my edc is banned during dating...

So I took my girl to Museum of Natural History to see frog exhibition... We didn't know that we would have to wait since it wasn't just a regular exhibition but sort of an every half an hour tour.

So...

We get there and have an hour to kill so we started walking around. We both know the museum inside out but seeing it together is fun. We get to the tropical forrest section which had night animals. So everyone is trying to locate five animals hidden in the bushes. It is kinda hard because they are stationary (stuffed) and well hiden. Well my girl is trying hard and I felt sorry for her so I just took out my ARC 4 and lighted it up. I quickly located five animals and discovered a mouse as well. Everyone started laughing and she just rolled her eyes and said "oh my god you are such a dork"...

Well also I used my Wave to fix her neckless and my knife during the picnic, my lighter to light the candles and latex gloves to fix her drain. Not too mention my photon freedom that generated smooth light on th table during dinner in the backyard.

I'm such a dork... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Matt

LOL great story Matt.

Dont feel too bad, my buddies give me HELL for my lights.
They call me the "local flashlight nerd", I hear that comment a few times a day,,,
Then night rolls around... "hey man, can I see your light?" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

I like to then hand them an un-modded mini mag.
Pisses them off. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I think after I let them use a few hundred dollars worth of lights on our camping/caving trip, I wont be hear, as many, comments. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

-John

After the most recent blackout when I provided lights for my neighbors and hall lighting for my building's lobby there was a definite change in attitude.

Brightnorm

Matt, I feel your pain. Cheese Louise!

- I carry my pocket knives at work -- "You have a real knife, can I borrow it? These box cutters just don't work."
- I carry a Leatherman tool all the time -- "Can I borrow that to tighten this? There's never a screwdriver around..."
- And of course, I have real flashlights -- "I can't see anything in here. Where's your flashlight (which one?)?" At other times, it's "The power is out again. Where are all the flashlights? Ah, here's one... Aw, nuts, it doesn't have any batteries... and the bulb is shot in this one."

So, you must know that the most frequently asked question I get is... (a drum roll, please)

"Why do you carry all that stuff around with you?"

It really is true that most people couldn't find their butt with a compass and a guide dog.

Plus, as Andy Rooney would say, Didja ever notice that when the power goes out, people will ask you why and how soon it's coming back on? It's as if they think you did it.

I just tell 'em it's because little, teeny, tiny electrons stopped moving inside the wires and that the power will come back on when they feel like moving again, but that I can't really say when their coffee break is going to be over, or if maybe they are holding out for a pay raise. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

PS - Forgot to mention that the last two or three concerts I've been to at clubs, when the bands took a break and started selling merchandise and CD's, they're always poking around in the dark. Being a flashlight geek, I whip out a 5 watter, and ta-da! A nice white spot appears. The band member/roadie looks up totally stunned, then gets a sh*teating grin, and goes digging thru the gear and gives me a big thumbs up. Makes me very popular with the bands, but my wife just rolls her eyes. Go figure.

What a dork!

Me too.

Great story.

Kudos on your clever display of skilled flashlightmenship.

- Jeff

Man, all my coworkers think I am the poop! I always have my leatherman with me and they come ask me for it. And I frequently use my Chive to open boxes and even my E1 Surefire when the power goes off. As far as the husband unit goes, he usually has the light with him when we go to estate sales and need to look into the backs of closets or garages. Also comes in handy when we are shopping for antique furniture. He will bust out his light and climb under a table to look for makers marks or things like that. Best way to get her to not call you a dork anymore? Buy her a bad *** light of her own. Better yet, buy her just a pretty good light and a Tiffany bracelet to go with it. That should keep the dork comments to a minimum. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Prepared Dorks Unite!!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif We "Dorks" are the first to find the exits when the lights fail! So there.

roflmao....

[ QUOTE ]
flashlight_widow said:
Better yet, buy her just a pretty good light and a Tiffany bracelet to go with it. That should keep the dork comments to a minimum. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Again it is confirmed. If you want useful advice about women...ask a woman.

OK, look, any one who'd think we're dorks for having such obviously cool taste in these technological marvels is NOT worth hanging on to. Really cool women just flock to guys with lots of lumens. No way could any REAL woman resist a guy with a 5 watt luxeon in HA III with a clickie, especially if it's paired with one of those radical bright orange match cases from WallyWorld for the spare 123's. And if you can EDC it all on a neck chain... whoa baby! Dork? No way!

Besides, sooner or later it comes down to this...

Engagement ring or new lights?
New lights or engagement ring?

See? Choices like this could drive you crazy.

And admit it -- isn't the answer obvious?

Yes new lights. We broke up on Sunday. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Matt

sorry to here about your break up. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif at least you can get more lights now! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif just a word of advise all of your edc gadgets can be used to your advantage. it is all about descretion. you don't want to lay all your cards out on the table at once or all the time. if it is supposed to be fun to try and find something in the dark don't light it up with a flashlight, have fun trying to find it the hard way(ladies seem to like that). don't use a leatherman on a picnic for food (atleast with you gf) as she may find that "gross". use you fl when the power goes out or if you are on a dark street and she is "scared".use your leatherman when you need to fix something that is broken. use your lighter only if something needs to be lit. if you use it when it is needed you have "saved the day" and will be her "hero" but if you use them all the time and for things she would find strange you will just be the strange flashlight nerd to her. we are all flashlight nerds here but if you play you cards right we can be "heros" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif i have comforted my wife many times with my preparedness and the only time she calles me a flashlight nerd is when she comes in the computer room and sees me surfing cpf! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Broke up was for other reasons than my EDC which she said she would miss them always.

Matt

Good point. I carry everything concealed neatly. Nobody knows I have THREE lights including this huge Surefire C2 with lanyard and a SAK on me. Some don't even know I have two sets of keys and I like it that way /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

It's only when there's a real need that all the stuff shows up. And I'm still single at the moment, I just don't need coworkers and friends giving me wierd looks "You carry WHAT?" .... to them, the only EDC that's important is the handphone, which must obviously have customized logo, customized wallpaper, camera, Bluetooth AND IR modules, half a dozen covers, handsfree kit, polyphonic ringtone using all 65535 MIDI notes available, and the wierd part: more SMT LEDs stickered all over the phone than most of us have in the drawer at home!

Same folks think I'm crazy to carry ONE Luxeon 1W HD, one 5mm and an incan. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I paid a visit to the New Orleans D-Day Museum a few months ago. It was really terrific and greatly exceeded my expectations. It was very well done.

I could get right up to glass cases with documents and many 'tiny and wonderful things' from WWII. Many times I found that the items inside the cases were lit just a little too 'artistically' to be practical. I had my ARC-AA with me and I used it many, many times to read documents that I would have had to skip if I only had the existing lighting. I didn't bring the light for that purpose -- it was just my EDC at the time.

It really made it much more enjoyable. There were only a few times when I needed a little more light than the AA could provide. Next time I go to a museum I'll probably bring my INOVA 5XT.

We went to the Brooklyn Children's Museum over the weekend...my wife was taking her turn with my son in "Grandma's Basement" - a low-ceilinged space for little kids. They had displays of current and classic toys, and one display had a little flashlight attached to it that wasn't working. My wife asked to borrow my Arc AAA so she could see the display and show it to our son.
Slowly, slowly the EDC gets accepted.

Sorry Matt about your relationship. You know, another door opens and all that.

I went to the frog exhibit with my best friend's kids, the little one was vaguely interested, but really just wanted to walk around. The older one wanted to know why the frogs didn't talk and couldn't come out to play. It was fun!

I haven't dated in quite a few years, but my wife rarely asks me for a light these days, she just pulls out her Arc AAA HA (or her SOG crossgrip, or her Minigriptilian, or her Foxlabs spray, or ...)

daloosh

Did you go to the one in MONH? I was a bit dissapointed because I didn't see the poisonous dart frog which they so wildy advertise on the brochure.

Matt

Yup, at first the next free half hour time was like two hours later, but it changed to only half an hour while we were on line.

I didn't know there was a poisonous dart frog, because the little one was too busy eating the brochure!

daloosh

Matt - they have dart frogs at the Prospect Park Zoo, if you want to see some nearby.