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Just got power back. Probably close to 6" of the heaviest snow I've seen in a while. Shoveling it was like shoveling after getting a foot of snow, followed by a couple inches of rain.

Case is in, but the phone is still on its way... The case is very, very nice. And at 50% off, it seems to be a great value. It was touch and go there for a while with the phone late last week. My order status went from Processing to Preparing to Ship on day 2, and then last Friday, it wen back to Processing, but they had already charged me. I was getting ready for the "WTF is going on?" call when it changed back to Preparing to Ship, and the shipping notification came shortly after that. I'm definitely looking forward to 64GB!!!

Saw Murder By Death last night at a little place about 15 minutes from me. They were trying to hit some smaller towns/venues, and I have to say I'm thrilled they did. Absolutely great show. They played about 90 minutes, and sounded fantastic. Adam's vocals keep getting better, and his guitar work is better than I remembered. Sarah absolutely rocked the cello, and the rhythm section killed it. They've also added a 5th member back in, playing keyboards, accordian and trumpet. They hit all 5 albums, and threw a cover of a verse and chorus of "Radar Love" into the middle of one of their own songs for good measure. Throw in a preview of two new tracks and the pain I'm feeling now (they didn't go on until 11... ugh!) is well worth it.

Broke down and ordered an iPhone 4S and a Sena Vista case in brown. The 3GS has served me well but it's time.

My iPad is updated, but it didn't copy over the 1300+ photos from the wedding/honeymoon that we had in there. This was despite multiple attempts to restore from backups that I had verified contained the photos. Weird.

At $199, it certainly appears to be priced right. I have to admit I have mixed feelings about the new touch e-readers, though. I often read for long stretches at a time, which means I usually alternate which hand is holding my Kindle. I like that the 1st & 2nd gen Kindles have page forward buttons on both edges, so it's easy to use regardless of which hand you're using. The new touch interface requires you to touch on the right third to change the page forward. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, since it limits which hand you hold it with or requires a reach with the thumb. Though it's still better than the swipe required with the Nook and other touch eInk readers.

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints Still loving this album. So many strong tracks...

Tori Amos - Night of Hunters Probably her strongest effort in a while.

Tickets to see Zoë Keating in Cambridge, MA in November. I picked them up last week... Forgot to post then, but wanted to mention it knowing there are some fans here and she does occasionally venture outside of the San Fran/Bay Area for shows.

Anna Calvi - S/T A little late to the party, but heard her for the first time this weekend. Her voice is fantastic, and the noir-ish mood is great.

Picked up a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Monday night. Kinda sad to see the 2005 go, but the new one is very nice!

Went to LL Bean in Freeport yesterday for their free concert series... Amos Lee was playing. Hadn't heard him before, but came away impressed. Not really my cup of tea but he's definitely talented. Got up this AM and went skateboarding for the first time time in probably 5 years... Some time in a small half pipe In a local municipal park and had a lot of fun. Got home and got my new espresso machine set up, and after a few trials, I made a few café mochas for me and the wife, along with omlettes. Followed up with a nice 90 minute paddle and burgers on the grill. I am not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow.

Thinking about you, Al...

Thanks everyone! Hard to believe. Enjoying a few days away before going back to work. The honeymoon will be later in the summer.

Yeah, wish I had a Mac... I'd definitely shell out for a developer account to get a jump on iOS5. Even for a beta.

Yeah, mine DL'd to my Kindle last week. So far, so good. It's worth the wait. Definitely a different tone than Feed (understandably).

Probably not worth the effort... Nearest stores are almost an hour away. It was in the black Apple case, but that did little to protect it, so it's pretty clear that it landeded face down on something resembling my gravel driveway. Multiple nicks of varying size/depth/obviousness that, while not immediately adjacent to the crack, make it clear that I'm a dumbass.

Next thing I'll be buying is replacement glass for my iPad. A bad end to an otherwise great weekend.

2nd Airport Express for my stereo... Really liking Air Play on the headphone rig and wanted it in the main HT rig. Got it set up last night, got my and the fiancé's iPhones working with it. It's really slick.

Dusty... Thanks for the recommendation on Feed. Really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next book on June 1st.

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints Holy Hell! Was flipping through Flipboard on the iPad, and saw a quick write-up on Rolling Stone about this album. Figured what the hell, I haven't found anything new in a while. Downloaded it from Amazon without sampling, and cued it up to start the day at work yesterday. I listened to it 3 times in a row to start the day yesterday, and a few times since. From the opening track, "Grey Ship", through the the closer, it balances touches of folk and noise, with layering, textures and changes of pace and style that keep you on your toes. Her voice is haunting, and there are just enough hooks to grab you. It's not uplifting music, and the lyrics are pretty dark, but it's still full of an energy that has left me impressed. It's been a while since something grabbed me like this, and I just wanted to share...

So, was the stock UI as bad as you expected? Already rooted?

Yeah, once my tax return comes in (provided we're able to avoid this whole pesky government shutdown looming over everyone's heads), it's definitely the route I'm headed. I was worried about some of the rumors (Air-like form favor, no optical drive), but it looks like a hell of machine. I'm glad I waited. It looks like the 2.3 GHz i5 will be more than sufficient.

Ended up going with something else before Feed... http://www.amazon.com/Hangmans-Daughter-Oliver-Pötzsch/dp/1935597051/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298236503&sr=8-1 Really enjoying it so far... Well written, interesting characters and a cool story. And damn the Kindle's exceptionally convenient.

Ohhhhh, I didn't realize she had a new album out. I really liked her debut. Searching...