Crazy

I start a blog so I can keep track of my opinions and I have so many that I can’t decide where to start!  Do I start with Household goods and my eternal quest for cheaper, more environmentally friendly products for my home?  Maybe, I start with my thoughts on the apps I have purchased for my iPad, there are only about a hundred I have tried out so far.  Then there's my Droid Razr Maxx (which I love) and all the stuff I have added to it.  Maybe I go for the vacation tools I use most or helpful musings from a person going through post-op PT.  The options are endless…

So…  Let's start with a list.  I am a technology fanatic.  I love new technology, both hardware and software.  I have:

• a PC (more than one in the house)
• Netbook (more than one of these here too)
• an HP laptop (work's)
• an iPad 3 (16 GB, 4G)
• Droid Razr Maxx (newest toy)MP3/MP4 players
• Creative Zen Vision M
• iPod Nano 6
• iPod Shuffle
• and a few others that are 1st generation MP3s

I guess I will start with my philosophy on technology.  Don't worry, in future posts you will get to see my thoughts on my iPad, my new dust mop and the super cool Gorilla Cart I mentioned in my first blog.  Oh yeah, no stone unturned :).

So, my thoughts on purchasing new technology are actually very conservative (thank you dad)  Now that terabyte drives are under $100, I am all about upgrading our PCs.  Before that, I was fine where I was. 

Sharing and Backing up, information is important

I recently added a 1.5 TB drive to the main house PC.  This machine has a shared directory for everyone in the house to save to.  Sharing out the directory allows me to back up everyone's critical files easily to an external drive.  The directory is shared with the wonderful new feature in Windows 7, Homegroups.  If you house is full of Windows 7 computers, I strongly recommend you ramp up the hard drive in one and share it this way. The hardest part is installing the drive.  Homegroups are simple…

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/homegroup

It is, basically, peer to peer networking for normal people.  Don't be afraid, try it out...

Or... Comments and reviews on the things I use!

I was inspired to start this blog by my mom.  I know, really?  In this day and age, an IT professional is inspired to write a blog by her mom?  Yep.  You should check out her blog (http://sew-psychic.blogspot.com), if you aren't inspired after reading it, you should at least be in a better mood!  Her blog is full of whimsical insights to the world around her and is a treat to read. 

I was working in the yard last week, trying to get mulch spread before my knee surgery and was chuckling about my mom's post about risotto.  "Seriously," I thought, "I'd love to have the time and energy to put my thoughts on down in writing like she is.  I just really don't... MAN!  This is the BEST yard cart EVER!"  (Yes, I get distracted pretty easily.)  Within 30 minutes, I had posted a couple of pictures to facebook and texted my sister about my awesome new cart.  When I returned to thinking about my mom's blog, I realized I had an opinion to share about things I try and like (or don't) and advice to offer to the rest of the world.  With that, my blog purpose was born.

Of course, my mom is in that stage in life where she can (and will) tell people what she thinks.  She is  perfectly ok with the sharing information and thoughts with people around her and really is not concerned with whether they listen or not.  She is pretty well over that!  Take it or leave it, she has at least warned you!  Me? I am in a much more "practical" stage in my life.  If I am going to take the time to share information, you had better be willing to receive it.  That being said, I probably need avoid  philosophical topics and stick to things that are more practical like what I think of my new lawn cart and how I plan to go to go on a very inexpensive yet thoroughly enjoyable vacation this summer.  I'll share things I learn like how and when to fertilize a lawn and just exactly how big a "scoop" of mulch really is.

Hopefully, in the process of sharing information about things I try, I will give someone the insight they need to go forward with a decision in life.  My blogs will probably be related to mundane things like my iPad and computers, house maintenance & tools, travel on the cheap and taking pictures.  All of these things I enjoy and when I try something new, I'll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, I have a lot to learn about the art of blogging.  Thankfully, my mom can still teach me a thing or two. :)