RIP, Grandma

Thank you.

Thanks, Roger

Congratulations, Roger. Thank you for allowing me to witness sports genius at its finest.



I've had the opportunity to follow the careers of Gretzsky, Jordan, and Woods. You do make them look average.

Pure Joy

Just in case you've forgotten what pure joy is, watch a woman realize her life-long dream. Congratulations, Susan Boyle.

Third Time's The Charm?

As a previous owner of the 7 inch Asus Eee PC and the Dell Mini 9, I had become disenchanted with netbooks. The Eee PC was underpowered, had a keyboard suitable for toddlers, and was both noisy and butt ugly. The Dell Mini 9's keyboard is not useable by any technical person. Try hitting any of the following keys without slowing down: ', ", [, ], {, and }. Worst yet, the up arrow was on the same row as the right shift key. For someone who spends most of the day cursing at syntax-highlighted source code in vim, this is unacceptable.

Last week, C brought home the HP Mini Vivienne Tam Edition. I scoffed at this red and flowery overpriced netbook. However, after spending some time typing on it and browsing the web, I was impressed. So impressed that I went to Best Buy and bought the non-designer version, the HP Mini 1030.

This time around, I am restraining myself from wiping out Windows XP in favor of Ubuntu. We'll see how this little machine works out.

The New Home

What do you get when you mix low interest rates, a condo developer's eagerness to move units, and a desire to avoid driving? The purchase of a new condo within walking/biking distance of downtown, of course. After a few false starts, we have an executed contract on a 2/2 unit that's steps from the Lamar pedestrian bridge and a few blocks away from Zilker Park.

While the HOA fees are outrageous, I have somehow rationalized it to myself. After the closing, I will find myself the owner of 3 properties in Austin. Life was definitely simpler going month-to-month on a one bedroom apartment.

Used gadgets, anyone?

I love gadgets, but I hate owning things that don't get a lot of use. The result? A constant selling of used electronics on craigslist and ebay. To me, the cost of a gadget is the difference between its new price and its used price on craigslist or ebay. Someone should set up an electronic leasing company for consumers like me.

Gabriel

Around the middle of July -- I've learned that the start of pregnancy is backdated to the end of the mother's last period -- we will have a screaming and pooping machine we will affectionately call "son." My little wunderkind will carry on the family name. Project Gabby has been renamed to Project Gabriel.