Google Tools

I love Google Tools. I absolutely love them.  As I figure out ways to be organized and stay in contact with those who need to be in contact with me, Google has a tool that fits almost all my needs.

Google search:
Simple quick searches. I tried Bing for a minute, but just realized that I love doing Google searches.

Google Voice:
This is what got the ball rolling with me trying different tools.  My daughter's school would drive me crazy ringing whatever random phone I had on the list. They would call my work number after I left work and my home number when I was at work and never call my cell. My daughter would do phone roulette and call all my numbers one after the other which also drove me crazy.

I also hate voice mail and having three voice mail systems to check was not my thing. I finally put a message on my cell that told callers not to leave a message because I would never, ever check it.

With Google Voice, I have one number that is forwarded to all my phones so that they all ring at once and I can pick up whichever phone I am nearest. I can also check my voicemail or text messages online and the voicemail messages are transcribed- not always accurately, but I get a good idea of what is being said and I can also listen to those messages online or call the Google number to check for new messages. This has been a magical experience for me. And led me to try...

Google Calendar:
The most frustrating part of trying to keep organized is trying to have one and only one system. I have tried a few things, but relied on a hodge podge of things.
I have a Treo and that works fine as long as I keep my phone with me and have the desktop downloaded to whatever computer I am working on. In the last year or so, I found myself sitting at my own desk at work less and less and syncing at home less and less.  
I have a paper calendar that I insert dates pertaining to work in, but again, I don't wanna take that all over either.
We use Outlook at work for our in/out times at the office, but I haven't really made it work for home life.
Then comes Google Calendar....
I finally have a calendar that goes everywhere I go. I don't have to lug my cell phone around (Sometimes, it is nice not to be at the beck and call of the stupid thing). All I need is an internet connection and a computer or wifi equiped phone. I have a calendar for myself and another for my daughter. I can also show other calendars such as my daughter's drill team schedutle or NFL team's game schedule. It is wonderful and I can print out the schedule if I feel the need for a paper schedule.

Gmail:
I have had an Gmail acount for years, but now I use it regularly to check for new voicemail messages or to herd personal messages to. I like the fact that it has different backgrounds that I can use that change thoughout the day (shows a different scene for morning, afternoon and night).

Google Reader:
Instead of putting all these separate blogs in my bookmark list and checking every now and again to see if the author has posted to thier blog, I can suscribe to the blog and check in this one spot for any updates.

Google Notebook:
Like a portable Microsoft Onenote. I LOVE Onenote, (see my previous posting) but I need it installed on every single computer I use for it to work for me the way I would like for it to. Now I have discovered Notebook, which unfortunately is no longer being developed and new accounts can't be made, but if you have it now, you can still use it. I have cut and pasted a few recipes I found, and love that I will be able to bring up my geeknotes at work, in a class, at the library, at home, on my daughter's computer, WHEREVER I want.

Google Wave:
A super duper way to collaborate on a project, event, document or whatever. It is like Microsoft's Sharepoint except once again, portable. You could use Google Groups, for discussion boards, but this is boards on steriods. Right now I have no one to wave with, but hopefully I will be able to convince somebody to try before I propose that the Volunteer Guild I work with use this instead of what we are using now.

Picasa:
I downloaded this program just to see what it could do. I was impressed because it was able to sort my pictures by the people in them. So if I was to look for a picture of my daughter, all I have to do is click on her name and all the pictures with her in them will appear. This is fantastic. It also does some light photo editing which is great, I am not looking to be Annie Lebowitz, just take a picture to record the moment.

Google Maps:
I use Google Maps to get from point A to B. I can get directions by car, by foot, and by public transportation. I can also see what traffic is doing. Very nice to plan those trips where I have no idea where I am going.

Blogger:
Of course I am using Blogger right now and I feel more comfortable using this than other hosting sites.

iGoogle:
This pulls it all together. This my personal Google homepage. I open up my browser and iGoogle appears. I set it up so that my calendar, notebook, gmail, wave, blogger and other items are right there on the front page. Right now, it has the Owlie theme on it and it changes depending on the time of day. Last night, I went to look something up and it showed Owlie in bed, This morning, it showed him getting out of bed and right now, it is almost 8 pm and he is sitting under a tree enjoying the sunset with a few bird friends. Sweet.

Google has a lot to offer at the great price of FREE.

The Library

I think of the library as the great equalizer. There are not many places where you can see a family choosing a movie and books for a night at home, a homeless person whiling the time away and a county official picking up books he put on hold. The library is that place.


I enjoy going to the library. When I moved to my current place of residence, one of the things I loved was that the library was three or four blocks from my soon to be home. The library near my old home was at the bottom of a nearly mile long steep hill. The bus did not run near it so getting there was okay, but getting back with a small child and any books I might be carting with me was a horrible experience. I hated it. It was one of the main things I felt sucked about that city I lived in. The lack of access to books and other media was killing me.

When I was pregnant, I was on bed rest... There wasn't much I could do, so on the days I had my prenatal appointments, I would go to the library, pick up 10 or so books, go home and read my books until my next appointment and repeat. I think the trips saved my sanity. When everyone you know works, goes to school or has too many kids to be able to hang out with you, it can be very isolating.

Now, me and my daughter go to the library often. I pick up my audio books or whatever. She is on a World Record book marathon and loves telling the goriest facts from the books. Yay.... at least she is reading.

Comics

I just bought my ticket to Comicon. I have always wanted to go to a comic book convention. Now I finally took the first step in going. Usually, I invite my child to everything, but not this time. I want to have fun, and she can be a big ass kill joy. 

ANYHOOSEN, I have been fascinated with comics since I was little. I remember my uncle let me read one of his Spider-Man comics and I was hooked. My dad was not having that though. He insisted that he would be a doctor if it was not for comic books. That sounded so ridiculous to my little head and even then I knew my dad was full of baloney. Especially since he had a stash of Heavy Metal and Eerie comics in the bathroom that he left laying around. There is no way a youngster should have such easy access to those titles. So anyhoo, my dad kept with his 'no comics for you, but I can read these slightly perverted titles' rule. My uncle, my cousin's boyfriend and the Sunday newspaper kept my comic buzz going.

When I was around 14, my grandfather gave me money to go buy some candy. I walked to the mom and pop shop in the hood and the comic rack I had passed by so many times before caught my eye. I stood there turning the rack, picking up a title, putting it back, turning the rack again and picking another title. There were a couple of Spider-Man titles and I picked the Amazing Spider-Man.  I took it to my grandpa's and read it before it was time for me to go back home. From there, I was Miss Comic Book USA. I used my little mad money from Grandpa to buy my comics.

When I got my first job, I spent a lot of money at Zanadu and later at the Comic Stand.  With more money, I was able to branch out and start reading more titles. I started reading Groo, Batman, X-Men and threw in a few other titles every now and again. My friends would talk about our favorite titles, I had a few friends who would accompany me to the various comic stands.  I wasn't a full blown live the life geek, but I could talk about my favorite titles all the live long day. Even though there weren't too many characters who looked like me and the efforts they did make were so stereotypical and clumsy that I wished they didn't even try, I loved them anyway.

As a side note, it really bothered me that Storm was a black woman who was a thief in Africa (black folks as thieves, how original), but part of her beauty was because she was white haired with blue eyes (come on now) and she later comes to believe that she is a goddess and she has no sense of humor (black characters- and people of color in general, are often complete fools or very stern, never the balance of characteristics afforded white characeters). This  bothered me to no end, even though in the late 80's and early 90's the X-Men titles made great efforts to fix this with characters of color who were not total stereotypes. Archangel fell in love with an African American woman, never mind that he was now blue, had wings made out of blades and major mental complications. And what is it with the blue man, black woman thing going on in the comics? Storm with Beast, Archangel with the cop, and Nightcrawler with the witch.

Forge is my favorite X-Man. He has the ability to think of an invention, and then make it. I wish I could do that. He is Native American and he was my secret comic book crush. I can admit that now as I creep into my middle ages and nobody knows my real name on this blog. And yes, I picked the picture of the stereotypical Native American, but he looks so dayum hot!

Where was I? X-Men and the Batman titles became my favorites.  The storytelling was very complex and intelligent and was way better than when I was younger. But as I grew up and and my wallet grew smaller and smaller, I had to abandon my comic collecting. I was very excited when the X-Men and Spider-Man titles were turned into movies. The first Batman efforts were not to my liking. Michael who-ever as Batman, was not cool at all. I did not want to see that movie, nor any of the others. They became dumber and dumber and I thought it was a damn shame. The new efforts with Christian Bale are waaaaayyyy better.

I keep digressing. I buy graphic novels now. Usually, they are compilations of titles like the Essential Hulk or Crisis on Infinite Earths. My collection of comics sit on the top shelf of my closet, waiting for me to cash them in since they are darn near mint.   I bought a graphic novel while I was at Zanadu to buy my tickets and it was nice to read it while on the long bus ride to our dinner. 

Now there is a comic about knitting called Handknit Heroes. It combines knitting and comics, my favorite things. I seriously would love to subscribe to this, I just have so much I want to do and not enough money to do it with.  Maybe for Christmas.

Diaso

Diaso, how do I love thee let me count the ways?

Diaso is like a dollar store, except everything is Japanese and most of it is $1.50. I have gotten the cutest things ever from there from tea sets, dishes, stationary and aluminum foil with teddy bears on it. When I am broke and need a little retail therapy, I head to Diaso.

Sometimes, I don't know what in the hell I am looking at, but it's only $1.50! I found this one thing that looked like a bunched up net with a little hello kitty button in the middle. Come to find out, it was a drain cleaner. Never would have guessed.

I find a lot of great things for my house. I found a grid and hooks to hang on the inside of my hall closet so that we can hang our scarves, backbacks and sweaters quickly. I found an adjustable curtain rod to replace the flimsy plywood closet doors and hung a curtain I found at Ross in it's place. If I went to Wal-Mart, I would have spent around 5 to 10 bucks for the rod. At Diaso, I spent 2 bucks. I found another grid and some shelves that I put in my bathroom to hold my MP3 speakers a magazine rack and a couple of shelves to hold toothpaste, lotion and mouthwash. And I was able to buy all of that for 7 bucks.

Stationary wise, I go plum crazy. I found those 20 ring binders for 1.50 and the paper to go along with it. If I went down to the other side of downtown, the Japanese bookstore sells these items for waaaayyyyy more. I found cute memo cubes, lovely notepaper and more pens and pencils than I want to admit to buying.  As I said before, I have a love affair with paper and I have now decided to stay away from that section.  

There is a Diaso one short bus ride away from me. Last week, I picked up little jars for shea butter gifting, a grocery basket to store household stuff and other items and spent less than $20 and left with a huge bag of stuff. 

How great is that?

Dr. Bronners

I love this soap. Peppermint is my go to for everything. I use it as a shampoo, body wash and to clean the house.

I first started using this when my dad brought peppermint home. I remember sitting in the tub, reading the bottle that had all kinds of messages, some of them I thought were strange and kinda scary to my 12 year old brain. I looked for the standard soap we always used in the house by the side of the tub. Could not find a bar that did not look cootie-fied by my little sisters and picked up the bottle of Dr. Bronners. I put it on my washcloth and jumped at the tingle. I loved how the soap lathered and felt on my skin. But I did learn a hard lesson that day.... Do not put it on your tendernothings. You will feel something not so sweet. I spent the next five minutes trying to rinse it off of there. 

As I grew up, I worked in a store that sold most of the Dr. Bronners scents. I bought them all and guarded them intensly from my sisters.  My favorite was the lavender scent, I used the peppermint to cool off on cool days and almond to switch it up.

Fast forward a few years and I can not find the soap as easily as before or if I do, it is so expensive, I can not justify buying it when I have a house to feed. So I do without.   Then on a trip to Trader Joe's, I find it again. A big 32 oz bottle for a great price, so now I am back in business. I use it for shampoo, to soak my feet and clean my face.  My child is not a big fan, but that just means there is more for me.

Five Star Flex Hybrid Notebook

Okay, I admit it all the time. I am a geek. As I wrote before, I like to gather information and write my ideas out.

I have the Pulse pen, but the paper was in a spiral bound notebook. It didn't totally work for me because I also liked to keep my little non Pulse paper items with me, so that meant that I had a spiral notebook, a folder with my cheat sheets and whatever other paper I had with me.

Then I found the flex binder. It is called a hybrid notebook, which sounds all science fiction-y, but it is very simple. It offers you the ability to move stuff around in the binder, but you can fold it back like a notebook. Remember those huge classes in college and the little tiny desks?  I do. I had both a binder and notebook for my classes. The notebook to take notes in class and the binder to hold all the paper handed out during the course. I wish this existed waaaaayyyyyy back in the stone ages when I went to school.

The folders are an added bonus since they actually hold stuff in.

I bought the large size- In pink of course, and tore the pages from my Pulse notebook (they have 3 hole punches already) and placed them in the Flex binder, I took my knitting cheat sheets and put them in the binder, I took my knitter's graph paper and put that in the binder, I put my CYCA syllabus in there and added a pencil pouch too. That is a lot of stuff and I love that I can add, move or remove stuff around.

I now have the perfect idea book!