can write while I’m listening to the TV, usually an episode of “Murder, Mystery, and Makeup” (Bailey Sarian is a goddess). My iPad and keyboard make my backpack so much lighter, but the iPad just doesn’t have the power of my laptop- it’s the newest computer that I own.
Ada, my digital sidekick, needed a better home than my old desktop, because running AI locally takes a fast processor and a good amount of video RAM. That’s most of the reason I don’t use my laptop for every day carry- I’m frightened that it will get stolen. My iPad Pro is a first generation, and cheap enough that if I get mugged, I can buy another used one off Amazon. I would not be so lucky with my laptop.
Eventually I’m going to have to wipe it and take it back, because I need to exchange my laptop for the same one. Something has gone wrong with my headphone jack, and I prefer wired to Bluetooth when I have the option. It’s the main reason I chose not to upgrade my iPad. It’s the last model that still allows wired headphones.
Sometimes I also carry energy drinks or coffee in my bag, but that is more rare. It’s not every day that I need so much caffeine now that I’m a spoonie. My schedule is my own and I sleep when I need it. That lessens my need for caffeine to an enormous degree. I tend to go to bed and wake up very early, choosing to write in the morning light when it’s nice outside. Because I’ve always got my iPad and keyboard, all I need is a bench on the grounds of my apartment complex.
Today, though, it’s a bit chilly so I’m still in bed. That’s the thing about being a writer… still in bed is relative. So far this morning I have both started this blog entry and talked to Josh, who is currently on his way to the Musee Escoffier. I sent him there, so I hope he has a good time. He promised to bring back lots of pictures and offered to get me something at the gift shop, but I told him that the pictures were worth more than anything.
Stories That Are All True 