Different Drummers

Roomba to the Rescue

My New Years resolutions were simple this year.  I want/need to loose 10 pounds and I want to start blogging more.  Needless to say, it is almost May and I've not made significant progress on either (Twitter does not count toward blogging).  Unfortunately the exercise part is still a tbd, but when I wake up at 2am and can't sleep maybe a few more blog posts will emerge.

This is a post I wanted to share for all those time starved people who also want a clean home.  Roomba has been a lifesaver for me.  I work full-time, have two small children and do not have a housekeeper.  I'm also like to have a clean, neat home.  Unfortunately, between the job and children the clean house part has taken a back seat and it drives me crazy.  

This past Christmas I traded in some of my American Express points that I've been hoarding and bought myself a Roomba.  I had been eyeing it for years but couldn't justify the expense.  Finally, my sanity and the fact that I could use points versus cash justified the purchase.  IT HAS BEEN A LIFE CHANGER.  I love the Roomba.  I have the 500 series model that allows you to set a schedule and Roomba will go and vacuum on its own and return back to its charging base for the next day.  I have Roomba set to vacuum at night.  It is so wonderful to wake up and have the floors looking nice and clean.  I highly recommend Roomba to anyone.  

I'm sure you are wondering if it cleans well.  Every three days or so, I have to clean the Roomba - empty the trash bin and clean the brushes.  And every three days Roomba is full of dust and stuff and the brushes are full of hair.  We have two cats, two kids and three adults and I am amazed at all the stuff on a daily basis Roomba continues to pick up.  I'm also a little freaked out that before Roomba I only vacuumed once a week.  I hate to think about all the stuff that must have been piling up that Roomba now cleans every night.

If you are on the fence about Roomba, I recommend that you go ahead and get one.  There are some people who say the maintainance of Roomba is too much (emptying the trash bin and cleaning the brushes).  It takes me about 5 minutes to clean the Roomba and I do it every three days.  The cleaning of Roomba is a joyous tradeoff for having my floors vacuumed every night.  

I have my G1 and I'm loving it

Disclaimer first - I don't have an iPhone so I don't know how the G1 compares.  I felt left out because I wasn't going to mobile change my service just to get the iPhone.  My work phone is on the Sprint network, but, my company doesn't support the Instinct yet.  My family is all set up on T-mobile so I was excited about the G1 announcement. I pre-ordered my G1 after seeing it at Google Chicago.  (Early Christmas gift)  I justified the purchase to myself saying 'at least I can carry one phone on the weekend instead of my personal and biz phone'.  I sold it to my husband saying 'we need the internet with us on the road.'

For my purposes, the G1 fits the bill. I have the internet handy and can access my work mail (vs carrying my Treo.)  Although it is not as easy to respond via the webmail version of my corporate email as having my Treo handy, it will work and save me from two devices on the weekend.  I have my personal email account, twitter, and typepad handy too. I can surf the webs, look up information, get weather and maps.

The keyboard was pretty quick to adapt to.  I don't think I'm at the drive and type skill level yet like I am on my Treo and may never be since the keyboard spreads out further - which is probably a good thing for other drivers.  The @ symbol has its own key making things pretty handy for twitter and typing email addresses.  I love the touch screen and the ability to customize my icons on my home page.

And bonus, the pre-installed wall papers include the glass flowers from the Bellagio in Las Vegas which holds special memories for me (stayed there on my honeymoon).

My wish list so far (developers listen up)...

• More applications
• Make it easier to delete emails from my gmail account - I have to actually open each mail before I can delete it.  I get too much spam to open each mail.
• Let my google calendar sync with my outlook calendar
• T-Mobile please bring the G3 network to KC versus Edge (although it is not bad on Edge)

I'm still playing, but I'm loving my G1.  Now what should we call these devices.  A cell phone seems so lacking  - in fact I've yet to make a call with it!  I posed the question yesterday on Twitter, @michaeljbarber called it his lifeline and @mobyrock said it was his thorn in his side, the bane of his existence and the technological leash from his employer.  Right now I'm just going to call it my toy :)

A Heroes Journey

I love my day trips.  It is one of the few times I can unplug from everything and think.  No email, meetings, household chores or children needing my attention.  Pure brain time.  (and I need it these days, since I've left the gas on the grill twice running our tank down to empty).

My trip last week to EconAds started out great with a wonderful segment on a book about the soul's journey through the different rites of passage.  I love psychology, especially Jungian.  And even though it was 5am, I was hesitant to leave my car to go catch my flight.  I was so enraptured by the segment, that I tried to look it up online when I got to the gate.  Fate would have it that I didn't get through (thank you Mark Silva at Real Branding).  The book is Nature and the Human Soul:  Cultivating Wholeness & Community in a Fragmented World.  The author Bill Plotkin spoke about these rights of passage of the human soul and our need to connect with nature (he actually posits that some mental illness is because we are so disconnected from the natural world and struggle to figure our how we fit in).  Unfortunately, my first task of the day ended in failure.  I couldn't remember the URL to get more information about the book.  I twittered about it and my first "hero" responded.  Mark Silva from Real Branding found the URL for me.  (animas.org - I was typing animus.org)

Good karma and lessons were in store for me - more connections with everyday heroes.  I left my wallet on the plane.  I flew Midwest Airlines (love that carrier - can't beat all business class seats and chocolate chip cookies).  Well, it was an early morning flight and I bought a bit to eat.  I couldn't reach my bag to put my wallet back and sat it in the seat beside me.  I knew when I did that I would leave my wallet - and I did.  My second everyday hero was the flight attendant or cleaning crew member (or even un-named passenger) who found my wallet and turned it in.  The third everyday hero was Reuben the day manager at MidWest Airlines LaGuardia who took the time to find my "In Case of Emergency" card and call my husband.  After my husband recovered from his initial heart attack (Why is my wife's airline calling me?  Did the plane crash?)  He was happy to take down the instructions that I needed to get my wallet back.  Thank you so much everyday heroes.  I don't even want to imagine the headache of trying to get back on the plane without id (it was a day trip) or cancel and reinstate all my personal cards like driver's license and credit cards.  I compare this experience with the horrible experience that Joseph Jaffe recently had with Delta (jaffejuice - Delta Skelter).

My last everyday hero was my good friend Tim Peter.  My trip to NYC and EconAds was short and sweet, but, you still need money in the city if you are going to eat.  Thank you for a great sushi lunch when I had not a dime to my name that day.

There was an amazing electrical storm that night as I drove home.  Less than every three seconds there was a new lightning bolt and it lasted for at least an hour and a half (seriously - ask anyone in KC.  Lightning even caused a fire that night).  It was beautiful and reminded me again about the rites of passage of the human soul and our connection to nature.  May we all celebrate the everyday hero.