Steven Tyler: what's the fuss about?

• So he's hoarse and screams after the high note. It's Steven Tyler, guys.

Happy New Year!

• Happy New Year to all regular readers and visitors! Hope you and yours (human and/or animal) all have a happy and healthy year! Any resolutions out there? I've got more than one, but the newest one is to Read More. I've got a lot of books and a lot of internet articles marked to be read. Any new resolutions out there? Anybody anti-resolution? Let's hear from you!
• I'll also continue my practice sessions with "indie eye makeup", haha. I started very carefully with a few sample shades from Fyrinnae, as well as their Pixie Epoxy (amazing stuff). I've always been scared of using dark shades, or anything at all visible, really.... :-) The fun thing is that Man likes it when I experiment, so that's a good motivator. I look at lots of blogs and try different looks. Usually I think I look garish, and then somebody says, "Hey, your eyes look nice!" 
• Looks like this will be the year of the iPhone for me, yay! Should be fun! Any tips or caveats anybody wants to share? I'm also thinking about an e-reader, but am still really on the fence on that one. Who'll try to convince me to do it or not to do it?

Holiday thoughts without words

Customer (non-) service

• By way of "review" a couple of remarks about recent customer service experiences. (Y'all already know how I feel about T-Mobile!)
• EMTEC. I had an Emtec SD card (1 GB) which died. I used the form on the Emtec site (try to find the form! I dare you!) on two separate occasions (August 9 and August 23) to report the problem and ask for a replacement. No answer. I rooted around some more on the internet and found an e-mail address (contact@emtec-international.com) and repeated my request, asking that they forward my request to the appropriate department. I have received no answer whatsoever to any of these attempts at communication. Customer service?? No way! Now I'm also out the money for a new card, besides being pissed off. I hope a lot of people Google "Emtec SD card" and end up on my site....
• LACIE. Totally different story! My LaCie "itsaKey" USB drive was suddenly invisible on both the Big Computer and the laptop. Mailed LaCie and received a prompt answer with ticket number. I could provide them with an e-mail copy of the purchase receipt and they quickly issued a return number and instructions for returning the item. All correspondence was quick and to the point, so I expect that replacing the thang will go just as well. *UPDATE* I received a new "iamaKey" (different model) within about a week.
• Anybody else with an electronics customer service gripe (or a *good* experience)?

Breaking Dawn wedding dress??

• OK, am I the only one who thinks it's weird that there appear to be no photos of the Bella Breaking Dawn wedding dress on the internet?? Not that I've followed any of it at all, but geez, there was so much hype, and I love looking at wedding dresses anyway, but...nothing. Who knows a link?

Steve Jobs

• Steve Jobs has died. I think everyone saw it coming, but it makes me sad anyway. As you all know I'm an Apple fan, and in my mind I always associated Steve Jobs with the products I use. I wish his loved ones, friends and colleagues strength, and Apple a new successful era that builds on what he accomplished.

What is "too much"? Part 1: recognizing the signs

Recent events in the lives of a few people close to me have gotten me thinking, "how much is too much?" and "how do we know when that is"? We tend to be able to realize we've overloaded ourselves, but we often realize it pretty late in the process. It would be better all around if we could recognize it earlier, at a point when little damage has been done, and when simple changes can turn the tide.

Here's a list of some Early Warning Signs, chosen because they're easy to spot. Again, the key is early detection! In a future post I'll offer a compact and easy-to-follow plan for the next step: what to do about it?

• You forget things. Physical things (keys, cell phone), but also - and maybe more telling - whether or not you've done something. This often results in sending that second e-mail because we've already forgotten we sent the first one. Or going back into the house to check the stove, and not trusting your memory of the check once you're in the car. Forgetting things other people have told you is another example.
• You have aches and pains you don't normally have. Most people know not to ignore the warning signs of a heart attack, but physical symptoms of stress can be more subtle, like achy joints, or a low-grade headache, or feeling like you're going to get a cold (without actually getting one).
• You're angry, really angry, angry enough to yell and/or break things, in a situation that would normally just piss you off. Someone walks past and stares at you without saying anything. The driver of the car in front of you waffles between turning right or left. A friend of yours changes some arrangement you two made, but doesn't consult you first.
• You treat your partner, child, pet or other loved one with indifference (hopefully nothing worse), because you "just don't have the energy" - and you don't explain why.
• You can't stop. You're so wound up you watch late-night tv even though it exhausts you. You go to bed late because you're hyper. You're caught in a loop and can't seem to get out of it. In the same vein, you might find yourself constantly eating or smoking. This kind of nervous activity doesn't result in much real productivity. It's just busy-ness.
• Your bathroom habits are not what they should be.
• You wear your glasses instead of your contacts, because (1) you haven't cleaned your contacts in six days, and/or (2) you've gotten so little sleep you can't bear to have the things in your eyes.
• You forget or otherwise don't do exactly those things that would help you: doing the laundry, picking up milk for breakfast tomorrow, straightening up your desk, paying bills.

These are all relatively small but telltale signs that are easy to recognize. 

What would you add to the list? Please leave a comment!