iPhone Sadness

I miss my iPhone. We were a team. Noticing that I barely check the Crackberry. I suppose that's more healthy.

Crack is Back!

A crackberry, that is. Went to the Apple store and it would have cost me $499 for a new iPhone - even with my "service" plan, because I still had 18 months on my contract and wasn't ready for an upgrade. I ended up talking to ATT for two hours by phone - first for an hour in the Apple store and then another hour in the ATT store. It became clear, after conducting a cost-benefit analysis, that closing out my account and paying the early contract termination fee and then starting a new account and getting the $99 iPhone was going to save me about $200. When I went to do it, ATT put me through to various departments until the final customer service representative offered a "deal I couldn't refuse."

So, now I'm back to having a crackberry. I'm actually quite excited for a few of reasons. First, the keyboard is so much better on the crackberry. Second, it is kind of nice to be going backwards a bit and not having the latest hottest technology (is that weird?). Third, as you know I love endless change. Here I've changed again. Oh yes, the camera on the crackberry allows me to take better self-portraits and I can post more easily to my blog. That's why you haven't seen portraits in about six months - very challenging on the iPhone.

Here's a YouTube video comparing an iPhone to the Blackberry Bold.



Never a dull moment in Amyville.

Crackberry Rest in Pieces

Poor Mr. Crackberry. May he rest in peace. Here he is post-lobotomy. The saddest part is that I can't turn it off so it is going to die a slow, painful death. I was able to pull off my calendar and contacts, thankfully. This is the first blogged photo taken with my icrack. Need to work on the focus and also sending directly from the phone. Mark this as a new era in my information technology life.

Another Technology Meltdown

What a challenging tech day. The rollerball mouse on my crackberry got stuck and so I searched on the web for cleaning options. I found a website that explains how to get the rollerball out and clean it. Mind you, I am not a gentle technology user. As soon as I had the little mechanism removed all the pieces exploded. Plus, there was no little fuzzball clogging up the rollerball like they showed on the website. Like taking apart a car engine, I tried to put it back together but there were extra miniscule parts and the little cover wouldn't fit back on.

Well, time for a new crackberry. However, I have to pay full price because I still have many months left on my current one. Suddenly I had a brainstorm - why not get an iphone (aka icrack) instead? It would synch with my Mac computer and be so super hip and cool.

I packed up all the little bits and pieces from my poor crackberry, that now has a hole in its head like it had a lobotomy, and treked into the City to get an iphone. The guy at the store was nice enough, of course since he was selling me a hugely expensive vanity phone product, but he didn't seem to get the phone setup correctly - or even at all. I had to run to facilitate a client board meeting so I figured I would get back to the icrack later in the evening.

Here I am, later in the evening and I can't get my Mac to talk to the iphone. Are they in disagreement? One jelous of the other? Plus, I can't scroll through my crackberry to get phone numbers and check my calendar because the bloody rollerball is out. To top it off I can't find hte little bag that I put the roller ball into to save all its itsy bitsy parts.

So sorry Mr. Crackberry that I poked your eye and was disloyal in quickly replacing you with an icrack that is spiteful. Ah, another technology meltdown.

Breathing Room

After cramming for the grant panel, reading 30+ grants over five days (each taking about 30 minutes to review) I actually have some breathing room. That means time to answer emails, blog, figure out my health care expenses (very expensive), and plan trips to visit my family back East (what a California term).

I'm actually blogging from my computer again instead of from the crackberry. Now that the crackberry is no longer talking to my blog it has forced me to really think about my posts before I write them. Previously I was just shooting off posts as they came to mind. It is a different pace and as you can see offers less personal photos, but I like that I can put in links and web images.

Although I am taking time to catch up it means that I am now behind on my statistics homework. That just never ends.

Blackberry vs Diary

My crackberry is conspiring. First it stopped talking to my blog and now it has hidden my new diary. Very clever little fellow. I thought I would convert my planning diary back to paper instead of being electronic. Trying to talk on the phone and check your availability is quite a task when you are talking on your calendar device. Well, thankfully I only had a few dates in the written diary and I think I've managed to remember what I've scheduled.

Getting in the UK Groove

As I get all my consulting projects and homework in order prior to my trip to the UK I am actually very calm about the biz-venture (new term for business adventure). Leah has already landed in London by now and I head out tomorrow afternoon with a direct flight from San Francisco to Heathrow. We meet up on Friday afternoon with our co-consultants Martin and Ann. Then let the adventure begin!

I now have a UK data plan for the crackberry so planning on blogging as I go. Stay tuned!

Tofurkey Trio

Here are the Tofurkey, Foturkeys we had for Thanksgiving at cousin Diana's house. When you spellcheck Tofurkey on a crackberry it suggests the word "divorce" and I can understand the thinking.

Mellow Thanksgiving

This year is a mellow Thanksgiving and a bit melancholy. Feeling a bit homesick for my US and UK families.

I'll be dining on Foturkey/Tofurkey with my cousin Diana in Berkeley whilst my folks are dining with her parents in Westchester County. So, we're having a virtual bi-coastal gathering.

Turns out that my schedule allows me to be off work until Tuesday. My project over the next few days is to take my annual photo expedition to make images for my holiday greeting card. I'm scoping out the Golden Gate Bridge this year. Last year it was The London Eye from the Millennium Bridge over River Thames. Maybe I should make this an annual expedition to bridges around the world.

Ah yes, thinking about photography has pulled me out of my Foturkey stupor.

As a side note, my crackberry doesn't like to spell check Tofurkey and keeps suggesting that the actual spelling is "divorce". I suppose that could be a meat-eating computer programmer's hidden message.

Houston Rocks!

I'm loving being back in Houston. Resisted at first visiting my old house but did a drive-by and it was fantastic. I noticed that the new tenants have the same rickety old table on their porch. This city has so much to offer. Chatting with Roberta about her quality of life and seeing her huge house filled with art I realized that living in an affordable city certainly has its advantages. Food for thought.

This evening I hook up with my friend Jenny and then possibly George and Victoria. But first and foremost I have to find an ATT store to fix my crackberry and the Dessert Gallery to get a huge slice of cake. Satisfy two addictions.

Life Without Crack

My crackberry has lost access to my email and as it sourches the battery is draining. Now the blackberry has an addiction to battery juice and I'm inrehab as it crashes.

Technology Breakdown

A few posts I sent over the weekend didn't make it to the blog because of a technology snafu with my Crackberry. All fixed now.

Crackberry Like Opium

I am laying on my side on the floor with my head on my meditation cushion, tears dripping from my tired eyes with crackberry in hand and the cord wrapped around my arm whilst I email, search the web and try to modify my crackberry preferences. I am sick and need help.


Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Double Fisted Crackberry-ing

I am on BART heading into San Francisco and there is a guy doing a conference call on one Crackberry while furiously typing away on another. I can only imagine that he is texting with some of the folks on the call. Even more impressive, he seems to be the one running the conference call. Now that is a crack addiction.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Dad and Grandma Explore the Crackberry

Of course my dad is the original crackberry addict. Here he tries to get his mother addicted.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Grabbing a BlackBerry Moment

Using a BlackBerry is probably the antithesis of meditation unless you fully believe it demonstrates "being in the moment".

I notice that I am not alone when I reach for the Crackberry while waiting for public transit, riding an escalator, waiting on line at the grocery store, or cooking pancakes (comfort food of choice). Everyone around me has their Crackberry out too. Perhaps we are all talking to each other.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Ike the Bike on BART

I figured out how to send photos from my crackberry to the blog! Now you're going to see some good stuff while I'm on the go.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Crackberry Users Unite

I went a little over the top today and transitioned from no internet access (except via cafes) to full throttle internet access. Yes, I admit, I purchased a crackberry. Oh it feels so good to have internet and email at my fingertips. Plus, I bought a new wireless adapter for my laptop and now I have wireless at home too. Oh yes, I will never again leave the comfort of my room.

When it comes to technology I am anything but bleeding edge. So, giving up my super little mobile phone which I brought over with me from the UK is really hard, especially since it has that super camera on it. However, my blackberry has a camera (not as good) and I can blog and post photos instantly. Can't beat that.