The Adventures of Waldo Jr.

Anyone that has been around me personally know that there are two things I'm constantly worried about where they are: Waldo and Waldo Jr.

Waldo is this black leather Legal Jr Pad cover that can be zipped up.  It keeps my check-book, stamps, upcoming bills, and a lot of other financial paraphernalia. Back when my truck tended to be my office i kept Waldo there and it would migrate around the cab from time to time until I could locate it.  Now that I have Razorback, Waldo tends to stay in one place in the house and if I get it to do some financial transactions I replace it as soon as I'm done.  It's been a while since I've had a Where's Waldo episode.

Waldo Jr is my iPhone.  An old iPhone 4 that I have protected with a griffin rip off.  I tend to check on it's whereabout constantly.  I have a holder for it on Razorback.  It's connected to the handle bars so I can see if a text message come in, but that doesn't mean that I'll instantly answer. It allows to me to be aware plus I can charge it while it's on the cycle.

This evening I saddled up to go and take my dinner at the truck-stop at the interstate.  I started heading north and had just passed the highway and Church street intersection when something hit me:  Literally!  Even tho I placed Waldo Jr in it's cradle I failed to properly secured it.  Waldo Jr was what hit me as it came out of it's cradle and went flying into  the road.  I was able to fight the impulse to jump off a moving cycle and dive after the phone but emergency stopping maneuvers was now in order.  I came to a stop at the entrance to Moreland Oaks.

I whipped my head around to see if I could spot where Waldo Jr laid in the road and a course this was one of those times when a portal had opened to allow a bazillion cars to transverse this same section of road.  I had to wait until the traffic died down a smidge before I could turn the cycle around and head back looking.  I used the emergency flashers on Razorback in an attempt to keep all these other drivers from trying to use me as a speed bump.  The attempt was successful.  I went back as far as the Church St. intersection again and saw nothing.  I parked the bike at that old service station that has had various other uses in the decades since it last service cars traversing the highways.  I dismounted and started walking the shoulder trying to spot what I feared was only bits and pieces of Waldo Jr. on the road.  I walked against traffic back to the entrance to Moreland Oaks crossed the road and then walking against traffic again I headed back towards Razorback.  Two doors down from the entrance to  Moreland Oaks I spotted Waldo Jr. in the grass in the yard, face down.  

Waldo was laying there without it's protected case and I picked it up with the anticipation of finding the face cracked and the phone not working.  I turned it over and Miracle of Miracles!  not only was there no cracks on the face but the phone came on and worked like nothing happened.  A diligent search around the area and I found the case and it's faceplate.  It had taken minor damaged and I'm going to go ahead and replace it, but for now it's still serviceable.  

Stuff like this is making me old before my time.

Just an update: Waldo Jr got some new digs.  Check it out.