Cool and damp-ish. Supposed to be clear though.
Yesterday was cold to start but got up into the 70s by mid-afternoon. It was 44F at midnight.
Spent Christmas with the family. Lots of good gifts were exchanged. I got an ESR tester, and an LCR tester. Those will bring my electronics troubleshooting ability up a notch. The LCR tester will measure values for coils and chokes which are common in radio projects. That should be helpful if I ever get the time to work on stuff.
I got a set of Surefire Ear Defenders. I usually use 3M foam ear plugs, but these are reusable, and cut loud and percussive sounds more than quiet sounds. They were effective and comfortable for all the blowing I did yesterday. They seem to do what they promise. I’ll have to try them at the range, if I get to the range again.
In the list of things I’ve gotten in the last year or that lasted through it that are really cool/useful/actually work – the inductive desk charger for my phone is a joy to use. Plugging in a phone nightly isn’t hard. It does wear out your port, but it’s not HARD, so spending $18 or more on a charger dock seems unnecessary. However, it works and it’s super convenient. I won’t buy another phone without it built in.
I really like my Toro battery powered lawn mower. I wish it walked just a bit faster, but it works, it’s quiet, and it doesn’t use up my stored gas. The battery will self discharge so pull it if you go weeks between uses.
I’ve got more than a dozen kindles, but I use the backlit paperwhite most often. The reading experience is great. If you only get one, that’s the one to get for reading books.
My EDC flashlight is a Pelican 1920 two AAA battery light. I love how it feels in the hand, the brightness is great, battery life is good with eneloops. The endcap switch rubber cover can tear. Still recommended.
I love my Dewalt 20v liON leaf blower. It’s small, hand held, has 3 speeds and a VSR trigger. I use it most days to clear the porch, blow leaves out of the garage, or to blow hair, dust, and debris out of the house. 5AH battery is a must.
Having 4 and 5AH LiON dewalt batteries and the 18v tool battery adapter lets me finally use my battery angle grinder, sawzall, and circular saw as I wanted to from the beginning. If you own dewalt 18v NiMH tools that you like, get some 20v LiON batteries/charger and the adapter. New life for old tools. Ditto if you have Milwaukee or other good NiMH tools. Look for the adapter and appropriate LiON batteries.
I have a grease storage tank/bin on the kitchen counter. I’ve linked to it on amazon before. I love cooking with bacon grease, and love that I’m saving it for reuse. Very convenient.
The last for now is maybe a bit odd. I have a little mini swing top trash can on my bathroom counter. They sell them for use on coffee bars or in bathrooms. I use breathe*rite strips at night. The strips have a bandaid type shiny paper outer cover, but they also have two little paper strips to cover the adhesive. The paper strips go everywhere when you toss them toward a trashcan. The used breatherite strip is still sticky and will end up stuck to everything, so I peal open the outer cover, leave it on the counter, and peal the two paper strips. The paper strips go into the little trash can. In the morning, I stick the used strip to the outer paper envelop, then throw that into the little can. That little can made a big difference in my bathroom so even though it’s an odd little thing, I’m recommending it. Those are the only things I put into it.
I figure I need to do an actual prepping post sometime soon. Maybe it will just be a link roundup, or maybe I’ll manage to write something new. Either way, if there’s anything anyone wants to hear more about, let me know in a comment.
In the absence of orders, keep stacking the stuff you use all the time. Can’t go wrong with that.
nick