Category: Male

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Now for something different.

I’ve been looking at wallets.

The one I have been using for 10 – 12 years is still more or less in good shape.

It’s a bit of a traditional wallet style that I’ve been finding more uncomfortable to sit on.

I started looking at a variety of wallets, some traditional, and some of the new non-traditional versions. 

My previous leather wallet was made by BelRoy and it’s a great wallet.

Unfortunately, they’re not making that version anymore, or anything like it.

After searching and mulling it over for months, I noticed I kept coming back to the Ridge wallets. 

www.ridge.com

For the record, I’ve not been paid, or compensated in any way by them.

I ordered one of their RFID blocking wallets in “Burnt Damascus”.

They upsold me with a Valentines day special, to their “daily driver kit”, which includes their key case.

I thought okay, why the heck not? I’m worth it. At check out they made me a great deal on a pen.

Awww, why the hell not? This is my Valentines present to myself.

To this order I added their AirTag Holders for both the wallet and the key case.

I’m not going to go through all the florid unpacking details.

The packaging is nice, direct, and sturdy.

In the wallet box are spare screws, a fairly decent Torx T-5 screwdriver and two replacement elastic straps.

One strap is used to keep tension on the plates that hold credit cards. The other strap is to act as a money strap, holding a small selection of bills.

In the wallet AirTag holder box, in addition to the AirTag holder, is a screwdriver, a couple of extra screws and two more replacement elastic straps.

In the Pen box, is just the pen.

In the key case box there is the key case, a flat bladed tool to open the case, two metal rings, (typical spiral loops) one large, one small. 

The AirTag holder for the key case is just flexible plastic, requiring no tools but also comes with the two metal rings.

From a presentation standpoint the packaging is really nice. It appeals to my sense of aesthetics.

So, here’s where we are, 3 days after getting the package. 

First, I like the wallet. It’s solid. The Damascus is a simulation of Damascus steel and it’s got texture. I like that because since my wallet lives in my front pocket now, it’s nice to have something to grip.

I wasn’t sure I would like the wallet. It’s a very radical departure from what I’ve carried all my life. I thought I’d be testing out their return policy. Oh, about their return policy, it’s very generous and impacted my purchasing decision.

I did not however, like the AirTag attached to the wallet.

This is not a problem with Ridge, the build quality of the wallet and the AirTag holder is good. They both have heft and the metals are solid.

The problem was that I wanted a thinner wallet and the AirTag adds thickness that defeated my goal in getting a new wallet..

I went back to the original wallet design. I’m planning to purchase a different device that is shaped like a credit card and supports Apple’s FindMy functionality. Due to the shape it will not significantly increase the thickness of the wallet. 

The thing I really like is that the wallet is clean, simple, and fits easily in my front pocket.

The key case is also nicely built, but a touch awkward with my front door key. The awkwardness is that the key is not round, or hexagonal in shape. The door key is this weird trapezoid shape.

That being said, it’s nice to have the keys all contained and silent. The containment is accomplished with a simple compression plate made of spring steel. 

The key case is not suitable for keys like the larger car key fobs common with BMW, Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes, and others.

It’s only going to hold onto the traditional flat keys like house keys. The picture shows the scale of my car key with the key case. 

There is a pocket clip on the back of the key case. I found that I don’t like it. The bent end is somewhat sharp, and getting in & out of the car that clip catches on the seat.

It could scratch leather or possibly tear your seat getting in or out of the vehicle. Since I had the handy T-5 I removed the clip. In doing so I discovered that the clip was secured in place by the spring clip that holds the keys in place. It only took a moment to fix.

I added the carabiner to tie everything together for the moment, I’m probably going to be revisiting the arrangement several times over the next few weeks.

Thus far I’m pleased. This has forced me to carry only what I need, and I expect that as time goes on, I’ll be thinning it out even more.

Why the change?

Part of this came about after using Apple’s MagSafe wallet.

I found that I didn’t need to always carry a big lump in my back pocket.

The problem with the MagSafe wallet was its 3 card limit. I also didn’t like having to remove it from the phone to access the cards. They say 3 credit cards. That’s BS it’s 2 cards because one slot is taken by your ID.

So my combo when using the Apple MagSafe wallet was ID, Debit Card, & Credit Card. Then I was off to have drinks with friends.

Since most credit card purchases can be accomplished using tap to pay, from the Apple digital Wallet in my phone or from my watch,  I don’t need to carry a wad of credit or debit cards. The exception seems to be gas pumps. In my area they almost never have the tap to pay system operational.

My proof of insurance cards, also live in the Apple wallet, so I don’t need to carry them either.

I like having cash on me. It doesn’t have to be much, but it’s a little security blanket. In that regard, the Apple MagSafe wallet wasn’t cutting it.

Originally I was looking for a MagSafe compatible wallet from another vendor than Apple. That led me down several unproductive rabbit holes. Ridge makes a few MagSafe compatible wallets but none of the available colors struck my fancy.

Eventually, I thought maybe MagSafe wasn’t that big an issue. I use wireless charging so I’d have to take the wallet off to use wireless charging or MagSafe mounting. 

The more I thought about it, the more I concluded that a straight up wallet was probably better. I can grab the phone, wallet, and keys, on my way out the door. 

The pen is great. It’s simple, well balanced, a bit thicker than some of my other pens and is comfortable to write with. It uses a standard Parker refill so when I need to replace the cartridge it’s not going to be a hassle. 

Parker cartridges are easy to find in a variety colors, and fine, or medium line thicknesses. 

For comparison, pen is what Ridge calls “Burnt Titanium” it’s more of a matte finish. I was strongly considering the Wallet, and Key Case in this color.

The “Burnt Damascus” is a little more shiny and reflective than I thought it would be. But I like it.

So here’s some closing thoughts.

I feel like Ridge has designed these products to be customized. You can mix & match, add & remove features and attachments easily. 

It’s like they send you the basic model and invite you to make it your own. 

I’m still fiddling but I’m mostly comfortable with what I’ve gotten to now. 

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Sleepless on the mountain

I’d fallen asleep on the couch for a few minutes. 

It was near bedtime so when I woke up I just relocated to bed. I started to drift off and then something happened. I’m not sure what, but I was wide awake. There were the usual creaks and sounds of the house, but for some reason they seemed louder.

Then I was thinking of all the stuff I need to do, which led to what do I want to do, which led to how do I do it, and the links in the chain went on & on from there.

Eventually, I decided to get up. After all, there’s no need to toss & turn in bed keeping Jesse awake.

His response to my sleeplessness was to sigh in an annoyed way. Once I left the bed, he curled up right in the middle of the bed. I guess I’m not going to be allowed to get back in the bed until I’ve settled down.

Something has me unsettled. I don’t know what it is. There’s something familiar about it, but it’s been too long for me to be able to put my finger on it.

I’m debating pouring myself a small drink to see if that will allow me to relax enough to go to sleep.

I haven’t had a problem sleeping like this in a very long time. I’m really wound up and I have no clue why.

Maybe I’ll try writing some. I’m wondering if I’ve got an idea percolating that needs to be written then I’ll be able to sleep.

It’s possible it’s the moonlight although it’s not a full moon, it’s a bright and clear night.

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I made it through another anniversary

Two years ago last night, Jerry died. So did a big piece of my heart. Oh, he was a pain in my ass, I suppose I was a pain in his as well. I guess that’s part of relationships. We loved each other and I miss him.

I was a little emotional through the day. I walked the dog, finished de-christmassing the house, made dinner, poured myself a drink and listened to music. I went to bed about the normal time and slept soundly. I do remember some fragments of dreams but nothing coherent.

I didn’t drink to excess. I woke up more or less in a decent mood. 

I haven’t gotten anything much done today. I played on X too damn much. I’m willing to forgive myself for that.

I need to settle down, and to apply for a bunch of jobs. I doubt that I’ll get much if any response. But I feel like I have to try.

As I said, the Christmas tree and associated decorations are all put away. I was able to dispose of a box through consolidation. Going through the decorations was bittersweet.

I have sweet memories of the Christmases Jerry & I spent together.

Each ornament is special and since many of them were saved from the house fire in 2008 there is a greater significance to each.

The house is clean, (except the office,) the amount of stuff remaining to be tossed feels never-ending but I know I’m making progress.

The living, dining, kitchen, and master bedroom are less cluttered. They could all use more de-cluttering but these areas are lighter and more airy. I like it this way.

There is still much to do, and much to get rid of, but where I’m at and the direction I’m moving feels right and good.

The point is, this year while a bit rocky was better than last year. I’m better now and while I still miss him, it’s not the kind of pain it was. I’m stronger and somewhat optimistic.

Perhaps I’m trending toward happy?

 

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Uhhhgggg. I’ve caught a cold

The day after Christmas I was feeling out of sorts. Thursday night, the wind was howling through the area. It calmed down a bit during the day Friday. With the house shaking Thursday night, I slept only fitfully.

It’s possible that this isn’t a cold and that it’s just sinus irritation. Either way, I’m uncomfortable and run down.

The wind is still blowing this morning but it’s not like it’s been. One or two reports I’ve seen claimed there were 32 -35 MPH gusts.

I’m very tired. There are things that I should do but I suspect they’re going to remain undone. Maybe I’ll just watch a movie or two, after walking the dog. Sure I could just put him in the back yard, but he really looks forward to our walks and honestly so do I.

That’s why there’s the good things tag on this post. Yeah I may be feeling like crap but even feeling like I do, I still enjoy the morning walk.

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Not to be a wet blanket…

Donald trump.I don’t mean to be a bummer here, but I’ve been noticing in recent weeks, particularly since the election, that everybody seems think Donald Trump is going to be able to fix everything all at once.

Having these kinds of expectations, I think that this is going to create substantial amount of disappointment. There’s no way he can walk into office day one no matter how well prepared he is, and take us back to the land of plenty.

I have no doubt that he’s going to walk into office and make sweeping changes but it’s going to take a while for those sweeping changes to trickle down to the average person.

Trump is not a messiah. He’s a man and some of his ideas will be good others, not so much.

Taxes are not going to drop instantly, food prices aren’t going to be suddenly affordable, interest rates won’t drop instantly either.

We will still be carrying a lot of the burden that the Biden administration has saddled us with and it’s going to take some time for those bad decisions to get unwound. Then there’s a whole question of whether or not some of these poor decisions can be unwound in the first place.

It’s entirely possible that the rhinos in Congress in cahoots with the damn Democrats in Congress will find a way to continue to screw us.

There’s also the beginnings of some kind of “green energy” scandal that the main stream media is not covering. I’ve seen now two blips about it. One was on Breitbart and the other was in another alternative reporting system, whose name escapes me. A point of interest is, this Biden administration scandal sounds a lot like Solyndra 2.0.

It’s a ticking time bomb. It will probably explode shortly after Trump takes Office. Trump will end up having it hung around his neck, the media, and particularly the Democrats, who are really upset that Trump won in the first place, are going to point to Trump and say it was his problem, his scandal, he created it.

Once that hits the media, it’s going to be just like the “Very Fine People”, or the “Trump cleared rioters from a Church for a photo op”, or “Tump grabs women by the pussy”, misrepresentations or outright hoaxes.

It’ll probably create just enough confusion that we have to have congressional investigations and a long drawn out hearings, and all of that just to find out that the scandal actually started because of a Biden administration mismanagement.

I’m not saying that the Biden administration was, you know, the right hand of Satan. I also don’t think that Joe Biden or Kamala Harris were fully cognizant of everything that’s been going on.

I really suspect that the hands behind the Biden administration are a bunch of ultra left new world order nut jobs, and they created a situation where we had government running amok bypassing what few controls or limitations on power were still functioning.

I also think that Trump will, at the very least delay or otherwise throw one hell of a monkey wrench into the new world order types grandiose plans for a “perfect world”. That alone may buy time for others, like DOGE and voters to effect enough change that we can turn back the clock on corruption.

If we’re lucky…