Today, the world lost one of its most visionary people. Steve Jobs passed away earlier today at the age of 56, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Love him or hate him, it's hard to deny what he's done - not just for technology, but for the world at large. He'll be sorely missed.

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/05/123826622/apple-visionary-steve-jobs-dies-at-56

I've heard a lot in the news lately about Google+ - Google's latest attempt to enter the realm of social media. After the debacle of Google Buzz, I was a bit skeptical...Buzz never really caught on the way Google hoped it would. I got an invite to Google+ from an acquaintance yesterday, so I decided to take the plunge and check it out.

The biggest draw for me is the fact that you can group people into 'circles' - friends, family, acquaintances, or any other classification you want. You can choose who sees what you post, so there's less chance of, say, one of your work colleagues coming across a potentially embarrassing rant about a family member. Or vice versa.

It'll be interesting to see how Google+ fares in the long run. The main problem I've seen thus far is the fact that Google insists on using real names in individual profiles. You can't use a pseudonym or 'screen name' as you would with other services, so people who are paranoid about privacy are likely to give Google+ a wide berth.

Well, it's official. I had an appointment with my neurologist yesterday to go over the results from my previous myelogram and CT scan. The results weren't totally surprising, but still not really what I wanted to hear.

( And so the drama continues... )

My new Kindle arrived today (tonight, actually, since UPS delivered it around 7 PM while I was at work) and I'm busy re-adding my entire book collection (around 100 books or so) as well as my magazine subscriptions. Thankfully with WiFi it doesn't take a very long time - otherwise I'd be leaving it overnight.

I was a bit worried my Kindle wouldn't be here because I've had issues with UPS deliveries before. The last time I ordered something via Amazon, the UPS driver delivered it to my home (again, while I was at work). However, someone else signed for the package and took it with them. I was on the verge of calling Amazon the next morning and reporting the item stolen, when I looked outside my front door and saw a package underneath my doormat. Apparently one of my neighbors had decided to try being a 'good Samaritan' and kept the package until they knew someone would be home.

While I understand the sentiment, and even appreciate the intent, it still bothers me. Granted, the package was undamaged and unopened, but the fact remains whoever took it did so without either my knowledge OR permission. I don't care what their intent was - in my book, that qualifies as stealing. Fortunately, this time my purchase was safely inside my front door unmolested.

Next up on my list - adding my PDF collection. I have several dozen PDFs that I have to convert before adding them to my library. Normally I send them to my Kindle using my free Kindle address, but that only allows me to send a few at a time. I'm wondering if a tool like Calibre would let me convert a large batch of PDFs and send them all to the Kindle over USB. Something to look into, I suppose.

...then I need to eat a LOT more apples.

( Sundry medical stats mostly for my own reference )

Made one of my best purchases ever this morning - the Magic Bullet mixer/blender. I've seen it advertised on TV, but didn't realize until today that Wal Mart carried them. As soon as I found out, I snatched one up. After whipping up my first smoothie (recipe to follow), I fell in love. I've already found a few other variations that I want to try.

Strawberry/Banana Smoothie
- 1 cup ice
- 1 large banana
- 3 or 4 large strawberries (whole)
- 1/4 cup orange juice

This actually turned out pretty good, considering it was my first attempt. I'm wondering if perhaps I should have added milk to the recipe, but overall I'd consider it a success. After doing a bit of research, I've come across a couple different smoothies I'd like to try - a breakfast drink with strawberries and oatmeal, and a peanut butter/banana combination. I'm looking forward to seeing just what I can come up with.

Haven't really posted anything substantial in a while...not that I haven't had anything to say, it's just that I haven't really had the impetus (or desire, I suppose you could call it) to write anything. Sometimes I feel a twinge of guilt for not doing so, until I realize that I'm under no obligation to write every single day. There's an app for that - it's called Twitter.

It's been incredibly busy around here the last few weeks - even though the holidays are long over, I'm still pulling 60 hour weeks thanks to the fact that our office is basically short-staffed permanently. The post office isn't hiring new people, and yet we've been given additional responsibility since we're taking on mail from another office that is being downsized. More mail + not enough people = lots of frustration on occasion.

Waiting to tackle my tax return this month...I have pretty much everything I need right now to do them, but I'd like to get my hands on one more item I'm using as a deduction. I discovered a long time ago that the standard deduction does nothing for me as a single person with no dependents. I itemize quite a bit, and end up getting a healthy chunk of cash back in return - which goes toward my vacation fund. I have two big trips planned for the year - visiting rakshi in April, and spending a week in Berlin this September. It's been nearly 25 years since I left Germany, and I'm really looking forward to going back again.

Falling more and more in love with the Kindle every day...I have a ton of books uploaded already, and several more on my wish list. Two of my coworkers have purchased Kindles of their own after seeing mine, and they both love it. The music minister at my church can't keep his hands off it - every time I bring it to church, he has to play with it. I guess he's hinting at this year's Christmas present.

I've long been a fan of the written word - as a teenager I collected nearly every Star Trek paperback and hardcover book in existence. I'm at the age now where, when people ask me what I want for Christmas or my birthday, my response boils down to cash/gift cards for Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

To further fuel my passion for reading, I finally broke down and bought myself something I've been considering for a long time - the Kindle. I know people who own it and love it, and I was waiting to see if someone would grab it off my Amazon Wish List this year - but sadly, no one did. Far be it from me to deny myself a simple pleasure, so I sprang for the WiFi+3G version - which is due to arrive tomorrow afternoon.

I can't wait to start building up my personal library - I have the iBooks app for the iPhone 4, but reading books on a 4.3" screen is NOT all it's cracked up to be. Convenient? Yes. Desirable? Definitely not. My first stop will likely be the Project Gutenberg collection - public domain works including a large number of classics. That alone will keep my occupied for a VERY long time.

So I've reached another milestone along the path of life...today I finally hit "The Big 4-0", as some people like to call it. One of the first things some people usually ask me is, "How does it feel to be *insert age here*?" What do I tell them? "Same as it did yesterday." I guess people expect some sort of monumental 'change' to take place when you reach 30, 40, 50, etc.

I can remember in my teens thinking that anyone over 30 was, to put it mildly, ancient. I couldn't conceive being that "old". When I finally hit 30 I had a home, a car, and a full time career - and I thought to myself, "You know, this isn't so bad after all." Now that I'm 40, I find myself looking back over the past 10 years and thinking, "What could I have done different?"

I suppose that's something we all go through at one point or another - looking back on the past 10 or 20 years of our lives and wondering if we made the right choices. I think back to when I was 30, and I realize I'm a much different man than I was then. There have been a lot of good times, as well as some bad ones. There are things that, if I could go back, I might do differently. Overall, though, I'm fairly happy with how things have turned out. I have all the things I consider important to me: a home, a steady job, a loving family. I don't know what will happen in the next 10 years, but I want to be able to look back when I turn 50 and say, "The 40s were a good time for me."

That said, I can't let this day go by without a big shout out to my fabulous birthday twin magickalmolly. Hope it's a great one for you, girl!

Found out yesterday that (surprisingly) I'll be off on Christmas Day...which means I'll get to visit family I haven't seen in a couple years. I was afraid I'd have to work that day, especially since I just transferred to a new department a couple weeks ago. Thankfully, Christmas is one of those days when not many people are needed at the post office since the only mail being DELIVERED that day would be Express Mail.

Virtually all of my Christmas shopping is done, save for the wrapping. I got the latest one in the mail today - a framed, autographed print my stepmother is bound to love. She's a huge fan of the University of North Carolina, so I got her something appropriate - albeit a little unusual. Beats the crap out of the traditional gift card, I must say.

After the holidays, it'll be time to start planning my vacations for next year. First on the list will be a long awaited reunion with two close friends - rakshi and abandonada. I haven't seen either of them in a number of years, and I'm looking forward to exploring Seattle with them.

After that, I have a two week break coming up in September. I was originally planning to go to Rome, but for some odd reason flights to Rome no longer come up on Travelocity. I did a cursory search a few weeks back, and found a number of flight/hotel packages to Rome available, but now there's nothing. Curiouser and curiouser...

...which means it's time for all those sundry things that go along with the season. I have a boat load of Christmas cards to mail, not to mention gifts to buy. The good thing about it is, I don't have a large number of people to buy for - which makes Amazon.com one of my closest friends.

My stepmother makes it easy on herself when it comes to me - she just picks something off of my Amazon wish list (after making sure I've updated it, of course). Last year I got 4 seasons of Stargate SG-1 on DVD, so it'll be interesting to see what I get this year. The biggest item on my list is the newest Kindle. I'm hoping for the full blown WiFi+3G version, but I'll settle for WiFi only. As much as I love to read, it would be the perfect gift for me.

Since I have two days off this week (a rarity during the Christmas season), I'm helping an old friend celebrate his upcoming 40th birthday aka the Mid Life Crisis. Dinner and a movie are on the table tonight...I can't resist the idea of seeing Chris Pine on screen again. Loved him in Star Trek, but haven't seen him in any other roles until now.

*off to start writing Christmas cards - just hope I have enough stamps!)

...and dropped off my Christmas present - in my driveway, of all places.







Truth be told, I'm glad he did. My old car was going on 9 years, and it was getting to the point where I was replacing major parts at least once a year. Battery, starter, alternator, water pump...if it wasn't one thing it was something else. I had planned to trade the car in next year anyway, but this came along at just the right time. It's a very smooth ride - handles well on the road, and gets excellent gas mileage.

Of course, now that Nissan is coming out with its electric car (the Leaf), I suppose my next vehicle will be of the more environmentally friendly persuasion.


SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: It's just been brought to my attention that today marks the 47th anniversary of the first broadcast of Doctor Who. An Unearthly Child introduced us to the Doctor and his TARDIS way back in 1967, and he's been traveling the galaxy ever since. It's been a wild ride so far, and I look forward to seeing more of his adventures in the years to come.

Finally (after a couple VERY BUSY weeks at the office and other sundry things) I can write about my experience in Manchester earlier this month. I purchased a hardcover journal to use while in England, since I didn't want to lug my laptop all the way across the Atlantic (and possibly have it searched/inspected/etc by the lovely folks at Customs and Immigration). I have to say, writing longhand gets to be painful after a while when you haven't done it in several years.

So, without further ado, ( Let's go to the other side of the pond, shall we? )

Transcribed from my written journal, October 2010

Thanks to books, we have more knowledge available to us than ever before. And with the advent of devices like the iPod Touch and the Kindle, we can have access to hundreds or thousands of books at any one time. I know people that buy almost exclusively from Amazon or iTunes, and I'm strongly leaning that way myself.

I have over 30 books currently stored on my iPhone - mostly free public domain works from Project Gutenberg, as well as a few sci fi and fiction works that have caught my interest of late. It's extremely convenient to be able to read a few pages during downtime at work, or relaxing at home. The only real disadvantage, I suppose, is the fact that the iPhone has a small screen. With that in mind, I've seriously thought about buying the new Kindle 3 from Amazon to use as an e-book reader. I have a small collection of paperback and hardback books at home, but I can't remember the last time I actually bought one at a bookstore like B&N.

With all the gadgets I already own, though, I wonder if doing something like that might be a form of overkill.

Less than a month before I head off to England to see John Simm perform in 'Hamlet'...and I am SO stoked about it. I've read a number of articles online over the past couple of weeks in which John talks about the experience of returning to the theater after doing television. He seems to be really upbeat about the whole thing, and I seriously hope that attitude carries over into his acting. After watching David Tennant perform this play alongside Patrick Stewart (on DVD, not live unfortunately), I'm eager to see how John approaches the role.

In the process of getting ready for this trip, I came across a fantastic iPhone app that should help keep things organized - Packing Pro. It allows you to set up a checklist of everything you need (from your passport to your toothbrush and everything in between) to ensure that nothing gets left behind once you leave the house. It has sample lists for both men and women (after all, women don't need Barbasol and men have no use for Tampax), and allows you to export a packing list from an outside source if you already have one set up elsewhere. I have a feeling this app is going to be indispensable - I have all the major details worked out (flight, passport, hotel etc.) but it's the little things that can trip you up.

21 days and counting...

One of the good things about having a '2nd shift' type work schedule (2:30 PM to 11:00 PM) is that it leaves my mornings free for other pursuits. Currently I've been going to the gym in the morning before work (an hour or so of cardio work - treadmill, stairclimber, elliptical), then coming home and relaxing for a bit before heading to the office.

Lately, though, I've been looking for ways to put more of my free time to good use. I don't really feel like vegging out in front of the TV for a couple hours before going to work, just because I can. It's a nice idea, but it really doesn't accomplish much in my book.

That said, I think I've found something that will fit the bill (at least for short while, anyway). Our local Church and Community Center is always in search of donations of one sort or another - be it time, money, manpower, what have you. This county is among the poorest in the state, and the fact that our nation's economy is in extremely bad shape doesn't help matters at all. They've already fed over 2,000 families just in the first 6 months of this year, and the need is only bound to grow as we head toward the fall and winter seasons.

I'm grateful that I'm in a position to be able to help - not everyone can say that, and I refuse to take it for granted. I know I can't help every single person...but I CAN help one person at a time.