Why I bought the Samsung Galaxy S III

I know there are topics out there more interesting than why a 28 year old stay at home dad purchased a particular phone ... I know our economy is tinkering from left to right/up and down in this upcoming election. I know shit's going down in the middle east ...

But OMG I got 19 comments on my Facebook when I announced to the world I purchased the Samsung Galaxy S III! With that kind of interest I knew I could bump the AdSense here on my blog, earn a few pennies from the traffic and maybe ... just maybe ... get retweeted by a few celebrities.  By writing this long winded, pretty much pointless, review/comparison on this silly little phone my peers can and should reaffirm my nerdiness and rest assured I wasn't taking drugs when I went into Best Buy and bought a phone other than the iPhone 5.

So let's begin. And let's be honest, if I would've found the iPhone 5 before today, I would've bought it. I had made my mind up weeks ago to just wait patiently, call a few times here and there, maybe stop in an Apple store just to check - but I wanted the process to be painless and seamless.  I have two children, btw, so waiting around in a store for an hour while AT&T takes my blood type and checks for a criminal record, while transferring phones, does not sound fun.

But last night I watched this video;

I was kind of blown away.

I've been an iPhone user since the first generation came out back in the summer of 2007. Since then I've purchased every iPhone up to the 4, (my wife currently owns the 4s), a Mac Book Pro, an iMac, and iPad2, Apple TV and many an app from the App Store. My friends, family and enemies know me as an Apple Fan Boi.

But look at all those cool features! Google Maps, face recognition, voice commands, real multi tasking, removal batteries, mini sim card, live wall papers, 8 megapixel camera, and more!

Today, my wife and I, plus 1 child, went into a best buy and purchased the Galaxy S III. I walked out of there only putting $115 down too (and that included a case)! Not too bad, but there's no turning back. I traded in my iPhone, I have 14 days to decide if I like it before my upgrade expires or, well, I dunno, I wasn't paying attention. I was just too excited to get my new phone!

Here is what I've noticed/liked so far about the Samsung Galaxy S III.

• The battery life is great. I only charged it up to 80% today after taking it out of the box, and I haven't had to charge it since, unlike my old iPhone which I had to charge at least twice a day.

• The camera is great! It's just as clear, if not clearer than the iPhone 4. I've noticed no problem and even found my favorite photography apps so my transition as a mobile photographer has been seamless.

• It's SUPER fast. I was working on an older phone, but this one flies. Be it the internet on 4g, or just switching from app to app, I can get more done quickly so I can spend more time with my family.

• Google integration. This was my big seller. I use Google a lot for business. Our business phone number is integrated through Google Voice. So being able to answer calls, listen to voice messages and answer e-mail quickly and efficiently via Google Apps is profitable. 

• My contacts are all in Google. When using the iPhone I had figured out how to sync my Google Contacts w/ the phone. Now, I don't have to go through a bunch of BS - I can edit a contact online, or on my phone, and it's synced everywhere. 

• While we're suckin' up to Google - Google Calendar is the main calendar on the phone. No more syncing w/ iCal and praying it transfered over. It's all there, crystal clear and easy to edit.

• It's bigger! I'm not much to brag about size ... but it's a lot bigger than the iPhone 4, and I like that. It's not too big to hold, or to fit in my pocket, and YouTube videos look amazing on it.

• Google +. You know me, you know I like G+. This phone does too. 

Every phone is different and meant for specific users needs. The Samsung Galaxy S III is not better than the iPhone 5. I repeat, the Samsung Galaxy S III is not better than the iPhone 5! I'm not going to get into that flame war. For me, the nerd, tech, Google guy, it sold me. For my wife, who's more into simple interfaces, Social Media, and just taking pictures - the iPhone works perfectly for her.

I'm happy with my purchase so far. Stay tuned to see if I'm still happy in a 14 days or less.

Cheers!
-marc

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Lover of the Lights

My last post was on April 30th, 2012... whoops?!

Hmm... better late than never, right?

Today was one of those days you wish would never end. Or one that would just be on repeat. We woke up, rode our bikes to breakfast, and on the way home stopped by the Pumpkin Patch to pick up a few pumpkins.

Upon arrival home we painted, or carved, our orange vegetables fruits and then got some chores done around the house. The girls were really good today - not that they're not every day, but the older they get the better they play together and are ... less "terrible" (aka "terrible twos). It was a beautiful day to play and paint outside. Mom went to pick up groceries, came home, made dinner, schedule me a surprise massage, I got to stop by the bar and got an excellent "Old Fashion" (whiskey drink). Now we're home, the house is clean, Stacey's filling out thank you cards for Z's b-day party and life couldn't be better.

I read my friends blog tonight - JohnAndChels - and it inspired me to write. I actually babysat this kid (or as I thought of it "Making sure the siblings don't kill each other") and was the photographer at his wedding. His wife is amazing, raising two twins, and she reminds me of my own mother.

Anyway - I just randomly thought to write tonight, inspired by other moms who have written lately.

Did you know Zoe is part of a Co-Op Preschool? It's so cool. I'll hafta explain more later.

For now - I could ramble all night but I'll spare you. What am I kidding - you're here reading, you could read as long as I could write! I know I have a lot to catch up on, but for real... I'm done.

Cheers,
-marc

Meet Maggie

Meet Maggie. The newest addition to the Blackwell Family. And what a trip it's been to introduce this 11 month old Poodle/Terrier mix into our world.

Last Tuesday evening, after weeks of searching, we adopted a 3 year old Brittany Cocker spaniel mixed with some Golden retriever into our family. He was a great little dog, we named him Zeke. But the little guy didn't take to well to the kids. He snapped a few times at little Indie, and we decided he wasn't for us. Great dog if it was just Stacey and I, but the girls come first, obviously. The hard decision, but easy-ish, was made to take him back to the shelter. It happened fast, but it wasn't easy.

So we got back on the internets and started our search again. Stacey and I have wanted a puppy since we were dating. Heck, since we were dating we had decided I would be a stay at home dad. These decisions stick somehow, it's why we're good together.

So on Saturday, we went to the La Brea Tar Pits, where the Super Pet Adoption was going on. We spent 4 hours in the sun, torturing ourselves and our girls looking at dog after dog after dog. It was a true test in marriage, a decision process that wore us down but one we knew we wanted to make.

After hours of searching, walking many dogs and talking to many "dog people" we narrowed down our search to two. They were both great dogs. One, "Norma" (a full poodle), and the other "Goldie". After eating at a food truck and going back into the compound of dogs, our decision was made. "Goldie" was our dog. She was great with the kids, she was calm, a puppy, and beautiful ... and matched our every criteria for a dog. We went to the adoption mom and confessed our love. We wanted THIS dog.

But we had to have a signature from our landlord, saying it was OK to have a dog in our rented home. This seemed like an impossible task. We begged, pleaded, and fought to get her without the signature knowing we wanted to take her home that day. Defeated by the defiant adoption agency we started to head home. We were sad, tired, disappointed. But by the time we had made it from Hollywood to Laurel Canyon on the 101, we had the text from our landlord. "E-mail me the form, I will sign it and fax it back to you." The race was on. We had an hour and a half to get the signature, collect the cash and make it back to the Tar Pits to collect our newest family member.

We made it! Thank goodness for FedEx Kinkos! We filled out the paper work. They rang the bell signifying our puppy was the 100ish puppy adopted that day. We got a new leash, we picked up a few treats and dog food. "Goldie" was ours.

It was exciting. It still is! A new member to our household! We renamed her to "Maggie", as this was more fitting, we felt. And now, she sits at my feet, the most calm, chill, cool puppy I've ever owned. Oh, wait, I've never had a puppy! I didn't grow up with a pet! I'm REALLY excited!!

Plus, we had already purchased a doggie bed, dog food, another leash, dog toys and dog treats. We were ready! And so Maggie is awesome. She loves our girls. No matter how many times they pet her, poke her, step on her, she calmly moves away and licks their faces. She's perfect. Well... she doesn't eat much right now, but that's expected. After a few walks, she's never pooped inside, she's never peed inside and we're all slowly adjusting to this four legged member of our family! The girls love her, she loves the girls, and this little puppy LOOOOOVEEES Stacey. :)

We're excited to start on this adventure of having a dog! Do you have any pets? What was the story of getting your little furry family member? I'd love to hear it. And look forward to more exciting stories as our family grows! What's next? A hamster? A rabbit? Ha! Naw... 4 girls in our family is totally enough for now.

Gardening ... round 2

Last year we attempted to garden. I went out, bought some wood, some good dirt, a shovel and some seeds and was ready to go! It was a few days before Indie was born actually, I remember. So sometime in June.

Garden 2011

Around July our gardeners came (no we're not rich and famous yet, we rent and they provide the gardeners) and they tilled up our garden! It was obviously a garde and we were even starting to see some greenery! I was p-ohed. I still watered it and showed it love, but alas, no veggies. We even had a rope hanging over the garden with the papers the seeds labeling what was where. (See photo)

So this year we started again. We've planted Squash, Carrots, Okra and Peppers. I've also properly labeled everything IN the ground so our gardeners aren't confused.

Here are some photos. We will keep you updated on our progress!

Please don't till our garden, gardeners!

Tools of the trade.

Our Garden 2012

Do you have any advice for gardening? I'm worried about the cats next door, the squirrels and Zoe. Should I put some protective wiring up or anything? Anything special to keep mind of? Any and all advice is more than welcome!

Cheers!
-marc

Indie Loves to Talk!

This girl loves to talk! Don't mind the title screen for the first minute of the video, I didn't know it would be there that long!!

Here's another one.

And make sure you check out my YouTube channel every once in a while to find more videos!

Cheers!
-marc

If

My brother had this hanging on his wall growing up. I love this poem and wanted to share!

If - Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!




If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;



If you can make one heap of all your winnings



If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Black, White, Yellow, Red ... Racism still exists?

I hang out with a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old all day. I guess I find it hard to believe that evil still exists outside our little bubble. I find it harder to specify that evil into categories like racism, or hate. But really? A kid, just a kid, minding his own business was gunned down because of the color of his skin?

I was taking my wife to work today and thinking about this. I have several multi-colored friends, and I was wondering how they must feel about this. How scary to think you could be killed for just walking down the street. I mean, I know it could happen to me too if I was in the wrong part of the world, but I'm thinking United States here for the moment.

When I got home I saw a friend/client post this on Facebook:

Sad. WTF people? Let's change this aspect of our world. My girls don't see people differently for such a silly concept like skin color. Their generation could grow up not knowing racism. Can we make that happen? At least?

Cheers,
-marc