This is totally the Droid you're looking for
Clearly, the whole "November Make'n'Tell" thing is just not happening. Sorry about that. I'll try again after the new year.Since I'm all employed again and everything, I decided that for by big Christmas present this year I wanted an iPhone. Lots of my friends have them and seem to like them, and the whole internet-at-your-fingertips thing seems like a big win for me, and also, before I got all jobbed-up I was going to ask for a GPS and if you pay some extra, you can get your iPhone to do turn-by-turn GPS navigation, so it would take the place of that investment as well. I did my research and had decided which model and data plan I wanted...and then the Droid came along.
I did a bunch of research before I decided to jump ship and here's what convinced me to go with the Droid:
- Google is responsible for the OS (Android, which has been available in previous iterations on a variety of not-quite-as-smart phones). Overall, I like Google's products, so it seems like a good bet that I'll like this one, too. It also means that there's built-in integration with a lot of stuff I already use.
- Verizon is responsible for the network, and since one of the main complaints people have about the iPhone is AT&T's craptacular network, this was a pretty big selling point. Early reviews made a big deal about how talking on the Droid is actually like talking on a, well, phone, while talking on the iPhone tends to be a bit like talking into a tin can.
- Turn-by-turn nav is included
at no extra cost.
- Even though the iPhone has 10x as many apps available (at the time of the Droid's release), lots of developers are busy porting...and really, most of what I want the phone for is already available.
- Finally, Apple has always rubbed me the wrong way with their extreme proprietariness and secrecy. If the Droid hadn't come along, would I have overlooked that and gotten an iPhone? Yes. But it was nice not to have to.
So now I've had it for over a week, and I really like it. I've had a couple of small issues with it, and one rather large one when I bricked it less than an hour after I got it (fortunately, my Google-fu is mighty and I fixed it less than an hour after
that). I'm finding that most of what I've read about the "drawbacks" or "negatives" don't really apply to me, as they seem to be primarily differences between the iPhone and the Droid...and since I've never had an iPhone, I don't have anything to relearn. I'm still getting it set up exactly how I want it, finding which things I actually use frequently enough to park on the front page and which can be relegated to the main menu area, but overall, I'm incredibly pleased with my choice.
Things other people seem to not like that don't affect me:
- Some people apparently got a defective battery cover that falls of frequently. If you got one of these, take it back before the 30 days and exchange it.
- A lot of people seem to hate the camera. I've personally never seen a great cell phone camera (including the iPhone), so I wasn't expecting much from this one. I think it's an adequate replacement for a point'n'shoot, but it will never be even close to my beloved dSLR.
- The keyboards (both digital and physical) seem to throw a lot of people. The digital apparently differs quite a bit from the iPhone's, which again, is not an issue for me since I've never used the iPhone. The physical one is drawing some criticism -- people seem to feel that the keys are too small, or they don't like the way they feel. To me, they feel like the old Thinkpad keyboards. I'm okay with the size of the keys, but can't use them to text because if I try to do a smiley I inevitably hit "enter" which sends the text prematurely.
Things I don't like:
- I had one of the phones that had the orientation bug that got "fixed." I would really love for it to get un-fixed.
- I'd like to have actual password protection, not just a touch pattern
- Sometimes the touch screen is a little to sensitive for me, but I suspect if it was less sensitive, I'd complain about that, too.
I think that about covers it...I'd definitely recommend the Droid to a friend, especially one who has never had an iPhone or who is dissatisfied with their iPhone.
Well, that didn't last long, did it?
Turns out this whole "job" thing* really cuts into my leisure time, which is now also the time I have to:
- run errands
- craft
- spend time with my family
- sleep (though there's not much of that lately -- hello, insomnia, my old friend)
- blog
So, yeah. I didn't get much done this week, and I didn't get anything blogged. I did get a blog done for work, though. Does that help make up for it? Go
over here and check it out!
*Despite the fact that I had one hell of a Monday today, my job still rocks and I love it a real lot. I still can't quite believe it's real.
I was going to say something interesting
I know I was, because I've actually written "blog" on my to-do list for today, and I never do that unless I actually have something to blog about. Huh. No idea what it was. Clearly, my to-do list needs to be more detailed.
I do want to clarify the MnT rules, though: it's not 30 minutes a day. The 30 minute rule only applies if you're working on a larger project -- presumably one that would take you more than a day to complete. For instance, a sweater.
However, if you're making an original, creative project that only takes you 5 minutes, that counts as your MnT for the day. And don't forget that cooking counts! Finally, this is meant to be an encouragement, not a burden. You should totally feel free to modify the rules so that they work for you. If you decide that 15 minutes a day is all you can work on a project, that's totally fine.
Speaking of, I gotta go make something now.
ETA: I forgot I wanted to post a link to this web comic, which made me laugh(the one that starts, "Dee is sick...").
October went where?
Last month was (prepare yourself for an understatement of the massive variety) a bit busy here at chez knot. First, of course, we had my mom's visit and
Otherworld (Mom comes out and looks after the munchkins while we go hang out in the woods with 70+ of our dearest friends). It was fabulous, as always, but it does require some recovery time, and this year I had insomnia at the event which only exacerbated my exhaustion. I suspect the insomnia was due to the stress of not knowing if I had gotten the job I was hoping for -- I'm certain it had nothing to do with OW. So we got back from OW late Sunday/early Monday, then Mom flew out Tuesday, then my dad flew in the following Wednesday (so there was a week in between, not the very next day). In the meantime, I heard back from the job with a reference request -- always a good sign, but not enough of a good sign to alleviate the insomnia-causing stress.
While dad was here, we went and got pumpkins,
visited a couple of zoos (both petting and non),
and I baked a delightful pie: Autumn Pear with Black Grapes in a Cheddar Crust. I don't even like fruit pies, but this was just nummy. Big thanks to Dad and Nancy for the extra-delicious pears. I may use the cheddar crust next time I make chicken bacon pie (which will probably be soon). And look -- pretty!
As you all know from the previous post (if you remember back that far), I did hear back about the job, and I got it! I started this past Monday, and a week in I'm already pretty sure it's my dream job. Yes, it's still work, and the whole driving commute thing really sucks after getting used to being able to watch movies/read books/knit/etc. on the train every day, but I actually get to help people with their knitting/crochet problems, knit and crochet at my desk (right now I'm knitting a cashmere
wrap to wear in the office...mmmmm...cashmere), read blogs and articles about knitting (because I have to keep up on what people are talking about out there, since that's what they're going to be calling me about), hang out with nice people all day...what's not to like? Apologies if you're on my Facebook -- I know you're sick of hearing about how much I love my new job. I'll try to tone it down.
So anyhow, my dad stayed for a week, then the day after he went back to Dallas I went up to Connecticut for a couple of days to hang out at Stitches. So that was fun (and much thanks to Kit for rearranging his schedule to deal with the kids so I could do that), and then that brings us to last Monday with the new job. Oh, and let's not forget Halloween:
Very busy month. I'm still settling in to the new schedule, so I think I'm going to do a modified Make'n'Tell this month. The make part will remain the same -- a completed project OR 30 minutes on an ongoing project every day -- but the tell part will be more relaxed. Because really, I'm just not going to be blogging every day. I do think I can do at least two blogs a week (I may do more, but they probably won't be MnT focused), so I'm going to do a Saturday post, wherein I post pics of the previous week's work, and a Sunday post, which will consist of plans for the next week (which I may or may not stick to, but for me, having a plan means I'm more likely to remember what I want to get done). Here's this week's list:
- New MnT badge (one that doesn't refer to September, hopefully)
- Fix the backpack I made for Becky last weekend (was that really just last weekend? This work thing is really screwing up my perception of time.)
- Hem/mend work pants. Since I lost all that weight, I don't have many that fit me, and about half of the ones that do are in the mending pile. The new office is not a jeans-friendly office except on Fridays, so all my fancy designer jeans are doing me no good at all. (I'm not actually sure whether I'll count this or not. It certainly uses my crafting skills, but it's not actually creative. I'll think about it.)
- Finish Becky's sweater (this might actually take me two weeks -- since I knit and crochet at work all day I'm not doing as much at home)
Let me know if you want to participate and be added to the list over on the right! You can use either the
original rules or the modified ones for this month.
Quick bit of good news
I have been interviewing for The Perfect Job, and yesterday...they made an offer and I accepted! I don't want to post details just yet, but I'm super excited about the position and will definitely post more after I start in a couple of weeks.
I know I completely fell off the Make'n'Tell wagon there at the end of the month...turns out that the month you have a family vacation, other family coming to visit, and a big event right at the end of the month is maybe not so much the month you should commit to crafting and blogging every day. I did keep up on the crafting/making, but sadly, just didn't get the blogging done. I'm going to take October off (not from blogging completely, but from MnT), and try to come up with something that might work a little better for me in November. I also need to see how the new job is going to affect my time before I commit again.
Big thanks to everyone who participated last month -- I loved seeing what everyone was doing, and it was great that there was such a variety. I hope I inspired you as much as you all inspired me.
Oh, also, I did get the Big Brown Sweater done in time to wear it at Otherworld -- I'll put pics up in the next few days. It came out even better than I expected.
Stay on target
So: much later post than I intended -- Becky Jayne asked very nicely if she could come shopping with Grandma Tedi and me, and I got done with my interview (which I think went pretty well! Fingers crossed!) in plenty of time to pick her up before nap, so that's what I did instead of blogging. Also, no pics of the sweater (still...dude, I totally lied when I said the first crappy picture wouldn't matter because there would be "lots of pics" of the sweater, didn't I?) because my mom was asleep on the couch when I headed upstairs tonight and I didn't want to wake her up with the flash. Rest assured that I am almost done with the hood, and done with the hood means done with the sweater. I am currently debating whether to do short rows or a join down the middle. Right this very second I'm thinking join down the middle, just because it's easier to keep track of (in that there's really nothing to keep track of) and I'd be doing the "keeping track" part of the short rows tomorrow while trying to keep track of Becky and Zack.
BUT...lest you think I'm leaving you completely pictureless yet again, here are some pics of what I did Friday when I should have been cleaning the house:
I've been wanting to figure out something that's not a net or a closed toy box to put Becky's stuffed animals (aka, "soft friends") away in so that they're not just covering the floor of her room. I hadn't really come up with a great option, but we were walking back from town last Wednesday, which is rubbish day for the other half of town, and saw this delightful wooden crib out by the curb. When we got home I threw the kids into the Canyonero and headed back up the street to grab it. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it wanted a little decorating.
And here's how it worked out in her room:
Before:
After:
She was properly effusive and thanked me many times for "making her room pretty." Making her smile makes me smile. I'm going to miss her this weekend.
Good news, bad blogger
So, obviously I've just fallen right off the Make'n'Tell wagon. On the one hand, I feel shame (especially when I see everyone else keeping up with it and making fantastic things every day and blogging about them). On the other hand, I'm almost done with my sweater. I'm binding off the neck now, and will have plenty of time to add the hood. Sweet! I've done a couple of other things as well, and even taken pictures of them, but will not be uploading them because I'm really only on the computer to print out resumes for the interview I need to prepare for in the morning. I'm really excited about this one -- it would be an opportunity to combine my fiber arts experience with my customer service experience, which would be totally awesome. So I'm going to go do that now, and I promise - PROMISE - pics and details tomorrow afternoon after I get back from the interview. Well, maybe late afternoon, since I promised my mom I'd take her shopping, so probably after that. But really, I will be a Good Blogger tomorrow. Pinky swear.
