{"id":2581,"date":"2015-05-30T00:16:23","date_gmt":"2015-05-29T15:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-05-30\/2581"},"modified":"2015-05-30T00:16:23","modified_gmt":"2015-05-29T15:16:23","slug":"happy-birthday-to-me-reviews-of-some-toys-ive-recently-gotten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-05-30\/2581","title":{"rendered":"Happy Birthday To Me: Reviews of Some Toys I&#8217;ve Recently Gotten"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<p>My birthday was in April, so in the <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>Happy Birthday To Me<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> spirit, I'll\nconsider anything interesting I've acquired in the last few months <span class='nobr'>a\nbirthday<\/span> present to myself. Much of it is related to cycling, which I've <a\nhref='\/blog\/2015-05-28\/2580'>been getting into<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>Anyway, here are some mini reviews on some of the stuff, in case others' find any of it useful...<\/p>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n tr { vertical-align: top }\n td:first-child { padding-right:1em}\n td p:first-child { margin-top: 0 }\n table { padding-top: 5px; border-top: 1px solid #444; margin-bottom: 30px }\n<\/style>\n\n<table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/iphone6plus.jpg\" width=\"50\" height=\"101\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"iiphone6plus\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b>Apple iPhone 6+<\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>My old iPhone 4s was feeling old. <span class='nobr'>I replaced<\/span> the battery in March, but\nit still couldn't hold <span class='nobr'>a charge,<\/span> so <span class='nobr'>I thought<\/span> it was <span class='nobr'>a good<\/span> time to\nupgrade. The 6+ has been really useful on bike rides, with <span class='nobr'>a screen<\/span> big\nenough to actually see maps, <span class='nobr'>a battery<\/span> big enough to last most of the day,\nand <span class='nobr'>a barometric<\/span> barometer (that is as of yet, unfortunately, underutilized\nby trail-logging apps).<\/p>\n\n<p>I'm pleased with the size, and it feels good in the hand. <span class='nobr'>I just wish<\/span>\nthat the sleep\/awake button didn't have buttons opposing it on the other\nside of the phone, since that makes it hard to squeeze with one hand (<span class='nobr'>I\nkeep<\/span> also squeezing the volume buttons).<\/p>\n\n<p>Apple Pay isn't used in Japan, so <span class='nobr'>I don't<\/span> get any benefit from that. The\nunlock-with-your-thumb thing is amazingly useful, much more so than <span class='nobr'>I\nexpected<\/span> (<span class='nobr'>I registered<\/span> both thumbs), and now <span class='nobr'>I find<\/span> that <span class='nobr'>I keep<\/span> trying to\nunlock my iPad that way.<\/p>\n\n<p>The camera sucks, though.<\/p>\n\n<p>I've cracked the screen only once so far.<\/p>\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/aukey-PB-N15.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"132\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"iaukey_PB_N15\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B00RJJ4CK4'>Aukey AIPower 20Ah USB Power Brick<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p>I wanted to be able to charge my phone, iPad, and other devices like GPS units while on <span class='nobr'>a long<\/span> bike ride\nor long flight. This thing is amazing... <span class='nobr'>I charged<\/span> it once when <span class='nobr'>I got<\/span> it <span class='nobr'>a month<\/span> or so ago, and have not needed\nto charge it again yet.<\/p>\n\n<p>It turns out that the iPhone 6+'s battery is sufficiently good that it'll last all day on <span class='nobr'>a long<\/span> bike ride if\n<span class='nobr'>I don't<\/span> need the screen too much (e.g. if <span class='nobr'>I don't<\/span> need to continuously display the map), but <span class='nobr'>I did<\/span> need the map\nfor most of the time on\n<a href='\/blog\/2015-04-26\/2562'>my first 100km+ ride<\/a> and this power brick was indispensable.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/the-martian.jpg\" width=\"100\" height=\"164\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"ithe_martian\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B00EMXBDMA'>Andy Weir's <i>The Martian<\/i><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>I can't say enough about how good this book was. <span class='nobr'>It's a novel<\/span> with <span class='nobr'>a\ncompelling<\/span> story told very, very well. <span class='nobr'>It's probably<\/span> listed under <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>science\nfiction<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>, but while it's fiction and it's got <span class='nobr'>a lot<\/span> of science, it's not\n<span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>science fiction<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> at all.<\/p>\n\n<p>I put this on my Kindle to give me something to do while waiting in line or the like, and it just\ngrabbed me and didn't let go.<\/p>\n\n<p>Fantastic, fantastic book.<\/p>\n\n<p>I just peeked at IMDB and found that Matt Damon will play the\nprotagonist in the movie version, and my first reaction was disappointment\n(a <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>star<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> in <span class='nobr'>a role<\/span> tends to draw attention to their celebrity, taking away\nfrom the character they're supposed to be playing), but upon reflection <span class='nobr'>I\ncan<\/span> totally hear the opening monologue in Matt Damon's voice, so I'm looking forward to it.<\/p>\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/3m-clear-glasses.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"98\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"i3m_clear_glasses\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B00MYK59TQ'>3M Clear Security Glasses SF201AF<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>I originally got these clear glasses (and another pair with dark lenses) for when riding on my scooter... <span class='nobr'>I never<\/span> want to ride with my eyes unprotected, and especially in the hot summer it's more comfortable to leave the\nvisor up, so <span class='nobr'>I thought<\/span> these simple clear glasses with really flexible temples might be nice. They're <i>great<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n<p>But it turns out that I use the clear ones on my bicycle more than the scooter. When descending <span class='nobr'>a mountain<\/span> shaded\nby trees, it's too dark for normal sunglasses, but without some eye protection <span class='nobr'>I risk<\/span> <span class='nobr'>a bug<\/span> in the eye at 50kph,\nand the wind just makes my eyes water anyway. These solve both problems.<\/p>\n\n<p>They do scuff easily, but that's not <span class='nobr'>a major<\/span> problem for how <span class='nobr'>I use<\/span> them.<\/p>\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/mio-fuse.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"101\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"imio_fuse\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B00MYK59TQ'>Mio Fuse heart-rate monitor<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>This watch-like device detects your pulse and sends it via bluetooth to\nyour phone. <span class='nobr'>I use it<\/span> on bike rides to record my pulse, which turns out to\nbe pretty uninteresting because it doesn't get all that high, even when\nclimbing steep hills. (<span class='nobr'>I think<\/span> this is less <span class='nobr'>a statement<\/span> about how strong my heart is,\nand more one about how weak my willpower is: <span class='nobr'>I tend<\/span> to give up mentally before physically.)<\/p>\n\n<p><b>Update:<\/b> after having some mild rashes from wearing this, I\ncontacted the company to ask for suggestions. They gave me some, and\nunilaterally said that they'd accept a return if the suggestions didn't\nwork out, even if it was out of warranty. I thought that was nice. I didn't\nwant to have to, but kept getting the rashes, so I did return it.<\/p>\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/doppelganger-DSC74-BK.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"102\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"idoppelganger_DSC74_BK\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B00C6U963Y'>Doppleganger Saddle Cover DSC74-BK<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>This is a cushy gel-filled cover for <span class='nobr'>a bicycle<\/span> seat, and it's fantastic.<\/p>\n\n<p>On <a href='\/blog\/2015-02-09\/2521'>my first long bike ride<\/a> earlier this year, besides\ntuckering myself out, my rear hurt quite <span class='nobr'>a bit<\/span> from all the time on the saddle. <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>Real<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> cyclists wear pants\nthat have cushions built into the crotch area. <span class='nobr'>On one hand<\/span>, this is convenient because they provide padding\nwhether on the bike or sitting on the ground taking <span class='nobr'>a break,<\/span> but on the other hand, they're expensive\nand can be described, at best, as making you look like you're wearing diapers. (But it can get much worse,\nas\n<a href='https:\/\/www.google.co.jp\/search?hl=en&amp;site=imghp&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=hp&amp;biw=1117&amp;bih=612&amp;q=padded+cycling+pants'><span class='nobr'>a Google<\/span> Image search<\/a> shows.)<\/p>\n\n<p>I suppose I don't look like a real cyclist if <span class='nobr'>I don't<\/span> have these kind of shorts, but if you've seen my blog\nlately, you know <span class='nobr'>I don't<\/span> have much style sense.<\/p>\n\n<p>These days when I ride, or go to the gym, <span class='nobr'>I tend to<\/span> be decked out in stuff from\nUnder Armour, which as <a href='\/blog\/2014-09-27\/2462'>I've written before<\/a>, <span class='nobr'>I'm enamored<\/span> with\nto the point that <span class='nobr'>I bought<\/span> their stock. <span class='nobr'>I visited<\/span> their <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>Brand Store<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> in Osaka the other day, and it was nice to find\n<span class='nobr'>a huge<\/span> selection of stuff in my size, but the prices there were full retail, which is too pricey for me, so <span class='nobr'>I didn't<\/span> buy much.<\/p>\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/bmworks-SLIM3.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"142\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"ibmworks_SLIM3\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B00Q6FMOP2'>BM Works SLIM3 bicycle iPhone Holder<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>I wanted a way to securely hold my iPhone on my bicycle handle bars, and\nthis product certainly does that, but <span class='nobr'>I found<\/span> it to be <span class='nobr'>a disappointment.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p>The biggest problem is that its <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>clear<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> cover is highly reflective, so in bright daylight\nit often makes it completely impossible to see the screen until you get the tilt just right, not something\nfun while trying to check <span class='nobr'>a map<\/span> in traffic.<\/p>\n\n<p>It also makes the buttons on the side of the phone difficult to press, and disables the iPhone's\nunlock-with-your-thumb thing.<\/p>\n\n<p>I no longer use it, though I may pull it out if ever faced with <span class='nobr'>a long<\/span> ride in the rain for which <span class='nobr'>I don't<\/span> know the route.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/TiGRA-sport.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"151\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"iTiGRA_sport\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B00U1X3BS4'>TiGRA Sport Bicycle Mount<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>This is how I mount my phone on my bicycle now, and it's absolutely fantastic. <span class='nobr'>The phone<\/span> is fully accessible,\nsuper easy to take on and off. (<span class='nobr'>I can<\/span> even take it off one-handed while riding, to snap photos\n<a href='\/blog\/2015-05-28\/2580#i3636'>like this one<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n<p>How great is it? It's so great that <span class='nobr'>I shattered<\/span> the screen of my iPhone while using it, yet I <i>still use it<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i077090\" href='\/i\/JF4_077090.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF4_077090_sm.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"330\"\nalt=\"Oops -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\nid=\"i077090\"\ntitle=\"Oops -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 40mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>160 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 400 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF4_077090.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF4_077090.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Oops<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF4_077090.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2015-05-25'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Oops -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http:\/\/regex.info\/ when used online)\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>When checking out mountain roads on my scooter, in preparation for\nlast Wednesday's <a href='\/blog\/2015-05-28\/2580'>torturous(and tortuous) bike ride<\/a>, <span class='nobr'>I used the<\/span> TiGRA mount to\naffix the phone to my scooter.  While driving around, <span class='nobr'>I would<\/span> take photos of vending machines as <span class='nobr'>a way<\/span> to record their location\n(<span class='nobr'>I geoencode<\/span> all my photos), so that <span class='nobr'>I could<\/span> have <span class='nobr'>a map<\/span> of all available sources of water on the ride. <span class='nobr'>At one point<\/span> while\nwhipping the camera around for <span class='nobr'>a photo<\/span> of <span class='nobr'>a vending<\/span> machine <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> passing, <span class='nobr'>I was dismayed<\/span> to notice my <span class='nobr'>iPhone 6+<\/span>\nbouncing on the ground beside me, trying, but failing, to keep up with the scooter.<\/p>\n\n<p>I have no idea how it happened, but <span class='nobr'>I can<\/span> only imagine that <span class='nobr'>I simply<\/span>\nforgot to actually snap the phone into the holder. <span class='nobr'>It holds<\/span> the phone\n<i>very<\/i> securely, so it's inconceivable to me that it somehow got\njiggled loose. <span class='nobr'>It's also inconceivable<\/span> that <span class='nobr'>I somehow<\/span> bumped it loose with\nthe camera... <span class='nobr'>I imagine<\/span> that any impact strong enough to force it out of\nthe holder would shatter the plastic and the phone before separating the\nphone from the holder.<\/p>\n\n<p>I have such faith in how well made this product is that the only\nplausible explanation is that <span class='nobr'>I really<\/span> really really screwed up, such as\nlaid it sort of into the holder and then got distracted, and so never\nfinally put it in. (My sister once put both contact lenses in the same eye after being\ndistracted in between, so <span class='nobr'>I know<\/span> such distraction is possible.)<\/p>\n\n<p>Apple charges about $150 to replace the screen, or, if the screen isn't\nthe only damage, about $430 to replace the whole unit. <span class='nobr'>I went to<\/span> the Apple\nstore in Osaka the next day, and am glad <span class='nobr'>I arrived<\/span> 20 minutes before they\nopened... <span class='nobr'>I was about<\/span> 10th in line. <span class='nobr'>Ten minutes<\/span> later, there must have been\n30 people.<\/p>\n\n<p>At first they noted some microscopic dimple in the housing of the phone,\nand said that the whole thing would have to be replaced. <span class='nobr'>I preferred<\/span> to pay\nthe lower amount, so pushed and asked them to at least try replacing only\nthe screen. They said okay, and told me to come back in 90 minutes.<\/p>\n\n<p>I popped over to the Nikon Service Center to have <span class='nobr'>a little<\/span> plastic protective cover\non my D4 replaced... <span class='nobr'>I'd cracked<\/span> that too somehow some months before. It was $15.<\/p>\n\n<p>Back at Apple, they indeed could replace just the screen, so <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> happy to save almost $300.<\/p>\n<p>I paid my $150,\nand declined an invitation for an immediate session with an Apple Watch. (<span class='nobr'>I knew<\/span> that <span class='nobr'>I wasn't<\/span>\nreally interested in an Apple Watch, but surprised myself at how quickly <span class='nobr'>I said<\/span> no.)<\/p>\n\n<p>I then headed over to the Under Armour store, which was nearby, to\nspend some of my <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>savings<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> on <span class='nobr'>a hat,<\/span> socks, and windbreaker, all in\n<span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>high-visibility yellow<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> (the same color seen <a\nhref='\/blog\/2015-05-28\/2580#i20150527_2006'>here<\/a>, and\nin <a href='\/blog\/2015-05-25\/2579'>all these\nphotos<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n<p>Back home, I snapped the phone into the TiGRA mount and indeed could not believe that\nthe phone could possibly come out accidentally, so <span class='nobr'>I chalked<\/span> this up to fate and my own stupidity. <span class='nobr'>I used it<\/span> on Wednesday's long mountainous bumpy ride and it performed flawlessly, offering 0% worry.<\/p>\n\n<p>My only reservation about this product is the packaging it came in, which was <span class='nobr'>a clear<\/span> plastic\nbox built like <span class='nobr'>a tank.<\/span> <span class='nobr'>It seems<\/span> to be <i>gratuitous<\/i> overkill, <span class='nobr'>a monumental<\/span> waste of plastic, and\n<span class='nobr'>a huge<\/span> hassle to open.<\/p>\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/roswheel-13L-bag.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"iroswheel_13L_bag\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B0092BFXDW'>Roswheel Rear-Carrier Bag<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>This is the bag seen on the back of my bicycle in recent photos, such as\n<a href='\/blog\/2015-05-12\/2569#i076615'>this one<\/a>. <span class='nobr'>It's a piece<\/span> of crap, but for $15, <span class='nobr'>I shouldn't<\/span> complain.<\/p>\n\n<p>It's intended to hold on to the rear carrier via Velcro, but the design is so bad that if there's anything in the bag\nbesides air, the weight jiggling back and forth while riding wants to pull the bag off the side of the carrier. Plus,\nthe sides are not firm at all, adding to the tendency for the thing to want to drip over one side or the other.<\/p>\n\n<p>I went to the hardware store and got some firm metal strips to brace the thing. <span class='nobr'>I bolted<\/span> them to the carrier\nfacing up, and made holes in the bottom of the bag so that the bag can slip into the strips and be held very firmly in place. <span class='nobr'>It's invisible<\/span> when the bag is on the bike, but makes the bike look super dorky when the bag is not there. <span class='nobr'>But it works<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table><table width='100%'>\n<tr><td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/s\/knog-blinder-4-front.jpg\" width=\"100\" height=\"97\"\nclass=\"raw\"\nid=\"iknog_blinder_4_front\"\/><\/td>\n<td><p><b><a href='http:\/\/www.amazon.co.jp\/gp\/product\/B007PSIA8O'>Knog Blinder Front Light<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p>This is an LED light for the front of <span class='nobr'>a bicycle<\/span> (its light is white, as opposed to red for <span class='nobr'>a rear<\/span> light). <span class='nobr'>The LEDs are<\/span> <i>very<\/i> bright to look at, and <span class='nobr'>I got<\/span> this to augment the red Knog Blinder that <span class='nobr'>I already<\/span> had rear.\nFor safety, especially in tunnels, <span class='nobr'>I want a<\/span> light so that <span class='nobr'>I can<\/span> be seen, and that's what this light does, even in daylight. <span class='nobr'>It's really<\/span> really bright.<\/p>\n\n<p>I leave it flashing on the front of my bike as <span class='nobr'>a matter<\/span> of policy, all day. If it's <span class='nobr'>a really<\/span> long ride, <span class='nobr'>I may have<\/span> to\nrecharge it with the power brick noted above, but I've had to do that only once so far when I'd forgotten to fully charge it\nbefore heading out for the day.<\/p>\n\n<\/td><\/tr><\/table>\n\n<p>And since this post is ostensibly about my birthday, let me share <span class='nobr'>a birthday<\/span> story that my sister sent recently,\nabout her husband Marty's birthday:<\/p>\n\n<div style='padding-left:1em; border-left: 5px solid #888; margin-left:1em'>\n<p>Considering it's your birthday, <span class='nobr'>I have a<\/span> funny birthday story to tell you.<\/p>\n\n<p>Marty's birthday was a couple of weeks ago. <span class='nobr'>A few weeks<\/span> before that,\nthe kids and <span class='nobr'>I were<\/span> badgering him for ideas about what he wanted for his\nbirthday. <span class='nobr'>The evening<\/span> that conversation took place (Come on, Marty, give\nme <span class='nobr'>a hint!<\/span>) <span class='nobr'>I just<\/span> happened to leave Firefox open on my computer to\nAmazon.\u00a0\u00a0 When <span class='nobr'>I sat<\/span> down at my desk the next morning after Marty went to\nwork - there it was!\u00a0\u00a0 The hint! <span class='nobr'>In the Amazon<\/span> shopping cart had <span class='nobr'>a little<\/span>\n<span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>1<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> in it - and it was <span class='nobr'>a pair<\/span> of bicycling gloves in Extra Large that\nlooked <span class='nobr'>a lot<\/span> like the pair he'd had for years!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wow! <span class='nobr'>He must need<\/span> <span class='nobr'>a\nreplacement<\/span> pair!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What <span class='nobr'>a cute<\/span> way to let me know what he wanted!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Of\ncourse, <span class='nobr'>I ordered<\/span> it immediately. <span class='nobr'>It took a<\/span> long time to arrive, so it\nwas <span class='nobr'>a good<\/span> thing we had several other gifts to give him on his birthday. <span class='nobr'>But when the<\/span> gloves finally arrived, <span class='nobr'>I tucked<\/span> it under his pillow for <span class='nobr'>a\nvery<\/span> late gift.<\/p>\n\n<p>Words cannot describe the blankness of his face as <span class='nobr'>I cheerfully<\/span> told him\nthe present he had hinted at had finally arrived.\u00a0\u00a0 <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span><i>You know, the one you\nput in the cart on Amazon?<\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> was followed by an even more profoundly\nthorough blankness.\u00a0\u00a0 After <span class='nobr'>a polite<\/span> but baffled thank you, he gently\nreminded me that he never, ever, under any circumstances buys any type of\nglove before trying it on, and would never order them online.\u00a0\u00a0 After my\nresponse of <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span><i>Well, why did you put it in the cart, then!<\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>, the conversation\nsort of went downhill.\u00a0 <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span><i>Well *I* didn't!<\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>\u00a0 <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span><i><span class='nobr'>I didn't!<\/span><\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>\u00a0 <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span><i>Well, do you\nthink the kids did it?<\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <span class='nobr'>A vaguely<\/span> irritated and thoroughly bewildered truce\nwas called.<\/p>\n\n<p>It was maybe 5 minutes later that realization dawned, at which point <span class='nobr'>I\nsheepishly<\/span> mentioned to Marty that, <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span><i>you know, Jeffy sometimes borrows my Amazon\naccount.<\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>\u00a0 And Marty noted that, <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span><i>well, he's been into biking lately<\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>.\nAnyway, the gloves are on their way to Japan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Hah! I ordered some stuff through her account during\n<a href='\/blog\/2015-03-23\/2543'>my recent vacation in The States<\/a>, and had apparently\nleft the gloves in the shopping cart. <span class='nobr'>How convenient<\/span> for me! <span class='nobr'>I use them<\/span> on every ride now.<\/p>\n\n<p>Thanks Marci!<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My birthday was in April, so in the \"Happy Birthday To Me\" spirit, I'll consider anything interesting I've acquired in the last few months a birthday present to myself. Much of it is related to cycling, which I've been getting into.<\/p> <p>Anyway, here are some mini reviews on some of the stuff, in case others' find any of it useful...<\/p> <p><b>Apple iPhone 6+<\/b><\/p> <p>My old iPhone 4s was feeling old. I replaced the battery in March, but it still couldn't hold a charge, so I thought it was a good time to upgrade. The 6+ has been really useful on [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}