Saturday, October 31, 2009

The Kindle (E Reader)

Something Santa is thinking about leaving me for Christmas:

The Kindle

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Maxpedition

My Maxipedition Daypack and waistpack arrived today. I bought the daypack because I was tired of carrying a mostly empty backpack around on the weekends to places like a movie theater. The daypack has about 18 different pockets. I bought the waistpack because I was tired of my pants pockets being stuffed full with an assortment of items I carry around during school hours. The waistpack has about 10 pockets and/or divided areas.I really don't like the look of a fannypack. I'm hoping the waistpack looks way cooler. The Maxpedition line of bags can also be combined and interchange with each other to form various combinations. With clips (not included), I could attach my waistpack to the daypack to create a mini backpack.

Yes, I know this does sound a bit like a commercial. Sorry about that. Well, I better go. In a few weeks, I'll let you know how the packs are working out.

Below is a slideshow of a few photos I took of my new packs.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

I'm in Love...

...with the Maxpedition Neatfreak Organizer.

Last night I browsed online for a smaller pack than the backpack. I purchased one of the bigger backs similar to a backpack. However this morning, I began thinking that another large pack would defeat the purpose of the change from a regular backpack. I wanted a pack just big enough to fit a paperpack book, a mini umbrella, MP3, cell phone, camera, flashlight, train/bus maps, tissues, hand wipes, etc... I also want to buy a netbook to replace my old secondhand laptop. I think you get the picture. I came across the "Neatfreak", and I'm now super excited. I even found a review of the bag on YouTube. A great review! I was sold. Oh, and it comes in black!

I wanted a pack(man purse?!) because I like being organized, but (lately), I've gotten tired of dragging around a mostly empty backpack with the small stuff becoming a disorganized mess at the bottom of the bag. I'm also tired of stuffed pockets inside my classroom, but that post will have to wait.

I hate the look of the fannypack. Below is the video review of the Neatfreak.



Saturday, October 17, 2009

The Maid

A crazy week to an end. This blog entry will be a bit sloppy for the sake of time and lack of planning.

This week started and continued like many others, disorganized and stressed. I had a three-day weekend to get organized, but blew it. I didn't do much of anything. but on the last day with a momentarily impulse of boredom, I signed up for a social networking group...as an organizer.

Quick explanation. Social networking groups are groups made of everyday men and woman who come to getting based on the interests of the group. If you can name a topic or interest, there is probably a group. For example, single mothers who knit, there is probably a group. Wine tasters in the city, yep, there are about a couple of hundred groups.

Well, for the last couple of years, I've signed up for various groups with mixed results. I've also tried looking for friends online, also with mixed results. Nothing seemed to fit with what I wanted. My personality is a bit of an irregular size. And like clothing, my personality/interests doesn't really come in regular sizes. Shopping off the rack has yielded mixed results. I don't drink or smoke. I don't like sports. I like movies, but don't go very often, nor can I recall details of actors or actresses that play in them. I like comics books, but I don't read them very often, and I couldn't tell you much about the backgrounds of the characters or their creators. I like reading science fiction, but I couldn't tell you the last author I've read. I like walking, but I couldn't find most major landmarks on a map. I've lived in NYC for most of my life, but I'm the first one to get lost downtown. I think you get the picture.

Usually, I sit around waiting for invitations or activities that don't come, so I end up sleeping away the weekend. When I'm not working, the days of boredom just bleeds into the next.

Anyway, last Sunday on an impulse, I signed up as an organizer of a social network group. Strange isn't it. Someone who doesn't socialize, who keeps to himself, who has few if any interests, signs up to lead a social networking group. So how did it go.

Well, signing up during a moment of boredom isn't a good reason to sign up. Also, not really knowing what kind of group I wanted also didn't help. I came up with the idea of a Guy's Group for doing various activities on the weekend. Problem, within minutes, women started quickly signing up. By Monday morning, I had about 20 women signed up and about 12 men. Initially, I kept the group's options opened for both genders. But then I changed my mind. I reworded the group's title and message to make it more of a men's group. Then, I had a couple of guy's drop not wanting to belong to a gay group, and women leaving as well. However,....

I was still getting women who wanted to join. One member suggested that I just delete all the woman. But, the idea of being in an exclusive group with a "No ______ Allowed" doesn't appeal to me. So, I then searched a found a couple of similar groups (one almost exactly like the one I had just created the day before)...

Still didn't work. So, now, I've given up for the time being. If there are really people out there bored on the weekend and just want a reason for getting out of there homes, then I don't feel right putting up a "NO _____ Allowed" sign on the door.

I chose the first event to be a visit to a comic convention(also a last minute impulse). I had only one RSVP "Yes". He eventually cancelled because no one else was going. I also agreed a few days before I created my new group, that I would attend that event (movie and dinner).

Actually, I was so exhausted from work, that I really didn't want to do anything but sleep this weekend. It would mean that Saturday would have me up and running early for a Saturday for me. Anyway, the one guy who joined cancelled, so that just freed me up to just attend the other group's event as a member not an organizer. Although I wasn't too thrilled with the movie choice "The Maid", it was another one of those, "it's either that or sleeping away the weekend" choices.

I arrived at the theater about 20 minutes early. The organizer's meeting plan was to have the members look for a tall guy with a black cap. Well, after waiting about 20 minutes, I went to see a movie I really didn't want to see (I paid for my ticket online). The movie was "The Maid". I thought it was a comedy, but I was wrong. Although, several people chuckled throughout the movie, and laughed a few times, I was bored. The maid had basically one "thing", she locked the other maids out of the house. I was bored. I was also annoyed that I was sitting through two hours of a movie I didn't want to see. After the movie, I went to the diner in Greenwich Village (mentioned a few times in previous blog entries).

When I got home, I checked my email. The organizer of the group had sent me an email (10 minutes after I had left home) saying that the other guys had cancelled.

Before doing this blog, I did a bit of online shopping for the man purse I mentioned in a previous entry. I'm a bit tired of carrying around my backpack. While shopping for the maurse (man purse), I found a nice looking wait pouch. I've wanted something to carry the stuff I carry around class for a while now. However, I really didn't want a fanny pack.

Well, I think that's about it.


Post Date - Sunday, October 18, 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

Slide Show - (Miscelleneous Pictures)

AUGUST, 2009 - INDIANAPOLIS

Below is a slideshow of various photos I took while on my visit to Indianapolis. The slideshow is a collection of photos that didn't make it into my other Indianapolis slideshows.

Indianapolis - Day 5(Crispus Attucks Museum)

Monday, August 03, 2009

Sunday, October 11, 2009

An interesting Link

An interesting link:

An Answering Machine Message


Post Date - Sunday, October 11, 2009

Indianapolis - Day 5(Last Day)

Wednesday, August 5th

Today was the last day in Indianapolis. I was up about 9AM. I was out of the hostel and on a bus downtown at about 1PM. It took me about a 30 minute wait for check in at the Greyhound station. With about a few hours to kill, I visited a comic shop, had lunch at Champps, and walked around. I returned to the depot about 6PM. I was hoping that an hour would put me at the front of the line for a good seat on the bus.

Post Date - Sunday, October 11, 2009 12:22AM

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Indianapolis - Day 4 (Rainy Day)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Today was a very rainy day with thunderstorms and flash floods. It was not the best end to my traveling vacation. It rained heavily for most of the day. The rain ended about 6PM. I didn't do much but sleep and watch the rain fall. I also did a load of laundry. I did think about going to the downtown mall, but with it rainy so hard, and there not being any shelter at or near the bus stop, I didn't see the point of leaving the hostel. I did go for a walk around the neighborhood for about an hour after the rain stopped.

The attached photos is the bus stop near the hostel.


Post Date - Saturday, October 10, 2009 11:51PM