Update Roundup (165 - 180/365)

Holy moly.  It's been one heck of a hiatus.  Let's see if I can recap the past couple of weeks day-by-day...  There will be a few days' worth of writing missing since I can't remember what I wanted to write about those days.  I should really note those topics down in my notebook...

04 February 2013 - 10 February 2013:

I couldn't break these dates apart.  Not really.  Things were crazy that week - I spent all of my time prepping with the Joes for the annual Tet Festival.  If I wasn't at school or work, I was at Sis's to prep food or shop for food prepping.  The weekend of the festival (08 - 10 February 2013), I spent 12 hours of each day doing nothing more than driving back and forth between the festival and the shops to stock up on supplies.  It was crazy.  I'm glad that's over...  Seriously.  The most down time I had was about an hour to grab a bite to eat throughout the entire weekend.

07 February 2013:

This date deserves a special notation.  :)  *mwah*  I love you, Hubby.  :3

11 February 2013:

Class was freaken chilly!  Good thing Hubby gave me his TAD Ranger LT to wear.

12 February 2013:

On one of the days during the festival run, I made use of my Goal Zero setup.  :D  It worked out very well for me!  Considering that I was running back and forth all day, phone constantly ringing, I needed a way to keep my phone charged without access to an outlet.

To remedy this, I had my Nomad 7.0 sitting on the dash of my car, connected to my Guide 10+.  :)  So it was charging all day while I was doing my stocking runs... :D

14 February 2013:

 Happy Valentine's Day!   :3  Hubby got me a Titus.

 15 February 2013:

I made breakfast for the first time in a long time.  :D  There's Titus again.

*****  That's pretty much it for this update.  I can't remember anything else.  ;)  I do know one thing though... I love my Hubby.  :3  *****

Goal Zero Guide 10+ : 1 Month Later (130/365)

So I've had this Guide 10+ battery pack from Goal Zero for nearly a month now.  It's served me well so far and I'm really happy with it.

I know that there are other gadgets out there at the same price point that can do the job better, but here are some reasons why I chose this one in particular:

1. I really like the ability to connect and charge it via solar power to the Goal Zero Nomad 7 panel.
2. Unlike lithium battery packs (such as NewTrent and Anker), I can replace the AA/AAA batteries should they ever get shot.  Should the lithium ones get shot, I'd have to buy a whole new unit.
3. In a pinch, I have backup AA/AAA cells for my other gadgets (namely flashlights) if I ever need them.
4. It's about the size of a deck of cards, so it really doesn't take up that much space.  While I wouldn't EDC this in my pocket (okay, maybe jacket pocket), it easily rides in any of my bags/purses.

The Guide 10+ unit will charge my Motorola Atrix (whose battery is 1800mAh) 1 - 2 times.  Not necessarily twice fully, but good enough to get me through the day until I can get home to the wall charger.  If I cannot, there's always the solar option...

There seems to be the tendency that once I whip out this little thing and charge up my phone, while out with friends, those around me will also need/want to use it.  The "downside" in comparison to a NewTrent is that it just doesn't hold that much power.  I can hardly charge up my phone let alone my friends.  Which is why (in the picture above) I carry an extra set of cells with me.  For about the same price, I could get a NewTrent 7000mAh power pack, which should be able to do the same job as my current GZ setup.  However, this setup was bought purely for my own personal use, so it's fine as is.  And the above points still apply.  :)

I had thought about getting a spare battery for my phone, specifically, but why spend the extra $$$ when I have this?  Sure it's a little bulkier to carry (especially with having to make sure I have the charging cable), but whatever.  :)  The bit of hassle is well worth putting my hard earned money elsewhere, I think.  :D