First Blog Post using iPHONE and Bluetooth Keyboard

Hello everyone. I'm writing this blog entry using my new Microsoft Universal Mobile keyboard and the Voice dream Writer app. So far, this is proving to be a very effective combination. 

 The keyboard is, of course, smaller than a laptop keyboard. Around as spacious as a  netbook's keyboard. A whole lot lighter and thinner. It's solid enough to use on my lap without worry but it's barely long enough to be stable with knees close together. The key travel feels surprisingly good. I can type quite quickly and accurately already.

It's very hot outside so Sara and I have spent the majority of our time indoors. The air conditioning has served us very well indeed. We had a great Sunday visiting Shannon and Kim as well as attending church. Everything went very well and it was fun getting to know Sara's good friends a bit better. Travel by Go Transit costs a bit but is pretty convenient going between cities. We'll have to budget for these occasional expeditions.

A lot is happening in the tech area over the next while. Applevis is marking its fifth birthday with a week of giveaways. This celebration could really do people some serious good so I've been retweeting some of their giveaways in case any followers can benefit. I'll eventually be doing a review of this keyboard for the site once I've learned all of its quirks and features. I think I may choose to use this setup to write my book. The only real issue is that Voice Dream Writer needs to import rtf files and turns them into plain text. Still, I may write the rough draft as a text file and then move it over to the laptop once it's ready to be turned into a manuscript.

Another aspect of this is getting used to the Voice Dream Writer and Blogger apps. I'm hoping this will make blogging while out and about a lot easier and less irksome. I believe I can simply cut and paste this entry into the Blogger app. Guess we'll see. I'm certainly enjoying playing interactive fiction using the Frotz app. It works wonderfully with this keyboard. Doubtless, Mudrammer would be just as pleasant an experience.

I can't believe July has up and vanished already. The month has just flown past even without iced Summer drinks from Tassimo. They're finally available and will hopefully arrive soon. I also have a USB charging hub on the way to keep all my travel gear charged. For most trips, I'll use the keyboard and my iPHONE as a makeshift laptop. It's a very light and portable solution with excellent longevity thanks to my external battery pack. However, it does lack the capacity and comfort factors of a laptop and accessories. We'll see how it goes. 

A New Desk for A Changed Life

Hello everyone. I'm writing this entry on July 4 as noon approaches. I'm sitting at my brand new desk. It was assembled yesterday by my father and Jim, a family friend who we've known since I started secondary school. Sara and I can now sit at nice and sturdy new wooden computer desks. They have a built-in cabinet above a large drawer, a keyboard shelf, and lots of space. A little later, we'll be heading over to a delayed Canada Day celebration. It's apparently a very nice day outside. Ideal for swimming. I haven't done that yet this year.

It's so nice to have my own desk which has a drawer and cabinet built in. Its also higher than my old desk. I've brought out my old keyboard and am making use of the keyboard drawer. Haven't used a regular keyboard in long enough that I forgot how good it felt.

Figuring out what to keep close at hand and what to have in storage is a bit more complicated. However, I can now have confidence that things I need handy can also be safe. Aladdin is good-natured but you just never know what he'll go for next. This morning, Sara's English muffin was snatched and she had to get a new one. During our visit to Sara's parents for early Canada Day celebrations, Sara found some more toys to bring back for Aladdin to play with. He loves his new rubber ball and bone. That makes four toys laying around which seems to help keep him amused and less prone to unintentionally cause mischief. The visit was quite pleasant. They sure know how to celebrate. Sara and i took an unexpected trip into town which proved pleasant. Aladdin is still in the process of settling into his role as guide dog. I thik all of our expectations regarding the behaviour of a new young guide dog were somewhat unrealistic due to how well-behaved her former dog was.

We had our first actual guest as a married couple. Rose came over for a visit yesterday bringing some scrumptious onion rings. We can now look forward to meeting Angela and Tony for lunch in a couple of weeks. I can't say I look forward to the physical checkup I have coming later that week. I haven't had one for quite some time. No word yet on the appointment with the ENT specialist to further investigate my hearing loss.

It's strange to think we'll have been married for a month in just three days. It's been a good experience so far as we establish our routines and figure out how we can best contribute. Now that the furnishing and moving in process is done other than paperwork, we're starting to look outward and connecting with people more as a couple. I'm also hopeful that I'll find it easier resuming work on my creative projects. The balcony table and this desk will serve me well. Perhaps, by the time the new wood smell has faded away, I'll have written more than this blog entry which will stand the test of time. I've deleted so many paragraphs which seemed promising initially but eventually lost their lustre. As life takes on a new shape, I hope more lines of thought prove to be keepers.