Be the signal

Silly memories and reflections on stuff.

• The lovely Dell X300 laptop, which they don’t sell anymore. It was really a rebadged Samsung, so not the usual Dell crapola. 7.5 times better than the X40, mostly because it had a trackpad instead of a clit. Lost about five weeks of mail, photos and work while I’ve been away.
• New Pentax Optio camera, bought at Sydney Airport the day I left for 3BT (I still have the box in my bag), to replace the one that was stolen during my last trip to Portland. Fie!
• Pipka’s hand-me-down Palm Tungsten W, which I started using when she upgraded to the Treo 650. Didn’t have either of our lives stored on it. Phew.
• Totally counterfeit Hugo Boss jacket wallet Pipka found in China. Perfect match, well-loved and falling apart.
• Pant was, at face value, a piece of material torn by a reckless nymphomaniac from the cuff of an old pair of white, corduroy jeans. But it was more than that, and very disappointing to lose. It has been with me, tucked safely into a long history of jacket wallets, for years. You can see Pant on the front page of perkypants.org.
• 18+ proof of age photo identity card, which can be used in place of a driver’s license in Australia. I guess that means I’ll have to get my learner’s permit, which will please Pipka greatly. A funny story goes with the photo on the card: The day before it was taken I had my long hair cut to just above shoulder length (I didn’t want to lose it!), which turned out to look exactly the same as my then girlfriend’s hairstyle. My head was shaved the next day.
• My only functional credit card (one had expired at the end of October), a pretty random set of healthcare and membership cards (including a history of SLUG membership slips), a bunch of receipts collected during 3BT and $200 Canadian.
• Gowings shoulder satchel, which has served me well for many years. In the secret back pocket, I had another collection of receipts, and a cross-over cable. I had a bunch of business cards and notes in the front pocket. I had lots of little bits and pieces in the bag, including my three power adapters (UK, USA and Europe).
• My Little Green Book. Possibly the most disappointing loss, my LGB had notes from everything in it. I took it everywhere. Jane found it particularly amusing, having seen it during business meetings in Dublin (release schedules and ‘enterprise’ requirements), and noticed its presence at my wedding (the groom’s speech notes). It was a scrapbook with serious scope.