I was surprised at the number of zombies out; there were probably 200 of them running amok. I’ve never got the fascination with zombies and that whole genre of movies but it was funny to see what extremes people went to. I think the best part of the evening was when a TARC bus (public transportation) was stopped in the middle of the road and zombies were beating on the windows. I can’t imagine what was going through the riders heads if they had no idea what was going on. HA.

My camera and I were fighting most of the evening because I left my speedlite at home and didn’t want to use my on-camera flash. After realizing that most of my photos were going to turn out blurry I decided to put it away and not get anymore aggravated. I haven’t been using my camera very much lately, in fact, I think last night was the first time I picked it up in two weeks! I need to get back in a routine of using it but I need to do a lot of things. If you’re interested the rest of the photos are located here.

I’ve enjoyed my Modern Social Problems class so far, because my sociology instructor from last semester also teaches this course. I wish I could take video clips on my phone to show you all just how silly he is. Today’s class included him skipping around the room and a very awkward moment of him talking about Viagra and that it’s for older men like him who need “help”. Ha!

English 102 is going to be a lot of papers, in fact we just turned in our first paper today. I wasn’t too thrilled with how it turned out because she chose the topic. It was supposed to be a claim/argument paper, but it was over something I had no real opinion on and I bs‘d my way through it. Our next paper is an evaluation over a movie of our choice. I’m going to do some research first but it’s going to be over either “Once” or “Across the Universe”. It *should* be fun!

My iPhone has come in handy especially now that I’ve added phone service to it. To my surprise I actually get service at home! Gasp! Shock! I’ve been using iCal to enter in homework and spamming the heck out of twitter with random updates from the day. I’ve recently joined Loopt (a location based social network) but I don’t think I will be parting with BrightKite anytime soon because of it. If you didn’t notice I’ve officially become a social networking junkie. As if I need more websites to check daily. ;-P

Other than school nothing real exciting is going on in my life. I am going to New Jersey and possibly New York City in October - that came about in the last month. I’m going to spending about five days there with my friend Andy, I’m looking forward to a break and to hang out with him again!

Hopefully there won’t be such a gap between this blog entry and the next. Hope you all are doing well!

In a little while I will be turning 24, and while it feels insignificant, like many birthdays do after the age of 20, I have many things to be happy about this year. I have a great group of friends, friends that I’ve grown up with, as well as friends that I’ve met in the last year. On top of that I’ve finally figured out what I want to do with my life and what needs to be done to achieve it. I really don’t think any gift can top that feeling of independence.

I’m not sure what kind of celebrating I’m getting into this weekend. I have the entire weekend off and my brother Roy is coming in Saturday from Seattle. I have a feeling we’re going to end up in Louisville Saturday night to celebrate. I’m sure there will be a couple drinks on my part. The following weekend I have plans with friends that I’ve grown up with.

The photo above is from my first birthday on August 7th, 1985. I wanted to find a photo of my siblings and I together and this was the only one in which I had clothes on. According to my Mom I didn’t like clothes when I was a kid. Ha ha. Check out my sister’s glasses!

I wanted to wish Courtney a very Happy Birthday too! :)

For months I’ve been going back and forth between where I’m going to transfer to after I finish my general education courses. For those of you who don’t know me very well I currently attend a community college in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and through that college I can finish my four-year degree via WKU without leaving that campus. This is appealing because I would only have to travel 30 minutes to school, could still live at home, and could keep my current job. Basically this is the comfortable route.

On the other hand, I could transfer to UofL and live in Louisville. Outside of the five months that I spent living in a suburb of Michigan I’ve never lived outside of my parents home in the country. I don’t think I’d have any problems adjusting, it’s more of a fear of being able to support myself. I suppose it’s good to have that kind of fear. Fortunately, I don’t have any debts and I don’t own a credit card. I need to figure out a way to start building up my credit without a credit card. I’ve only taken out one loan and I repaid it in a timely manner. I’m not really sure if just one loan can give you a credit score or not. Can it?

I know where I’d like to live and I think it’s doable. I’d like to live in Old Louisville; not too far away from campus. I’ve been looking at Craigslist and found many places for at or less than $400/month for one bedrooms. Outside of rent the only other things I will need are broadband internet (finally!!!!), groceries, gas**, and a little spending money. I know it would be more economical to have a roommate but all of my friends in Louisville either have families or already have a place with roommates. Maybe something will open up between now and then.

I know a lady through flickr who sells houses in Louisville who knows a guy that owns a few buildings in that area of town. Hopefully, I can use that contact and find something cheap and safe. It won’t be until this spring that I really start to look for something seriously, but it’s something nice to look forward to.

**With gas the way it is now I might even consider a bike since I’d be close to school and downtown. From what I hear parking is hellish on campus so it would be less of a headache for me.

So that’s the big news going on in my life. What’s going on with you?

Thanks to one of my friends who recently upgraded his iPhone I now own an iPhone. I’m always behind on technology and I end up buying things long after the hype, so I’m happy that I have some kind of moderately new technology. I haven’t went to AT&T to add phone service to it, I will eventually, but there is still so much you can do with an iPhone outside of using it as a phone. I had originally intended to buy an iPod touch because the “smart phones” phone+data plans were too steep. Basically I needed something where I could store notes and add events to a calendar. I have been utilizing iCal more than ever before by adding my work schedule and dates that I need to remember. I’ve even been using Notes to add to-do lists as well. I know I’ll be using both features even more when I go back to school in a month. I’m becoming forgetful in my old age! hee.

–

As you know the iTunes store is now selling apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, a website I visited recently said that over 10 million apps were downloaded within the first weekend. That’s crazy but I can see why. I’ve been checking back daily for new apps - these apps are very addicting. If only there was a way to get daily emails from the app store on new apps. Maybe there’s something that I’ve missed?

Current Apps:
- AIM
I prefer Adium but until they make an app AIM will suffice.

- Check Please
A good way to make sure your waitress/waiter is getting their deserved tip.

- Crash Bandikoot
The most entertaining app that I’ve stumbled upon…so far. Unlike the other apps listed here this is one you have to buy. However, this app is worth every penny because all you have to do is move around your iphone to the movements. I completely suck at it right now but it’s a lot of fun.

- Exposure
I’ve been told that Mobile Flickr is better but I’m cheap. I don’t do a lot of flickr browsing on my phone so I can’t justify purchasing an app.

- Facebook
A simple way to keep up with your facebook friends when you’re away from the computer.

- Phone Saber
It’s a light saber and it makes light saber noises when you move your iPhone. It’s one of those apps that provide brief entertainment then it gets old.

- Scribble
Bored and want to draw something? My thoughts on this app is similar to Phone Saber: brief entertainment.

- Tap Tap Revenge
This app would be incredibly cool if it had more than one song available on each skill level. If you’ve played Guitar Hero or Rock Band (who hasn’t?) it’s similar. This app has a lot of potential if you were able to download more songs or able to use songs in your iTunes library.

- Twitterrific
I’m addicted to twitter and can’t help but love the interface for this app. I wish that there was a way to buy both the ad-free app and ad-free mac app as a bundle instead of spending $35 for both.

What apps do you have installed? Favorites? Apps you’d like to see made? How many times can I say “apps” in one post?

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a couple of friends (Tim, Courtney, and Christina) snapping pictures around downtown Louisville. It was refreshing to be around other inspiring people and an inspiring city because I haven’t been picking up my camera very frequently. I should go out more often and try to find things to take pictures of, but honestly that requires too much effort on my part. ;-P

We ended up on top of the building where Christina works and got a nice view of downtown; at least one you don’t get to see very often. I don’t get into downtown very much simply because I’m not as familiar but what a beautiful downtown area we have…at least the good areas of downtown. None of us girls got very close to the edge but Tim was practically on the edge snapping pictures at people walking by. He is much braver than I am.

I’d really like to go on a road trip soon and spend the day taking pictures at a nearby city. In a few weeks my brother is coming home to visit and we might end up in Nashville for a day so that might remedy the road trip itch that I have. I’d really love to go back to Chicago. I keep telling myself that it’s only 5 hours away and it would only be for two days. I might do it this fall if I can get someone to do it with me. Any volunteers?

“List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.”

In no particular order:

01. “Blankest Year” - Nada Surf
This song came on randomly about a week ago and I have been listening to it non-stop - it’s such a catchy song.

02. “Moorestown” - Sun Kil Moon
I recently saw Mark Kozelek (the lead singer of Sun Kil Moon) perform and this was one song that stuck out from the show. Most of their music sounds like this - it’s the perfect music when you want to unwind.

03. “Medicine Wheel” - Aimee Mann
I’m having a hard time getting into Aimee’s new album “@#%*! Smilers” but this song is an exception because it’s classic Aimee.

04. “Firecracker” - Ryan Adams
“Well, everybody wants to go on forever. I just wanna burn up hard and bright. I just wanna be your firecracker and maybe be your baby tonight.”
Ryan Adams is pretty much a music god in my book and I can’t help but love him even more when he plays the harmonica.

05. “Eyes” - Rogue Wave
I first heard this song on Heroes only to realize that it’s been in my iTunes library for who knows how long. Mellow and sweet is a good way to describe this song.

06. “My Only Offer” - Mates of State
I recently discovered this band through a fantastic music ‘zine called Paste. I later previewed their album “Rearrange Us” at ear x-tacy and it’s now on my list of albums to buy. Overall the song is pretty catchy - go download it!

07. “With a Little Help from my Friends” - Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson
Have you seen “Across the Universe”? If you answered “no”, please watch it! This is a cover of the popular Beatles song and these two actors manage to pull it off. Feel free to watch this video too. The video version of the song is slightly different.

Tagging:
Andy
Jeff
Jordan
Karine
Rhi
Rhonda
Roy

My little Echo has been in and out of the shop for the last week because of problems that should have been fixed a long time ago. About four years ago my check engine light came on and after spending close to $500 on it, and still nothing was resolved, I gave up. Aside from being a little sluggish when the engine began to warm up, there were no other problems that I experienced. I could live with that…

Before my trip to Japan, when my brother was driving me to the airport, he suggested that I get a tune up, and then I realized how long it’s been since it’s had a tune up. Never… Oops! Admittedly, I know nothing about cars except when to put gas in it and when my oil need to be changed.

The mechanic got started on my car last Wednesday and put new spark plugs in it, and he said something kept “missing.” After a couple days he figured out it was the fuel pump. He installed the new fuel pump but something else was still wrong. I knew my bill had to be racking up so I began stressing.

Fast forward to Wednesday when my car was picked up… To my surprise the bill only ended up being $327.65. I know he gave me one hell of a deal considering the amount of time he spent on it; he only charged $60 for labor! Apparently he figured out what else was wrong with it because I had a charge for the fuel pump and a mass airflow sensor.

I’ve only driven my car two days since the repairs but it is running so much smoother now. I don’t have any problems taking off when the engine is still warming up. The best part is after four years my check engine light is finally off! Let’s hope it just stays off and my car will last me until I graduate college. ha ha.

I work at a “mom and pop” store and I know how hard it is for independents to make it these days, and if you don’t have good customer service you won’t make it. When you have potential customers come into your store you should be pleasant and not belittle them. Even if they don’t buy anything on their first visit they’ll be likely to return if they were treated well. If it wasn’t for the fact that Bluegrass Cellular is the only provider that offers service in my area I wouldn’t give any thought to going back. I realize everyone has their days but this isn’t the first complaint I’ve heard from this company; specifically this location.

As much as I want a new cell phone something keeps telling me just to wait a few more months, because I’m still a little apprehensive about going with this company. Because they’re not a nationwide company like AT&T, Verizon, and the like, they have quite a few restrictions. For example, if I ever make calls from Louisville or Lexington it’s considered roaming and you are only given a certain amount of roaming minutes a month. Granted, it would be rare that I went over the alloted roaming minutes, it’s the idea that it’s restrictions. My boss uses this company and I remember one month he ended up with a $700 bill because of roaming between him and his wife. Unfortunately, they had to pay it. Yet something else to fear.

Secondly, I’m not a huge fan of their prices. I’m looking at $150 for the phone, $39.99/month for unlimited email and internet, and around $49.99/month for a decent voice plan. I don’t mind spending a little extra money because I would actually get service at home, but that’s a little more than I want to pay. I’m going to be looking at $90-$100/month for service. I don’t think so…

I guess I’m back to waiting and hoping that AT&T puts up a tower nearby soon. I was talking to an AT&T rep a while back and she said the next tower is going to be put near my area and it was likely I would finally get service. She didn’t know a time frame but hopefully it’ll happen soon. I’m becoming impatient, can you tell?

This pales in comparison to other experiences but this is today’s feature. Feel free to post your tales of bad customer service or better yet - really good customer service.

Another website that has become popular among twitter members is BrightKite. BrightKite is a website similar to twitter where you can post notes, your current location, and post photos from your camera to their site. I’m a little hesitant to post too much information at this website. Is it really safe to post your home location? Who knows who will stumble across your page and decide to stalk you. There are settings to only disclose your locations to friends but it’s still a little unsettling. Until I get a fancier phone I doubt I’ll be using BrightKite frequently.

Speaking of fancier phones I’ve been eyeing Blackberries; particularly the Pearl. My birthday is a little less than seven weeks away and I think I’m going to switch over to another provider that actually offers service at my home as a gift to myself. My friends will be happy to know that they can finally reach me when I’m at home! ::gasp:: I’d love to get one of the new iPhones but I can’t justify $60-70/month for service, especially considering I’ll be working less this fall because of more class work. I’ve been wanting a new phone for a long time and these websites are making me want it even more. If I had a fancier phone I could update Twitter and/or BrightKite from my phone as well as my computer. I could really annoy people with updates. Yes! My plan to take over the internet is working. :P

The internet is really changing, in fact, it’s been changing radically the last few years. 10-15 years ago websites like twitter or brightkite would have never taken off. I guess we’ve all become more comfortable with strangers reading about our lives, because it seems like everyone has a blog that they update regularly. I’ve met some great people because of the internet, in fact, a couple of my close friends I’ve met online. I’m grateful for that because I wouldn’t have met them otherwise. Thank you, internet. :)

Related Links
My twitter and brightkite account.