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11/20/2003 Archived Entry: "Great Gadgets and Gizmos, Part 1 -- The Basics"

I've been accused throughout my life of being a gadget man, and maybe to a small extent it's true. But I consider my gadgets serious tools in most cases -- I don't spend my money easily or quickly. I prefer quality over quantity, so when I do buy something, I rarely buy the cheapest. Value and quality are high on my list of priorities.

That said, I thought I'd do a series of entries on my favorite tools, or gadgets, if you prefer, that I find of value in my motorcoach driving career. This is the first of the series -- "The Basics."

There are three basic tools I never leave home without: my coffee cup, my cell phone, and (usually) my umbrella.

The coffee cup, pictured above right, is a stainless steel insulated mug with an extra wide bottom. Not only does it keep my coffee warm for hours, but the wide bottom makes it practical in nearly any kind of vehicle, whether it has a cup holder or not. I like to keep the cup holder for other drinks -- usually a bottle of water, for instance. I usually set the coffee mug on a flat area of the dash on the MCI motorcoaches I drive, and it stays put whether it's full or empty, even around curves -- I've never had it tip over or spill. That's as important as keeping the coffee hot. This mug, labeled "Nissan Stainless," was purchased at Coffee Beanery for about $30.

My current cell phone is an LG VX4400 clamshell design from Verizon. I found from my experience that Verizon seems to have the best coverage nationwide, so that's what I stick with, even though their phone selection isn't as advanced as some of the other carriers (they still don't have a Bluetooth-compatible model, for instance). I almost always give the group leader my personal cell phone number to reach me if they should need to get ahold of me for any reason, rather than the coach's cell phone, so I'm not tied to the coach all day. The company doesn't pay for personal cell phones (at least, not yet), so some drivers refuse to use them. But the convenience is worth the extra cost to me, and I figure I make it up in tips once in a great while when the group was able to get ahold of me because of unplanned changes. I've never had a group misuse my phone number after giving it to them. And I figure if I'm on the clock, they should have a way of reaching me.

In addition to the obvious uses, this particular cell phone has two other features I use frequently when traveling: an alarm clock and a digital voice recorder. The alarm clock is very loud, and very easy to use; I frequently set it to remind me of pick up times in case I take a nap on the coach and fall asleep. It's also my alarm clock when I'm in a hotel, and a second alarm at home. The digial voice recorder is great to take verbal notes when you're driving and can't conveniently write something down -- for example, your mileage as you cross a state line.

If there's any threat of inclement weather, I take my umbrella along, too. It's a Totes automatic umbrella -- easy to put up or down with just one hand. It's also large enough for two people -- it will cover me and a passenger exiting the coach when it's raining. Cost was about $25-$30.