I bought an iPhone this afternoon, and so far it’s been fantastic except for two small things:
1. By default, there is no ringtone that just sounds like a normal phone. There is a collection of short songs, space-age blips, and even a dog barking — but no basic ring. This is problematic because I don’t necessarily want it to sound like there is a futuristic sonar submarine bleeping or a guitar being strummed inside my purse every time someone calls me.
2. My old voice mail greeting message got deleted when the wireless company upgraded my plan. It took me at least ten minutes to record a new one because I kept collapsing into laughter as soon as I started speaking; I’m still not convinced that I sound normal enough on my new message.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
I’m Good, I’m Gone by Lykke Li.
Seasons
While browsing the web, I stumble across a shopping site with giant text emblazoned across the page, shouting “FALL IS HERE!”. I find this deeply depressing.
Twenty-two
It’s my birthday today. This is the first year where it actually feels any different, like I’m getting any older. Usually it’s just more of the same, but this summer is throwing all sorts of changes at me — finishing my degree, new job lined up for the fall, new apartment — and it actually feels like I’m transitioning into an entirely different stage of life.
Productivity
I am writing a paper right now. No, actually, that’s not entirely true. I am
attempting to write a paper right now, but every time I type another sentence, something distracts me. I write a few words, then pause for a minute or two to watch a large spider climb slowly into someone’s backpack. Type another sentence or two, and suddenly become transfixed by the fountain outside. Three more words, and I’m flipping my phone open and shut repeatedly in the hope that someone will call to further distract me…
The dangerous thing about having an apartment is that suddenly, all those hours that I’ve spent browsing the web and meticulously bookmarking all sorts of amazing furniture, decorations, and artwork can actually materialize into something tangible. At the moment, my CB2.com shopping cart is about to explode, and that’s just the tip of the ice burg.
More champagne, please!
The hunt for the perfect apartment came to an abrupt and almost unexpected end on Saturday, after walking through the door of what can only be described as “the one”. Hardwood floors? Check. Non-claustrophobic kitchen? Check. Enough closet space that my shoe collection and I can coexist peacefully? Check. As an added bonus, the windows actually look out at a garden as opposed to the concrete wasteland of a parking lot.
Moments
At the coffeehouse, they are playing Jack Johnson. I am sitting in my favourite chair, the giant chocolate brown leather one with a perfect view of the place, sipping a latte and feeling utterly contented.
Sometimes, online shopping is so much more enjoyable than shopping in the real world. In the real world, you have to roam the entire store for styles that interest you, claw through tightly packed racks to find your size, and hunt down a sales girl to unlock the fitting room (featuring unflattering lighting and a mirror that makes you instantly look five sizes larger than usual). You are also subjected to loud and obnoxious music, loud and obnoxious teenagers, and ridiculous store policies.
Online shopping instantly eliminates everything that is annoying about real-world shopping, particularly the unflattering mirrors. Online shopping also makes it very easy to lose track of the number of shoes you’ve just added to the cart…
At the checkout counter in my favourite store, I realize that every single item I’ve selected is in some shade of black, white, or grey. As she scans the items, the sales girl casually asks me whether the clothes are for “some sort of uniform”. They are not — apparently, I just have a subconscious aversion to colour.
In the next store, I purposefully choose only the most colourful items and end up purchasing a top in a rich shade of purple.
