my new baby

With apologies to my dog and cat, I have a new baby - my husband got me a PDA for Christmas! It's a Palm Tungsten T5 and I think it's going to take me for-absolute-ever to figure out even half of what it can do. Fortunately, I'll be so content with what little I do discover that it won't really matter.

It's truly gorgeous. Aesthetics really is important, no matter how much I cave to functionality on a regular basis. This is the model I coveted but never, in a million years, would have bought for myself. I am constantly torn between adoring and mocking the prettiness and excessiveness of things. I'm probably going to be able to convince myself that what makes this PDA pleasing to look at is, in part, what makes it user friendly and therefore more effective. Yeah, really.

I've already altered my preferences, favourites and backgrounds several times over and downloaded some applications, calendar, contacts and files. Now, I just have to get my music and photos sorted out and then I'll be set. And then I get to rearrange it all again to be even prettier.

New Year, New Me...again

I'm sensing a trend. I have no idea how long it's been going on nor how delayed this epiphany is, but I seem to need to overhaul things in conjunction with changing calendars.

September is supposed to be a classical season of change, renewal and makeovers - presumably a learned behaviour from our many years of starting new school years. Spring, of course, is also an obvious time to clean, cleanse and redecorate. I, however, find it necessary to rework my websites - in small aesthetic tweaks to extreme revamps - over the Christmas season.

I don't know why. I don't have a particularly vast readership who will 'ooh' and 'ahh' over my improvements. Okay, I don't have a readership, per se, at all. I have people who stumble across my sites from time to time. My sites are all, really, rather selfish endeavours, yet I indulge in them none-the-less. So, what do I get out of it? It's certainly cheaper than making myself over with a new wardrobe, hair and spa trip. In many ways, it's less stressful too. I'm sure my husband is happy that I'm not trying to make him over and making over the house tends to get on everyone's nerves (although I could redirect my energies into vacuuming more often....I'm sure that's beside the point).

But, now I have taken the first step. I have acknowledged the situation and can now monitor events to see if I really have a problem here, or if this is simply a quirk that can be chalked up to me being me. Either way, check back for updates and new looks (shameless plug: see side bar for some of my pages!).

New Skin!

Woohoo! An updated look!

Well, it's hardly a life changing event, but it is a very quick little pick me up for my blog. Not only is this a new look, but I managed to paste and edit the template with remarkably little stress. How very techno-geek of me.

Gotta go run and make supper now. My excitement seems to be over for the evening...

Slacker

Well, it's been a little while again since my last post and I'll blame it squarely on the Christmas season. I've been doing the whole concert circuit and the fitting in the occasional family gathering while I'm at it. While I've made significant gains in the card and present endeavours, it has left me with little time or inclination to spend on less immediate, though arguably more noble, goals.

I'd rather not be slave to the annual festivities and commercialism. This year, in particular, has been less than Christmas-y for a variety of reasons yet has still managed to involve a lot of work.

I do have a few days scheduled off with the intent of using them to work on all the things that I let slip in order to meet mailing deadlines. Genealogy info, poetry editing and meeting notes are stacked and waiting for my attention.

Organising 101 is about to commence. Man, I love post-it notes.