No Regrets

When I first bought my iPod, I had this sinking feeling I'd be regretting that decision. But after learning that the Zen Vision:M is partnered with Microsoft's PlayForSure MP3 system, I was glad I didn't buy it. I hear it can be a real pain the arse.

Besides, there's lots of cool accessories for the iPod:



I picked up this Boynq iCube at Target today for a mere $15 on clearance. I almost bought it a few days earlier at regular price: $39! I'm glad I waited! It's a charger/speaker system that works with just about any iPod. And I like it. BTW, the music playing (see display) is a ripped copy of my Depeche Mode X1 and X2 box set. Don't worry; you don't have it ;) It's that rare.

Other happenings: We went to Disneyland on Saturday and man, what an experience that was. Anthony was about as crabby as he could be for the first hour. In fact, we actually left after an hour--he was that bad. But after eating dinner, we bundled him up pertty good and he was ready to head back.

He enjoyed the Enchanted Tiki Room, as did Ann. I'm sure it was a sentimental moment for her because she grandmother used to sing the Tiki Room song with her when Ann was little. That, and "Look for the Union Label" (you young'ans better go look that up).



And being that this is Disneyland's 50th anniversary, they've really gone all out to let you know:





You can't swing a cat in that place without hitting something that reads "50" on it. We didn't buy any souvenirs since there is a Disney's Character Warehouse outlet store near work. They get all the old stuff that the park couldn't move and sell it all at incredibly cheap prices. A quick trip during lunch is as good as going to Disneyland for gifts--only a lot cheaper. Just one of the advangates to living out here in SoCal.

Another thing they have done is decorate some of the attractions in gold. Here I am sitting in a gold teacup:



Here's Ann and the kid in a gold Dumbo:



Another cool thing they've done was create photomosaics from pictures submitted by guests from their trips to Disneyland over the years:







Speaking of trips from years ago, I still have this shirt (but can't find my Captain EO light-up LED visor):



All in all, a memorable trip. And being we're from SoCal, our ticket is good for a future visit to California Adventure, Disneyland's red-headed stepchild! Can't complain too much, I guess!

I Lied...

Remember me saying that the Creative Zen Vision:M was going to be my next MP3 player? Well, I lied.

I went to Fry's Electronics today in the hopes that they would have the Zen Vision:M. They are carrying it, but it was currently out of stock. After contemplating about waiting another week or so, and considering the video flexibility of it vs. how many videos I might actually put on it, the iPod won.

I'm currently taking a break from the transferring which is not going well. I am not pleased at having to use iTunes to export from my other MP3 player, or that drag-and-dropping onto it is not allowed (I accidentally lost the video for Depeche Mode's "Precious" while deleting files from it). But I just downloaded some software that will hopefully do the trick.

As it stands now, I like my new toy. Amazingly small for 30GB. The transferring continues...

The Hell With It...

Okay, you've probably alread noticed that my "Free iPod banner" is now gone. And there's a good reason for it.

Turns out I completed 2 offers through that so-called rewards program and never got the proper credit for them. Not like I ever expected to, but still.

Anyway, since my Archos AV140 is still non-functional and my backup MP3 player's hard drive is beginning to make crunching sounds, I decided to invest in a brand new one. It'll actually be my birthday present--it's on Valentine's Day--as it has not been released just yet.

I'm talking about this:



Creative Labs' Zen Vision:M. After searching into the wee hours of the morning for weeks on end, this was my choice. Sure, I could have an iPod for $30 less, but this one seemed to appeal to me better. It also has a longer battery life and plays a larger variety of video files. I'm actually thinking about the Skittle-green one shown here, but any color would do.

So I didn't get my free iPod. But after reading the rave reviews the Zen Vision:M received, I'm glad I waited before I invested too much time into that "free" scam. Our taxes are done; our credit cards now paid off. Time to do a little splurging!

The Thomas Project, Day 3

Major progress!

While watching yet another Thomas DVD, Anthony decided to take a nap on the bean bag. In fact, he's still asleep on there as I type! This gave me the perfect opportunity to put a dent in the project.

A coat of Gesso was applied on the whole thing:



It may not look like much now, but this is just a base coat. Once it dries I can begin applying the colors. Then it will begin to take shape.

Other things that have kept me busy:

Customizing my new cell phone, which included creating and downloading some wallpaper images. I also downloaded the Mario Bros. theme ringtone. You have no idea how long I've been wanting that.

Here's one of the images I generated for the front screen:



Note that I am neither dirty or a white boy. If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand. For those of you who watch ATHF and like my little creation, feel free to snag it and use it for your phone, avatar, etc.

Oh, and we went to Portillo's in Buena Park yesterday. My God, those are great hot dogs. Documentation provided by the LG VX8100 cam-phone:





Anthony was asleep while Ann and I ate, but he woke up on the way home:



That's all for now. Back to downloading more albums!

Decisions...

My life's been full of interesting decisions lately. I'm not talking life-or-death decisions, just in general.

For example, we went to get new cell phones the other day. While I could have opted for something that simply made calls, Ann applied some logic to the situation: "If you're going to have it for a couple of years, you might as well get something good."

And so we did. We ended up with the LG VX8100. It's got so much crap on it that I don't know what to do half the time. I didn't really need a camera on my phone but I have one now. Here's a shot from the L.A. Auto Show (Saab convertable; image made lo-res for posting goodness):



It's not the sharpest but c'mon...it's my friggin' phone! It also has a Mini SD slot to store photos and videos shot with it. Oh, and you can play MP3s on it. Pretty amazing stuff.

Speaking of MP3s, I've also bee contemplating what to do with my old Archos AV140. I like the 40GB of storage and being able to record TV shows onto it, so I'm not really willing to give that up for something that has a smaller storage capacity, does not record, and costs considerably more. Granted, it was me that tried to charge it by using a universal adapter which I believe fried something inside it (it no longer accepts a charge). Repairing it through Archos will cost about $80, which could be put towards something else.

But I like my old MP3 player! And being that there are so many out there, I don't want to have to shop all over again. So there's a good chance I'll send it to the factory and have it refurbished. Just can't see spending more for something that does less.

Oh, and we're choosing on where to go for our vacation sometime in May. There's a chance we could go to Hawaii for dirt cheap but I'm not planning on it. So far, and once again, Las Vegas is the likely destination.

Who knows where we'll end up.