Cellphone saga  Recently I discovered a great bicycle accessory, the Bento box. It's a small compartment that attaches to the bike using several velcro strips. I've put it behind the seat of my Rans V-Rex. I use it for holding my cellphone while I'm riding. When the phone is buried in my panniers, I can't hear it ring, regardless of ring volume.

It's been a great solution to the problem. However, today I learned that if the velcro top is not securely fastened, the phone has a tendency to bounce out of the box. When I returned home with the panniers and BOB trailer loaded with groceries, I discovered that the phone was missing. As is often the case, I had left it in the box by mistake while shopping. I doubted that someone had taken it, so the only viable alternative was that it had bounced out.

Since I was running late for a bicycle advocacy meeting at the county, I didn't have time to search for it. I called the number a few times in case it was hidden in the bike or at home, but no luck. After the meeting I retraced my steps from the morning: it wasn't at the dentist's office nor at Whole Foods. I recalled going over a bumpy stretch where I ride along the edge of the golf course, so I went there and looked around on the ground. No phone. My last resort was to check at the golf clubhouse, hoping that someone had turned the phone in, perhaps after hearing it ring when I had called it earlier. Much to my relief, when I asked about the phone, the golf guy reached into the cash register drawer and pulled out my phone.

So far I've lost and found the phone twice this summer. The chances of finding it three times are slim, so I hope to keep better track of it in the future.
posted by Bruce Wright at 10:24 PM #