Sunday, May 21, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 18-20)
by C.Martin
May 18th. Geez I can barely remember back that far. It was a thursday... Oh yeah, I had to add a hole in my daughter's belt (man, kids grow fast). I've found that the Wave's scissors work good as an awl and can be twisted back and forth to make holes in belts. As my new belt stretches out under the strain of holding back my gut, I have had to add new holes to it as well.
May 19th was a good Wave day. Some friends and I got together to watch some movies and I had to quickly jerry rig a movie screen for a projector to use. In the middle of tryign to tie one end down, I needed a pocket knife to cut the excess string. Considering my keys weren't even on me, I briefly wondered what to do. But then I remembered by Wave on my hip.
May 20th, was a fairly busy day, with little time for Gummer Gear. Until it came time to sharpen my machete for some outdoor work. Afterall a machete is more fun at chopping down annoying saplings than a pruner.
The workbench grinder turned out to do a better, quicker job than my diamond sharpener (which I keep in my Wave belt pouch). Still, if I had lots of time and patience, I have no doubt the diamond sharpener would absolutely eat up my machete.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 14-17)
by C.Martin
Sunday, the 14th went pretty well for the old Multitool. After staying up until 1 AM working on a mother's day present for the missus, I was pretty tired. But when the bracelet my daughter and I made for her was too big, my Leatherman Wave sprang to the rescue!
The needle nose pliers on the Leatherman easily removed small steel rings, allowing me to make the bracelet smaller, without restringing it.
Monday, the 15th was a hectic day at work. The Wave came in handy as a pocket knife a few times and that was about it. Okay, you want specifics? I had to open a pack of M&Ms and decided to use the blade on the Wave to do it. I know- overkill.
Tuesday, the 16th was markedly different.
There I was, at an accident site, trying to measure the distance across a small pond; two underage drinkers had raced down a street, across a field, then gone airborne across a small pond in their mini-Cooper. Their Dukes of Hazzard flight was then suddenly stopped by a tree. One ended up dying.
So there I was, trying to figure out how to sling a tape measure across the pond to measure the width of it. Finally, I used my Swiss Tech Microtool to weight the end of the tape- it's designed to clip onto your keyring when not in use, so attaching to the tape measure was easy. This small amount of weight was plenty to allow me to grapple the tape measure across the pond.
But first, I had to trim several small saplings out of the way- to clear a hole in the dense brush growing. Luckily, the Wave comes with a pretty darned good saw. In just a few minutes I'd cleared a decent hole. Six tries later and the tape measure was across to my partner, who held his end.
The pond was 37 feet across.
Finally, Wednesday, the 17th has proven rather uneventful. In fact, I don't think my Leatherman has left it's belt pouch all day! I'm about to clean the basement, so maybe I'll come across something needing fixing or something. Maybe I was wrong about using the Leatherman EVERY day...
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 13, 2006)
by C.Martin
Busy day today. Had to dash out while my wife was at the grocery to get some mother's day goodies. You see, I hurt my neck the other day and haven't been able to get out.
So my daughter and I snuck to the local craft store and got stuff to make my wife a mommy bracelet. We did the same thing last year, but that one turned her wrist green due to the metal beads used. We're all plastic this year.
Later on, we went out with the missus to get my mother-in-law something: a cell phone. We're going to drag her kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. So we grabbed a Virginmobile pre-paid phone. With it, we dont' have to worry when she has our girls, and she can finally make calls when she's out like she'd like to. I like Virginmobile, because their rate is so much better than Tracfone. I just don't use a cellphone for much more than emergencies, so I can't see signing up for a plan and paying money to have hundreds of minutes. With a pre-paid I can store up minutes to use later. Much more economical.
Her Kyocera phone also provided an opportunity to use my Leatherman Wave today- I opened the package with it.
The Wave will get plenty more work later when I put that bracelet together tonight.
So I guess I better go and get to craftin'!
Busy day today. Had to dash out while my wife was at the grocery to get some mother's day goodies. You see, I hurt my neck the other day and haven't been able to get out.
So my daughter and I snuck to the local craft store and got stuff to make my wife a mommy bracelet. We did the same thing last year, but that one turned her wrist green due to the metal beads used. We're all plastic this year.
Later on, we went out with the missus to get my mother-in-law something: a cell phone. We're going to drag her kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. So we grabbed a Virginmobile pre-paid phone. With it, we dont' have to worry when she has our girls, and she can finally make calls when she's out like she'd like to. I like Virginmobile, because their rate is so much better than Tracfone. I just don't use a cellphone for much more than emergencies, so I can't see signing up for a plan and paying money to have hundreds of minutes. With a pre-paid I can store up minutes to use later. Much more economical.
Her Kyocera phone also provided an opportunity to use my Leatherman Wave today- I opened the package with it.
The Wave will get plenty more work later when I put that bracelet together tonight.
So I guess I better go and get to craftin'!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 10-12, 2006)
by C.Martin
The past few days have been kind of hectic, and I sprained a neck/shoulder muscle, so I've fallen behind on the daily update...
The 10th wasn't too eventful. I had ordered AT&T DSL service Monday, and the modem came in the mail Wednesday, the 10th. I was pretty excited, as was my 6 yr old, who has thoroughly been brainwashed by all the DSL commercials. I whipped out my Leatherman Wave and opened the DSL Modem box.
We went down stairs and started the installation... only to find out we had no ethernet card. Apparently, when I got my PC 3 years ago, I was cheap and didn't get an ethernet card. No DSL Wednesday night.
Thursday, the 11th, we stopped at Circuit City on the way home and found a Belkin ethernet card for $15.00. My daughter was very excited and we again went home with visions of DSL in our heads.
This time, the Wave came in handy opening the Ethernet card's box. I thought it would come in handy installing the card as well. But whaddya know! My Dell opened up easily and it was a screwless installation.
And now Friday.
It seems I've trained my friends well. They realize the importance and availability of my Wave.
One of the ladies I work with approached me early this morning at work, wanting to know if my "tool-thing" could fix her bracelet. I immediately popped my Wave from it's sheath and was ready to go. Then she figured out her bracelet wasn't broken afterall and was quite pleased with herself for fixing it all by herself.
That's kind of like using my Wave.
And my DSL service is still not set up at AT&T's end.
The past few days have been kind of hectic, and I sprained a neck/shoulder muscle, so I've fallen behind on the daily update...
The 10th wasn't too eventful. I had ordered AT&T DSL service Monday, and the modem came in the mail Wednesday, the 10th. I was pretty excited, as was my 6 yr old, who has thoroughly been brainwashed by all the DSL commercials. I whipped out my Leatherman Wave and opened the DSL Modem box.
We went down stairs and started the installation... only to find out we had no ethernet card. Apparently, when I got my PC 3 years ago, I was cheap and didn't get an ethernet card. No DSL Wednesday night.
Thursday, the 11th, we stopped at Circuit City on the way home and found a Belkin ethernet card for $15.00. My daughter was very excited and we again went home with visions of DSL in our heads.
This time, the Wave came in handy opening the Ethernet card's box. I thought it would come in handy installing the card as well. But whaddya know! My Dell opened up easily and it was a screwless installation.
And now Friday.
It seems I've trained my friends well. They realize the importance and availability of my Wave.
One of the ladies I work with approached me early this morning at work, wanting to know if my "tool-thing" could fix her bracelet. I immediately popped my Wave from it's sheath and was ready to go. Then she figured out her bracelet wasn't broken afterall and was quite pleased with herself for fixing it all by herself.
That's kind of like using my Wave.
And my DSL service is still not set up at AT&T's end.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 9, 2006)
by C.Martin
For me, one of the best reasons to carry my Leatherman Wave is that I'm always fixing things. Especially toys. And for fixing toys, the Wave is very well equipped: Needlenose pliers, screwdriver, micro screwdriver, scissors, and even the file. Plus it means you don't have to go rummage around in your toolbox. All the stuff you need is right there, on your belt.
Today was no exception. My 9 month old daughter's rattle was making funny sounds. You see, it's an electronic rattle. A kind of multi-toy. It has plastic pellets to make rattling noises when shaken, it has a mirror so babies can marvel at their own reflection and it has an electronic component that plays a different sound every time the rattle's mirror is pressed. Oh, and there's the silly dragon-shaped creature molded onto the rattle.
This toy is a favorite of my daughter's, so she plays with it a lot. So much so that it gets dirty. You parents know what I'm talking about. Grubby baby hands and food-smeared mouth that transfer mushy, slobbery food residue from baby to toy. And which food later hardens to a concrete-like consistency.
Being a good grandma, my mother-in-law decided that this food-encrusted toy needed to be cleaned. So she put it in the dishwasher.
Note: Electronics don't do good in the dishwasher.
When my wife and I went to pick our girls up from grandma, we found the favorite rattle makiong moaning, stuttering noises like it had been possessed by really tiny poltergeists. My wife assumed the batteries were wearing out. My mother-in-law confessed to the dishwashering.Wave to the rescue! In no time flat, the micro screwdriver had enabled me to open the rattle up and inspect it's inner workings. No micro-ghosts, just a little rust on one lithium battery. Somethign a trip to Walgreen's battery section should fix.
But that wasn't my only Wave action today...
There I was in the kitchen, taking my turn in the kitchen to make dinner. Problem was, I forgot to set out the chicken breasts to thaw for dinner. Now what? I couldn't very well make chicken and fried rice with no chicken. If only the frozen three breast pack of chicken breasts was thawed. Or maybe smaller, so I could thaw it in the microwave...
Eureka! My Wave has this lethal saw on it. And, yes, you guessed it, the saw will cut through frozen chicken. Quite easily I might add. In under a minute, the 3 frozen chicken breasts were converted into two 1 1/2 breast packs of meat. One went back in the freezer and the other went into the microwave for defrosting.
NOTE: The Wave's saw cut through frozen chicken almost as easily as wood. So if you try and replicate my stunt, please watch your fingers. I imagine frozen chicken is harder than bone, and you sure don't want to cut your finger(s) off.
NOTE 2: Handling chicken, even when frozen, creates certain health risks (liek salmonella). Make sure you thoroughly clean your Wave before returning it to regular daily use. In my case, a ride through the dishwasher did the trick. Afterall, the Wave is made of stainless steel.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 8, 2006)
by C.Martin
It was a nice day today. But then, any day away from work is nice.
Today my daughter's kindergarten class had a field trip to the Zoo. I volunteered as a chaperone. Which meant I ended up supervising my daughter and another hyper six year old girl.
Saying this ultimately led to a situation where was able to use my Leatherman Wave might alarm some folks. But it was harmless.
When the straw went missing from a juice bag, I knew my Wave could help. True, it doesn't have a straw attachment, but it does have scissors. And those scissors quickly removed the top of the drink pouch which was then useable as a makeshift kind of cup.
That's survival- providing a drink to a thirsty child.
It was a nice day today. But then, any day away from work is nice.
Today my daughter's kindergarten class had a field trip to the Zoo. I volunteered as a chaperone. Which meant I ended up supervising my daughter and another hyper six year old girl.
Saying this ultimately led to a situation where was able to use my Leatherman Wave might alarm some folks. But it was harmless.
When the straw went missing from a juice bag, I knew my Wave could help. True, it doesn't have a straw attachment, but it does have scissors. And those scissors quickly removed the top of the drink pouch which was then useable as a makeshift kind of cup.
That's survival- providing a drink to a thirsty child.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 7, 2006)
by C.Martin
A fairly slow Sunday with little to do more than go to church and mow the grass. It seemed as though I wouldn't need any of my Gummer Gear at all.
Yet, when I lifted the hood on the riding mower to check the oil, I saw two bolts loose- barely in place in the air filter. Go to the garage to get a screwdriver? Nonsense, my Leatherman Wave worked just fine.
Later in the evening, my micro flashlight came to the rescue, as my daughter was frantically searchign in her room for a favorite t-shirt. We feared it might have fallen behind/under her dresser and we needed a flashlight. My girl knew exactly where to find a flashlight- on daddy's belt.
That's reliability- when even your kids know you're prepared.
A fairly slow Sunday with little to do more than go to church and mow the grass. It seemed as though I wouldn't need any of my Gummer Gear at all.
Yet, when I lifted the hood on the riding mower to check the oil, I saw two bolts loose- barely in place in the air filter. Go to the garage to get a screwdriver? Nonsense, my Leatherman Wave worked just fine.
Later in the evening, my micro flashlight came to the rescue, as my daughter was frantically searchign in her room for a favorite t-shirt. We feared it might have fallen behind/under her dresser and we needed a flashlight. My girl knew exactly where to find a flashlight- on daddy's belt.
That's reliability- when even your kids know you're prepared.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 6, 2006)
by C.Martin
Derby Day was upon us, but, not being an avid fan of running horses, I decided to use the day for other purposes. Like building a shelf for my wife.
So I trucked on down to Home Depot, selected a 1X10 and 2 2X2s. Of course, to get them in the car, I'd need to get them cut in half (which was okay, as I would cut them in half at home, anyway).
So I waited. And waited. And waited.
No one was coming to the cutting center.
I had my 6 yr old daughter with me- who was getting antsy as our next stop was the local comic book shop for Free Comic Book day.
Finally, I decided, "to hell with them", and headed for a register. When I got to my Toyota Camry, I then whipped out my trusty Leatherman Wave, and opened the lethal saw blade. In no time at all my boards were cut and stowed in the back seat.
Another victory for the Wave.
But the day's Wave activities didn't stop there.
Later, my wife came home from shopping and presented my daughter with new shoes. I of course was asked to remove the plastic and elastic bands from them. Again, Wave saved the day. Instead of getting up to get scissors, I got my Wave off my belt and used the scissors tool to separate the shoes, thus preventing myself from having to pause the Digitally Recorded episode of Dr. Who I was watching from this past friday night.
And, just moments ago, more of my Gummer gear came to the rescue.
For almost two weeks now, I have been battling a mysterious, loud squeak in the dryer. I've replaced several parts- using my Wave as part of my tools. The squeak just won't go away though, so moments ago I had my micro flashlight out, peering inside the dryer as it ran. Finally, I've figured out it's the drum glides- something I replaced about six months ago. Perhaps the drum needs to be polished where it rides on the glides- I'm not sure, but when I do tear the dryer apart again, my Wave and flashlight wil be at my side.
Derby Day was upon us, but, not being an avid fan of running horses, I decided to use the day for other purposes. Like building a shelf for my wife.
So I trucked on down to Home Depot, selected a 1X10 and 2 2X2s. Of course, to get them in the car, I'd need to get them cut in half (which was okay, as I would cut them in half at home, anyway).
So I waited. And waited. And waited.
No one was coming to the cutting center.
I had my 6 yr old daughter with me- who was getting antsy as our next stop was the local comic book shop for Free Comic Book day.
Finally, I decided, "to hell with them", and headed for a register. When I got to my Toyota Camry, I then whipped out my trusty Leatherman Wave, and opened the lethal saw blade. In no time at all my boards were cut and stowed in the back seat.
Another victory for the Wave.
But the day's Wave activities didn't stop there.
Later, my wife came home from shopping and presented my daughter with new shoes. I of course was asked to remove the plastic and elastic bands from them. Again, Wave saved the day. Instead of getting up to get scissors, I got my Wave off my belt and used the scissors tool to separate the shoes, thus preventing myself from having to pause the Digitally Recorded episode of Dr. Who I was watching from this past friday night.
And, just moments ago, more of my Gummer gear came to the rescue.
For almost two weeks now, I have been battling a mysterious, loud squeak in the dryer. I've replaced several parts- using my Wave as part of my tools. The squeak just won't go away though, so moments ago I had my micro flashlight out, peering inside the dryer as it ran. Finally, I've figured out it's the drum glides- something I replaced about six months ago. Perhaps the drum needs to be polished where it rides on the glides- I'm not sure, but when I do tear the dryer apart again, my Wave and flashlight wil be at my side.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 5, 2006)
by C.Martin
Another slow gadget day. The old Leatherman Wave again came in handy as a staple remover at work.
I might have gotten more use out of my Wave at work, but I ended up going home early. Instead of doing yard work when I got home- which again might have afforded some opportunities to use the Wave- I decided to play a computer game.
So there I am, playing Call of Duty 2, happily blowing away virtual nazis. During a long level-loading pause, I happened to glance up and saw something. My fileting knife. There it was, hung from a nail in the ceiling of my partially finished basement, safely out of reach of my child. Man, it's been a while since I went fishing.
Inspiration suddenly struck me.
Down came the filet knife and out came my diamond sharpening stone. As the level continued to load, I began to hone the filet knife to a like-new razor sharpness.
Once I had the knife as sharp as the coarse stone could get it, I realized I needed a fine stone as well. And I had one- sort of.
On the Wave there is a great file. Diamond-coated on one side. And, sure enough, it works as a great knife sharpener on softer metals. Like my filet knife.
After a few quick passes, my filet knife was once again ready for a fishing trip, and I now know what to do the next time I'm gutting fish in the field and the Wave gets a little dull.
Now if only Call of Duty 2 had knives to cut up those virtual nazis with.
Another slow gadget day. The old Leatherman Wave again came in handy as a staple remover at work.
I might have gotten more use out of my Wave at work, but I ended up going home early. Instead of doing yard work when I got home- which again might have afforded some opportunities to use the Wave- I decided to play a computer game.
So there I am, playing Call of Duty 2, happily blowing away virtual nazis. During a long level-loading pause, I happened to glance up and saw something. My fileting knife. There it was, hung from a nail in the ceiling of my partially finished basement, safely out of reach of my child. Man, it's been a while since I went fishing.
Inspiration suddenly struck me.
Down came the filet knife and out came my diamond sharpening stone. As the level continued to load, I began to hone the filet knife to a like-new razor sharpness.
Once I had the knife as sharp as the coarse stone could get it, I realized I needed a fine stone as well. And I had one- sort of.
On the Wave there is a great file. Diamond-coated on one side. And, sure enough, it works as a great knife sharpener on softer metals. Like my filet knife.
After a few quick passes, my filet knife was once again ready for a fishing trip, and I now know what to do the next time I'm gutting fish in the field and the Wave gets a little dull.
Now if only Call of Duty 2 had knives to cut up those virtual nazis with.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 3, 2006)
by C.Martin
Today was an ironic use of my Leatherman Wave. Normally it comes in handy as a screwdriver, or pocket knife or scissors. It’s a very handy tool for quick repairs when I’m too lazy to go get my toolbox. Or, I use it for quick emergencies when there’s no time for the tool box.
Today, I used my Wave to open the packaging on a new mini tool I purchased at the auto parts store: A Swiss Tech Micro Tech key ring mini pliers.
The serrated blade on the Wave made short work of Swiss Tech's sturdy packaging. This neat little gadget unfolds like an Autobot transformer into a variety of tools:
- #2 Flat Screwdriver
- #2 Phillips Screwdriver
- Precision Pliers
- Wire Cutters
- Wire Stripper
- Sheet Shear
- Bonus! 1/8” Rule Markings
And it fits neatly on your key ring! Heck, combine that with my Utilikey, pocket knife and P38 Can opener, and I almost don't need my Leatherman Wave!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 2, 2006)
by C.Martin
For me, May 2nd was a nice break from work, as it was election day in my area. However, instead of a lazy day home watching TV with my daughter, I had to scramble to help her get a school project for Wednesday done.
In the Louisville, KY metropolitan area, this is Derby Week, where horse racing fanatics go all crazy over what they call the most "thrilling two minutes" in sports. (I disagree as I have never seen a horse hit the wall and explode, or seen jockeys beating each other with sticks or clubs. And, as the horses dont' run much over 35 mph, it just seems like an incredibly boring chance to watch animals run in one really bug circle.)
As part of the area's Derby craziness, my daughter's school has a Derby Hat day contest, where children decorate hats for the Derby festivities and get voted on.
Leatherman WAVE to the rescue! After stopping in at the local hobby.craft store we raced home and began work on a rose-festooned sun hat complete with racetrack brim and little tiny horses.
I was able to use my Wave to cut wire, and the scissors proved invaluable for cutting felt and string almost constantly. In fact I had to use my diamond sharpening stone to hone the scissors back to sharpness after a few hours. Finally, the diamond file on the Wave also came in handy for sharpening the end of a wire strand I was trying to insert in the edge of the brim to keep the hat nice and rigid, instead of floppy.
At the end of a long, nine hours of sewing, gluing cutting and more, my daughter (who went to bed seven hours into the all day project) had a great, albeit, silly, hat.
Multi-tools, for obsessive parents and survival.
For me, May 2nd was a nice break from work, as it was election day in my area. However, instead of a lazy day home watching TV with my daughter, I had to scramble to help her get a school project for Wednesday done.
In the Louisville, KY metropolitan area, this is Derby Week, where horse racing fanatics go all crazy over what they call the most "thrilling two minutes" in sports. (I disagree as I have never seen a horse hit the wall and explode, or seen jockeys beating each other with sticks or clubs. And, as the horses dont' run much over 35 mph, it just seems like an incredibly boring chance to watch animals run in one really bug circle.)
As part of the area's Derby craziness, my daughter's school has a Derby Hat day contest, where children decorate hats for the Derby festivities and get voted on.
Leatherman WAVE to the rescue! After stopping in at the local hobby.craft store we raced home and began work on a rose-festooned sun hat complete with racetrack brim and little tiny horses.
I was able to use my Wave to cut wire, and the scissors proved invaluable for cutting felt and string almost constantly. In fact I had to use my diamond sharpening stone to hone the scissors back to sharpness after a few hours. Finally, the diamond file on the Wave also came in handy for sharpening the end of a wire strand I was trying to insert in the edge of the brim to keep the hat nice and rigid, instead of floppy.
At the end of a long, nine hours of sewing, gluing cutting and more, my daughter (who went to bed seven hours into the all day project) had a great, albeit, silly, hat.
Multi-tools, for obsessive parents and survival.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Gummer Gear Diary (May 1, 2006)
by C.Martin
Another tedious day at work, sitting at my desk, reading complaints. At first, it didn't seem like I'd have enough time for any kind of gadget-based activity. But then I noticed my thumbnail to be a bit long. No nail clippers in my pocket, but no fear. Leatherman to the rescue! My trusty Wave features a handy pair of small scissors, strong enough to easily trim even the harshest thumbnail.
Still later, I found the Wave's pliers a handy way to remove staples. Not just any staples though. No, we have these really hardcore staplers at work that seem like they could fasten DVDs together. They have this big long arm that works like the lever on a press, then fold the thick metal prongs of the staples around. These heavy duty staples laugh at traditional staple removers. But they don't laugh at the Wave! Stainless steel, needlenose-fury easily bends the heavy duty staples straight then pulls them from the sheaf of papers I had put together. After adding the ONE sheet I had misplaced to the file, I stapled it all back together again.
Not much else to do with my Gummer Gear tonight... I'm planning on taking it easy this election eve and watching some TV... which means I'll have time to sit down and work on honing the Wave's main blade to razor sharpness with my diamond sharpening stone!
Gummer Gear Diary (April 30, 2006)
by C.Martin
A busy day of church, an after church first-communion party then household chores didn't leave much time to use any Gummer Gear. Until it came time to change the baby.
A squirming ninth month old on the changing table and I reach down with one hand to the first shelf and find... no diapers. Argh. The baby is tossing about, requiring one hand to keep her from rolling off the changing table. Luckily, the new, unopened box of diapers was nearby. Unfortunately, it was still taped together.
Leatherman to the rescue! With one hand I was able to extract the my WAVE from it's belt pouch and open the single lock blade with one thumb. Three quick cuts and the diaper box was open. Moments later and the baby's butt was once again safely ensconsed in a fresh poop catcher.
Still later in the day I had use for my micro flashlight. I was poking around in my electric dryer, trying to figure out what was making the horrible screeching noise. Rather than go upstairs for a proper flashlight, I turned to my leatherman belt pouch. The micro LED light there did allow me to find the source of the screeching- a worn out pulley- but it lacked sufficient candlepower to really let me get in there and dig around. A trip upstairs to my trusty C Cell Maglite was in order.
A busy day of church, an after church first-communion party then household chores didn't leave much time to use any Gummer Gear. Until it came time to change the baby.
A squirming ninth month old on the changing table and I reach down with one hand to the first shelf and find... no diapers. Argh. The baby is tossing about, requiring one hand to keep her from rolling off the changing table. Luckily, the new, unopened box of diapers was nearby. Unfortunately, it was still taped together.
Leatherman to the rescue! With one hand I was able to extract the my WAVE from it's belt pouch and open the single lock blade with one thumb. Three quick cuts and the diaper box was open. Moments later and the baby's butt was once again safely ensconsed in a fresh poop catcher.
Still later in the day I had use for my micro flashlight. I was poking around in my electric dryer, trying to figure out what was making the horrible screeching noise. Rather than go upstairs for a proper flashlight, I turned to my leatherman belt pouch. The micro LED light there did allow me to find the source of the screeching- a worn out pulley- but it lacked sufficient candlepower to really let me get in there and dig around. A trip upstairs to my trusty C Cell Maglite was in order.
