In which Sky asks many questions.

[cerulean_sky]

• Talked to Mom about Mexico. She said she might be able to get me a trip there for my birthday. Commence squeeing like a disturbed fangirl. Warm and toasty, here I come! Beach, oh how I have missed you. Did you guys know that like... two months before I moved to Santa Fe, I bought a bikini. I've never worn it. Clearly, I need to go to Tulum and the beach, if only to have a chance to wear this friggen' bathing suit!

• I am thinking about getting a netbook—yes, I am deviating from (but not abandoning!) my fierce loyalty to Apple—to take back and forth to school. Since my MacBook is heavy and if it gets stolen or damaged, I will probably have to commit ritual suicide. (My life is on here!) But a teeny laptop that can do internet and documents and has a little bit of storage space is perfect. So. Any suggestions? I'm looking at the Acer Aspire and this Acer AO532h-2223. But also I know that exrpan liked HPs, so I'm sort of looking at this HP Mini, one of my techy friends has a Lenovo, so I'm looking at this Lenovo Netbook, Mira has a Vaio so I'm considering this Vaio Mini Netbook. Or, I guess an Asus Eee PC, a Toshiba Mini Netbook, or a Samsung Netbook. YOU HAVE TO HELP ME OUT GUYS. The only computers I've ever worked with have been Macs. For my ENTIRE life. I clearly have no idea what I'm doing. But, uh, I guess the goal is to keep it under $400. Under $350 if you can, and under $300 would be even better. But I don't want to get something crappy just because it's cheap. SEND HELP STOP I AM CLUELESS STOP SAVE ME FROM MYSELF STOP.

• Hah. Yeah, having a period at the end of that last bit there is a little redundant. Oh well.

• fantasybigbang is doing ok. We're still in dire need of artists, so if you know someone who's an artist, please point them in the direction of the challenge. Still, we had many authors sign up, but life is getting in the way of many of them finishing, so the number of authors and the number of artists are slowly moving towards each other. I'm praying that everything works out.

• This past weekend was Parents Weekend at school. My mom came to three of my classes and said she was really impressed. We're both sort of beaming with pride at me. Hah.

• I'm considering my next tattoo. I know the design I want. I've worn this pentacle for years, and there's something about it that makes me feel safe and protected, even though I am no longer a practicing wiccan. I want that pentacle as a tattoo—but I'm now considering where. Mothers on my flist, you might be able to help with this too: if I got it on my hip, or more towards my lower stomach (yeah, sort of closer to the pelvis)... Is that a place that's going to stretch if I decide to have kids? (Oh the sort of things I think about.) I'm thinking on my back possibly if hip/pelvis area doesn't work. We'll see.

• Kind of random: I sent an email to someone about FBB, but I sent it to the wrong domain name. Right email username, wrong domain. And I got an email back! Mostly asking if I had possibly emailed the wrong person, but asking if I was in a pinch for a story and maybe she could write one if I needed. !!! I let her know that I had sent the email to the wrong person, but if she was a fantasy writer—and how could she not be with the email she had—she should check out the challenge, and think about joining in the future. So she might join up! Life is sometimes weird and cool.

• Man, that makes me want to go back to writing my Letter Game-inspired novel. Bad Sky! You already have a novel plan for this year's NaNoWriMo!

• Also, sometimes, my life is hilarious. Mostly in that sad sort of way that amuses me so terribly. My fuckin' life, guys. I keep saying this. Mostly to myself, but sometimes to other people. They smile and laugh with me, probably because they know I need it. Because really. My fuckin' life.

Comments

[girasola.livejournal.com]

I've used a couple of Acer netbooks, and liked them.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

They look like they are cheap-ish and still good. I'm leaning in that direction, honestly.

Also, Kari Matchett—who I believe is the woman in your icon as I vaaaaaguely remember that icon is from the Nero Wolfe show and I have looked it up and she was in that—is in one of my favorite TV shows: Covert Affairs. Just sayin'. :D

[girasola.livejournal.com]

I watched the first couple of episodes. I think we're recording all of them and then watching them in a marathon. It cuts down on the anxious suspense.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

That's true. It's a fun series. With some yummy men, and some potential for slash.

I'm definitely writing a Joan/Arthur fic—and I ought to get back on that at some point...

[sunfall.livejournal.com]

you should get an ipad ;)

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

Touch screens and I don't get along. D: Plus, zomg, so 'spensive.

[sunfall.livejournal.com]

I understand. I'd wait till black friday or cyber monday to get it, but if you need one soon, I like Acer as a brand/company.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

Mostly I would never get an iPad because about 50% of the time Apple touch screens don't register my touch. It's like I don't exist for them. :/ Who knows. Also, I would fee a lot less bac about banging around a mini PC, and I would be SUPER UBER PROTECTIVE of my iPad if I had one.

...not that it would wrok for me, which might make me want to bang it around more.

[lskull86.livejournal.com]

You use your nails too much, apple touchscreens need a gentler touch :-p

(serious answer, you need to use your fingertips more on capacitive screens, there's no way they can easily detect your fingernails)

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

No, I don't use my nails on Apple touch screens because they aren't pressure responsive. But even when I'm using my finger tips, they still only respond about 50% of the time. Mostly it's that they start out fine, but then if I'm typing something or playing a game they'll just stop. I used to try to play Tetris on Jack's iPhone and I only ever got through a few rows because it stopped responding to me.

Not taht big of a deal, I don't actually like touch screens that much for practical purposes. They're fun to play around with once in a while, but I like buttons.

[lskull86.livejournal.com]

Apple products never drop much from the MSRP for black friday, also as much as I love the ipad, typing on it for an extended period of time is a PITA, and pairing a bluetooth keyboard with it... you may as well just get a netbook at that point (not to mention how much of a pain moving files on and off a non-jailbroken ipad is!)

[maia-cyllene.livejournal.com]

I'm also a Mac girl but I had to get a netbook for school. I went with an HP Mini and it's nice, fairly easy to use, and gets the job done. It also has a decent enough processor and graphics for me to stream videos on, which I heard some netbooks aren't very good at.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that's interesting. I like using my downtime at school and our good internet to catch up on TV via Hulu, so I would want something that could do that....

[dusktodawn.livejournal.com]

not to discredit those who like some of the above, but after working at a computer repair store, i'd say ASUS hands down. Good price, good quality. We RARELY see them in there.

HP had a HUGE HUGE recall on a lot of their DV series laptops that included DV2000, DV6000, and DV9000 with multiple numbers listed under each. Granted, the one you're talking about isn't the same, but honest to goodness 1 out of 5 people I talk to like HP's.

Not a fan of Lenovo as much anymore since ASUS, their quality isn't quite as good.

I personally have an MSI netbook that is amazing. but since you've got ASUS listed, I couldn't cheer it on hard enough.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

I think I've seen Asus around. Possibly one author I like uses an Asus as a spare comp. So it's definitely on the list of definite possibilities. And it's good to hear that they don't seem to break all that often. That's a real upside.

[husbeast.livejournal.com]

I'd say, skip the PC, cover your Apple with Care plan, with the money you'd waste on that. Get yourself a biofeedback monitor, and practice with it- raising the circulation, and nerve activity in your fingertips will solve your t-screen issues- or use a conductive thread fingertip- if t-screens can work with gloves on- they can work for you.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GAWD_ CHANGE THE SETTINGS ON THIS WHITE ON PALE BLUE IS HARD ON THE EYES

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

The other issue with bringing my MacBook back and forth to school is that it's starting to do damage to my shoulder because of all the other things I have to carry around. This thing isn't all that heavy on it's own, but add in two or three classes worth of books and notebooks and it gets up there.

Yeah, I'm starting to get annoyed with it too. I have to figure out if I want another layout though.

[mysticshell.livejournal.com]

I have an Asus EeePc and LAWD ALMIGHTY it is my BABY. Cannot recommend it enough.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

Hee! *gives it another vote* Hm, maybe I shoulda made a poll. I never think of these things. XD

[lskull86.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of the Asus and Samsung netbooks, but after that HP and then Dell. the MSI wind gets some honorable mention too :-)

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

Asus looks pretty cheap but still good quality, so that's definitely a point in its favor.

[exrpan.livejournal.com]

MSI Wind = love

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

People are getting shot at a lot these days in Mexico, dude. D:

Your life sounds OK to me?

[exrpan.livejournal.com]

If you go for an HP, be careful and do the research -- some HPs are absolute crap and can have really bizarre problems.

As far as netbooks go, I actually use an MSI Wind, which has been pretty stable and has given me no problems so far. I run Linux on it...not sure how well it would handle any other OS. I've liked the Toshiba netbooks I've played around with, but I think those are more on the expensive side?