Depleted battery on my Fitbit Alta leads to a new Versa Lite

I have had my Fitbit Alta for nearly three years. While in the Twin Cities, it died on me. It had a full charge the night before.

I worked with support. Sure enough, after a full charge, without any notifications or fancy, draining functionality, the battery depletes roughly 1.75 days later. It's supposed to last at least four days on a full charge.

Unfortunately, my Alta is no longer covered by the limited warranty. However, I do get a discount on my next device. It's a nice way to keep me as a customer.

I will get the Versa Lite and see how it goes. I get 40% off its regular price. Not too shabby!

Cell phone options and battery replacement

Last weekend, I went to get my cell phone battery replaced. My phone is a month shy of being two years old. It hasn't been holding a charge well for a few months now.

After getting the battery replaced, my phone feels like it is brand new. It's nice to not charge it for the entire day and have its battery life rapidly deplete.

My guy is heading home. He has a OnePlus 2T phone and loves it. He has recommended my getting the OnePlus 6T phone when it's available.

I just read how much the new iPhone X phones are going for. Yikes! I feel like I'd be selling my soul getting one.

I am still interested in a Google Pixel 3 XL phone. I love my Google Pixel phone and feel like I'm ready to go with a larger screen. It simply depends on how much that phone is going for and how it feels in my hand.

It's crazy how expensive phones are getting. Maybe I should get an analog phone and call it good.

Dreaming of a new cell phone as my current one needs a new battery

My cell phone contract will expire next month. We have two-year contracts in Canada.

I love my Google Pixel phone. The problem these days is that the battery does not hold a charge. Part of me wants to get a new battery and swap it out. The other part of me thinks that I can wait over a month to get a new phone.

It's exciting getting a brand new phone. My issue is whether to stick with Google Pixel or jump back to being an iPhone user.

The good news is that both companies will be showcasing their new phones before my contract expires, so I have time to compare and contrast.

In the meantime, it's sad that my phone needs to be constantly chained to a power source. Perhaps I will go ahead and get a new battery for it. It is a good phone.

Android 9 Pie and my Pixel's dying battery

I wonder whether Google has been hearing about my current and probably only woe with my Google Pixel phone.

My phone is nearly two years old. These days, the battery doesn't hold a charge as well as it used to. A couple of days ago, my phone had 34% battery life and then it automatically shut itself off. I tried booting it up and it simply didn't have enough juice to stay on.

The good news is that whenever there is an Android update, Pixel phones tend to be the first to get it. This time, it's Android 9, also known as Pie, that is out.

I installed it. One of its biggest features is adaptive battery. The idea is that the operating system learns my phone usage patterns. It then direct power to apps that I need. It's essentially predicting my day-to-day battery usage. That's cool to me.

So far, I've noticed that my phone's battery drain at a slower pace. There is also a battery saver option. Nice!

The next Google Pixel phone gets revealed in early October. Chances are that I will upgrade to it. I love my phone. I am hoping that the new phone's battery is better. For now, I thank Pie for extending my battery's life for another couple of months, at least.

Car insurance - it boggles my mind

A week or two ago, I got a renewal statement for my car insurance. Normally, I glance over it and call it good. However, I decided to do a comparison between my current policy and the new one.

One of my deductibles ended up being reduced to $50. I also ended up paying an extra $35 a month on the new plan. If you multiply that increase by twelve, you would understand why I ended up calling my insurance company.

I asked about the reduced deductible. I was told that since I was a good customer with a decent driving record, my deductible was reduced. I went on to say that if I was indeed a good customer, why am I paying an extra $420 for the upcoming year? I can understand that rates go up every year, but this increase just boggled my mind.

My policy was changed such that I am now paying paying an extra $11 more a month by installing an app that tracks my driving habits. I tried it for the first week and hated that it drained my cell phone's battery life.

Naturally, I had to ask what happens to the data collected. Apparently, it stays with the company and is perfectly secure. Still, the fact that my battery drains by the end of the workday is ridiculous. In the past, I could be just fine charging my cell phone overnight. My battery would last the entire day. I am a medium user.

Anyway, I just uninstalled the app. I feel much better.

Fiddling with an old BlackBerry from my past

A few years ago, I had a BlackBerry Bold as my cell phone. It was my phone for three solid years.

I am not a business-savvy person. I didn't sell it. Instead, it just sat there in a desk drawer.

A few months ago, I found it. I decided to charge the phone and see what it would do. It booted up fine, still remembering that I was last signed in on October 12, 2012.

The battery doesn't hold a charge all that well. At most, it lasts a full day without doing much. In the past, I could go four days of medium usage before I truly needed to charge it. Ah, the beauty of not having a touchscreen!

Last night, I decided to unlock the phone. You can do it for free. It works fine with my new current cell phone provider, except that my e-mail can't be fetched.

I decided to get a new battery for the phone. I should get it sometime this week in the mail.

As much as I love my Google Pixel phone, part of me likes the idea of having a smaller phone with only the basics that I need. The e-mail part doesn't work right now. It doesn't bother me. I am good with the phone and text messages working. If I truly need to use e-mail, I can always use the browser to access it.

It's sort of my side project to figure out what works and what doesn't with this phone these days.

The funny thing is that I also have an iPhone 3G. We'll see what I end up doing with that phone!

Parking next to my guy's car is comforting

I miss my guy.

On Friday, I went out for lunch with my colleagues. It was at an all-you-can-eat sushi place. Both my guy and I typically avoid such restaurants, for we don't enjoy overeating and wanting to nap for the rest of the day. However, I was pretty good about not going into a sushi coma. The variety was nice.

After we had finished eating at the restaurant, I drove three of my other colleagues back to the office. I got a free spot in the parking lot, which was next to my guy's car.

Even though he has been away for a week, I feel comforted parking my car next to his. It's good.

Last week, when I drove over to the restaurant to meet my guy for dinner, I couldn't find his car. I drive a blue car, so it's easy to spot. In contrast, he drives a white car, which is pretty common.

I tried calling him, but his cell phone was dead and needed charging. He is horrible at charging it, but has always remembered my trick of putting it in airplane mode to charge it faster on the plane.

He walked over to me, as he spotted me when I first drove into the restaurant's lot. We walked over a part of the parking lot with gravel. He instinctually grabbed my hand and wanted to make sure that I was okay.

I miss his natural sweetness of just being himself.

On a good note, I have my purple woolly stuffed plush that reminds me of him. I would miss him a lot more if I didn't have purple woolly to cuddle.

One week down. Two more to go before I see him again.

Wanting a hot dog

After the CAA guy had left, we had to make sure that my guy's car was running for thirty minutes. My guy asked me if I wanted to go to Costco with him. I was game.

Earlier, I could tell after he had called CAA that he was stressed. I had to ask him how he was. He was upset at himself that he had also locked his keys in his car. I said that CAA could get his keys, too. Everything worked out.

We drove along the highway with the windows down. We didn't want to crank up the air conditioning so soon, as we didn't want to kill the car battery that had just got a decent boost. It was humid out, but it was tolerable.

We went to Costco. As usual, my guy was hungry and asked if we could stop at the food place first.

I wanted a hot dog. I don't eat them too often, but it's my go-to item at Costco. I sat at the only empty bench as my guy took out some money at the ATM.

"So, what would you like to eat that is not a hot dog?" he asked me.
"I want a hot dog," I said, feeling like I was a little girl.
"No, I am not getting you a hot dog. How about the turkey provolone panini or the Montreal roast beef sandwich?"
"I want a hot dog," I said.
"No, hot dogs are not good for you."

I caved. I finally said that I would give the turkey provolone panini a try. I must admit that it is yummy as we sat there and chomped away.

"See, that woman has two hot dogs," I said, hinting that my guy wasn't being nice.
"You are not getting a hot dog," he said firmly.
"But, I like hot dogs. They are yummy goodness to me."
"See, her boyfriend is cheap and doesn't care about her health," he explained. "Your boyfriend cares about getting healthy food for you, even though he is cheap."
"Okay, if you say so," I said.
"Besides, you get to eat a different kind of hot dog later."

He was correct. We both smirked and looked for a new car battery at the store. We didn't find one. We did, however, find one at Walmart across the street.

It was an unexpected type of date night. It was nonetheless great just being with my guy. He felt more at ease after buying the battery. I felt the same way, too.

Boosting a car battery and more

My guy flew back to Toronto early Monday morning. He did the craziest thing -- he went straight from the airport to the office to work.

I have done that a few times in my life. I have vowed never to do that again. I have kept my word.

Just before I was about to head to work in the afternoon, my guy caught me on Skype.

"Hey there," he wrote.
"Hey! How are you holding up?"
"Just wanted to tell you to bring some sleeping wear, as I'm thinking of renting a room for the night."
"You're asking me to spend the night with you or you need to borrow sleepwear from me?"
"Very funny =)"

My guy and I talked a few hours after I was done discussing work-related topics with a colleague and my guy's meeting was over. He brought over some sweets and shared them with me. He noticed my haircut. He has always been so observant whenever I change my hairstyle.

We left work to grab some dinner. Unfortunately, my guy's car wasn't starting up. The battery was dead. I drive a hybrid, so the battery wasn't a regular one to boost. My guy called CAA.

It has been hot and humid lately. We talked for a bit before my guy said that we should move to cooler territory.

We headed back to the office and sat in the training room. We started talking. He noticed how tan my arms were. I told him that I wanted to caress his head. He leaned over and let me do it. It made me so happy. My guy smiled at me.

He was concerned that he didn't get a text message from CAA. I suggested that he give the folks there a call again. He did. I got up and gently caressed his back. He hung up the phone. I tenderly kissed his head.

He swivelled his chair around to look at me. My guy played with my crotch. It was nice. He then groped my buttocks. It was turning me on, but I didn't want to come just yet.

I leaned over to kiss him on the lips. He loved that. He told me that he was getting hard. I gently stroked his cock, which was indeed hard under his slacks.

My guy is like a little horny boy sometimes. He unbuttoned and unzipped my pants.

"Nice! Black lacy panties."

He took a good look, and then zipped and buttoned up my pants.

My guy guided me over to a different part of the training room, away from the main doorway. He turned me around, carefully propped my back against the wall, and passionately kissed me on the lips, rubbing his hard member against my crotch. I cradled his head in one hand as I hugged him with my other. At one point, I was groping both his buttocks.

We hugged and kissed for a bit, while rubbing up against each other. The moment was briefly interrupted by his cell phone ringing. It was CAA and help was on the way in five minutes.

My guy took his erect penis out. I began jerking him off.

"Five minutes or less," I said.

I looked at my guy's face. He was so into the moment. I initiated kissing him while jerking him off. It took no time for my guy to ejaculate. He did so all over the carpet.

We were both breathless from a wonderful moment.

"That was awesome," I pointed out.
"I can't believe that we did that," he said, shaking himself dry before re-adjusting his briefs and zipping his pants up.

We headed toward my guy's car and met up with the mechanic. The mechanic boosted the battery and all was good.

The battery wasn't the only thing that got a boost. Who says that Mondays are always bad at work!

Sort of celebrating Valentine's Day

My guy and I haven't exactly celebrated Valentine's Day since we've been seeing each other. Last year, he was on the road for work. We exchanged e-cards and e-mails, which we both loved.

We're not the type of folks who must celebrate our love, affection, and friendship on one specific day of the year. We try and do it all as consistently as we can throughout the year, as most couples tend to do.

I wasn't at work on Valentine's Day this year. My guy was in the office helping a client. It was a complete reversal from last year.

On the 13th, I decided to give my guy a couple of small gifts when we were in the office. One was a box of Lindt chocolates. They were solid milk chocolate hearts. I had visited the Lindt factory outlet a couple of weeks ago. I was in heaven. I couldn't resist getting all things chocolate.

The other gift was something that we had discussed in the past. I got him a USB battery charger. He is always on the road and his cell phone seems to be on its last charge at all times.

My guy liked both gifts. The battery charger reminded him of a vibrator. It does look like one. He also hinted that he wouldn't use it to charge his vibrator, either. Funny!

My guy came back to my desk and handed me a pyramid-shaped tin of Toblerone chocolates. Can you tell that we both have a thing for chocolate?

I wasn't expecting what my guy had up his sleeve.

We called it a day at the office, packed out stuff up, and headed to the elevators. We got an empty one.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" he said to me, as we hugged. He kissed me on the cheek. I reciprocated.

We walked out to the parking lot.

"Where are you parked?" he asked me.
"I'm there," I said, pointing about five cars down from where we were standing. "You?"
"I'm here," he pointed, which was a car away from us, in front of the building's main doors.
"Did you get to work super early?" I asked him.
"No," he said with a smile. "I went out for lunch."

My guy has a secretive side to him. We are similar that way. He looked around briefly.

"Come over here," he said, walking to his car's trunk.

My guy normally pops his car's trunk open to put his laptop bag in there. Today, he did something different.

"These are for you," he said.

It has been a long time since I have received a dozen roses. He completely surprised me.

I loved that the bouquet had handles! The roses were pretty. I thanked him for them.

My guy is truly a sweet man. We are both practical folks. Roses don't exactly last too long. He had thought about getting me a practical gift, which we both know that I like. However, he wanted to make me feel special by giving me roses. He succeeded.