Last week I went to the local Apple Store and played with an iPod Touch. I’ve been wanting to get an iPod for a few years now, mainly because I’m all about rating my songs from 1 to 5 stars. Currently I can only do that via iTunes, which means I have to be shackled to my Mac to punch ‘em in. But if I had an iPod… Well… Then I’d have the freedom to rate my songs whereever I want.

I know. Some of you are reading this going “This is what’s important to you? Rating songs?” And the answer is: yes. Some people like to go boating. Some people play video games. Some people knit or do crosswords or collect bugs. We all have different passions that we pursue with what little free time we have. Mine is music, and what I love to rate songs. (More to the point, I don’t want to waste my time listening to songs that “didn’t” make the cut. If they have 1 star? I’ll never listen to it again. Two: it’s okay, but there’s something “wrong” with it that I didn’t care for. Three: it’s good enough, enjoyable and catchy. Four: Now THIS is a good song. Worthy of recommending to others. And Five? Well, if a song rates 5 stars, my friend, I could listen to it for the rest of my life on a deserted island. (With a solar-powered USB power supply, of course…)

Wow. What a ramble.

So, anyhow, I played with the Touch and it blew me away. Originally I laughed at the idea of spending so much money for an 8 gb player, when you could get the 80 gb iPod Classic for $50 LESS. Then I picked it up, and away we went, down the rabbit hole.

So it’s important to note how much more you can do with the Touch. Wifi. Larger screen for movies. Virtual Keyboard. Plus, if you hack it you can install nifty “iPhone exclusive” programs that allow you to check mail, browse Google Maps, enter notes, etc. My hope is that after February when Apple releases the SDK for the iPhone/Touch that we don’t HAVE to hack it to install these things.

And that’s why I’m waiting until the Spring to get one. Not only will there be more applications, but it gives them the chance of updating things at the MacWorld conference thingy in January. (Rumor has it they’ll be announcing the much-hyped tablet subnotebook.)

Huh. I guess that’s all I’m writing about today. The iPod Touch. One thing to note: it still lacks an external keyboard as an input device, which means it’s just shy of replacing my beloved Sony Clie TJ-37. Without that, I’d still have to rely on this puppy to hack out blog entries on the fly at the gym.

Which makes me think: maybe my money would be better spent on an older Treo that would combine my phone & PDA capabilities. If only Palm hadn’t dropped the ball down the abyss of darkness with the Treo. How hard it is to implement WiFi in the thing? It’s what all Treo owners want, so there’s little excuse to hold back for the sake of the cellular industry. It’s sad. (And don’t even get me started on the Foleo disaster… Oy….)

So, yeah. As much as I’d love an iPod Touch, I’d much rather have a 2nd Gen 2gb iPod Nano and a Treo with WiFi.

THEN my life would be complete. Ha ha. (Nah, but my pants WOULD be 5 lbs lighter, with all my “schtuff” in the pockets.)

Kevin

10:47am
We’ve been without power now for a whopping hour and a half. We’d always heard of the power going out during an ice storm, due to the trees falling on power lines, transformers exploding, etc. But this is the first time our power’s been out for more than an hour. Ever.

So far the clock/temperature gauge on the wall has dropped from 65 degrees to 63. I can only surmise it’s gonna keep dropping.

Kyler and I went outside for a bit in the backyard. There’s a good half inch of ice over everything. He fell on his butt, but he’s a kid, so it didn’t hurt. (If I fell on MY butt, you’d hear about it for a week.)

Across the street a neighbor’s tree split down the middle. It looks like his other one will be going soon, too. This gave me the idea to look at a few of our own trees in the front yard. Sure enough, we have a massive tree with a massive amount of ice on it. And it’s leaning… Slowly… Getting lower with every passing minute.

I have an APC power supply that’s fully charged, so in theory I can use my MacBook for another hour or so, if necessary. But currently I’m typing this on my Clie, which once more makes me thrilled to have this thing. I need to replace the internal battery sometime soon, though. It won’t hold a charge much longer than 5-10 minutes of heavy use. I have an external power supply that I can plug into which runs on 4 AA batteries, but it’s kind cumbersome. (That, and I can’t very well charge it while I’m typing at the same time… Not that it would matter… Because… You know… It’d only last another 10 minutes after that…)

Thankful. What am I thankful for? Thankful for the Clie. Thankful for the keyboard. Thankful that Kaleb’s sleeping (for now). Thankful that I just loaded my MP3 player with the new music I downloaded from eMusic.com. Thankful that Kaleb slept through the night. Thankful that Kim didn’t have to go into work, so she’s able to stay home and help me wrangle the kids. Thankful that we have a 4Runner with 4-wheel drive, so if we HAVE to go out, we can. (If we can get the garage door to open…)

And now Kaleb’s crying… Gotta go…

Kevin

8:55pm.

Well, after experiencing almost a full day without power, it JUST NOW came back on! Just as we were putting Kyler to bed (in our bed, no less, so we could siphon off his body heat to stay alive) – DING! – up come the lights (and the heat, and the refrigerator, etc.).

In retrospect, I think I wanna get another small, handheld TV someday. The one I have it Black and White and from the late 80′s, and it takes a whopping 4 AAs to run. If there’s an current, color model that runs on only 2 AAs, I’m there. (Last I checked, they were only $50-75 a few years ago. Cheaper on eBay.)

So now we’re back in business. The status quo has been restored, and we’ll be feeling our toes soon enough.

That tree I mentioned? Sure enough, the weight and the pressure were too much, and one of the major limbs went down. It was a bradford pear, and apparently those suckers just can’t handle ice storms very well, because there were trees split everywhere around town. Purty things, but oh-so-fragile…

And now I think I’ll get ready for bed. Now that Kyler’s warmed it up for me sufficiently. Maybe I’ll even let him stay in it tonight… unless he kicks me… then he’s outta there! (Still loved, but outta my bed.)

Some Photos for You:

(Whoops… someone forgot to cover the grill…)

Neighbor’s tree, not mine… (Not that there’s much difference….)

Lubbock, TX.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Kim heard from the placement office last week, and was told that, come March 4th, she’ll be reporting to work in Lubbock, Texas.

Now, I know some of you are scratching your heads over this. “Lubbock? I thought she had to move to one of the 17 BIG cities?!?” This is true. And technically, she’s working out of the Dallas office. But Lubbock is considered an R.A. (Resident Agency), and they had an immediate need for someone with Kim’s skill set. Sooo… Lubbock it is.

So Kim and I have been researching everything we can on Lubbock, and I gotta say, the reports are widely varied. Some people call Lubbock a “hidden oasis” in West Texas. Others call it an atrocious dust bowl. This article on Men’s Health from December 4th labels it one of the “drunkest cities in the nation.” Seriously.

Read on…

“Men’s Health ranks Lubbock 92 on the list and unfortunately, in this case, the higher number, the worse it looks. Denver, Colorado is listed as the most dangerously drunk in the country at 100. That’s followed by Anchorage, Alaska; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; Fargo, North Dakota; San Antonio; Austin; Fresno, California; and then Lubbock at number 92. They say that translates to a grade of “F”.

This isn’t Lubbock’s first time to make Men’s Health magazine. Ironically, back in April, the magazine called Lubbock one of the safest cities for drivers. Then in September, it ranked Lubbock one of the fattest cities for kids.”

So. It looks like Kyler and Kaleb will be hanging out with a bunch of obese drunk kids as they grow up. Who are nonetheless safe when they drive. Fancy that. (Perhaps “hanging out” isn’t the right word… “ministering to” might be more applicable. We pray…)

Anyhow, we’re pretty pumped. Lubbock is a decent enough place to spend the next few years and raise our kids, and it sure beats the pants off of moving to New York or Miami or Detroit. It’s true. Check the news. Those cities are now, officially, pantless. It’s not a pretty site.

Kevin

(I think we wanna live in the lower lefthand quadrant, around all the markers…)

Other Lubbock Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubbock,_Texas

http://www.texasescapes.com

http://www.ci.lubbock.tx.us/

http://www.visitlubbock.org/

In about 3 weeks the government is going to tell Kim and I where to go.

That’s right. Our time here in Oklahoma is quickly drawing to a close. We’ve ranked the 17 cities we were given, submitted the list, and on December 7th we’re going to find out where our destiny lies.

Personally, we’re rooting for Dallas. We have friends there, Kim used to live there, and it’s close to Tulsa, so visiting Grammy and Grandpa Mills wouldn’t be too difficult. Second and third choices are Houston and San Antonio, and there’s a possibility of an opening in Lubbock as well.

Outside of Texas the choices are a bit further. Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Miami, Las Angeles, San Diego. You get the idea.

As much as we’ve loved living in Edmond, we’re still kind excited about moving again. We kind of see it as God sending us to a new mission field. New people to meet, to influence and be influenced by, new lifelong friendships to foster. It’ll be good.

So that’s the sit rep on the Mills in OK for now. (Yes, I’ve been watching Battlestar Galactica the past few weeks while on the treadmill. And you know what? It ain’t half bad.) We’ll be sure to let you know when we get the full report in early December.

Kevin

I love people. They can be so entertaining sometimes. While I’m primarily an introvert (I’d prefer to read a book in a quiet nook than party hard), I also really enjoy a genuine, masks-off conversation.

So when I had a conversation with a guy in the sauna at the gym today, I was ready to learn something new. And learn I did. (FYI, when you’re half nekkid in a sweltering room with strangers, it’s not uncommon to strike up a conversation.)

The guy (I think he said he name was Raul or Rollo, although he looked like neither) had traveled for most of his life. He had just returned from a trip to Antarctica a few months ago, finally able to check it off his list of visiting every continent in the world. He said he had a great time playing with the penguins for his 21-day stay. (And seriously, how many people can say that?)

So what do you ask a man who’s been all over the world? Why, where’s the best place to live, of course!

The answer? Bangkok.

That’s right. Bangkok. Although to be honest, London was his first response. He really, really loved London, but said it’s just too expensive to live there. (I nodded my head in agreement, having no whit of a clue, of course.)

Bangkok, however, is where his heart was and where he’d  choose to settle down, if he had it all to do over again. He said he loved the Thai people, emphasizing how kind they are.

I was surprised. I would have thought his answer would be related to the exotic cuisine. (I know MY answer for most-wanted locales would be closely tied to my stomach.) But no, it was their HEARTS that he highlighted. Kind of a refreshing motive for his answer, really.

So that’s today’s “Wisdom of Strangers” entry. I’ll be sure to provide further reports on Sauna Conversations in the future, as they come about.

Kevin

This is Kyler’s Batman that we drew together today. Kyler says, “He’s cool. And he has cool powers. Love Batman.”

So that’s it. Trevor C. would be proud.

Kevin

So it’s obvious that I haven’t adhered to any kind of a schedule to blogging yet. :\ Actually, it’s more accurate to say I haven’t ESTABLISHED a schedule to adhere to.

No, wait. I’m not being fair to myself. I DID have a schedule. I’d blog while I was at the gym, after the treadmill, the sauna and the shower. Kinda like a reward. But then Kaleb developed some kind of nasty cough and I didn’t want to take him to the gym, for fear that we would 1) get him sicker, or 2) get other kiddos sick.

So, no gym – no blog updates. :\ But now Kaleb’s better, I’m at the gym and I’m ready to write for a bit…

In the sauna I had a nasty experience. I was reaching down to sweep some magazines off of the wooden bench, when I experienced one of the worst pains imaginable. A moist, heated sliver of wood drove itself up and underneath my middle fingernail. That’s right. UNDER THE NAIL.

It hurt like nothing else, but I’m pleased to say I was able to stop yelling just after the word “MOTHER…” came out of my mouth. (Which surprised me, because I don’t think I’ve EVER used that cursin’ combination in my LIFE. Guess it took a sliver under the nail to get me to talk. I’d make a REALLY lousy spy. Pain tolerance? Non-existent.)

Anyhow, quick update for ya: The Neti. Works like a charm. You stir in the special mixture (baking soda & salt) into the plastic pot, turn your head to the side and pour it in.

It feels a lot like drowning.

But then you remember to breathe through your mouth, and it’s not so bad. It’s still an odd feeling, what with your sinus cavities filling up with water and then having it drain out the opposite nostril. But when you’re all done, you can BREATHE. And breathe freely.

So, yeah, it’s a strange experience, but I heartily recommend the Neti Pot remedy for sinus hell flare-ups. Or just for a hoot.

Kevin

The larger photo link of the nasty weapon of destruction.