Archive for the ‘Here and Now’ Category

Full Speed Ahead

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Phew. Let me catch my breath. ::clasps hands above head while heaving heavily::

Ok, I’m ready now.

I guess it’s a good thing, but I have been so busy with new clients that posting has fallen to the wayside. Now, it’s all engines a-go!

I’m working on a lot of really interesting projects right now; everything from Social Media Account Management for an eco-friendly clothing line to web development and re-branding for a construction company, to building a website for a Judge in San Diego, to training a company to more effectively represent themselves in the social space.

Not to mention managing -or trying to manage- my own blog, as well as a side blog called We Travel and Eat. Jordan and I are currently rebuilding the site to focus more on providing others with useful travel and food tips in all the places we visit.  So while it’s a work-in-progress, it’s coming along quite nicely if I do say so myself. Check out our Facebook page!

We’re also establishing an Llc; a creative studio for all things web development. It’s a pretty exciting process and I can’t wait to be a partner in something that already has projects in progress, checks post-dated for its first legal appearance, and doesn’t even have a Tax ID number yet. Soon enough though. By the first week of February, we’ll be able to charge credit cards, bill through Paypal, and invoice straight through our project management tool.

So, while it looks like (from the frequency of blogs posted) I’ve fallen off the face of the Earth, I’ve actually hand my hands in a little bit of everything. Secretly, I think I adore being overwhelmed.

What are you working on these days? Would love for you to keep me updated!

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Giving Up My iPhone For a Droid.

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

I decided that I was going to retire my iPhone and pick up a droid phone. There are quite a few reasons I did so.

  1. My iPhone response time was, well, quite unresponsive.
  2. My monthly bills, no matter how often a representative and I “reevaluated my current usage” were $100 or more (which did not include unlimited anything).
  3. Even paying that much, I had limited service in all my most frequented locations and almost every one of my calls ended up dropping at some point during the conversation.
  4. After almost a year of having the phone, and jail-breaking it to make it more useful, I just got sick of it. Apple doesn’t make it easy to customize anything and when you jailbreak it in order to personalize your iPhone, it makes it complicated to maintain apple software updates.
  5. Now that the Evo has come out and been on the market enough to drop in price significantly, I figured it was time to get my money’s worth in regards to product offerings and reliable service.
  6. And to boot, when my EVO screen breaks, I won’t have to break my warranty just because I’d rather have a 3rd party repair shop fix it than have Apple charge me 5x as much. Just sayin’.

I must say, it is sad seeing my iPhone sit on my desk, lonely and unused, but when rationality kicks in again- my EVO does everything (and much, much more) than my iPhone ever could have (Thanks Steve Jobs). It was getting on my nerves that Apple was limiting the capabilities of my iPhone so that they could constantly release new versions of the same phone, as a result, my new EVO phone has better functionality and can do more than the current iPhone 4.

It is safe to say that my $60-a-month, 1400-minutes, unlimited data, unlimited text messaging *and* 4G, is far better (and cheaper) of an investment. I am no longer following the footsteps of the mindless consumers that believe iPhone rules all.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPad and my new MacBookPro, but when it comes to phone service, I want what I pay for- and the iPhone just wasn’t meeting those expectations.

:: Six Months Later:

Hey All! I’m updating this post six months into my contract with Sprint and 6 months into using the less trendy but far more efficient HTC Evo phone. So far, it’s been smooth sailing. The phone, when plugged in to my computer, acts like any other USB storage device and I can simply drag and drop music, files, photos etc. onto the phone without using iTunes and without waiting an hour for the whole process to be completed. My phone service and reception have been great thus far. I really can’t complain about it. The 4G has worked great where 4G is available, the Apps in the Droid Market are seemingly unlimited and offer nearly every app that the iPhone does.

To be honest, I’ve been seeing a LOT more Droid phones out there, and everyone seems to be loving theirs just as much. Success!

If you’re thinking about changing from an iPhone to an Adroid- supported phone, feel free to ask me questions here. I’d love to help!

-Mia

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Senior-itis of the 21st Century

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

Senioritis: a sickness of which is a result of rejecting adaptations to technological advances of the current day. Also referred to as Senioritis of the 21st Century.

My grandfather’s old, true, but when it comes to high-functioning Seniors, he’s a prime example of one that does it all. He runs a newspaper for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division Veterans, owns a Commercial Real Estate company, drives up to his cabin an hour away each weekend and even shovels the cabin driveway of multiple feet of snow each Winter. So when he complains about the technological advances being “beyond [his] comprehension,” I reassure him that he’s more capable than he thinks.

Recently, we’ve convinced him to abandon the use of his archaic iMac desktop computer and to invest in a “portable, lightweight laptop,” to which he replied…”I like my old thing just fine, It works doesn’t it?”

Luckily, he grew rational when his old crapper kicked the bucket. I think my Grandmother getting an iPad made him realize that he should “get with the times.”

Well, my grandfather, knowing my allegiance to ever-improving technologies, forwarded me his email reply (Yeah, see? He knows how to do that) when another “Senior” friend of his sent him an “Invitation to Join Facebook.” I about died.

Take a look:

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Rinse and Repeat

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Work has been picking up, and while I am most certaintly NOT complaining in the least- especially “in this economy”- it has left me with little time to myself. I finally published a blogpost- after nearly a month!- which feels pretty nice, and am making time to be a bit more social and meet new, exciting people.

My schedule, although chaotic, has not changed. I get up at 6:30AM, head to class, head home to change for work , leave at noon and head into the office, where I stay until about 6, to get home at about 7, to eat, then do homework, then shower and hit the hay. Yes, I do realize that was one VERY long run-on, but I also found it appropriate for the theme of the post, no?

Look forward to the days when my schedule isn’t so…y’know…rinse and repeat.

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Burning Buildings, Explosions and Car Chases, The World Stunt Awards

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

I ventured over to the Paramount Pictures studios to attend the RedBull-sponsored Taurus World Stunt Awards last week and found, to my surprise, a large, tightly knit community of thrill-seeking stuntsmen. The open bar drink menu boasted names like; the whiskey based “Collision Course,” the Vodka and Redbull combo called “Firewalker,” and others that were clearly apropos for the theme of the night.

I met risky drivers, high-fallers, fire specialists and fighting doubles within moments of walking in. It wasn’t long before someone approached me asking “So, what stunts have you done?” and with an outright “HAA!” I stated, point to myself shamelessly, “this girl doesn’t even do roller-coasters, nonetheless jump from the 5th story to land on the windshield of a vehicle!”

The night concluded with the awards ceremony for awards like “Best High Work,” “Hardest Hit,” “Best Stunt with Fire,”  and “Best Work with a Vehicle.” All of which I was extremely impressed by. Although there are stunt-pads and much coordination involved, the bodies hitting shards of glass from 80 ft in the air or the woman hanging from the ledge of a tall building, are all real people risking their safety for the enjoyment of people like you and me. Unless you’re one of them, wherefore you are owed a round of applause. ::claps::

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