Hi Five!

My husband I had this conversation on IM:

Him: we rock!
/internet highfive o/\o

Me: o/\o


I love us!

PBS

Kindle Me, Kindle You!

So my magnificent husband bought me an early birthday gift. A Kindle! Click on the link if you don't know what it is. Go on...I'll wait. *taps foot*
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Welcome back!

So I think this is going to be a review of it because I've actually finished a book on it. I had started reading the book in print and I wanted to read it on the Kindle. So I searched the Kindle store, found the book I was currently reading and downloaded it. All of that took less than a minute. I was more than impressed. The books are on average 2 to 3 dollars cheaper than print for soft covers and moreso for hardcovers.

I then had to find my place in the book where I had left off. They have a handy dandy search function for the book and I just input the first part of the sentence where I wanted to start reading and it found it quickly so I was able to pick up where I left off.

My biggest worry was that I would miss having a book with tangible pages to read. Well that worry went out of the window when I started reading. If it's possible for me to be even more engaged, I was! I even found myself forgetting that I was on an e-reader and tried to turn the page a time or two. I found myself reading faster than before as well. The screen has the coloring of the pages of a book and the screen is really anti-glare.

The Kindle has a built in dictionary so you can just highlight a word while you are reading and instantly get the meaning. L-O-V-E this feature! I finished my first book quickly and immediately downloaded another. This thing is just calling for a place in my entertainment budget. Once you are done with the book, delete it from the device and it's moved to your archived section where you can download it again at anytime.

The Kindle also has magazine and newspapers that you can subscribe to at a modest price. You can also subscribe to blogs and go on the internet as well. And the battery life is amazing! And I love that it's small enough to fit in my purse.

There are slight downsides to the Kindle that I really can't call downsides considering all the great things about it.

There seems to be slight wasted space on the Kindle. They probably could have either made the screen a little bigger or made the device a little smaller and kept the screen the same size.

There is no backlight but many companies sell light accessories.

So all in all, I love the Kindle and I look forward to spending many curled up moments with it. Thanks J!

PBS

Just Get It Out Already

So I was listening to NPR on the way to work and an interesting story came on the radio.

The story stated that scientists had finally found and noted the first genes linked to stuttering. The story went on to say that now it's proven that the behavioral disorder was hereditary. Because of this, doctor's can come up with a possible enzyme to lessen the symptoms of stuttering.

I was stunned to hear this. I have been stuttering since i was about six years old. I went to therapy in elementary school and even though my speech teacher was very nice, I'm not sure it helped that much. I have found ways to cope with my stuttering. Choosing words I wouldn't stutter over, talking slower. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't.

My stuttering is not as bad as some people I have seen. I have a light stutter that some people doesn't even know exists. It was never a hindrance to my life. Just a source of embarrassment when callous people who had no couth would make jokes about it or a sense of frustration when people couldn't understand what I was sayin gor had no patience to wait while I spoke.

I managed to get through speech class when I was in college and I wish now that I had done my speech on stuttering. It would have made me feel a lot more confident during the speech.

So the center of my feelings is, would I take a pill that eliminated my stuttering? I'm not sure. I mean not stuttering would feel super weird but at the thought of saying my name without worrying what's going to come out (or not come out) or ordering at the drive through clearly. That excites me. But a part of me feels like it's taking away a part of who I am. It has caused sadness but it has also made me stronger in a way.

At any rate, I don't foresee a pill or vaccine coming on the market for years and years. It's just something to think about.

PBS

Twitter Sadness

So a person I know tweeted this the other day. It struck a chord in me and my heart went out to her. I feel helpless to help (as I am in this situation) but I can't stop wishing that I wish things were different. I think what it would be like if I couldn't marry J. If I just stalled in boyfriend/girlfriend relationship status. The frustration would be almost unbearable. That's just one of many things I wish would change about this country. I just hope I see it in my lifetime.

Not being able to marry has always sucked, but it hurts even worse when you see many friends from HS/college getting married.

Makes you feel like you're stalling in life, can't take that next "big step". "Girlfriend" doesn't have as much meaning as "wife" to others.

When you say "wife" to anyone, they know what that relationship means. When you say "girlfriend" it could mean many things.

PBS

Day 5 Alive

So I heard on the news on the way to work that since Six Flags declared bankruptcy last year, Kentucky Kingdom could not find anybody to take ownership of their lease and they will be closing. I felt some unexpected sadness at the news. I thought that Friday would be an appropriate day to post this.

I spent a lot of time at that amusement park when I was younger and it holds a lot of fond memories. When I was high school, they used to hold Friday dance parties there and if you were anybody, you were there. Day 5 Alive it was called. They even had local stations taking video of the party and it was awesome to see yourself on TV the next day. The entrance fee was only $10 and you still had time to ride a few rides before the party started.

I remember a lot of good things about that place and it's kind of sad that it's gone. Just another few memories that I don't want to forget. It's kind of odd seeing things that I enjoyed as a kid go away. Makes me feel old lol.

PBS

Osiris

Osiris, originally uploaded by Iceflow1121.

So I just watched Tropic Thunder this weekend and the cast must have really liked my comments. Because look who's following me now. :)

PBS

More Than Just A Game

I have talked about this before on other blogs but I have to reiterate it. I play World of Warcraft and I am proud of it. It's seen as a time sink, bad habit, and lame thing to do. But I (of course) think it's none of these things. On our guild forums, one of the friends I played with posted a meaningful post. It speaks so much that I feel. Thanks dude.

There are people in this world, all over this world, that I consider to be some of my very best friends. I met them thru this game. I met them on this server. I met them in this guild. I met them thru the green wall of text. I “hang out” with them every day in vent. I raid with them. I have traveled to meet them. I give them tons of crap. I get crap back. I do what I can to help them. I ask them for help when I need it.

Because of these people I have experienced all the heroics, Naxx, Ulduar, ToC, and ICC. Because of them I have seen and online wedding. Because of them I learned what poutine was. Because of them I know that no matter how someone sounds, they may not be what you think. Because of them I have laughed everyday. Because of them I know 38 makes me an oldie face. Because of them I know more about the world I live in.

My life has been made better by these people, all because one night I responded to a LF DPS in guild chat.

Guild chat isn’t your living room. Guild chat isn’t the mall. Guild chat isn’t a place you can go. Guild chat is a living breathing entity. Guild chat evolves. Guild chat changes. Guild chat is what you make of it.

Words only have the power we give them.

PBS