So after stretching my pennies, I finally received my new AT&T Tilt/HTC Kaiser in the mail yesterday... and I almost wanted to send it back and get an iPhone. There are a few less features on the iPhone, but it's more user-friendly; big trade-off. Why? I am now the proud owner of a monster gadget brick from hell, or so I thought last night. Since then, I've had a chance to play with it more, and follow some great advice from Adam and Mike.
I've never owned a smartphone, let alone one with a touch-screen running Windows Mobile 6 with a full QWERTY capable of full HTML web-browsing and Microsoft Mobile Office. Mouthful? You bet. So yeah, going from a Motorola L6 to an HTC 8925? Serious shell shock. Which is funny because that's one of the first programs I threw on there. May as well jump into the deep end!
I've been researching what third-party programs to install for a full week before I even got the phone, and I've followed people's neat little lists of mostly freeware:
-SPB Mobile Shell 2.0 (29.95)
-Kaiser Tweak - Think Tweak UI for mobile PPCs; all the perks of customizing without dealing with registry file editors, which could turn my phone into an expensive brick.
-HTC Home Plug-In
-HTC Customizer
-Black Dialer Skin (freewarepocketpc.com) - For bigger, finger-friendly dialing buttons.
-Google Maps (If it even lets me DL it.)
Del.icio.us has also been hearing a lot from me; I keep finding some really helpful sites on how to customize my Tilt and that's where they go! Tiltsite.com, HTCtilt.com, and the XD-Developers Forum just to name a few. YouTube has also been a help in terms of instructional stuff.
Now I need to find a neat blogging tool to run on WM6... mwahaha! I think SixApart has one. I may have been a little discourage at how non-intuitive the Tilt is compared to the iPhone, but once I got it tweaked and skinned, using it has been a lot easier!
 | Tilt Review From InfoSynch World - http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/cell-phones/at&t-tilt/8546.html
YouTube User Review of SPB Mobile Shell - http://www.youtube.com/v/j4wgw6VrSuE&hl=en
|
Before last night I had never tried tapas, but now I am amung the initiated! Ceviche is in one of the oldest parts of Church Street, and located in beautiful late-19th Century historical building across from the Bumby Arcade and Cheyenne Saloon. Everything is made of dark, rich wood and is bathed in atmospheric lighting, which makes Ceviche great for dates or groups of friends out for a night of sharing great food!
Our server assured us that at least five tapas would be good for us, so Adam and I picked off the huge menu all willy-nilly. By the way, tapas are like Spanish dim sum; the food comes out in small portions and people are meant to share everything.
I ordered the oxtail, which was fall-off-the-bone tender, over a bed of roasted potatoes, a shellfish ceviche, and my first quail ever. You can pretty much cut up a roast quail and mostly chew the wing parts bone and all because it's so small. Adam had a tuna ceviche, stuffed artichoke, and stuffed squid. I felt kind of bad whenever he would ask me what something was and I had no clue! lol There's just some words they use in Spain that, as a untraveled Puerto Rican, I've never heard before. =3
Everything was flavorful but no sauce was so overpowering that we couldn't taste what was underneath. There was freshly baked bread brought to table, and the servers, while not as attentive as I'd like, were very nice and helpful.
Afterward, we crossed the street to The Dessert Lady; I had no idea there were two locations! The location Adam and have been to is near the house on the corner of Kirkman and Conroy. When we walked into this place it was like walking into a place where Queen Victoria was still heading up merry ol' England and horse-drawn carriages meandered outside. Everything was beautiful with local art decorating the walls, and of course, the cakes are sell-your-soul amazing!
Gourmet baked goods are becoming something that I'm keeping my eyes peeled for ever since I had a scrumptious gourmet cupcake in Asheville, North Carolina. There's also a gourmet cupcake shop just down Old Winter Garden from us that I still have to hit up.
We ordered a slice of a six-layered Chocolate Neapolitan cake to go, which was the epitome of rich and decadent with several kinds of ganache (frosting-type topping filling made of heavy cream and other tasty things) between layers. The Dessert Lady herself was also there are very helpful.
Recap: Ceviche and The Dessert Lady are two dining experiences that everyone needs to try!
Funny how it happens. I strode in resolute in only using my Border's Rewards Bucks for one, count 'em, ONE CD right? Well, those conniving store clerks put the new Death Cab for Cutie album on the same display as MDolla's newest. Also in the line up was the latest Flight of the Conchords album, which features lots of music from their silly-yet-witty series on HBO. Then, I just HAD to check out the bargain table which ended up with a score in the form of Keely Smith: The Essential Capitol Collection. Gotta have some sassy Keely! I love the stuff she recorded with Louis Prima too, but after I saw that I really didn't have many of her solo recordings on my iPod, there was no chance I was leaving Borders without it. =3
Oh, and I obviously love it when albums and DVDs have fun extras! lol
 |
 |
|
 |
 | |
Now, imagine me doing all that unwrapping and silly smiling in the car while waiting at a red light. Yes, I did. ;p I also popped in Hard Candy and man, has Madonna raised the bass! This album kind of reminds me of Gwen Stefani's second solo album with all the rad synth work and R & B flavor but without any of the recognizable sampling. True, "2 Minutes" had to grow on me, but after that first little intro the rest of the album has instantaneous appeal. Madonna's as brash and in-your-face as ever, and this new album makes me want to swivel and dance!
Who says people don't buy CDs anymore? =X
There were a lot of kittens, some as young as six weeks old. We said hello to and petted every cat, even in a kitteh playroom! I didn't want to make any decisions today, but instead just kind of get familiar with the animals they have at the SPCA and narrow the idea of what kind of cat we'd be looking for. By next week we'll probably make a final decision, if any, on a cat older than 18 weeks but younger than two years old. One major concern is that we have to get a cat that will get along with Loverboy.
Adam got along with all the cats really, but definitely with a Maine Coon mix named Rocket that I can remember, and I was captivated by two Domestic Short Hairs that demanded being constantly scratched behind the ears. There were a few kittens whose cuteness had me torn three different ways. lol
We cruised through the dog kennels on a lark while we were there, and were surprised to see a few Siberian Husky mixes up for adoption. There were a lot of Pitbull mixes, a few Labs, and one seven and a half year old Miniature Doberman Pincher. The poor little guy already had gray around his muzzle, and looked like he needed a nice soft pillow and some love.
We'll take our time and see what we come up with. I do know that if we get an exclusively indoor kitteh, then I'll have to double-up on my cleaning habits to keep up the house as I do now to keep Adam's allergies at bay.
 |  |  |
I've never been to the Keys at all, but now that I'm here, I'm so glad I came! The trip down was almost five hours from Orlando, but with Adam in the pilot's seat the drive was a breeze.
One huge thing; the weather here at dusk is delicious! After we finally found the resort, the Bayside Cay Club, the sun was on its way down and the daytime heat was cooling. Our room is right by the Gulf Coast, so in one half-minute we can be down at the beach wading in he Gulf, which we did the moment we put down our bags. A little horseshoe crab was there to greet us the shallows with a little school of Snapper-like fish.
After last night's culture shock of everything closing at nine o'clock at night (I'm still falling over that one!), today was filled with a lot more doing rather than traveling. Adam and I headed out on a chartered catamaran called the Quicksilver and snorkeled until our hearts' content, or rather he snorkeled while I was sea sick. No worries! I got in a good half-an-hour to forty-five minutes of sightseeing over some beautiful fan-like reefs before the sea sickness kicked in. Next time I will remember that Dramamine is my friend. I can't wait to see Adam's photos he took during his stint over some 10 to 15-foot coral reefs out in deeper waters. Heh, I saw some need Red Snapper schools, "Dory" fish, and even Barracuda!
Well, time for some fresh seafood at the rehersal dinner; The Conch House.
So I went on a chinny shopping spree after work and found a really neat grass mat funnel for our fuzz-butts! It'll probably be gone within a week and a half, but I love seeing Jack and Vallie tear into new toys. And as I was perusing the kitty food Adam gave me a call and said he was in a pet store across town before his meeting; coincidences much? lol
Mansfield Park is also turning out to be more accessible than I thought! I've been a long-time fan of the movie, and have probably had the book for just as long. The triangle between Miss Crawford, Edmond, and Fanny is still this organic, flowing thing that's full of infuriating nuance! Poor Fanny doesn't know what she wants until it's not there for the wanting. Sounds familiar even almost two-hundred years later.
Now, after an hour or so of digging through bare flower beds and watering the lawn, I'm hoping I'll see some sproutage! There's several little packs of seeds I got from the Smokey Mountains National Park that I'm itching to see blossom. Here's hoping that I can get a green thumb where there was none!
Paper accordion bells in light mauves and violet, fluffy white cakes, sweet Riesling, warm smiles, and cheerful gifts; that was today in a nutshell and the bridal shower couldn't have gone smoother! (Thanks for the most part to the Maid of Honor.) Running around like a loon with burnt tail feathers, I'm shocked I was only ten minutes late. Met the matriarchs on the groom's side, which was dually awesome, and there was much gushing about significant others to be had. I'm glad no one wanted to stick me with a plastic fork! =3
No details about the bachelorette party yet (the bride's probably reading!), but as my first one, it'll be five kinds of awesome, no doubt. Us bridesmaids have to definitely put our heads together and figure out something either really cute or embarrassing for the bride to wear on her person for the big parTAY. lol
If there's any ideas out there, post 'em!
Casey Han, the anti-heroine, has a string of affairs that all end up turning into ash and slipping through her fingers. She's fresh out of a prestigious college and wants to become an investment banker or something equally boring, but her real passion is designing and wearing extravagant hats. The novel wanders aimlessly into, through, and out of other characters' lives and crises while trying to relay Casey's story. The fact that the author is writing from an omniscient point of view helped me keep track of a story as much as a paper umbrella would help in a hail storm. More than a dozen times I found myself speed-reading through the Casey parts of the story just to see what happens to Casey's mom, Leah, who was molested by the church choir master, or Casey's cousin, Ella, who found herself at a tail end of a short and uneventful marriage with a cheating husband with a newborn baby girl and on the edge of true love with a long-time friend. A whole series of books could be put together around a lot of these characters, or a nice thick book of short stories. I would totally pick that book up in a few blinks!
The production value on these things have really skyrocketed to the next existence. I'm diggin' the pirates, ladies in 18th Century skirts, mad crazy sets, and props! Hehe, it's like the old historical romances that I used to read come to life. At least, I'm pretty sure the novela is based in the 18th Century because of all the embroidery on the menfolks' coats and all that frothy lace spilling from the all the high society ladies' sleeves. Not to mention the ladies' waistcoats. As a hold-over from when my writing included all this fanciful research about period costumes, it's how I now try and date movies and shows. ;p
And who knew Sarah Brightman sings the opening? I'm in the midst of another Phantom of the Opera craze and seeing that she song the opening duet with Fernando Limo is frackin' cool! For the uninitiated, Sarah Brightman played the first Christine Daae in the original Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. I just rewatched the movie adaptation of Phantom of the Opera, which led to me downloading the movie soundtrack and Emmy Rossum's CD, Inside Out. She also has an amazing voice. Thanks for sharing J! XD
Recent Comments
-
Heather said:
I love Augusten, this was the first book of his I've read! :D read more
on Magical Thinking: True Stories -
Marilyn said:
Most definitely. We will be Bowie-satisfied this early fall with this manga and The Prestige. Well, the manga isn't really... read more
on Magic Dance! -
Amanda said:
Wow! I am so picking this up! I loved that movie so much, and the art looks awesome. read more
on Magic Dance! -
Amanda said:
Aw I am glad she had a good one! Your a sweet big sis! read more
on A Kawaii Little Journal + Sister's Birthday
It's mine too! I can't wait to see and read Running With Scissors. Then, there several of his other novels... read more
on Magical Thinking: True Stories