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Promise Me, Son, Not To Do The Thing I Did.


New England n00b

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OK all you n00bies like me, here's something for ya. Todays lesson is: always use current data! ;)

 

In the first example, I had printed out several cache pages a week or more before I went to visit the site (there are a few in the same park here).

 

Stale paper data!

 

In the second example, I (as a premium member) run Pocket Queries to update my Palm III (using Cachemate) so I can cache whenever the time/mood hits me. Well, if I had gotten the PQ's which had basically JUST RUN into the Palm, I wouldn't have wasted my time and potentially gotten into trouble by going here:

 

Stale PQ data!

 

So, you may all laugh at me now, I deserve it. <_< Just remember: NEW DATA is good data!

 

Um, okay... you can all stop laughing. C'mon, it wasn't that funny... :wacko: Man, you guys are hurting my feelings!

 

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OK, I'll add another bit of wisdom to this thread.

 

I prefer to sign logs in ink, with a ballpoint that I carry with me while I cache. For some reason I had taken to putting the pen in my jeans pocket rather than back in my pack after signing, making trades, etc. (A few of you know where this is headed already...).

 

Fast forward a few days and one load of laundry later. My wife begins pulling the clotes out of the dryer, then calls me over. The inside of the dryer and all of the clothes that are in there are covered in ink! Not only do I have to clean the dryer, experimenting with ever-increasingly strong solvents, but we also have to replace several pieces of clothing that can now never be worn in the office again.

 

Expensive lesson learned. I swore I would check my pockets before placing anything in the laundry basket again.

 

Would you believe I did the SAME THING about a month later?!?

 

Needless to say, I now sign logs with my favorite mechanical pencil and I ALWAYS check my pockets before putting anything in the laundry basket.

 

I hope everyone learns from my mistakes. ;)

 

S-4-C

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OK, I'll add another bit of wisdom to this thread.

 

I prefer to sign logs in ink, with a ballpoint that I carry with me while I cache. For some reason I had taken to putting the pen in my jeans pocket rather than back in my pack after signing, making trades, etc. (A few of you know where this is headed already...).

 

Fast forward a few days and one load of laundry later. My wife begins pulling the clotes out of the dryer, then calls me over. The inside of the dryer and all of the clothes that are in there are covered in ink! Not only do I have to clean the dryer, experimenting with ever-increasingly strong solvents, but we also have to replace several pieces of clothing that can now never be worn in the office again.

 

Expensive lesson learned. I swore I would check my pockets before placing anything in the laundry basket again.

 

Would you believe I did the SAME THING about a month later?!?

 

Needless to say, I now sign logs with my favorite mechanical pencil and I ALWAYS check my pockets before putting anything in the laundry basket.

 

I hope everyone learns from my mistakes. :P

 

S-4-C

Hey, in case you're fuzzycacheheaded enough to do that again, rubbing alcohol takes out ink.

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Here's another Noob error......

 

My cache partner, (my 7 y/o son) and I headed out to hunt for a cache near our house. Hunted and hunted for at least an hour, anyway he asked if I could've gotten the coordinates wrong, which after about 45 minutes I began to ask myself that question. About 15 minutes after dark we decided to bag it and try again the next day. After getting home I checked cache page for the coordinates. I got them right, but didn't noticed until then that it was a Micro cache....DOH!!! :P

 

Since he is only 7 we try to stick the regular caches. He gets such a kick out of finding them and trading toys, especially hat pins.

 

Anyway, my learned lesson is to thoroughly read them and make sure it is a regular.

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Here's another Noob error......

 

My cache partner, (my 7 y/o son) and I headed out to hunt for a cache near our house. Hunted and hunted for at least an hour, anyway he asked if I could've gotten the coordinates wrong, which after about 45 minutes I began to ask myself that question. About 15 minutes after dark we decided to bag it and try again the next day. After getting home I checked cache page for the coordinates. I got them right, but didn't noticed until then that it was a Micro cache....DOH!!! :P

 

Since he is only 7 we try to stick the regular caches. He gets such a kick out of finding them and trading toys, especially hat pins.

 

Anyway, my learned lesson is to thoroughly read them and make sure it is a regular.

Yup - I've done that, and used stale cache info as well. Went mucking around in a near wet land on a night cache hunt and finally gave it up. A quick check noted the cache had been archived for 2 months. Did that twice. Decided to learn before the the 3rd time. :P

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Been there, done that--after looking for a few caches that are no longer there and looking for a regular sized cache when I should have been looking for a micro, I've bookmarked the WAP site on my cell phone, and so far, it's saved me from wandering around in the woods with no apparent purpose.

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Did anybody notice the newbie logging a find on his "stale paper data" example even though there was no cache to be found?

 

I spent 20 minutes at a 1 star cache and made the realization that the cache was in fact gone. When I tried to log my DNF, I found out the cache was archived. This is what happens when you do a PQ with GSAK and then hunt the caches a month later.

 

 

I locked my keys in my truck, while looking for a cache on my way to work. I had to call my wife at 0605 hours to come unlock my truck door. She was sleeping and she had to wake up our 2 1/2 year old first, before driving 20 miles to save my butt. I made it to work with 1 minute to spare!.

 

This was after we had a little discussion about geocaching too much :P . Needless to say, I lost my GPS for a week :P . I made the mistake of "sharing" my story with one coworker, and now my story was printed in a monthly magazine seen by 20,000 employees of the county in which I work :D .

 

Now I'm a more stealthy cacher :D , I prefer to to one quick cache on the way to work.

 

I have also destroyed a load of white laundry (including two of my favorite shirts) because of the pen trick.

 

Bill,

Edited by Kit Fox
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Hide-a-key :) , they work great. Saved me a few times, when hunting or fishing miles from home. I place one outside the auto with just the door key in it. No, No, No, not in the gas tank cover. Then hide the ignition key inside. No, No, No, don't hide it in the ashtray, on the sun visor, in the glove box. It's the first place people would look. Think like a cacher B) , I'm sure you'll come up with many places to hide it. :D SF1

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As i Remember the cost was $69.00 to have a lock smith come out in the middle of no-where to unlock the car. I was lucky that the county sheriff found one who was traveling through the area on vacation. By the way most new cars don't open well with a slim jim.

 

:)

If you're a AAA member (a good idea, whether you've a new car or not - maps, travel books, tow service and, yep, unlocking service), you can also pick up a handy dandy credit card key. They carve a plastic copy of your key out of the middle of a credit card style card. The key is barely attached, so you can tuck it in your wallet (backpack, GPSr case, whathaveyou) in case you DO drop your keys somewhere.

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booboobee beat me to what i was gona say, AAA makes those neat cc style keys free to members. after locking myself out of my car once (i never thought it would happen) and having to call a friend to help me open it up (boy was i surprised how fast he got in with a coathanger)i had AAA make me one when i was in the office.

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I worry about my car keys ALL THE TIME!!!

I used to. Now I don't anymore.

 

keysafe_permvehicle.gif

 

Bolt this under the rear bumper of your car. You set the combo, it holds a couple spare keys and a $20 bill. Never worry about locking myself out anymore. Get one for each car. The price is half what you will pay to have a locksmith come out and open your door for you.

 

A side benefit is that you can use these as locking microcache containers.

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I worry about my car keys ALL THE TIME!!!

I used to. Now I don't anymore.

 

keysafe_permvehicle.gif

 

Bolt this under the rear bumper of your car. You set the combo, it holds a couple spare keys and a $20 bill. Never worry about locking myself out anymore. Get one for each car. The price is half what you will pay to have a locksmith come out and open your door for you.

 

A side benefit is that you can use these as locking microcache containers.

What's it called and/or where can I buy one?

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Hehe I locked my keys in my car this weekend caching as well. I set them down for a second to refil my water bottle then closed the door with them inside, oooops! Had to call around to find a service to come out to the middle of nowhere to unlock the car. At least the place I found was only $25. Certainly time to hide a key! B)

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Locked the keys in my car right after I bought it. On a Sunday. On a holiday weekend. At a Ren fest in the middle of no where. After I bought the entry tickets. With my new girlfriend. I swear all the above is true!

 

Luckily I hadn't removed the window decal with the phone # for the one year free road service. Took 6 hours for them to contact a locksmith who could make a key from my vin and then have him drive out and find the Renaissance festival I was at. He could have used a GPS! Of course we waited on a rock outside the festival entrance because he "would be right there". We totally missed the Ren Fest waiting for this guy. Then he expected a tip!

 

Anyway, I did the smart thing. When he gave me the spare key he had cut, I handed it to my girlfriend to keep in her wallet. Now I always have a spare at hand!

Edited by Crusso
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PS I had one of those credit card keys. Great for an emergency spare but don't rely on it as it's only good for a couple of uses before the plastic wears down too much to work the tumblers.

 

Oh, and if u have a newer vehicle that uses a chip or resistor in the key blank these are only good as a door key not an ignition key.

Edited by Crusso
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booboobee beat me to what i was gona say, AAA makes those neat cc style keys free to members. after locking myself out of my car once (i never thought it would happen) and having to call a friend to help me open it up (boy was i surprised how fast he got in with a coathanger)i had AAA make me one when i was in the office.

Do these things work in the ignition???? IF so be careful that you don't try it with a car that has a security lock out feature. My Jeep is made so that if you try to start the car with a key that isn't the right key, it will lock out the engine etc....

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