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My new cell phone inspired me to make an enhancement…

May 17, 2006, 4:07 AM

I got a new cell phone last week while I was up in Harrisonburg, and it’s definitely an improvement over the old one. Along with a 1.3 megapixel camera (wheee!), this one has a better mobile Web feature. It actually displays graphics, and all in all makes things very easy to get around in, provided that the site is optimized for such a use.

And The Schumin Web is a pain in the butt to get around in on the mobile browser. It’s because my design is optimized for display on a computer monitor with a conventional browser. I use a big table to lay everything out, for proper viewing on a computer. With that, the phone then tries to make do with what it’s given.

As a result, the first thing you get is my logo and the “Celebrating ten years online” message beneath it. Then you get the list of sections. Then it displays the header image, and from there it rattles off the menu. Then it displays a large black box, which is how it renders that black vertical line that I use as a divider. Then, after navigating through all of that, you finally get to the actual content. By then your thumb is tired from all the scrolling, and you’ve probably decided it’s not worth the trouble to browse my site on your phone.

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This is where my life with the Web site and my personal life collide…

March 8, 2006, 9:08 PM

At long last, I found my cell phone charger.

I found my charger in the suitcase that I used in my vacation to Virginia Beach back in August. And it only took me more than six months to find it. This after I practically turned the house upside down on a few occasions looking for it. And it’s funny how I found it, too.

I was working on the photo set from that Virginia Beach vacation (which you’ll hopefully see soon now that work has begun on it in earnest), and I was looking at a photo of the kitchenette in my suite at the Travelodge in Virginia Beach.

My hotel room from my 2005 trip to Virginia Beach.  See the charger?

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Categories: Cell phone, Myself, Travel

“I’d like to know if you all sell vibrators, but not the sexual kind.”

April 15, 2004, 1:00 AM

A customer actually did ask one of our associates that one time (not to me). But that’s besides the point.

You see, I have found a non-sexual vibrator. Let me tell you about my experience with my cell phone today. I went to DC as planned. I was planning to meet up with Dad midway through the day, since he was coming up to DC as well. Well, I was concerned with being able to hear my ringtone (which is Sakura Saku from Love Hina, a Japanese anime cartoon) on the Metro, with all the other background noise from trains and people and such. So I set it to ring and vibrate.

Now I keep my cell phone in my right front pocket when I’m out and about. So there I am railfanning on a Rohr train, on the Blue Line between Pentagon City and Pentagon. Next thing you know, I feel this fierce vibration on my leg, and Sakura Saku starts playing. Let me tell you, I nearly SCREAMED when that thing started vibrating on me. That’s definitely one way to wake up a 28-year-old rail car. I’m sure the other passengers would have really appreciated it if I’d let loose with a scream. As it is, I jumped up from my railfan seat when that thing went off on my leg.

Needless to say, I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever put my phone on vibrate again.

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April 1!

April 1, 2004, 11:57 PM

Wow… I haven’t written to you all since Tuesday morning.

Anyway, I have to say that I was successful in my eradication of the virus on Sis’s computer, which was W32.Pinfi. With over 3,000 instances of it, someone really did a number on that machine. But we got it all cleaned up, and she’s back online. Thank goodness. As it is, I was working on her computer until 1:00 AM, and didn’t get home until almost 4:00. That was a LONG day.

And I found out that we missed something on Becky’s computer, which I fixed on Monday night in Harrisonburg, as the W32.Welchia.B virus reappeared. Seems we missed something. So we’re going to make another trip up to fix that. And meanwhile, I’m going to do a little research to find out why the blasted thing came back.

Meanwhile, pouring the candy from a broken bag of chocolates into the trash reminded me of an oft-repeated dream I’ve had. From time to time, I have dreams that I’m at work. Now in these dreams, I know I’m clocked out, because I don’t have to go into work for a while. So with that, I then think, “I’m working off the clock, how did I get into this?” and “I’m working off the clock! I’m going to be in so much trouble!” Etc. The dreams tend to revolve around the fact that I’m working at the Service Desk, and doing so off the clock, and how did I get into this.

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Returned the Z-Coils, and got a Breda on my phone

February 1, 2004, 7:26 PM

Well, my saga with Z-Coil shoes came to an end, as I returned the shoes to the store, and the gentleman gave me back my check, which the store had not yet cashed. I felt really bad returning them, but I felt even worse that day that I wore them to work. Wearing my Airwalks and having the heel pain actually felt good after dealing with the Z-Coils.

And I repeat, they’re not bad shoes. Just not the right shoes for me. Some people swear by them. They didn’t work out for me.

Meanwhile, I figured out how to download pictures to my computer from my new cell phone and vice versa. So now I have a picture of the Charlottesville Wal-Mart on my computer that I took from the parking lot, and I have a picture of a Breda train on my phone that I took a year ago as my phone background. Now my phone is really me, and has personality.

Plus my ring-tone is “Funicula”, which I remember as a TV jingle for a board game called “Grape Escape”. So now my phone is really me…

Categories: Cell phone, Shopping

Goodbye foot pain and poor cell-phone service!

January 29, 2004, 9:17 PM

Well! I dropped a bundle of money today. I got a pair of Z-Coil shoes (see an entry or so down to see what I mean) and a new cell phone.

First of all, the Z-Coils. These are shoes with springs in them. I got them to wear at work, because the heel pain I get from standing all day goes from bad to unbearable over the course of the day. And since standing on my toes all day to relieve the pain in my heels is a bother, this is a good potential solution. The lead CSM in Staunton wears this kind of shoes, and she says she is fine in them. Hopefully these will take care of the pain. And if they don’t work out, there’s a seven-day return policy. But if they do work out, then it was a worthwhile investment, despite being expensive as hell. We’ll see what happens at work tomorrow.

Also, I got a new cell phone today, having switched carriers from Ntelos (formerly Intelos) to Verizon Wireless. I switched because I was not pleased with Ntelos’s service. I didn’t think that they had all that great of service. With Ntelos, I only got 200 minutes, no night/weekend service, the local service area generally consisting of the Shenandoah Valley, and local only in Virginia. With Verizon, most of the country is local, and the service area is equally large. Oh, and it works in the underground tunnels on Metro, which is a big plus for me.

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Categories: Cell phone, Shopping