Sunday, July 27, 2008

iCan't

I'm soooo disappointed. My trip to the AT&T Wireless store was fruitless. It was my understanding that I could upgrade my phone every year since I was on a special corporate plan. There is one detail that I was unaware of; there are only certain phones which fall under that policy and an iPhone is not one of them.

So, unless I'm willing to pay $400 for an iPhone (which I can't justify), I have to wait another 9 months before I'm eligible for an upgrade for a phone that doesn't fall in the corporate discount agreement. AND even once I'm eligible I won't get the cost savings break on an iPhone and the data plan.

My hopes and dreams for a better designed phone, ability to have a "real" web browsing experience on the go, and just an all around fun experience with a cell phone have been sadly squashed. I'll have to reevaluate in 9 months. Who knows maybe by then there will be better designed Smartphones, and maybe a better designed Windows Mobile software. Or I simply might grow tired of being at the whim of constricting contracts and corporate rules and just say f%@# it and get the iPhone anyway!

Friday, July 25, 2008

iGotta

I've been coveting the iPhone ever since it came out. But I opted for a Blackjack because of it's Outlook Exchange capabilities. While having access to work email and appointments can be a godsend, it can also be a curse. AND, surfing the internet on a Blackjack is just plain bad. I may as well be back in the early 90s surfing the internet on a 14.4 modem with a web browser that can only display in simple html with 8bit graphics.

So now that the new iPhone has Outlook Exchange there's no holding back. I mean why not have a *toy* that is also a productivity tool? Why not infuse some extracurricular activities with a phone?

iGotta have one!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Quick Observations: Cars & multitasking

I've written before in my old blog about the art of multitasking in cars. But today was the first time that I saw a woman plucking the grays from the top of her head while we were waiting for the Fremont Bridge to go down. What was odd was that she wasn't simply pulling the hairs out with here fingers, she was actually using a tweezer. It was almost like she was planning on using the time in her car to do the plucking.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Quick Observations: Squirrel Sabotage

I really think that the reason squirrels were put on the planet were to distract dogs from pooping; at least that's the case for Trixie.

Friday, July 11, 2008

The itch is coming back

I started knitting about 7 years ago. The feel of the fiber in my fingers, the clicking of the needles, watching fabric turn into garments, and the satisfaction of learning new stitches was so addictive. It didn't take me long before I was a self proclaimed knitting addict.

Then came along Blogging. What a perfect forum for me and others to rant about just about anything. Observing the world around me and sharing tidbits from my day with total strangers was so much fun. Blogging also offered me a place to archive and journal my knitting projects. Oh what wonderful creative outlets. Knitting and blogging became fun and healthy obsessions (well and expensive at times too... couldn't pass up a nice skein of yarn). My first blog was aptly titled Obsessed in Oakland. Check it out...

But then life, as it often does, got in the way. Well I guess I have to take the blame. Other obsessions like work, house renovations, and career simply took precedence. I guess you can call them life obsessions. Eventually, as you might have read, relocating to Seattle and starting a new job became priorities.

A year and a half later the old obsessions are reawakening. Blogging and knitting are on my mind practically on a daily basis. I'm hooked on Ravelry.com (thanks Mom), knitting a bit more (although I wish it was more frequently), have a queue of knitting projects waiting to start and 2 projects on needles. No longer can I claim to be a monogamous knitter. But that's okay, at least that old familiar tactile feeling is back in my hands.

Work has been taking up a lot of my time and I may not be knitting as often as I would like, but I'm proud to say that I am now happily Obsessed in Seattle.

BTW, if you're a knitter and you haven't stumbled upon Ravelry.com yet, you must have a look at the site. But be warned, it's addictive.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Nice weather and knitting

(post started 7/6, completed 7/11)

Sheesh has it been 5 months since I last blogged? I won't bore you with all the details, mostly because I most definitely lost my entire audience. Suffice it to say that I have been extremely busy at work after starting with a new group and new set of projects, and had back surgery.

We survived our second winter in the PNW and just recently celebrated Summer Solstice, which in Fremont (a really nice neighborhood just across the bridge from our house) is a huge deal (a little more on that in a minute). We kept hearing that the winter and spring weather had not been typical. Well, ummm, we heard that last year too. Is it global warming? Well whatever is causing the weather to be so bad, please STOP. I hadn't been very down on the weather up until now but last night I had a dream where I found myself yelling, "ENOUGH ALREADY!" about the weather. So I guess my subconscious is telling me something.

Now don't get me wrong, it's beautiful here ...



... especially when you get to see Rainier in all it's glory. That shot was taking at the top of Queen Anne, which is officially our neighborhood. I mustn't mislead you though, we are on the north side of Queen Anne which is a short drive or a nice walk to the vantage point that overlooks the view of Rainier and Downtown Seattle. We took that picture a few weeks ago when my brother- and sister-in-law T, Cheryl, and nephew/Godson Alek visited from NJ.


(Me, Alek & David with the Space Needle and Downtown Seattle in the background. Rainier is just off camera to the right)

We had a fabulous time with the NJ crew. David spent time with them touring many of the Seattle sites like the Duck Boat land and water tour.


(check out the duck just behind Alek)



That's the truck/boat that you ride that starts on land and then actually goes on to Lake Union. Lake Union is right by our house.


(The boat on Lake Union)

They also visited the Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (that's a mouthful), Pike Place Market, while on "the duck" passed by the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park, the Space Needle, and a lot more. They actually saw more than I have, which speaks to how busy I/we've been.


(passing the the SAM Olympic Sculpture Park and "Eagle" by Alexander Calder with the Cascades in the background)


(Cheryl, me, T and Alek outside the SAM, taken on a different day)

I think that one of the highlights of their visit was the Fremont Solstice Parade. Here are a few pics from the extravaganza.


(The parade traditionally starts with naked people with painted bodies riding on bikes - ouch)


(The "official" start of the parade)


(Sexy "Unicorns")


(Close-up of a float. BTW, all floats are "people powered". None are operated by cars making the parade very green.)


(We loved this costume)


(Trixie got into the action. Well, ummmm maybe she was a bit overwhelmed.)

Alek saw some yarn he liked at the weekly Fremont fair and asked if I could teach him to knit. His knitting curiosity was contagious... T and Cheryl wanted to learn too. So we all stopped at a LYS (local yarn store for the non-knitters out their) on our trip to Bainbridge Island and picked up yarn and needles for the crew. On the morning of their last day in Seattle we had a group knitting lesson. Everyone did an excellent job learning how to cast on, knit and cast off. I was especially impressed by how quickly Alek learned. It was my first time teaching an 8-year old to knit, well, a whole family.



I can't wait to see their finished projects.