Photo of The Month:
I was walking over to Enzo’s (pizza) for lunch and noticed the north section of Monument Circle was blocked off in preparation for the “Month of May“. I liked the symmetry of this shot & it’s my favorite one of the month!
What’s Going On:
I *think* we’re done with the wild temperature swings that take place this time of Thanks! year & into the early Dog Days of Summer. I’m looking forward to packing up the SUV and spending time outdoors.
It’s May in Indy & that means I’ll be spending more time at the track that I’m ready for. It’s a LOT of walking. You have no idea how big that place is until you attend a few events and realize you have to factor in 20 minutes to get from your car to the event location.
What I’m Buying:
OLIGHT Sphere Smart Night Light
Do you work in an open-style office? Do you get constant walk-ups asking if you’re on a call? Do you want a way to tell people you’re busy? I have a solution for you that is very inexpensive and works amazingly well!
The OLIGHT Sphere is under $20 and with just a tap you can change the color from Green to Red to other built in patterns. The brightness and colors are adjustable (with the free app), and it worked immediately! As soon as I put it on the corner and set it Red, the interruptions all but stopped. The Sphere comes with a magnetic charger that you can run off a USB port on your computer or dock.
BODEGACOOLER 26Qt (25L) 12-volt refrigerator/freezer
I love my Yeti Roadie 24 (I guess they don’t make them anymore?) but messing with ice can be a pain. I found a good deal on the BODEGACOOLER (under $200) that can ride in the back of my SUV and run off the 12v power port. This will be perfect for Costco runs and Farmer’s Markets. You can use it as a fridge or freezer (and even make ice!).
I tested it with my Jackery 500 and it ran for over 2-days making it perfect for camping and other off-grid activities. If I power the Jackery off the 12-volt plug in the car and the BODEGACOOLER off the Jackery it will basically run indefinitely!
NOCO Boost X Portable Jump Start Pack
Subaru is notorious for having small batteries in their Ascent model, and I don’t like being stranded. I was camping in WV a few summers ago and woke up to a dead battery, it added about 3 hours to my day to get a jump, find an auto parts store, and get a new battery installed (it was due).
I used to carry jumper cables in my car but these days it’s not a good idea to jump start another car. Too many risks of something getting fried. This battery pack might be able to help someone else one day in addition to getting me out of a jam in the middle of nowhere.
Rotring 600 3-in-1 Multicolor Pen and Mechanical Pencil
Remember the 4-in-1 pens that gave you Red/Blue/Black/Green back in the day? Who used the Green? Well, this is a more modern version that gives you Black/Red/Pencil (and a bonus BLUE refill in the box). I prefer Blue to Black so I can tell if it’s an original or a copy (don’t ask me why because I don’t know).
The 600 is all aluminum and has a nice solid feel. It has a smaller grip than the Lamy Safari I traditionally use. I like the ability to quickly switch from Blue to Red and I’ve been using pencil more lately when sketching ideas and logging tasks.
What I’m Reading:
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobson
If you want to have nightmares, this is the book for you. It’s a minute by minute account of what would happen if North Korea sent a nuke to the United States.
The Belt Series by Gerald M. Kilby
Another great series by a talented author. It has some of the same characters from the Colony Mars series and is an easy read to get into. Really enjoying this author!
Kindle Unlimited
I had a 90-day trial offer from Amazon & once I realized I had several books on my wishlist that were available via Kindle Unlimited I decided to give it a try. So far I think it’s worth the price!
What Else:
I tried a trial of YouTube TV and while I liked it, the User Interface sucked and I can’t justify $90 a month to watch a few channels I’m interested in. I have coworkers who swear by it but it’s just not for me. If YouTube was included in the price it would make it a better option but, as of now, they are separate subscriptions.
And Finally…