Long Distance Gifts
Friendship Lamp Review: A Wi-Fi Touch Lamp Across Two Time Zones
Two years, two nightstands, two time zones. An honest look at what a Wi-Fi touch lamp actually does for a couple who live 1,900 miles apart.
Two lamps, two nightstands, two time zones, and the two-touch signal that replaced a year of unanswered morning texts.
Two years, two nightstands, two time zones. An honest look at what a Wi-Fi touch lamp actually does for a couple who live 1,900 miles apart.
Two years of daily use on one side, a listing and a friend's kitchen on the other. Here is the honest split.
A nightstand light will not close two time zones. It can still say 'I am home' when a text feels like one more task. Two years of daily use, including the limits.
Two lamps, two nightstands, two time zones, and the two-touch signal that replaced a year of unanswered morning texts.
Two years, two nightstands, two time zones. The setup that finally made the distance feel like a smaller number.
A two year check in on the Friendship Lamp Classic set, including the Wi-Fi hiccup, the no white light problem and the people who should not buy it.
Eighteen months, one dead battery, and a buzz that cannot carry words. What the TOTWOO Sun and Moon set is actually good for, from someone who wears one on twelve-hour shifts.
A wearable signal for the middle of a shift, or a lamp that glows on the nightstand? One long distance couple compares the two gifts they actually use.
Eighteen months of daily wear, one dead battery mid-shift, and the honest case for a bracelet that taps back.
Eighteen months of a bracelet that says one thing, from two time zones away, while my phone sits in a locker.
A working routine for using a pair of touch bracelets across two time zones, from someone who has worn one through three years of twelve-hour shifts.
Eighteen months of daily wear, one dead battery on a nine-hour shift, and a one-size fit problem worth knowing about before you order.
Fourteen months of Sunday night calls, one box of 200 cards, and an honest look at which prompts land and which ones get skipped.
I have used one of these decks every Sunday for fourteen months. I have played the other twice on someone else's couch. Here is the honest split.
A 200-card deck will not close the distance. It can give a Sunday video call a place to start.
Fourteen months ago I put a box of conversation cards next to my laptop and found out what my partner sounded like when the calendar ran out.
A Sunday night routine that fits in a small box: pick one night, fix the light, deal three cards, and hang up while it is still good.
Fourteen months of Sunday video calls, three or four cards at a time. What the deck does well, where the questions assume you share a kitchen, and the one thing it cannot do.
One year, four finished letters, and an honest look at the twelve-prompt letter book from Chronicle Books.
A guided letter book against a DIY open when envelope kit: which one gets finished, which one gets kept, and how to tell which you are actually going to do.
Three years of two time zones, several thousand texts, and one small book that finally slowed me down.
One small book of fill-in letters, one handwriting habit, and the only thing on a Portland refrigerator that isn't a grocery list.
A year of writing, sealing and mailing letters across two time zones, including the two steps I got wrong first.
A year with the Chronicle Books fill-in letter book: what the prompts are actually like, why I have only finished a handful of the twelve, and the two kinds of people who should buy something else.
Eight months of sending photos from a San Antonio apartment to a kitchen counter in Portland, and the two things I would want to know before buying one.
Eight months of one frame on a kitchen counter in Portland, and an honest look at the frame I did not buy.
Three years, two time zones, and one kitchen counter in Portland. Here is what a Wi-Fi photo frame actually changed, and the three things I would skip.
Eight months ago I put a screen on my partner's kitchen counter in Portland. It is the only thing I have bought for the distance that he does not carry around with him.
The frame is not a relationship saver. It is a small daily thing that puts your ordinary Tuesday on your partner's kitchen counter. Here is the setup that worked for us.
Eight months after buying the Aura Carver for my partner in Portland, here is the part the five star reviews skip: the cord, the router, and the fact that someone has to keep feeding it photos.
Two years, two nightstands, two time zones. An honest look at what a Wi-Fi touch lamp actually does for a couple who live 1,900 miles apart.
A two year check in on the Friendship Lamp Classic set, including the Wi-Fi hiccup, the no white light problem and the people who should not buy it.
Eighteen months, one dead battery, and a buzz that cannot carry words. What the TOTWOO Sun and Moon set is actually good for, from someone who wears one on twelve-hour shifts.
Eighteen months of daily wear, one dead battery on a nine-hour shift, and a one-size fit problem worth knowing about before you order.
Fourteen months of Sunday night calls, one box of 200 cards, and an honest look at which prompts land and which ones get skipped.
Fourteen months of Sunday video calls, three or four cards at a time. What the deck does well, where the questions assume you share a kitchen, and the one thing it cannot do.
One year, four finished letters, and an honest look at the twelve-prompt letter book from Chronicle Books.
A year with the Chronicle Books fill-in letter book: what the prompts are actually like, why I have only finished a handful of the twelve, and the two kinds of people who should buy something else.
Eight months of sending photos from a San Antonio apartment to a kitchen counter in Portland, and the two things I would want to know before buying one.
Eight months after buying the Aura Carver for my partner in Portland, here is the part the five star reviews skip: the cord, the router, and the fact that someone has to keep feeding it photos.