Introductions - Greetings from Northern California

In younger days, I went nowhere without my bike. Marriage, business, kids to college, and some health issues let me stray for many years. A brief resurgence in the late 80's saw me acquire a Diamondback Ascent on which I commuted to work in Silicon Valley. Then a new life, a new wife and again I strayed. Recently I felt the need to ride again. I dusted off the Diamondback, rode several miles the first day, and haven't missed a day's ride since. Its been so long since I rode and maintained a bike and I'm sure I'll have some questions. I look forward to your educated responses.
shakeylegs

Welcome back.

Welcome shakeylegs to Bike Forums.
Some of us know something about bikes.

What is your favorite flashlight?

thanks for the welcome 10 wheels and coloso.
I have several favorite lights. The one that gets the most use is an overdriven fenix single AAA with a cree emitter - extremely bright for it's size. Second most used is a cut-down, single "D" m@g with a P7 emitter running 4 volts. It's like holding a used car lot search light in your hand. The Zebralight H50 single AA has a super wide flood and works as both headlamp and flashlight. For max throw I use a Dereelight DBS - it can pinpoint anything as far away as you can make out detail. And then there's a m@g light I modified with powertool batteries running about 16 volts, a highpowered incandescent bulb, and a "fivemega" 4" custom head - the effect is jaw-dropping. I need something like a Wald flashlight clamp to attach it to my bike! There are many more depending upon the situation.

Now for a bike issue. I want to replace the brake pads on my Ascent - they are original equip shimano cantilever pads. I'm trying to rid the bike of a horrible brake squeel. I'm sure opinions vary but I'd love to entertain some replacement suggestions. All of the new shimano pads look substantially bigger than these so I'm unsure about fit. Guess I'll try out the search function and see what I can find.
Regards
shakeylegs