ja_koniga

SML and I visit PetsMart every week to look at cats, something I don’t even suggest doing anymore since SML will spend close to twenty minutes playing with a kitten’s paws between the bars of the cage.  Last Saturday after the kitty visit, we stopped at CompUSA to see what kinds of deals we could find with an emphasis on external hard drives to hold all of my digital movies.

I came out of that store not with a new hard drive, but with a new MacBook.  Yes, I know it is sick. In less than a year’s time I’ve managed to go through a MacBook, a new iMac, another new MacBook, a MacBook Pro, and now I’m back to a MacBook and is anyone else tired of hearing the word ‘Mac’?  All of this when I’m supposed to be saving to move to Boston?  

To make things just a little worse, today I convinced SML to buy a MacBook Pro.

That last sentence really isn't all that far from the truth, because I could not figure out how to make entourage sync to ical, ical sync to plaxo, and plaxo sync to Google. And really, it's not that I couldn't figure that out, it's that I couldn't figure out why whenever Entourage would sync, ical would become corrupt. Really, it did this. Even when I turned off MS sync services, ical would suddenly populate with entourage items, OUT OF NOWHERE, and then everything would disappear. And I do realize I sound like one of those crazy people who will tell you that they put their CD in the drive and then it spontaneously exploded.

I knew it was quitting time when SML broke into my e-mail, and then called a strangers phone to find out where I was.

I had to re-design this website because I couldn’t browse the other design on the iPhone. I wouldn’t normally mention this if it weren’t so totally cool that you can see the entire web page on the phone and then zoom into read the text. My previous design, because of the positioned footer, couldn’t scroll.

My first impressions of the phone are pretty good, but I can see how a lot of people will say, “but” to a lot of things. Like, “It’s cool that you can see the entire web page, but there’s no flash support” or “e-mail is cool, but I can’t save attachments.” But whatever, it’s a 1.0. And I still feel sick that I spent so much money on it.

I was very serious when I said I wasn’t going to buy an iPhone. I was asked several times whether or not I would because I’m somewhat of a ‘MacDaddy’ and each time I would answer, “$500 for a phone? No way.” I also said things like, “I would NEVER buy a first generation Apple product.” And then I’d toss my hair.

SML on the other hand was very serious about buying the iPhone. We went this morning to see if any were left at the Apple store and to my surprise, they were still in stock. So we tested one out.

And then I couldn’t put it down. Dear god, I spent $500 on a phone. We both spent $500, which is a bit ridiculous and sort of makes me barf in my mouth. But it might be the most cool thing I own.

I took it to my niece’s blessing and I wanted to play with it the entire church meeting. SML and I talk to each other like nerds in these kinds of cases by saying, “Nar” a lot and mentioning that, “We are so cool.” It’s all said very sarcastic, but this purchase was necessary after our encounter with those older gentlemen yesterday morning.

I took this photo of my nephew with my new phone. Um. During the church meeting.

On Friday evening, SML and I went to see the impossibly long line outside of the Apple store in Salt Lake City. I can honestly say I felt ashamed to be part of the Mac community when everyone started chanting, “iPhone, iPhone.” Before the store opened, the Apple employees gave the crowd high-fives and then insinuated that the nerds perform a stadium-like tidal wave.

When the store was opening, we were on the south side of the entrance and couldn’t actually see the line that had formed. From our view, the line looked as though it ended only twenty or so feet away and that we’d only bake in the son for twenty minutes or so before we went in. But as we approached the North side, the line actually went out and around the shopping center nearly to the parking lot.

We didn’t actually wait in the line, because we were really looking to price iMacs and headed down to Compusa to avoid an impending stampede of AT&T converts. SML and I were both kind of appalled by the hype surrounding the iPhone and repeated many times that we wouldn’t get one. “$500 for a phone, like whatever.”

Until this morning. When three older men eating breakfast at McDonald’s had them and we didn’t. WHEN THREE GEEZERS WERE SO MUCH MORE HIPSTER THAN US.

This is going to sound remarkably dumb, but my favorite part about my new MacBook, Deiter, is that he’ll run windows. He doesn’t just run Windows, either; he runs it fast at the same time as OS X with Parallels. I had previously read horrible reviews about this program, but once I loaded it I couldn’t believe how fast windows booted and ran alongside my OS X applications.

But Deiter has a lot of RAM, and that could be why there isn’t a slow down. I can freeze Windows XP whenever I want and go back to using it later without having to reboot! He also has a HUGE hard drive, with lots of accessories like Bluetooth and a web cam. Is anyone else turned on?

iTunes 7 is out and it’s neat-o. And I sort of want a new iPod. If you read my previous post, you’ll know just how hard it really is to be Ken. And it only gets worse; because not only am I having an affair with Apple Computers, so is SML. And that has created an open relationship.

On Saturday, SML bought a new white MacBook. You know the one; the one that has the 13” glossy widescreen display and extra spaces between the keys on the keyboard. It’s that extra-sexy notebook computer with built-in iSight and a MagSafe power cord. And it’s the laptop with the Intel Core Duo, Frontrow, and iLife ’06 with OS X that can dual boot to Windows. Yeah; that one.

He bought it. And then he named it Scotty. And he spends a lot of time ogling at the sexy beast that, in case you weren’t aware, isn’t me. Since I don’t have a glossy display, I’m not “ogle” worthy and I’ll never be a permanent addition to the Scotty dock because I can’t bend into a “genie-effect” and shrink down to smaller-sized icon.

When SML is paying more attention to Scotty, I have to say “Apple Q!” for him to shut down his App and start paying attention to me. Because I’m what matters most. But I’m starting to worry, because with new features like iTunes 7, the competition is really starting to heat up. I just have to remember: the Macbook will never be able to clean SML’s walls and floor with a Magic Eraser from Mr. Clean (Which is a really cool product. By the way.)

Yesterday just after lunch, as I pressed the up arrow for the elevators in the basement of the Gateway Tower, an alarm sounded and a couple of lights started flashing. I looked around at the empty space and considered still using the elevator even after a calm robotic voice said, “PLEASE LEAVE THE BUILDING. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS.” That was also followed by something like, “THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.”

Putting my rebellious feelings aside, I walked back into the parking lot and half-considered going home until I realized Vernon was STILL IN THE BUILDING. I rushed onto the street named “South Temple” and joined the rest of the evacuees until we were allowed back into the building. I was feeling anxious the entire time thinking that Vernon would MELT. Or something.

And so what if Vernon is my best friend. I bet HE’D go to Raging Waters with me. If he could.

Meet Vernon. He’s my newest member to family of computers; and my second Macintosh. I looooove him.

With Apple Computers switching over to the Intel Core chips, I was reluctant to purchase a Macintosh with a near obsolete processor. But I couldn’t wait any longer; I had to have it. Next week Apple will probably come out with a widescreen iBook, and I’ll kick myself in the ass.

This weekend, I worked. The firm I’m employed by is migrating to an Exchange platform and I spent my time installing Outlook on a bazillion computers. After ten o’clock rolled around on Friday evening and the maintenance workers had gone home, the building had an eerie silence. It was strange to look out the window at the city below and see TRAX silently moving down the street as though it were nothing more but a toy train set.

It reminded me of Sim City.