Wednesday, February 14, 2018

A Wednesday list...

1. Is there a term that is to technology what a black thumb is to gardening? If so, I may have one. This past week my Kindle broke (maybe have gotten stepped on my a child, but I have no proof) and I lost my phone in a Walmart on a Saturday. So...it's good and lost. I really just hate spending money on new stuff when the old ones were perfectly fine. And it's a little sad since that's the only Kindle I've ever had -- it was a gift from my parents, and I think a first or second generation. So on the bright side, you could say it lived a full and useful life.

2. I just finished a fantasy series last week: The Elk Riders series by Ted Neill. It's one I mentioned a few weeks ago -- a series I've been reviewing for IndieReader. I enjoyed the last book quite a bit, despite the fact that the ending wasn't quite as wrapped up as I'd have preferred. I don't mind an open ending, but there were some plot lines and story arcs that felt a bit abandoned. Overall, though, if you like fantasy with great characters and lots of action it's a good one. I also finished a re-read of A Wrinkle in Time, which I don't think I'd read since junior high. Still loved it! Even with (or maybe because of) the dated references and tone. I'm interested to see how they adapt it for film, especially with a modern audience. My next fiction read is This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash. I'm also planning to pick up Beth Moore's Audacious, which has been languishing on my nightstand.

3. I wonder how long it will take my kids to realize that their non-crafty mama is not going to be putting together cute and/or elaborate Valentines for them to take to their friends/classmates. I wonder when or if it will bother them that I'm pretty content with just cute cards.

4. You know what I miss -- mix tapes. (Or mix CDs). For personal enjoyment, of course digital playlists are much easier to put together. I guess to be more accurate, what I miss is the sharing of mix tapes -- putting together a curated list of songs that mean something special and handing it off to a friend. Sharing your thoughts and feelings in a unique way. Sure, you can share playlists, but it's harder because not everyone uses the same platform to listen to music: Spotify (subscription), iTunes, Amazon, platforms I don't even know about. Maybe it's not as difficult as it seems to me. Maybe I just need to get some tutoring.

5. Speaking of music listening...what do my music-loving-non-iPhone-using friends use to listen to music on their device of choice? Specifically...what do you use to listen to music that you own? Even more specifically...what do you use to listen to music that you bought such a long time ago that it currently resides on a flash drive and on a CD? Right now I mostly use the Amazon music player app because that's where I buy most of my music, but sometimes I wonder if there's a better solution.

Happy Wednesday!

p.s. the book links are Amazon affiliate links, which means if you happen to buy through the link I get a few cents back from Amazon.

6 comments:

  1. Our phones are Android, and we use Pandora. I really like it, but I'm too cheap to buy premium. I have quite a CD collection, but I'm not sure I still have my old CD walkman type thing anymore. I do still have a boombox type thing with a radio, tape deck, and CD player so I could still play some pretty "old" technology.

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    1. Pandora is great! I'm too cheap for premium too.

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  2. I'm so behind times with technology.... I'm currently still listening to CDs in the car and attempting to learn Itunes for an IPOD Touch. I love my IPOD but finding time to download all my CDs to Itunes hasn't been easy.

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  3. I am in a tech family so they are all "it's all about Spotify" but I like Pandora because I happened on it first. I tune out the commercials so I don't bother to upgrade. If I was going to upgrade it would be to Spotify and join a family plan or something. I listen to my iPod because it's a nano and I can hold it in my hand when I run and it fits in tiny pockets. Most people have their phones but phones are HUGE now and I can't stand that. I figure if I hold out long enough maybe they'll go back to smaller phones again? Right? Maybe?
    A girl can dream.

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    1. I wish I'd kept my nano for those very reasons! But I also had trouble with iTunes on my PC on occasion. Maybe I just need to save up my money for a fancy smart watch that will play all my music.


      I am also real close to getting a Spotify subscription just for the ability to listen to exactly what I want, but I will always love Pandora.

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