My AT&T contract was finally up, so I went to Best Buy yesterday and got myself an iPhone. While I’m still in the learning phase, I can already tell this device is going to fundamentally change how I interact with technology.
Case in point: Last night I needed to visit a new location. I had printed directions to use with my car’s GPS, but in my rush, I left them at home. No problem! I simply pulled over at a gas station, took out my iPhone, and Googled the address on the spot. Problem solved.
It’s not just a phone—it’s changing how I navigate daily challenges.
As a dedicated open source advocate, I know I’ll face some criticism for not choosing an Android device. However, in my assessment, the iPhone ecosystem is simply more mature and ready for daily use. Android shows promise, but it’s not quite there yet.
I’ve already installed Twitterific, so my social connectivity is up and running. Stay tuned for more detailed reviews and insights as I discover everything this device has to offer!
Hey everyone, I’m back in the Bay Area after visiting Portland for the last few days for Christmas, and let me tell you it was quite a trip! I woke up this morning at 3:30am and left with my dad and Tyler to the airport at around 4:20am for our 6:45am flight so I could get Tyler back to Lana for Christmas. My dad heard the main roads had cleared up, so he took the chains off his truck. We had quite a ride down the hill to the highway, and once we got on the highway everything was plowed really nicely with no snow at all. We were going maybe 45-50 MPH when we must have hit some ice going over an overpass when we started zigzagging left, then right, then back left, then back right until we did a 180 into the highway wall. Luckily, it had a ton of snow buffering it. The snow bank stopped the truck, and my dad told me to drive so he could push us out of the snow and back onto the highway. We got going again, and I kept it in four-wheel drive going real slow the rest of the way to the airport. Everyone including my dad’s truck is luckily fine, but it was quite a ride, let me tell you.
We only had to stand in line during check-in for maybe 5–10 minutes, and the guy checking me in asked my dad if he wanted to help me through security. I didn’t even give him a chance to answer before I said “YES” to him. The guy said he was a single dad too, so he understood what it takes to get through security, which was so nice. It was really nice to have some help going through security, and then we got a Starbucks and watched Tyler flirt with all the people. Of course, as they were calling for us to board, Tyler decided to “do his thing” so I ended up being the last one to board. He was wonderful on the flight and went to sleep about 10 minutes into us taking off. When we got into Oakland, it was raining and really windy, which wasn’t fun for Tyler and me because we had to stand and wait for the economy lot bus. I dropped Tyler off at Lana’s and just got home about an hour ago after calling my parents to tell them I made it. I don’t think I went on any trains, but it has been quite an adventure, let me tell you. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone.
Dear 2008 we have now spent 31,556,926 seconds together (give or take a few thousand at the time of writing you this). We shared seconds I wish could have lasted forever, and seconds I wish I could give back to you that will remain with me forever. In the same year, I saw my son walk his first steps and my marriage walk its last. We have shared deep sadness, betrayal, shock, anger, hate, frustration, helplessness, joy, exhaustion, success, failure, love, heartaches, and headaches.
More than halfway through the year, I knew you were starting to consume me. I couldn’t absorb all that was being asked of me and that I was asking of myself. I was like a sponge who had taken in all it could, which didn’t have room to absorb anything else. I knew that I was taking on more than I should, and it was affecting myself and those around me. I started to tell others I was seeing things were broken and my desire to fix them. Fortunately, I had enough foresight to realize part of what was happening, but I had no idea how much foresight I lacked, which I eventually gained. The important thing I take away from 2008 is I now understand what happens to a sponge which has nothing left to absorb is squeezed. It drains itself of everything the pressure demands, which leaves it void of what it used to have. However, the sponge is then able to absorb better things. In life, be careful how much you absorb, but also be careful how much you let go of something you have committed to keeping.
You taught me a lot about myself, probably more than any other year I have come to know. You have changed me in ways I didn’t think possible. Entering 2008 I was on a track to something I thought I wanted, but it took a freight train on that track to hit me to realize it is something no longer of importance to me. My nephew Evan’s favorite toy is Thomas the Tank, and I find it so interesting every time I play with him that he creates a disaster in order for Thomas to come and save the day. Evan yells, “HELP CHOO CHOO… HELP!” and along comes Thomas to assist. My help isn’t coming from a train but rather from others who have helped push me up the hill saying “I think you can, I think you can”. To those who have helped push me up the biggest obstacle of my life, words can’t express how grateful I am. Freight trains are tough to stop and even after they hit you, they will drag you quite a distance if you don’t find a way to stop it. I tried to stop it several times after it hit me before realizing the train didn’t have brakes of its own, so the best thing I could do was direct it onto another track I was not on, but I truly hope in doing so it doesn’t hit anyone else in its path.
Do whatever it takes to keep your family happy and since that isn’t always possible, remember to find a way to keep yourself happy. Just be careful to make sure your happiness isn’t at the expense of others. I’m sorry 2008, I won’t miss you, but I’m also not sorry for meeting you, which is an odd thing for me to say. 2009 you had better be good to me because I deserve so much better than 2008.
