Happy Birthday to Me: The Acer Iconia Tablet

Next week is my 42nd birthday (yikes).  When my hubby asked what I wanted for said event (which always coincides with Mother’s Day), visions of shopping, spas and manicures danced through my head.  Since I just recently redeemed a spa day that he had given me previously, I ditched the day of relaxation for a bit of technology: I wanted a tablet.

Now, I already have a Nokia Booklet that he bought me when the netbook was the item of choice.  I’m not ready to move on from my cute little computer, so I had to think hard if I truly needed a tablet.  Although I would love to have an iPad, I just felt that it was too much technology and physically a bit large for my current needs.  My iPhone is great for quick access, but I find it difficult to post to my blog.  I decided to seek out some advice from The Geek Squad at Best Buy. 

I explained that I really wanted something that I could “grab and go”.  Although my Booklet is small and can fit in a good-sized purse, it’s a laptop and needs to be opened and set up to be used, so it’s still a bit cumbersome.  I want the ability to put up quick blog posts, so I really only need a camera and access to my favorite apps (and games for my son).  I don’t own an eReader, but would like to start using one.  I want WiFi for those times when I’m sitting in a coffee shop or at a hotspot, and I would like Bluetooth capability.  After giving my friendly neighborhood Geek Squad agent all of my specs, he thought that I should really get something that was a “bridge” between my Booklet and my iPhone, and maybe the iPad wasn’t what I needed.  After his advice and after reading the near stellar reviews on Best Buy (an average rating of 4.2 stars out of 5), I am now  the proud owner of the Iconia TAB A100 by Acer, which is the smallest tablet in this series. 

The Iconia TAB A100 has a 7″ HD multi-touch display (1024 x 600) and is 0.5 ” thin, which fits in my Rebecca Minkoff MAC (or my RM Schoolboy, pictured above).  This also makes it easier to handle, and typing up blog posts is much easier than using my iPhone for quick write-ups (additionally, I have the option of adding a full keyboard later if I find that I’m using it more than my laptop).  It has a Built-in 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN for my WiFi needs and Bluetooth 2.1.  I don’t need much to save on it, but it does have 8GB on-board memory and supports microSD and microSDHC formats for storing or transferring media (just in case).  I love the built-in front and rear webcams for when my son wants to Skype with Grandma in Las Vegas.  It has decent battery life (up to 4 hours and 30 minutes) and it comes in a pretty steel blue color. 

Thank you honey for my lovely birthday gift!  This little gem fits all of my needs, and will be my technology travel companion for my London trip in August.

(Specification information derived from Best Buy and Acer.  Photos 2 & 3 courtesy of Acer.)

Fifty-Five

“He played the game the way it was meant to be played.” – John Elway via Twitter

I would be remiss as a native San Diegan, football enthusiast and long time San Diego Chargers fan if I didn’t mention the tragic loss yesterday of one of our local icons: Junior Seau.  That’s my jersey pictured above, and it was the first football jersey I ever purchased.  I’ve watched him play live and I’ve even had the pleasure of meeting him at his restaurant here called Seau’s.  He was as vibrant in person as he was on the football field.  I personally think that Junior and the defense he led back in 1994 was what carried that Chargers team to the Super Bowl that year.  He did as much for our community as he did for football and it is sad and devastating the way his life ended.  My condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the Seau family.  Rest in peace #55.

(Edited to add- Of all the articles I’ve read, this is the best by far.  If you want to get to know who he was and how he affected everyone around him, this is the article to read: Junior Seau was gregarious, ebullient, hilarious and immensely popular by Michael Silver.)

Got the Blues

I first saw these pretty Seychelles Ampersand shoes in royal blue (above) on Keiko Lynn (I love the outfit in her post here, although I did see her wear them previously).  I gravitate towards anything blue, but I adored the chunky heel and the bow gave them just enough sweetness without going overboard.  As you can imagine, they were sold out in my size on pretty much every site I tried to find them on.  I then found an equally pretty, but darker pair by Bamboo on ModCloth last week called the High Resolution Heel in cobalt (below).  I saw that they only had five left, but sadly discovered that none were in my size (you are in luck if you’re a size 5.5 or 6).  Because the Bamboo version was just so sparkly and gorgeous, and most of the reviews gave them five stars for the fit and just the sheer attractiveness of the shoe, it sent me into a search tizzy trying to find that pair, or something similar.

Just my luck, I found something that was a bit of a combination of the two.  It still had the chunky heel and bow, but in the darker blue and in suede instead of the glitter mesh.  I was able to find this lovely pair on DSW by Betsey Johnson and it’s called the Maye Pump (below).  Isn’t it amazing what you can find once you set your mind to it?

(Photo 1 courtesy of Seychelles; photo 2 courtesy of ModCloth; photo 3 courtesy of DSW)

Random iPhone Pictures: Frame by Frame

April 3 – Mail (this was my Easter dress)

For the picture themes in April’s Photo A Day challenge (by Fat Mum Slim), I found myself looking more and more at photo composition.  I tried to create interest by using the whole frame and I avoided centering my subjects as much as possible.  Here are my favorites so far.  Hope you had a great weekend!

April 4 – Someone who makes you happy (our son)

April 5 – Tiny (Dominic’s newest car next to a quarter)

 April 7 – Shadow (our son again, no filter)

April 8 – Inside your wallet (yes, Rebecca Minkoff again!)

April 10 – Cold (the ice cubes almost look metallic)

Beats Rhymes & Life: Getting Reacquainted With A Tribe Called Quest

Here is a little known fact about me:  I used to rap.  I am not kidding.  I have performed spoken word readings and I have also rapped onstage.  In addition to my obsessions about Depeche Mode and 80’s alternative, I also loved hip-hop druing the 80’s and 90’s.  Being a poet, it was natural that I gravitated towards spoken word, which is what made me gravitate towards rap.  My groups of choice were a part of the Native Tongues collective:  De La Soul, Black Sheep, Queen Latifa, Monie Love, Jungle Brothers and of course, A Tribe Called Quest.  Of the groups just mentioned, I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing De La Soul and Queen Latifa in concert.  My friend Eileen and I followed Queen Latifa and Monie Love, and even called our little crew Ladies First (after Queen Latifa’s hit with Monie Love).  I also was a big fan of TLC and especially Left Eye.  Left Eye and Monie Love had very similar quick paced style of rap, which I emulated in my own style. 

(Side note, here is a list of other rap artists I’ve either met or have seen perform live:  Kurtis Blow, Young MC, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Big Daddy Kane, Kid n Play, Public Enemy, KRS-1, Cypress Hill, Beastie Boys, House of Pain, Das EFX & Digital Underground when Tu Pac was still in the group.)

A Tribe Called Quest has remained one of my favorite rap groups.  No matter what’s out on the charts right now, I will always go back and listen to People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and Low End Theory.  I can sit there and groove with my headphones on, or really have fun dancing to those songs at a club.   The hooks are catchy, the rhymes are intelligent and the message is always positive.  When someone would say “Remember back in the day?” I would recite one of my favorite lines from Low End Theory’s “Excursions”: Back in the days when I was a teenager/before I had status/and before I had a pager because it’s just so clever.  To this day when my husband plays any hip-hop in a DJ set, he interjects ATCQ, Black Sheep and De La Soul into his set lists, which have always been well received by party goers.

I was watching TV late one night and saw a documentary by actor Michael Rapaport called Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest.  I’ve always known how much of an influence, audience and fan base that ATCQ have had over the years, because I have felt that influence on myself.  I really just listened to the music, but I guess I never delved deeper into the group themselves.  Q-Tip is always visible and even when he did solo projects, I didn’t realize that ATCQ broke up due to the heated turmoil within the group.  I feel I know so much about Depeche Mode because I have more intimate knowledge about the group.  I didn’t know much about ATCQ until the night I watched the documentary.  I had no idea that Pfife was diabetic, eventually going on dialysis, only to receive a kidney from his wife, who happened to be a match.  It was like I was seeing the group for the first time, yet the music was so familiar.  I immediately started listening to my favorite songs, with a better understanding of who they were. 

Michael Rapaport did a great job in documenting who ATCQ were musically, and personally.  All of the happiness and turbulence were well intertwined with personal accounts of the group, their close friends and people they have influenced.  During a show in San Francisco in 2008, I was wrapped up in seeing how much De La Soul cared and wanted Tribe to work out their differences because the message that they have put out over the years should reflect harmony and positivity, although the actuality was great discord and emotional chaos.  No matter what they said or did, there existed a chasm that only time could really heal.  After Pfife’s surgery, they reunited for a few shows in 2010 and 2011 stronger and more positive.

The documentary ended with a note that they have not put out an album since The Love Movement, and also mentioned that they still have one more contracted album left to release with Jive records.  ATCQ have always been ground breaking, innovative, thoughtful, thought-provoking, smart and soulful.  The vibe and groove always made their songs feel almost acoustic in atmosphere, rather than metallic and manufactured.  I would love to see something new from ATCQ because I think it’s time that the kids out there see how true masters of hip-hop do it, and do it well.

(Another side note:  I have SiriusXM and listen to 1st Wave religiously because it’s all alternative from the 80’s.  Backspin on SiriusXM is the equivalent in the genre of old school rap and hip-hop.  I’m totally addicted!)

(All images courtesy of the official A Tribe Called Quest website)

How To: 45 RPM Adapter Earrings

When I had a record player, I had various incarnations of these 45 rpm adapters lying around.  The one pictured here on my “People are People” single has become a symbol of music enthusiasts.  I originally purchased these as earrings from a jewelry designer at a a craft fair a few years ago.  Because the guage of the wire used to attach the earring hooks was so light, they broke after one wearing. Inspired by one of my blogger friends and favorite DIY mavens, Madison of Fashion Tales, I decided to repair them using some jewelry making supplies I bought a few months ago.  The bright yellow color made them perfect for this summer and any upcoming concerts or festivals that I’ll be attending.  I think I’m going to hit up my local DJ supply store and make a few more of these earrings!

Step 1. I used a long post & earring hook from a jewelry making kit.

Step 2. I then used a pair of precision pliers to attach the post to the earring hook, then wrapped the other end around the top of the adapter.

Instant earrings!

House of Fun: Madness in Concert

Last Tuesday I took my sister to see Madness in concert as a belated birthday present, which further continued our musical trip through the 80’s.  Madness had come to San Diego recently, but I just never had the opportunity to see them.  When this concert came up, the timing was perfect again for my sister’s birthday and as a show to tide me over until the Rewind Festival in August later this year (although, I may have to see Squeeze with the B52’s in June to really get me through the summer).

I spent the week listening to Madness songs, just to get myself familiar with their music again.  Because all of my Madness albums are on vinyl, I had to download quite a bit on iTunes (I own the Yesterday’s Men 12″ single, Keep Moving and Complete Madness).  I’m really only familiar with their hits, and there are quite a few that they put out in just about one decade.

The show opened with “One Step Beyond” (no opening act) and the whole concert was bouncing off the walls the entire time.  We were certainly glad that the venue was outdoors because we definitely got a good workout from all of the dancing!  Although I was familiar with what I thought was a good amount of songs for the concert, I quickly realized that what I knew only scratched the surface (there were around seven that I was not familiar with and they only played around 16 songs).  I still was able to hear songs I love like “The Sun & The Rain”, “Our House”, “It Must Be Love”, “Baggy Trousers” and “House of Fun”.  They sounded amazing and their banter was so much fun.  Chrissy Boy even came out and did a cover of The Gap Band’s “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)”.  Their encore set was “Night Boat to Cairo” and “Madness”, and the show ended with a of a mob of people jumping onstage and dancing.  Though I was a bit sad that I didn’t get to hear “Wings of a Dove” and “Keep Moving”, my sister and I had so much fun and would love to see them again.  I failed to fully charge my Flip Cam prior to the concert, but I was able to capture “My Girl” before the battery ran out.  Enjoy!

(Photos 2 & 3 by Rholnna Jiao)

Today is Record Store Day 2012

It’s rare these days that I post on a Saturday, but it’s an important day for music enthusiasts that goes along with this upcoming week’s musical themed blog posts.  Today is Record Store Day.  I discovered this event by accident last year when I ordered Depeche Mode’s Remixes: 81-11  (posts seen here and here).  Because I purchased the CD at an independent record store here in San Diego called Lou’s Records, I received a very rare promotional Record Store Day, four song, limited edition “Personal Jesus” 12″ single (my copy pictured below).

Record Store Day is a day that celebrates the indie record store and the culture surrounding them.  When I was a teen, I remember the thrill of getting that rare British or European import from my favorite local record store called Blue Meannie Records.  They have since gone out of business, but I would rather still shop at stores like Ameoba Music in Los Angeles,  Lou’s Records or M-Theory here in San Diego because of the type of music available at these stores, which includes rare, used and new vinyl records.  To this day, I miss Tower Records and I’m a backer of the documentary All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records, produced by Colin Hanks (post here).   I’m also saddened by the recent closure of The Ideal Copy, an independent online store where I purchased my favorite rare, out-of-print CD’s or vinyl by groups like Aztec Camera, Blancmange, Red Rockers, Roman Holiday and Vitamin Z.

I didn’t see anything in this year’s list that I would go out of my way for, like that Depeche Mode treasure from last year.  But here is a link to the full list of releases on PDF that you can download, and maybe you can find a nugget of your own by one of your favorite artists.  Whatever your flavor, please continue to support independent record stores to celebrate not only the art of music, but the art of collecting and appreciating music.  Happy Record Store Day!

(Top image courtesy of the Record Store Day official website)

Note:  A sad “So long” to Mr. Dick Clark, who was an icon. I loved American Bandstand growing up and I think he was the quintessential TV show host.  He will always be “The Eternal Teenager”.

Return of the MAC!

The gunmetal version of Rebecca Minkoff’s MAC (Morning After Clutch) in black is back, but for a limited time.  I have a grey version of this MAC that I bought at a sample sale at Confederacy in LA, but I have been waiting for the black leather version to come back in stock.  I love it because the gunmetal hardware makes the whole bag look chic and sleek, and the zipper in blue just pops.  I also love the floral print interior.  I’m going to snap mine up before it’s too late.  Once I do, you will definitely see it in upcoming outfit posts because it will be in rotation as my new everyday bag.

PS:  I’m also going to get the East-West Skull Tote, too.   I’ve had my eye on it for awhile, but was finally sold on it when I saw my son napping in my skull throw blanket.

(Images 1-4 courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff)

By the Collar

I am suddenly obsessed with the Peter Pan Collar (click the link for history of the origin).  I love the playful yet classic effect that it gives any outfit.  I have seen collar and pan collar necklaces throughout many blogs and sites, and found this very cute one on Lulus recently (above).  I then found a couple of detachable collars and cuffs that I had from some old sweaters during my spring cleaning extravaganza last month.  I thought I would try my hand at making my own, without seeking the help of a DIY and by just looking at my newly purchased one.  I’ll definitely post my DIY once I figure out how to do it.  In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my sparkly new collar (outfit post to come).