My new camera

Here is a picture of my new camera. It's a Canon Rebel XTI. The funny looking plastic thing over the top is used to soften the flash.
Here are a couple of pictures I took using the flash diffuser:
To the left is a picture of Mandy, who is mad. She's 17-years-old this year and she doesn't like to be bothered. Thus the glare. There's a cat glare but no light glare thanks to the funny looking camera attachment. And yes that is my toilet in the background, and I need to pick up my pajamas. Concentrate on the cat!


And here is a picture of Pedro:

Pedro never gets mad. I imagine I wouldn't even get a rise out of him if I pulled his tale, he's just a very docile animal. He never complains.

I'm still trying to get a decent picture of my little cat, Chelsea. She is not docile, and I grabbed her by the tale when I was trying to give her medicine and she bit me.

I hope to post some more photos this weekend, including some non-pet pictures. Thanks for taking a look at my creations.

My replacement camera is here!

My replacement camera arrived yesterday, but I haven't had any time to take any photos. I work this weekend, so my time will be limited then also. But I'm off Monday! So stay tuned ...

Bluetooth breakup

My love affair with my Bluetooth headphones is over. They were great at first, but then I had a problem getting them to fit correctly in my ears. There's a big receiver-like thing that goes behind your head; it tends to pull the ear cups away from my ears. And now I'm having problems connecting my phone with the headphones. Sometimes I have to turn the headphones on and off three times AND turn my phone off before I can get a connection.

It's back to my old ipod headphones for me, at least until something better comes along.

Courted by presidential candidates

This weekend I received four calls from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Two were recorded messages from Hillary herself, the other two were actual people asking me to go out and vote. Which I've already done by absentee ballot.

I also received a real-person call from Obama's Ohio campaign headquarters.

And I've gotten more than one recorded call from Cindy Lazarus, and John O'Grady has called at least twice.

I've never received so many campaign calls! It's going to be a very interesting primary . . .

Little cat update

Chelsea the cat seems to be doing better. She has been sneezing for a couple days so I now think she has a cat cold. I have to give her pink liquid antibiotic and a liquid pain reliever. So she hates me. And pink liquid antibiotic has been splattered in some interesting places.

She came to the kitchen and ate today so I think the worst is over if you don't count the twice daily dosage of meds . . .

Grey Gardens -- put it in your Netflix queue!

Here's another clip from Grey Gardens:

Where I am with "Lost"

Tonight I'm going to watch disc 4 of 6 of the first season of "Lost." Here are some of my observations about the show:

• It makes a lot more sense when you watch the episodes in order. I watched the second disc before the first one by mistake and boy was I confused!
• These people run ALL THE TIME. They must have a special "running through the jungle" camera on set that they are really proud of.
• Does the Korean husband speak English too? Sometimes I see a flicker of understanding in his eyes when he's "listening" to someone speak. (DO NOT ANSWER THIS QUESTION OR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I ASK OR I WILL HAVE TO HATE YOU!)
• Is Kate a bad person or a good person, or maybe a good person who used to be bad? I'm confused.
• Where the heck does Elizabeth Mitchell fit in to all of this? I know she's on the show later. Did she fall from the sky?
• I'll be waiting by my mailbox on Monday hoping that disc 6 gets here, I can't imagine how the season will end.
• Season 2 is moving to the top of my Netflix queue. Quickly followed by season 3.
  

Those are some of the thoughts populating my head lately. This show is very addictive. I can see why people love it. But that doesn't mean I'll EVER watch American Idol . . .

Don't name your kid "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116" if you live in Sweden ...

... or else you might just find yourself the recipient of a hefty fine. Boing Boing has the story:

Swedish couple fined for naming their child "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116"

DO play with your food!

A site called perpetualkid.com is selling a game called Tic Tac Toast:


It's only $2.99! Check it out here.

My favorite winter accoutrements

Two winter accessories I cannot live without: my behind-the-head ear muffs and my Columbian boots. Both items are absolute necessities when the weather gets nasty. For example, this morning, my boots kept my feet dry while I walked through the snow that fell last night. And my ears remained nice and warm.
Dry feet and warm ears -- it's little things like these that can mean the difference between a good and bad day!

Pet drama

I have a sick pet. Chelsea, my new cat, stopped eating yesterday. She was also hiding, and she clearly wasn't feeling well. I took her to the vet today - it was very unpleasant for both if us. The vet thinks she may have some sort of sore throat. I have to give her antibiotics.

Chelsea ate when we got home, but she is still hiding from me. She wants nothing to do with me - first I took her to the vet and then I forced her to take her liquid antibiotic. I would be upset too.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted. Hopefully the antibiotics will work and she'll be back to normal soon.
Susan
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Starbucks news

There's a chance my Starbucks might be closed for a little while next week. Baristas are getting re-trained at 7,100 Starbucks stores. According to the Chicago Tribune blog The Stew:

Starbucks has announced it will close its almost 7,100 company-owned stores across the country on Feb. 26 for several hours so it can bring its employees back up to speed on creating a perfect shot and steaming milk and pulling it all together for a great drink. The barista re-education is a "renewed focus on espresso standards," say Starbucks honchos.

I think I'm safe because, along with many others, I tend to go to my Starbucks after lunch. I'm going to ask them on my next trip just in case. One can never be too careful when it comes to a daily fix!

Stuffed animal guts

Here's a perfect toy for the kid who has everything - an inside out stuffed animal:
The guy who makes the above bear has several different models. His name is Kent Rogowski and here is what he has to say about his creations:

Bears, is a series of portraits of the most unusual sort: ordinary teddy bears that have been turned inside out and restuffed. Each animal's appearance is determined by the necessities of the manufacturing process. Simple patterns and devices never meant to be seen are now prominent physical characteristics, giving each one a distinctly quirky personality: their fasteners become eyes, their seams become scars, and their stuffing creeps out in the most unexpected places. Together these images form a topology of strange yet oddly familiar creatures. They are at once hideous yet cuddly, disturbing yet endearing, absurd yet adorable, while offering a metaphor for us all to consider. These bears, which have lived and loved and lost as much as their owners, have suffered and endured through it all. It is by virtue of revealing their inner core might we better understand our own.

You can see the rest of his bears by clicking here.

Here's a new one

Here's a priceless piece of information that was published on the UK's Courier site:

Human pelican’ guilty of drink driving

A PERTHSHIRE postman who crashed his car claimed he failed a breath test due to a “unique” medical condition which caused him to store alcohol in his neck like a human pelican.

Click here to read all about this man's amazing "medical condition."

Good for a few laughs

Here are a few funny cat bath photos, courtesy of my sister (click to enlarge).

A question I don't want answered, thanks anyway

I'm watching the first season of Lost on DVD. I mistakenly watched episodes 5-8 before episodes 1-4, so I was confused for a little while. I'm now ready for the rest of season 1.

Something that confuses me - I know from commercials for later seasons of Lost that there are new cast members every once in a while. Where did they come from? Were they there already? Perhaps they were there all along, but they didn't become main characters until later. Color me intrigued.

The case of the disappearing rubber chickens

My dog, Jessie, used to have a rubber chicken squeaky toy that she loved. Here is a picture of her enjoying it. One day the rubber chicken mysteriously disappeared so I replaced it. That one disappeared too, so I got her another one. THAT one is now missing.

But I have solved the mystery. I am taking care of a neighbor's Corgi tonight while she is out of town. Lo and behold, Taylor (the Corgi) has not one, not two, but THREE rubber chickens in her toy basket! Taylor uses my yard at times for recreation while I'm not home -- her yard isn't fenced in. Apparently, she is sneaking off with the rubber chickens! From now on, there are going to be rules for visiting dogs. Rubber chickens must stay on the premises!

No more snooze

I'm almost 100% sure I wore out the snooze button on my alarm clock. Wednesday, it didn't go off when it was supposed to. And today I happened to be awake early enough to test it. Twenty minutes passed and no snooze. Luckily I have another alarm clock so I will be able to keep snoozing in workday mornings.

Which reminds of the time one of my cats slept on my alarm clock (because it was warm) and she hit the buttons that change the time. I was late for work that day. Try telling your boss you were late because your cat messed with your alarm. You'll get some strange looks.

From the Telegraph, "At 2'9" and a mere one and a half stone, Aditya "Romeo" Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder." You can read all about him by clicking here. And if that's not intriguing enough for you, the Telegraph also has the following information available:

'Heaven Sent Brandy' is world's tiniest dog World's hairiest man WLTM hard-to-shock girl Making a splash in the world's largest pool

Wide awake? Not necessarily

From Boing Boing - fake eyeball stickers for your eyelids:

Check it out here.

Drat

I had to send my brand-spanking-new camera back today because it had a dead pixel on the lcd screen. I was able to take about 200 photos yesterday. Sadly, most of them were of my dog. I hope to venture out to interesting places around town once my camera comes back.

Yesterday I also took some photos of sparrows and other rather boring birds because those are the only ones that usually visit my yard. Wouldn't you know it -- this morning on my way out to my car I saw a real-live hawk sitting on my front fence! Where was my camera? Packed in a box for the UPS man! It just made me want to say ARGH!

In other news, I have part of the first season of LOST from Netflix to watch this weekend. Yes, when it comes to popular TV shows, I'm sometimes a late bloomer. I'll let you know what I think of it ...

A little (fake) flowery goodness

Sunflowers are nice, even if they're fake. This particular batch of flowers has been in my living room for years. I thought I'd take a moment to brighten up your night by sharing them with you.

Men with big guns

The Pentagon is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite that is expected to crash into earth. According to the AP:

"U.S. officials said Thursday that the option preferred by the Bush administration will be to fire a missile from a U.S. Navy cruiser, and shoot down the satellite before it enters Earth's atmosphere."

Now isn't that exciting? It's very science fiction-y. What about the resulting satellite fragments? Will they become space trash, or will they plunge to the earth, reeking havoc and causing all sorts of problems?

One can only hope the government knows what it's doing. Firing missiles into space doesn't necessarily sound like a good idea . . .

AP: U.S. to shoot down errant satellite

I believe this is a nuthatch

Above is a picture of what I believe is a nuthatch that was looking for food in my front yard. I used my new camera with a telephoto lens to get this picture. It's kind of unusual to see a bird that isn't a sparrow around here. I feed the birds but I don't get much variety.

Speaking of feeding birds, my dog Jessie loves to eat birdseed. I think I figured out that she likes the cracked corn in the feed, but it's too hard to pick out so she just eats all the bird seed. This is disgusting, but it comes out when she goes to the bathroom. From what I've seen, bird seed is not digestible by dogs . . .

Happy Valentine's Day from a gnome with a heart!

photos with my new camera

Here is the very first photo I took with my new camera:And here one I took soon after:
I'm pretty impressed with the quality ... now I have to go fool around with it some more!

Quick note

It has come to my attention that when you click on the photos on my blog, they are hugungous. From now on I'll make sure they're a more easily-viewable size.

I just bought a Canon Rebel XTI (a digital slr camera) and I plan to post plenty of photos in the future. Stay tuned!

Would you eat this?

I found this picture on The Consumerist:

It's the 2,900 calorie cheese-covered ranch dressing french fries from Outback Steakhouse. Men's Health calls it the worst food in America. It has 2,900 calories, 182 grams of fat and 240 grams of carbohydrates. Add a steak to it and you'll explode. Simply staring at the picture long enough could cause you to gain 15 pounds. What a side dish!

Today's bus story

It snowed this morning. I got on the first bus I saw. I met a new group of bus friends, and we had a fine old time talking about the upcoming election. Many of them have never voted, but they will this year because they think their vote might actually make a difference.

A bus friend is someone who becomes your friend simply because you take the same bus. Today, my bus friends were people I'd never met before because I was taking a different bus. I have several regular bus friends on my regular bus. I talk to them everyday, but I don't know their names. One of my bus friends told me yesterday that I wouldn't be seeing her anymore because her work schedule changed. This is unusual - often bus friends just disappear, never to be seen again.

There's a group of women I feel particularly close to because every weekday we take our lives in our hands crossing Cleveland Avenue. We cross it as a pack, thus giving us more power and intimidation over drivers who want to turn left into us.

If you've never taken a bus, I suggest you give it a try. At the very least, you'll save yourself from having to drive somewhere. And you might make a friend or two in the process!


Susan

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Cat number three

The latest member of my household is Chelsea the cat. Chelsea has many redeeming qualities, but sitting still while I clip her nails is not one of them. Yesterday was her very first nail clipping session with me and she tried to kill both of us in her extreme effort to get away. She still looks at me funny and it's been over 24 hours.

Chelsea likes to drag things around the house. Her latest favorite targets are my winter accessories -- my scarf, gloves and hat. She makes scary mewling noises when she carries them. I think she thinks they are some kind of prey.
Chelsea is only one year old so her personality is still forming. All indications are she will be a stubborn, very cat-like cat. She was all sweet and pretty when I picked her up at Cat Welfare, butt now she has the biggest attitude in the house. She is Queen.

Dirty dog

Someone needs to wash her face!

The bus did come!

I called COTA this morning to complain about my bus not coming. Apparently it did come, but it was 7 minutes early.

"That's a no no," the COTA woman said, adding that there was a new driver on the route. She assured me it will not happen again. We'll see.
Susan
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Starting Monday in an icky way

My express bus never came this morning. It simply didn't show up. So now I'm on the s l o w bus, which is always full of interesting and sometimes not-so-pleasant people.
There is always at least one person talking on a walkie-talkie type phone. On good days the bus driver will tell them to shut up, on bad days I get to here two-sided conversations about nothing.
One good thing about the slow bus - where I disembark there is a Starbucks so I get top start my day with a strong dose of caffeine!
Susan
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Cat friends

I recently came across this photo. It shows three cats looking out the window at the same time, which is some sort of miracle. Pictured from left to right are Pedro, Mandy, and Chester, who I had to put to sleep a few months ago. Those of you who knew Chester know he wasn't the kind of cat to take part in group activities. Which makes this picture extra-special.

A cat like a dog

Tonight I'd like to introduce you to my cat, Pedro. He is the only male of the household. Pedro is more like a dog than a cat in some ways -- he'll let you pet him whenever you want and he comes when he's called.

Pedro has settled down a bit since I got him about two years ago. He often used to do crazy things like climb the windows. He now only does this rarely.

Pedro's best feature is his teeth. As you can see from the photo below, he has serious vampire teeth. Luckily he keeps these to himself.

Only one more animal to go and you'll be acquainted to all four of my household beasts!

Grey Gardens

I absolutely love the 1975 movie Grey Gardens. It's about two very eccentric relatives of Jackie Onassis. They lived in a run down house with a bunch of cats and sometimes some raccoons.
Here is the Netflix synopsis:

"Documentary pioneers the Maysles brothers (Gimme Shelter) capture poignant moments in the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale (Big Edie) and her middle-aged daughter, Little Edie -- relatives of Jackie O -- at their decaying estate, Grey Gardens. The ladies shut out their bleak present by recalling richer times and lost loves, and while Little Edie confides that she'd like to leave, the camera captures a co-dependency destined to continue."

There is also a second movie, The Beales of Grey Gardens, that consists of extra footage filmed in the making of Grey Gardens.
Yesterday I came across this YouTube video of Little Edie dancing to the beat of a Madonna song. If you saw the movie(s), you'll really appreciate it. If not, you still might find it amusing.

Additional Mandy photos

Since I've put Jessie on this blog so many times I decided it was only fair to post some more Mandy photos. to the left is Mandy resting. Below you'll find Mandy's mouth. And don't forget, I still have two more cats to go in my regular "meet the pets" feature!

Hello . . .

I hope everyone has a good weekend. Do you have food?

So crazy it must be true

Page6.com is reporting Amy Winehouse is moving in with the Osbournes! I smell a reality television show in the making. Ozzy is reportedly clean and sober so maybe he'll be a good influence on Winehouse.

Also this week, Winehouse's application for a visa was approved and she will be performing at the Grammy's -- she has six nominations. I think its time for me to check the woman's music out.

NOTE: I can't keep up with this woman! First her visa wasn't approved and then it was, and NOW her rep is saying her life is too complicated right now to go to the Grammy's. Geesh.

A close call

This morning I arrived at the bus stop and started fooling with my Blackberry and I almost missed my bus because I wasn't paying attention. I had to run to catch it, and because of this I left both my lunch and my gloves in my car.

No lunch means I'll go next store and get a salad from Au Bon Pain. At work we call it What a Pain, but that doesn't stop people from going there. That's because it's so close you don't have to put on your coat.

So think of me around lunchtime. I'll be eating my expensive, mediocre salad. My packed lunch will be dinner now ... although I might avoid the frozen banana.

Susan
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Strange Youtube clip

I'm posting this Youtube clip because it is truly weird and also to see if I'm able to post video. So watch it if you want, it's quite entertaining. Or quickly navigate to the next post, it's your choice.

The dog

This is a picture of the household dog. Her name is Jessie, and she is of undetermined origin. My vet has guessed that she's some type of cattle dog, and since she likes to herd things, I believe this to be true.

Jessie weighs about 25 pounds. She likes to eat birdseed. As mentioned in an earlier post, she is a burier of Milk Bones. Because of this, her nose is often dirty.

Every now and then, Jessie will run around the house (I mean physically run around the actual house). Once she was going so fast that she couldn't avoid running into a tree. She was embarassed but not hurt.

Jessie tolerates the three household cats. And vice versa. She doesn't like it when they smack her on the nose, but she has never retaliated. She is a peaceful dog.

So now you've met Jessie. Perhaps someday you can see her in person, at which time you can give her a Milk Bone and then follow her around while she tries to bury it in secret. It's quite fun, especially if you're under 5 years old.

Starbucks magic

I have Starbucks magic. That means that every once in a while, I get a free drink. Why do I think I have Starbucks magic? Here's the evidence:

1. Approximately one week ago, I went to Starbucks to reload my Starbucks card. I ordered a grande coffee, and the woman told me it was "on the house."
2. A few days later, I went to pick up a coffee and had to wait, no more than 30 seconds, for the barista to finish talking to a co-worker. She apologized profusely for this and gave me a free coffee.
3. The next day the same woman gave me a free coffee for absolutely no reason.
4. Today I when I arrived at work there was a large Starbucks cinnamon latte on my desk. A co-worker had been given an extra one for free and she knew I liked Starbucks.

What does all this mean? I go to Starbucks every weekday, so they know my face. Is it a coincidence that I received so many free drinks? I don't think so. I think I have Starbucks magic.

Foster child

This is a picture of Mandy, my foster child cat. She's actually my mom's cat, but she's lived with me for almost 9 years. My mom pays me monthly cat rent to take care of her. Mandy is going to be 17 this year. Her favorite thing in the world is water. In fact, she has her own cup of water on the bathroom sink -- that's her favorite place in the world. Mandy enjoys sleeping on top of me at night, and the fact that she only weighs five pound means I sometimes don't even realize she's there.

This is first in a series of introductory posts about my pets. Try not to get too excited.

I can't believe it, I feel sorry for Britney Spears!

In case you haven't heard, Britney Spears is out of the hospital. Apparently she is being driven around town in her new black Mercedes. And, get this, TMZ has live video from a local news helicopter that is following her every move. If you simply have to see it, here's a link:

Britney car chase -- live!

Lord knows how long this will go on, so if you better go to the site now before everyone comes to their senses . . .

Newsflash: Britney is supposedly driving around with a paparazzi -- has nothing changed? Also the above link no longer works, it just takes you to the TMZ homepage, which is not necessarily a bad thing if you're into celebrity gossip.

Burke in hospital for "hoarding"

I read on People Magazine's online site today that former Designing Women" star Delta Burke is in a psychiatric hospital for, among other things, treatment for hoarding. From the site:

"The former Designing Women star, 51, is apparently seeking treatment for symptoms of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and "hoarding" which on an audio clip provided by TMZ she is heard likening to what is seen in the homes of people who have stockpiled row upon row of newspapers."

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Wikipedia has some interesting information on hoarding:

Compulsive hoarding

Offended by Pandas

Did you happen to see the Superbowl commercial that featured cartoon pandas talking with Chinese accents? Well, apparently the ad didn't go over very well with some people. According to the New York Times:

"THE sponsor of two commercials during Super Bowl XLII for Salesgenie.com, which drew complaints from viewers because of the characters’ ethnic accents, says he is sorry and promises to stop running one of them."

... and later in the story:

“We never thought anyone would be offended,” said Mr. Gupta, who developed and wrote both commercials himself.

“The pandas are Chinese,” he said. “They don’t speak German.”

Still, “if I offended anybody,” Mr. Gupta said, “believe me, I apologize.”

You can read the entire article here:

An ad with talking pandas ...

Addictive games

I'd like to introduce you to two of THE most addictive computer games ever created.

Number 1 is Bookworm. Here's a screenshot:

The object of Bookworm is to make as many words as possible before red flaming tiles reach the bottom of the screen (I call them devil tiles). Sometimes I get to the point where I'm playing the game and not having fun anymore but I simply cannot stop. If you're interested in playing Bookworm, simply google it and you'll find both a free online version and a downloadable version that costs $19.95. I have the downloadable version because it lets you save your game.


The second game I'm obsessed with is called Bejeweled.

It's a simple matching game -- create a row of three or more "jewels" and you get points. One of the things that makes Bejeweled particularly treacherous is the fact that you can download it on many cell phones. So unlike Bookworm, your obsession can follow you around all day. If you're interested in giving Bejeweled a try, just google it -- it's available on many different gaming sites.


So there you have it. Two of the biggest time-wasters in my life.

All of this writing is making me want to play Bookworm so goodbye for now.

Poor Britney Spears

The whole Britney Spears things is getting to be a little much, even for me. Today I read court documents in which Britney's mother claims Sam Lufti, her supposed friend and manager, drugged Britney, removed all her phones and even hid her dog. Here is a photo of Britney and her dog London in happier times:

The sad thing about London is he often wears more clothes than Britney. According to the court documents I read, Britney repeatedly changed her clothes and London's clothes the night before she went into the hospital. She also made an after-midnight run to Rite Aid for lipstick.

Here's hoping Britney gets the help she needs. Then I can go back to making fun of her without feeling guilty.

Cracking down on counterfeiters

I received two notices from ebay today about bids I made last week on "supposed" Motorola S9 Bluetooth headphones. Apparently the sellers were dealing in counterfeit goods. In addition, I purchased pairs from two completely different sellers that were counterfeit. I was able to get my money back in both cases. That equals four separate sellers that I had contact with last week who were selling fake goods.

I now know that the vast majority of Motorola products on ebay are fakes. I had to learn the hard way. If you're in the market for a Motorola product, you might want to avoid ebay unless you can get some sort of guarantee that the product you're buying is the real thing. If you have a Motorola product and you're wondering if its real, check out the following information from the company:

Motorola Counterfeit Identification Guide

Obama, Clinton and me

I have something in common with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Like me, both candidates can't live without their Blackberries. From Blackberry Blast!:

“Hillary always checks her BlackBerry round the clock. On her way to campaign rally in a car, she sends and receives e-mail with Chelsea to discuss dinner menu for guests during the weekends.”

"The first thing Senator Barack Obama does when he gets off his personal charter flight and changes to a car heading for a rally is checking his e-mails from his campaign aides in Chicago."

Blackberry Blast! also mentioned that Mitt Romney is also a Blackberry user.

My dog's nose

This is a picture of my dog's dirty nose. It's almost always dirty because Jessie is a digger. Sometimes she walks around with big clumps of dirt on her nose. Every once in a while, they'll be pieces of grass or birdseed stuck in the dirt. I have never cleaned her nose because it's useless -- the dirt always comes back.

Another strange thing about Jessie is she buries dog biscuits. You know, the kind dogs are supposed to eat. Not Jessie. She buries them and maybe a month later she'll dig one up and eat it. Apparently they aren't "ready to eat" until they are mushy and covered with dirt.

Cats would never do any of these things.

Bluetooth headphones update

Some of you may have read my earlier post regarding the Motorola S9 Bluetooth headphones I ordered from ebay that were reportedly fakes. I was able to nip the sale in the bud by contacting the seller and threatening to expose him. I received a full refund.

I tried again. I ordered, and received, a second pair of headphones from a different ebay seller. I compared them with pictures of counterfeit headphones from the Motorola site. They were fake too! Once again, I contacted the seller and said I would alert the authorities unless he gave me a full refund. Which he promptly did.

In the meantime, I ordered the same headphones from Newegg.com (a great site!) and they arrived and are real. The long ordeal is finally over.

Lesson learned - be careful when buying electronics from ebay! If the price seems too good to be true, it most likely is. Especially if it's on ebay.

Bhutto's husband carries her Blackberry

I read an article recently that said Benazir Bhutto's husband still carries around her Blackberry. From the article:

"When talking about Benazir, he gets tears in his eyes, and says that he uses her Blackberry to send messages to party leaders."

Here is a link to the entire article, which was in the ThaindianNews:

Zardari still carries Benazirs Blackberry

Irrational iphone envy

I go through phases when I want an iphone. I can't justify getting one because I would essentially use it as a toy - my blackberry would continue to do all the heavy lifting.
I have a friend with an iphone and she constantly teases me and says I should get one. I explain to her why it wouldn't fit my my needs - I hate the keyboard, calendar limitations, crappy email, limited bluetooth support.

Get this - yesterday she said to me "I don't know about all that, I'm lucky I figured out how to make a phone call."

So, she is essentially using her iphone as a $400 cell phone. She got it because it was cool. I wonder how many people out there are doing the same thing?

The mayor of Detroit should have used a Blackberry!

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's text messaging habit has gotten him into BIG trouble -- the messages exposed an affair he was having with his chief of staff.
Normally text messages disappear shortly after they are sent. But not if you use Skytel and some funky looking gadget that looks like a prehistoric Blackberry. Here's the story:

Most text messages just vanish

and here are the specs of some of the contraptions Kilpatrick may have been using to send his messages:

Skytel products

Today's lesson - if you're an important person and you're having an affair with an underling, don't use Skytel to communicate!

Britney's Blackberry - where did it go?

I spend entirely too much time tracking the comings and goings of Britney Spears. Before her infamous hospitalization, my keen eye noticed that she recently switched from a Blackberry to an iphone, which, as far as I'm concerned, is a fitting phone for such a pop princess. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled to see if she switches back to her Blackberry, perhaps the iphone usage was just a dalliance. I'll be certain to report my findings.

Where are the iphones???

Did anyone else read the articles about the number of iphones sold by Apple that are apparently unaccounted for?

Here is a link to a Guardian UK story -- "Where are the missing iphones?"

It's pretty interesting reading. Apple has sold an estimated 4 million iphones but only 2 million are registered. Very interesting ...

The Bluetooth Bandits

Two suspects known as the "Bluetooth Bandits" were apprehended in Greensboro, NC yesterday. For those of you unfamiliar with Bluetooth, it's a technology that allows a wireless connection to a phone or other device. These particular Bluetooth users had earphones with a built in microphone that wirelessly connected to cellphones. According to a story on MyFox WGHP:

"The suspects were given the nickname 'Bluetooth Bandits' by Greensboro police because the suspects wore Bluetooth phone devices while robbing the banks."

Read more about the bandits by clicking here.

A most colorful phone

This is the pattern I picked out for my Blackberry on the Decal Girl site.

She has all kinds of patterns and the really great thing is the pattern continues on the screen, as you can see in this picture.

Just because I like the pattern doesn't mean I'm going to get it. I think I would be embarrassed to be walking around with such a colorful phone, but I can dream!

Fake, but no big surprise...

A previous buyer informed me that the Motorola S9s that I purchased on ebay are likely fake, and after threatening the seller with exposing him he gave me a complete refund.

In case you missed my earlier post on the subject, I won an auction for the S9s and THEN noticed they were coming from China. Lesson learned – read the entire listing!

Yesterday I purchased another pair on eBay from a guy who sent me an email message from his Blackberry – he’s one of us so I’m hoping for the best!

Under the heading "very strange indeed"

From the UK's Telegraph:

"Criminal gangs are using dwarves in a ruse to steal from the luggage holds of long-distance coaches, by hiding them inside suitcases, according to police."

Dwarves zipped in suitcase steal from thieves

Starlet has taste

I just saw a picture of Lindsay Lohan holding a beautiful red Blackberry 8310. Looks like she's getting her life together - she can use her Blackberry to keep track of her community service hours!

Robbery foiled by Bluetooth!

A couple of weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio an early-morning robbery at a Wendy's was foiled when one of the employees received a phone call on his Bluetooth headset. The caller heard the robber yelling at the employees and called the police.

Here's the story:

Robber's yells cause Bluetooth connection

Reading the whole listing on ebay

I've been purchasing and selling items on ebay for years. Last week I purchased a pair of bluetooth headphones and didn't notice until after I paid for them that they were coming from CHINA. The seller has about 100% feedback with around 900 listings and he did answer an email I sent him about how long it will take to get the headphones (around two weeks!).

Rest assured that from now on I will be paying A WHOLE LOT BETTER ATTENTION to where the seller is located ...

Cat better stay away from my Blackberry

I have a new cat with a very annoying habit - she loves to carry random objects around my house. The strangest thing she's absconded with is the screen cover from my bathtub drain -- I don't even know how she gets the thing off! All I can say is, if she comes ANYWHERE NEAR my Blackberry, she's toast.

Returning to blogging.

I've decided to try this blogging thing again. I've switched from Typepad to Blogger, and I like it so far. One of my favorite things about it is it's free! You can't beat that.

I'm still setting things up, so we'll see how it goes...