Monthly Archives: February 2009

Stormy

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Yep, I’m all excited about the new phone. I must admit it’s a little frustrating — even for a self-proclaimed geek like myself who likes to think there isn’t a single piece of software tough enough to stump me — to struggle with a device like this. No matter, though. I spent some time on it yesterday, and I’m a lot farther along than I was. I will get it, though. Mark me.

So yeah, my BlackBerry Storm is pretty cool, I must say. However, as with any new phone, people rush to judge it without really playing with it long enough. I read a review in PC Magazine where the journalist didn’t even know the most basic functions that can be executed by simply reading the owner’s manual. Anyway. Here’s my Storm, all prettied up with a violin background:

storm3

Getting used to a phone with no keypad has been interesting. It’s just a different set of steps you have to go through.

I really like the text messaging and email setup, though. That’s probably my favorite feature. (And the web access doesn’t bite, either.) Turning the phone horizontally reveals a full text keyboard, which I really like.

Lots of upsides to this phone make it worth using for me; namely, the text-messaging and email. Amazing, both. There are a few annoying disadvantages, however.

  • The learning curve is sizable. I’ve heard from sales people that folks often buy these phones, only to return them in frustration a few days later. Be prepared to outlast the head-scratching. It’s been just under 48 hours for me, and I’m starting to see daylight.
  • If you don’t have tiny little hands, forget about easily typing on the keyboard.
  • I have yet to figure out how the two-letters-per-key keypad works. It types seemingly at random when I try to use it. Fortunately, I prefer the full keyboard, so no biggy.

So, not 100% intuitive, but that’s OK with me. I still love it. And this wasn’t exactly a Wired-worthy review of the Storm, but hey, it’s 5:54. Have a great Monday, my fiends. Today we start Year Two.

:-)

FO

365

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Well, not actually *my* birthday. RtB is one years old. :-)

On 22 February 2008, I started what has become a true labor of love. That phrase is overused, I know, but it’s totally fitting. I’ve told friends that writing the blog post every day is like taking a shower or making the coffee or brushing teeth: I just do it as part of the daily routine. I think it’s made me a better writer; I know it’s made me a smarter person.

Best part, though? My RtB fiends — both those who post and those who don’t. You keep it interesting and fun.

Will I post every day from now on? I don’t know. Probably. This began in my brain as a one-year project, to see if I could generate any worthwhile discourse (that has happened in spades) and meet any cool people. On that score, I have reconnected with some old friends, and made several new ones. I’ve connected with my students on a level that is very different from what we have at school. All that makes the whole thing worth it.

On a global scale, my 190-some hits every day make RtB quite the small player. But I don’t mind. In a world where size seems to always matter, I’ll take the quality any day.

Three cheers for RtB fiends. I hope you’ll keep visiting; It’s not like I’m going anywhere.

RF, hearting you all.

This cannot be happening.

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Do you know how rarely I get sick? Like, almost never. And yet, here I am, ate up with the nasty sore throat, cough, and accompanying snarkiness. Fortunately, it’s not the stomach kind…like I got hold of some bad cheese or something.

I blame this mostly on middle school students. I don’t know why, but I need a scapegoat, and they just seem sufficiently goaty this morning. If only they didn’t have to breathe…my classroom would stay relatively non-germy.

I told an old college friend that I would come and work with her cast at rehearsal this morning. A 32-mile drive. Usually I wouldn’t mind at all, but I’m dreading it today. I hope I don’t scare the poor kids.

But for now, more hot tea, some oatmeal for breakfast, then a long hot shower. That’s the ticket. This thing will not get me down.

Oh, and DayQuil. Regular doses of it, all day long. Because DayQuil makes the world go around.

Happy Saturday — now go get something done!

FO

The (Really) Lonely Repairman

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L-R: Jesse White, Gordon Jump, Hardy RawlsHey, remember the old Maytag repairman commercials? I do. They depicted Maytag appliances as being so incredibly sturdy and dependable, repairmen had nothing to do. Hence the advertising slogan/moniker, “The Loneliest Guy in Town.”

Three different actors played the bored-to-death fix-it men. Nowadays, there’s a new one altogether.

Anyway, get to the point.

Seems there’s a Maytag repair guy out in Reno who got a little too bored. From the NY Times:

By using serial numbers he copied from washers and dryers at local retail outlets such as Lowe’s and Fry’s Electronics, he submitted … false claims for repairs and travel expenses to the company…”

Now that’s some nerve. And not only did he rack up bogus repair bills, he racked them up to the tune of over $300,000. In 2006 alone, he submitted claims for over 3,000 repairs. (No wonder Maytag noticed.)

The guy, of course, denies all charges. Now really, luv. Did we expect anything less?

*ding ding* BOOT to the head.

Happy Finkday!

Photo credit: Whirlpool Corp.

Mono-nuke-your-showsis

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Stress, anyone?

Seems the theater gods are having a bit of fun at the Fink’s expense.

We open five weeks from tomorrow, right? OK. We’re two weeks behind schedule because of my irritating, infuriating illness the week after the Super Bowl, and also because of several snow days in a row. That’s all right, I suppose, because I do always try to build an “emergency” week into the rehearsal schedule.

But this is stretching the limits of funny.

Two weeks ago: one cast member out with mono. Yesterday: another cast member’s mother calls — he has mono as well. Out for two weeks. I was told at rehearsal last night that another cast member’s girlfriend is exhibiting symptoms and has to be tested. I don’t want to complicate things with the extremely dangerous power of suggestion, so I’m keeping basically quiet about it at school.

This morning, in an effort to make sense of it and to prepare myself for what could lie ahead (and since I’ve been up since 3:17 a.m.), I did some light research on mononucleosis:

  1. The contagion is not airborne, but rather transferred by mouth. However, that can be tricky. Aside from the kissing issue, you can also have problems if you’ve taken a drink after someone, or shared a cookie, or even touched a door knob after the infected person coughed into his hand and used the door before you.
  2. People can have symptoms or not — which means you can be a carrier of the virus (called Epstein-Barr) and not know it. According to the CDC information on it, a true school-wide outbreak would be rare — although I wonder why they’d say this. Seems counter-intuitive to me. Am I missing something?
  3. The jury is apparently out on the issue of exactly how long the contagious period lasts. Some say days; others say weeks and months. Therein lies the problem…

Years ago, Mavis was out of school for a month with it. It means business, and you can’t get back to your life too soon without having a relapse, which is what is happening with the boy who contracted it first. I wonder how my friend Bando is doing with her show and sickness. B, if you’re reading this — how goes Godspell? Any problems outside the “normal” range? (Heh heh.)

Regardless, this thing is a deal breaker; a potential production killer.

Hey, I know — I should buy a bunch of these. Pass ’em out in choir.

Fink out (gee, I’m not feeling like myself…I’m really exhausted…my throat hurts…)

(kidding)