Techie ♥

I've always loved learning about new technology as a child and even more so as an adult. I didn't grow up with luxuries like a color tv, cable, landline phone or Atari games. The most luxurious technological things I owned as a child were a typewriter, calculator and dual cassette player. My oh my how things have changed and, yet, not so much. Currently, I don't have cable or sattelite tv. I have found that there aren't enough hours in my day to watch all of those extra channels. Besides, regular airtime television is enough. I also do not have a landline home phone, but not many folks do now a days. I've traded in that old typewriter for a laptop and dual cassette player for an iPod.

So, my G1 (Google) cell phone has been acting up lately and I decided to put myself on the waiting list for the HTC HD2. The bad thing is that I really do need a new phone NOW and this HTC HD2 phone won't be in stock for another month! According to reviews (YouTube), it's a better product that the current iPhone (which is probably going to be outdated due to a soon-to-be released new version of the iPhone). Right now, I really don't need the latest and greatest phone. However, I'd like something remotely close to greatness a.k.a the iPhone. Je je. Hopefully my Google phone will hold out until it gets replaced.

The other beauty I've had my eye on is the iPad. I can definitely say it's not a product I need, but it is a beautiful toy I'd like to own. Why? It's lighter than my laptop and functions like a tablet. As a designer, I also tend to lean more towards Mac products. So, why don't I own an iPhone instead since it's an Apple product? That's a good question. I like my cell phone carrier. Point blank. Why don't I look for an unlocked version of the iPhone? I did, but for the cost of a used, outdated iPhone, I could get a brand new knock-off. Ha!

Back to the iPad. I had been wanting to visit one at Best Buy, but hadn't found the time to do so. Luckily, a co-worker just purchased one and was using it to show his slides during a meeting. After the meeting, I went over to his office and asked if he'd let me play with his iPad and he did! It's a little heavier than I'd imagined and so much more beautiful. The visual aesthetics of it is phenomenal, it's extremely user-friendly and it's fast.

One of the big reasons I wasn't sold on the Kindle, Nook or most e-readers was their lack of color. I'm an artist, designer and photographer. I require visual stimulation. The iPad brings the rainbow to reading books and magazines. No, it doesn't come with Flash and it probably won't, which will lead to better photography for editorials such as WIRED or your local newspaper. Anyhow, I'm not on a waiting list to get myself an iPad, but it's on my list of self-indulgence. =) 

Friendship Code aka Girl Code

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."


---Oprah Winfrey
 
I'm not sure how or when a friend/girl code establishes itself, but it does. The guidelines are never truly said outloud and, yet, they magically appear. There is no séance or Ya-Ya Sisterhood gimmick that magically creates the girl code. It just happens.
 
Taken from Urban Dictionary:
1# Rule no 1 and the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL.. No girl may date her friend's; exs, past crushes, guys who have humiliated/used her and guys she currently fancies... Do this at your own risk biatch!!
Exceptions to rule:
a) Your friend has given you permission/ couldn't care less
b) The said fancying/going out happened before the age of puberty

I think that from time to time we each break the rules unintentionally. I, for intance, sorta broke the girl code by not telling friend 'A' that her boyfriend had asked friend 'B' and myself if he could party w/ us in Juarez. My thoughts at the time were, "Well... he wants to go. Friend 'A' can't go. We're all just friends. It's harmless, right?" This happened over 15 yrs ago and things were never the same between friend 'A' and myself. Let's just say, she chose to forgive her boyfriend and marry him years later, but she couldn't forgive me. I wasn't driving! The unsaid girl code was: As my friend, you need to tell me the truth about my boyfriend AND no, it's not ok that he party with you.

Breaking the friend/girl code happens all too frequently but there are times where the honor of the code survives. For example, my group of gal pals knew I had a crush on this guy we all used to hang out with. That automatically determined, to them, that he was off-limits. I never said they couldn't attempt anything with him, nor did I say that I had dibs. It was understood. The funny thing is that, just recently. I was able to tell that guy why none of my friends had approached him back then. He thought it was hilarious and said that it was probably for the best.... since we are very good friends now.

I find it interesting that this friend/girl code continues to exist. If a guy hurts a member of the circle of friends, it's automatically understood that the circle of friends will abolish all ties with that guy. Well.... most girls understand that. ;)

Themed with Juliet(a)

Seems like my weekend was ironically filled with Juliet(a) adventures. My Friday evening was spent at Julieta Venegas' concert blogged here. On Sunday morning I headed out to see "Letters to Juliet" with a couple of chick flick buds.

The best part of going to see "Letters to Juliet" was that I didn't have high expectations. Overall, I had heard that it'd received bad reviews. However, since the trailer suckered me in, I went ahead and purchased my ticket. I'm glad I did because this is one of those movies where I laughed out loud, wiped a tear and truly cared what happened to the characters.

First off, the cinematography taken on location is amazing. It truly transported me into Verona, Tuscany and Siena. I didn't know there was a real Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House) where a bronze sculpture of Juliet welcomes you into her courtyard. Secondly, the interesting thing is that for approximately 20 years, people have written letters addressed to Juliet, Verona or Italy speaking of love lost or regrets, have left the letters posted on the wall which, in turn, have received responses from the Secretaries of Juliet. Thirdly, the movie had sarcastic comic relief usually delivered by the male character, Charlie, played by Christopher Egan. (My most favorite kind of comedy.) I also liked Sophie's (Amanda Seyfried) variation of hairstyles throughout the movie. I think I'll try a couple of them myself. And last, but not least, I've now added a visit to Verona to my Bucket List. :)  

Review on Julieta Venegas

I'd wanted to see Julieta Venegas for a few years now and I finally got the chance to last night. I went with a few friends and ended up having a couple of extra VIP tickets that I, nor my buds, could sell or  give away. The funniest part of it all was that 5 of the folks that wanted to go were guys. The problem for each of them was their wives. Interesting....

Julieta Venegas was scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. at the Black Pearl outdoor event. 9 passed by, then 10 o'clock, and then 11. Still no sign of her. Luckily there were tons of port-a-potties to take advantage off while everyone waited surprisingly, patiently. At about 11:20 p.m. her band members assembled onto the stage as she followed closely behind. She was solemn and VERY pregnant. She didn't direct her attention to the crowd but instead headed straight to playing on her keyboard. She sang a couple of songs before addressing her fans, flashing a smile and saying hello to EP landers and J-town folks. The girl went from her keyboard to her guitar to swinging her ponytail, while she danced to the folklore music surrounding her. Her band members also switched instruments throughout her entire performance and, additionally, sang backup vocals for her. She spoke of immigrants and the AZ laws. Her concert lasted 1 hr and 10 minutes, which included her 2 encore songs. There was no opening act for her.

I still like her songs, but I probably won't go to another of her concerts. Her concert was very mellow. It was like going to hear a local band that lacks performers. I didn't appreciate having to wait over 3 hrs for the diva to perform, much less pay for a $92 VIP ticket, given that it mathematically came out to more than $1 per minute of her performance. In all reality, I'm not certain who was to blame for the lack of respect: the venue or her.

Grammar Nazi

The Urban Dictionary has several definitions of what a Grammar Nazi is. I have to say that the closest definition to myself would be # 9: A person who uses proper English, proofreads papers for fun, and generally corrects everyone's improper grammar. This person feels very ashamed when he or she is caught making such errors and corrects himself/herself often. It should be noted that a Grammar Nazi simply wants to help others and does not correct others out of arrogance.

When I was younger, my arrogance used to grammatically critique OUTLOUD every single note my friends would write to me. "You have a comma splice. That should be capitalized. You used the wrong there. It should be their." I remember one particular occassion when my friend, whom shall remain nameless, yelled at me, "JUST READ THE NOTE! It's JUST a note!" Is it just a note? What would you say if I saved this said note and hundreds of years later it was found? Sure, you'd be long gone by then, but wouldn't you want to come across as literate? Is it that the schools are failing us or have most chosen the lazier route in writing?

Now that I'm older, I have learned to refrain from pinpointing to folks that their sentence structure is incorrect. If they want to appear illiterate, then so be it. I will, however, correct their sentences, punctuations or spelling in my mind while shaking my head or rolling my eyes. It's quite a sight to see. Je je. Trust me, it's a thrill to be asked to edit someone's paper, especially when that someone has a higher degree than myself. =D

I have to mention, though, that I have chosen to take creative license in writing when I respond to a social networking site posts. *smirk*

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