The Costco Adventure

It's been a week for adventures. We tried our first Uber trip, went to Constitution Hall for the Billy Joel Gershwin concert, and got Costco cards. When we first came to DC we went to Costco with our family members and were overwhelmed by the size and amount of STUFF. Back then, they needed diapers and did a lot of hosting for large parties. It's been awhile since then, so we decided to give it another try. We ordered our Costco cards on line, paid the $55.00 annual fee, and they arrived in the mail this week. So we drove over to Pentagon City in Arlington today and first stopped to get the mandatory photos taken. My husband had a big list of things he wanted to get for Thanksgiving, but it turns out the amount and quantity of the items really is much too much for a single dinner for only six people. But we did stock up on a lot of non perishable household items, and ink cartridges for my printer, and calcium pills and baby aspirin, shaving razors and toothpaste, etc. The parking lot was packed, and the place was filled - even though some of the aisles looked empty. The grocery section was the busiest. I do need to spend some time on the website to see what kinds of things are available. I don't see us going back very often, but I do think we already got our savings from just one day. The best part is we found our favorite cheese and got a whole wheel of P'tit Basque. I still have to use Amazon for K cup decaf tea, Britta filters, and Bali's and Nips treats. Why doesn't any one place have everything we need? That would be just too easy. 

The iPhone 4S

We got our first iPhones a little over two years ago. I got the 3GS, and my husband got the 3G. I remember it well because it was February and we had 2 snow storms within a couple days that left 2 feet of snow. Wisconsin NEVER had that much at one time! The Federal government was shut down for a week. With my new iPhone, I played a really neat interactive adventure game app called Broken Sword that got me hooked from that point. Since then, the iPad has literally changed my hobby life. I've written two children's books apps published through StoryChimes, started this blog, created a website called LIT Digital Art and Such, was a winner in The New Yorker Eustace Tilley contest, and have 2 digital art pieces on display at the Library of Congress. I'm waiting for the iPhone 5 to replace my phone, but thought the 4S would work well for my husband. It really has amazing functionality - reminds me of all the futuristic gizmos that were tauted at the World's Fair in New York back in the 60's. It's even more interesting to hear Siri actually respond to an accented command. I have always loved gadgets. And when we are together, I use his phone to get even better photos for my blog. I really wonder what the future holds - is there really a need to learn to spell and type? I'm beginning to wonder.


Converting over to the new phone

It really is amazing

Waiting for the iPhone 5

Comcast Digital Adapter

Due to new regulations or something along those lines, Comcast sent to all their customers a digital adapter for TV's that don't use a cable box. One of our TVs is a standalone with no cable connections. The device was sent over a year ago, and we just never got around to fixing it. Since the living room wall was being repaired this week and the entertainment center had to be pulled away from the wall to fix whatever was behind it, this would be an opportune time to get behind the TV and get this done. They all say this would be easy, but it never is for us. After juggling a few things, the message came up that we needed to call for service. Of course, when we did, they said the device was so old that we needed to go to a Comcast store and pick up a new one, since the  number on it was reassigned to someone else, and the device had been updated. It was almost closing time, but we rushed to the place which is only 2 miles away, but feels like 50 in rush hour and in this own. So we tried installing it again, and the same message came up. But this time they were able to do the behind the scenes magic and the digital channels miraculously became visible. Cable service is always a trying thing no matter where you live- but particularly worse if you are not geek oriented and live in a town like this.

Somewhere on Michigan Avenue

Luckily it was still open and very quiet

Let's hope this one works, and the bill does not change

Catholic University National Shrine in the background

Passed by the National Shrine

The evening sky made the drive home more enjoyable

IPad Upgrade Dilemma

I can not live without my IPad. So I thought I would update it to the new IOS 5 version yesterday. It only took about 20 hours. It started at 2 PM in the afternoon. I had already updated ITunes to the newest version in anticipation of this event. My laptop is almost six years old, and grinds everything out really slowly anyway. That is one of the main reasons I wanted the new version to avoid ever having to hook my IPad up to the computer again and save everything in the cloud. Midway through, ITunes said it did not recognize my equipment, could not either update or restore it, and it had lost everything that was on it- which included all my art work. By then, it was too late to go to an Apple Store... but I would not give up until I could figure it out. I downloaded ITunes on to my husband's laptop, and at least got it to the factory settings- and nothing more! It looked awful - I was devastated.... but I knew I had backed up everything and there must be a way to find it. Steve Jobs would not do that to us! When I hooked the IPad back to my laptop, it finally figured out it needed to be restored... and from 9PM to sometime early in the morning, it put almost everything back. I am surprised I slept so well last night, but I know I was plain exhausted with anxiety and apprehension. I was afraid to check it in the morning, but it did it's job. My IPhone also could benefit from the upgrade, but I'm really afraid to do it. Maybe next time I'll plan on it earlier on the weekend instead of a Sunday night.

I love my Apple products, but I hate all the technical stuff-
I don't ever want to use that laptop again

Apple Store Earplugs

Both my husband and I have IPhones. The phone is NEVER out of his hand. He is playing solitaire all the time, and is the type of person who has to know the answer to any question right way, so he is always looking something up. I use mine primarily for taking pictures for the blog, checking email during the day, and listening to music when I walk the halls during break. And of course the IPad is never out of my hands as soon as I get home from work. His earpiece was worn out, and when we went to the Apple Store in Clarendon a couple weeks ago, they said they would replace it at no charge. But we did not have it with us that day. So today, we not only brought the earpiece, but two charging cords that are frayed. It turns out they would not replace any of it free of charge. We ended paying $30.00 for the new headset. This one is an upgrade from the one he had, but he wasn't very pleased that what they said the first time did not hold up this time. Rather than buy new charging cords, we decided to just tape them up with electrical tape and live with it. After all, we do not have the Apple plan to cover these things, and all the equipment is well over a year old. But you can't beat the service, even though we ended up having to pay for it. The place is ALWAYS crowded. And I know why. I still may write a note to the store to understand the discrepancy in the messages they gave us, and see what happens.

Always busy

Face of the future

We're lucky to have stores in three locations near us

Kindle Adapter Wire

We got our Kindle about 3 years ago- primarily for my husband. It's been on a few trips and has kept him company while he waits for our grandson on the playground after school. We have downloaded the Wall Street Journal on it for friends who are visiting, but it's not used that often. I have my IPad and IPhone, and since the New Yorker is available on the IPad now, the Kindle is really the next best thing. It's been a while since it was charged up. We store the adapter cord in the TV cabinet. When my husband pulled out the cord and attached it to the Kindle, it essentially fell apart in his hands. The wire was exposed, and it was immediately disconnected from the wall socket. We know the TV throws off a lot of hot air (like some people we know) but we have never experienced the plastic on a cord falling apart quite like this. So, if you have a power cord for your Kindle, don't keep it is a plastic bag in the TV cabinet that is exposed to a lot of hot air from the flat screen TV. Speaking of TVs, we went from a first generation 50 inch plasma flat screen TV in Milwaukee to a 40 inch LCD flat screen TV here. Since the room is a lot smaller, a smaller screen was reasonable.... but, I guess that is all relative. I love electronics and gadgets, but only when they are working!

Off to Best Buy for a replacement