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April 2010 Recap

by Dave on April 30, 2010

I’ve decided to try something new, for people that might be stumbling across Artsipop, but want to get a quick rundown about what’s been going on here. Each month I’ll break down all the posts so you can easily see what I’ve been up to the past month. So, this is how April went down…

• I kicked off the month in the Kid Stuff category, where I proclaimed we wouldn’t be putting up any cutesy, cliché baby decorations in the nursery. And speaking of nursery, it’s about time I started making some progresson that room.

• I’ve been going through a little Apple addiction this month, mostly because of the new iPad, but I also had amoment of weakness.

• The day job got a little interesting this month because the company had a major upheaval, combining all local offices into one, and it’s looking a little, um, bland. I’m also trying to figure the balance of work and baby life.

• If you’ve been here for more than a minute, you know that I’m a coffee fan, and I just made it into a relatively exclusive club.

• I also had a middle-aged moment, learning to appreciate my silvery assets.

• On a more frivolous note, I finally exposed one of my guilty pleasures, and probably went on a bit long about it.

• Finally, I wrapped the month with a plea to the home ownership gods, hoping I can go at least 30 days without having to dole out any more money.

That’s about it. feel free to share with all your cool friends, and maybe even some of the geeky ones. That way I’ll feel right home. See you in May.

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It’s Calling My Name

by Dave on April 29, 2010

I went to the Apple store yesterday, which is code for “I wanna buy some shit!”, and I got my first hands on look at the iPad. I actually went there to buy a portable hard drive since I realized I haven’t backed up my machine since, well, I got it (not good). Of course, the iPads are positioned prominently up front for everyone to walk by, or rather, stop and check out for hours. I couldn’t resist the pull, so I nestled beside one and started playing around with it.

The iPad is Here! First impressions? Holy fuck! This thing is so cool. I want one, I want one, I want one. I actually looked around the room to see which Apple geek in a blue shirt was close enough to grab by the nape and say, “Gimme gimme gimme!” Thankfully a cooler head prevailed. Back when the iPad first launched, I decided to go ahead and wait for the 3G version, which actually hits stores tomorrow. It’s a little pricier, but I figured if I use it even half as much as I do my iPhone, then I’m going to need the extra access points beyond standard wifi hotspots.

Honestly, I’m not really prepared to buy the 3G yet either; I need to save a few more dollar bills before I do, but for a brief moment, I was ready to plunk down $500+ bones for the wifi model right there in the store. Maybe I should stay out of the store until I actually am ready to buy, just in case. I don’t want to be upsetting the Boss if I spend money outside of the discretionary budget. I’d have to find a good way to justify the purchase, like if I don’t buy it now, the terrorists win, or something like that. Actually, it’ll probably be more like, “Look at all the baby pictures I can share with everyone in full size and color.” That’ll win points.

I haven’t bought a new computing device in awhile. My laptop is a couple years old now and still trucking along. I have no real need to upgrade it at this point, but it gets a little cumbersome to haul around when all I really want to do is browse the web, read some blogs, write some posts, and of course, play Bejewelled. The laptop is great for power computing, and I couldn’t do my design work on an iPad, but I’m writing this post on my laptop from the comfort of the bathroom (no lie) and honestly, this damn battery is singeing the hair on my legs. I can’t tell what smells worse: the burnt skin on my thighs, or the fact that I’m, you know, in the bathroom.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is… oh, who am I kidding. I’m not really making a good point except to say I’m definitely getting one of those golden, god-sent tablets soon, and if you see me geeking out with it, and you don’t have one yet, I’ll be sure to say neener neener enough to make you want one. So there!

And if you’re keeping score at home, YES, I did actually buy the harddrive I went to buy in the first place.

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Someone Hide the Lighter Fluid

by Dave on April 28, 2010

I’m sure you’ve heard that old adage about buying used cars that goes something like, “when you buy a used car, you’re buying all their old problems.” That’s how I feel about my home right now. For the past 3 months, we have had one problem after another rise up, most of which are plumbing related.

In the past few months, we’ve had our fence fall apart in a storm, a plumbing clog, our refrigerator thermostat break, a plumbing clean-out installed in order to fix a major clog, a wall heater stop working, more clogs and the refrigerator break for a 2nd time. I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all I can remember at the moment.

Our home is 90 years old, so I expect a certain amount of problems. The original wood floors have issues, but nothing detrimental. The paint is peeling in some places, and is a little dingy, but still looks decent. Honestly, it’s a great home, but I swear, if something else breaks within the next month, I’m setting the whole thing on fire and building a new home from the wreckage.

With the latest issue of the broken refrigerator, the timing couldn’t be much better. Lots of places are having appliance sales, and the California government has recently introduced the Cash for Appliances program, which gives a rebate on select refrigerators. Of course, you have to buy from a select list of Energy Star units, most of which cost more than we originally intended to spend, but piece of mind is worth a lot too. Plus, I might actually save money each month on my electric bill.

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Membership Has Its Privileges

by Dave on April 23, 2010

I got a little present in the mail the other day. I was expecting it, but I never realized how cool it would be. Ok, it’s really not all that cool, but I like it.

That’s a shiny, new Starbuck’s Gold Card, which basically means I buy WAY too much coffee from Starbucks. Honestly SB isn’t even my favorite coffee shop by a long shot, but it’s more convenient than Peet’s or even my local joint. I hit those up as often as I can, but SB is always there when I need them, the proverbial 7-11 of coffee joints (and yes, I do occasionally drink 7-11 coffee in desperate situations only).

So what does the card mean? Free shit, of course. That’s basically it, but it’s kinda neat seeing the face of the girl behind the counter when I hand her the flashy card. I’m sure she’s getting moist thinking about all the coffee I consume on a weekly basis, as if her goals in life have been met because of the purchasing power of one over-caffeinated man.

Hey, this is my golden fantasy world; let me dream for awhile.

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Walking The Line

by Dave on April 22, 2010

This morning, Les came out of the bedroom dressed for corporate battle: black, knee-high boots, black leggings, black skirt, black top and a black jacket…

Me: Wow, babe, look at you dressed to kill. People are going to think you’re heading for a funeral.

Les: (in her best attempt at a Southern drawl) Well maybe I am!

Johnny would be proud.

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