This past May I spent a few days immersed in tech at the #VZWBUZZ San Francisco event. I received so many new items that I am in love with. But one of those was taken away from me immediately upon unpacking. Connor took one look at my new Nokia 2520 tablet and I haven't seen it since. Well, I do see it but never out of his hands. I see it when he is getting ready for his upcoming college classes by studying chemistry, or when he is watching Netflix, or even when he is blasting Pandora. But have I played with it since those few blissful days in San Fran? Nope. And I am not going to. After a summer of declaring the Nokia 2520 his, he is taking it to college instead of his laptop. So, obviously I had some questions. Can a tablet really perform the duties of a laptop or desktop for a college student? Is it possible that a tablet could actually replace his laptop? Turns out the answer seems to be a resounding YES, YES IT CAN. This little beauty with a 10.1" HD display combined with the Nokia Power Keyboard is ready for work or play. With the simple swipe command feature its extremely easy navigate between apps making an easy switch from Doodle Jump to looking like you are actually ...
Wildtree Freezer Meal Workshop Tips & Tricks
I was recently invited to a Wildtree Freezer Meal Workshop night by a friend of mine. It's sort of like the old time Tupperware parties but instead of coming home with a bunch of plastic containers your kids will use as sandbox toys, you come home with 10 family meals ready to go in the freezer. Since I am always looking to figure out how to keep us from dialing up taking out, I thought "sure, why not?". I called up the Wildtree rep and paid my $60 which was $10 off because I signed up with a friend. The rep, Laura, said more information would be on the way. A few days later I get a bright and sunny email with pre-party instructions and it was at that point I realized why I should have probably said "no way, Jose" instead of "sure, why not". But at this point I am $60 in and I figure it can't be all that bad. So, I printed my list and went off to Target of all places. I was tired and wasn't thinking. I spent $150 on meats and vegetables and ziplock bags and then came home to prep this stuff. I spent the afternoon cussing and cutting my chicken, pork, beef, shrimp and sausage. I diced 7 onions. I packed ziplocks with all the right meats and vegetables in numbered bags and then I ...
Jawbone Up24
A couple of weeks ago Verizon sent me up to San Francisco to meet with other bloggers on the #VZWBuzz team and visit the Verizon Innovation Center. Geeks beware. If you ever want to just truly geek out on the new tech things coming to market you may want to score an invite here. I saw so many cool things being tested, some I can talk about and some I can't. Some are things just in conception and others are full blown and already on the market. One of the biggest areas of tech innovation is in sports and personal health. Some tech I was blown away with are meant for the NFL and a little hush hush so instead I will tell you about the innovations in personal health that are widely available to the market. One of these little goodies is my new constant companion. The Jawbone Up24. While its being marketed as a fitness device I'm actually using it to help me track how I feel and what effects my lupus. Yes, I know the purpose is to get me moving more but right now I am just mining data about my body from it and its been really useful. I wear the Jawbone Up24 24 hours a day and in addition to giving me data about how little I move...which is a scary little amount (averaging around ...
May Came. I Survived.
Wow....did May just happen? REALLY? It was a BLUR! Quite frankly it was the month I have been dreading for years. The month I never thought I could get through. Yet, somehow, miraculously I survived. Barely. But I did. I am dragging around the battle scars of my oldest's 18th birthday, high school graduation, a house full of family staying with us, and a great trip with long weather delays to San Francisco. All wonderful things. All a lot on me physically and/or emotionally. All so many things I have gotten through but haven't processed. And I am not ready to quite yet. Not ready to put those feelings out there. Suffice it to say that I have always been dangerously close to my kids. Losing one, even if just for 9 months to Omaha, won't be easy for me and each day that passes this summer just brings that closer. This summer I plan to treasure a healthy Carter (who is in a Lego Robotics class as I type this) and Connor who is getting ready to leave my nest, while working at least 3 jobs this summer and trying to cram every last second with his friends at the gym. I am immersing myself in travel and life and getting out there. I am also starting to concentrate more on ...
Samsung Note 3: My Personal Assistant & BFF
I have had a lot of phones. I test them for Verizon Wireless as a part of the #VZWBuzz team and love most of them to some degree or another but its rare that I love a phone in its entirety. You might remember I just compared my last three phones and ended up liking the Droid Ultra the best. But now a new heavy weight champ has entered the ring and I love, love, love it- the Samsung Note 3 Phablet. What's a phablet? Its a phone and tablet crossover. I admit it is big. Compared to an iphone it looks ginormous. One of the #VZWBuzz Insiders Tommy did a great video that shows you how the Samsung Note 3 stacks up to the other devices in the market But even with it's bigger than average size I can still easily slip it into the back pocket of my mom jeans (don't judge) without its case. With it's white leather and rose metal look it is simply the most beautiful phone I have owned and to be honest, I often go naked (the phone) with it because I love showing it off. But for those occasions when a case is absolutely required like traveling and going to sporting events or concerts I rely on my handy, sporty Spigen in orange. Here you can see both completely different ...