It's been a while since my last gear review, and I've had a chance to really put these through the ringer, so here it goes...
Ok, to be honest, I used to throw away their catalog (dumb mailing lists!) I mean, c'mon, the "toughest clothes on the planet?" Limited selection of products, kinda pricey, etc. Well, after trying some of their stuff over the past couple years, I'm a fan.
And now for the review. I bought my first pair of Weather Pants last fall. At $80 retail, I had to think of them not as your general, run of the mill pants, but as a piece of gear. As the temperature began to drop here in Wisconsin, I started layering underneath them, using them as a shell pant.
First of all, they're built like a tank, but surprisingly light weight & nice technical features. You can wear these year round. The nylon dries quickly if they get wet, plus the butt & knees are reinforced with a heavier nylon. As an added bonus, they look nice enough that you can teach a college lecture or two in them & not look like you're just in from the backcountry.
Buy 'em with confidence, and don't let the sticker price fool ya. They're a true workhorse, extremely versatile & worth every penny (plus, as of the day of this post, they're still on sale for $39.50 at www.railriders.com.)
I remember purchasing my first Palm handheld in 1996, back in the days when they were still US Robotics and made in the USA. Since then I've owned 6 models, ending with my Palm T/X. Though I've switched to WinMo smartphones (HTC Touch is my current phone), I've always had an affection for Palm, but with an operating system that's remained relatively unchanged for a number of years, and hardware design that's been left in the dust by competing products, the future of Palm looked pretty bleak. Combine that with company "promises" of something new that have been fraught with delays, I had pretty much given up hope...
Until now.
Palm unveiled the Palm Prē at this year's CES, a new smartphone that appears to be worth the wait. Full touchscreen, slideout keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a user interface that some early reviewers are gushing over makes this a Palm to get excited about. Due out in early 2009, it'll be exclusively available through Sprint, but if the Palm Centro's term of exclusivity with Sprint of 90 days is an indicator of how long we'll have to wait, it may not be long before this device is available through other carriers.
As a long-time Palm fan, all I can say after viewing available video demonstrations and photos is "nice job!" It's been a long time coming.
Jen's been asking me the last couple days, "have you written it yet? Did you write the post yet?"
Ok, here's the story. The Friday after Christmas, Jen & I were staying at her mom's house & were taking advantage of a very willing babysitter to have a night out.
After sitting at the top of Grandad's Bluff, talking about the roller coaster this holiday season has been without my mom, Jen asked where I'd like to go for dinner. For those of you who know me, my comfort food is Chinese food. My mom & I would occasionally hit area buffets followed by leisurely browsing through the nearest book store. It was one of our "things." The food's not exactly Jen's first choice, but she was game, especially considering my emotional state, so off we went.
Our first warning signal should've been the fact that there were only six other people in the restaurant, at 7pm on a Friday night. Strike two was the limited, unremarkable selection of food in the buffet. Those sauteed green beans had obviously been sitting there for a while.
After finishing our first plates, we sat talking for a few minutes, very softly since no one else in the restaurant was talking. Seriously, Twilight Zone stuff! I was just about to get a small 2nd plate when one of the staff, mopping the floor by the food lines, loudly snorted & cleared his throat like he had a 50lb wad of phlegm in his mouth.
Uh, yeah. I was done. Strike three! Check please?
I had to try so hard not to laugh as we paid our bill & quickly made our way to the exit. Once clear of the door, I lost it. Fearing she'd been scarred for life, I offered with a smile, "for the foreseeable future, I will not ask you to eat at Chinese buffet."
The night wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the book store.
It's been a while since my last gear review, and I've had a chance to really put these through the ringer, so here it goes...
