Category Archives: Thanks

My latest obsession: BlackBerry themes

by in Acquisitions, Happy Stuff, Phones, Technology, Thanks | 1 Comment

I had to stop in at the local Verizon Wireless store and have them upgrade the software on my phone (which they did for free, awesome) before I could successfully download and install themes.

Warning: These things are like potato chips or tattoos – you can’t install just one. And they are free! Seriously, does it get any better? A theme for every occasion, mood, holiday, or event! They aren’t even eating up much space at all on the phone. Ah, bliss! 

Just let me add one plea to those amazing souls who make these themes: Please make the icons on the home screen customizable. No matter how much I love a theme, if the home screen icons are static (and they aren’t the “right” icons) I delete the theme and keep hunting. Awesome animation tricks on these icons is not enough to sway me, either. For the record, these are the important home screen icons, in this order: Messages, Address Book, Browser, Call Log, Media, and Calendar. If you have more spots than that, Memopad and Tasks are next. Also, we need more Halloween themes (without Hello Kitty). Haunted house images are best, with icons that look like Jack O’ Lanterns. And thanks across the board for creating these wonderful things. It feels like Christmas morning when I find a really amazing one! 

For the uninitiated (to either BlackBerry phones or themes for them), let me first extend my condolences and urge you to take the plunge. They don’t call them “Crackberries” for nothing. Yes, any addiction can get ugly, but aside from sore thumbs and less sleep, this one’s pretty easy to live with.

To explain the theme obsession, think back to when you were a kid with your favorite toy. For the girls, it was probably Barbie, but why did we like Barbie? For the clothes. For the boys, how about those Matchbox cars? You wanted more than one, right? Yeah, that’s it – now you understand. No one wants to wear the same outfit every day, and neither should your phone.   

Alas, with most things that bring bliss, there’s a downside, as I mentioned briefly earlier. My BB has rendered me sleep-deprived by infecting me with Theme Obsession Acquisition Disorder (TOAD) combined with “Smart Phone Thumb Syndrome”. Factor in my OCPD (which kicks in hyper folder organizing compulsions) and you have someone who should have gone to sleep at 11 pm scrolling and clicking away past midnight, no matter how aching her thumb pads and joints are. On the other hand, I now have seriously kick-butt themes and a newly “pimped out” phone! This device is bucking for the “Best Thing I Ever Spent Money On” award…. I’m considering being buried with it.

Hey, if they can do knee and hip replacements, can thumbs be far off?

A new name, new look, and a genius new webmaster!

by in Acquisitions, General, Happy Stuff, Thanks | Leave a comment

I’ve been changing things up around here, and soon I will have a revamped (and vastly improved) website as well. How can this be? For my new webmaster is the Kwisatz Haderach! Ahem. No, that’s not his name, but yes, he’s a genius with amazing graphic art talents and computing powers.

In addition to this blog, we also now have a forum titled “Fiends Club”. It’s a social network over on Ning.com. When the new website is completed, these elements will all be linked there in one way or another. For now, you can find Fiends Club here:  http://fiends-club.ning.com/

The eventual goal is to have the website’s emails revamped, too. When that happens, they will be changed to “info@auntiemaim.com”, “zine@auntiemaim.com”, and so on. After the new emails are set up, I will announce it here.

So we have our work cut out for us, but it’ll be great when it’s done. For now, I’m just going to sit and stare at the awesome new blog name/banner for a bit…. (I have to say, I had fun whipping up the photo on the fly, too. Aren’t my new canopic jars beautiful?)

Huge thanks, Webmaster! And I promise not to call you the “Kwisatz Haderach” in public … much.

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes, Everyone!

by in Birthdays / Anniversaries, Thanks | Leave a comment

Similar to 2005, my birthday for 2008 has been uprooted by a hurricane. Last time it was Rita, this time it’s Ike. In spite of that, this September 21st has been far better than the one for Rita (during which I was in a two day traffic jam of horror). Mostly its being better is due to our house and loved ones being alive and well, but also due to the wonderful well wishes I’ve received all day, including a most excellent birthday clip from the Grim Reaper himself. He popped over from MovieCrypt.com to send me the message, and you can see it for yourself here:

Thanks to everyone for making my birthday wonderful! I also hope Mr. Stephen King’s birthday has been good, as we share the same date of birth, if not the same year. Happy Birthday Stephen!