So three months ago, I broke down and bought a macbook. It wasn’t an impulse decision as I had been threatening my dad that I was going to buy one as my next notebook for a year or so prior. However, it was impulsive in the way that the driving to the store to buy one did happen a little impulsively.

I can say that I’ve set up my airport, moved my files over, connected my hard drive and my printer and am not solely operating off of my mac. I haven’t completely set it up the way I’d like, but I haven’t touched my dell notebook in at least two months other than moving files off of it a month ago.

The more I use my macbook and tote it around with me, the more frustrated I am with my dell notebook at work. Usually I can’t pinpoint it other than it’s slower. Well that and I keep trying to zoom in and out of windows by pinching and expanding on my mousepad, which doesn’t fair so well on my dell.

I’m starting to wonder though why exactly I like it so much more than any pc I’ve ever owned. What about the user experience and usability is better? Is it the marketing getting to me subconsciously? Is it really easier to use but in little ways that people do not typically conceptualize? I don’t know. All I know is I think I’ve actually entered the dark side. This was my first official Apple purchase (I didn’t pay for my iPod). I’m hooked. I’ve entered the dark side. I’m not sure I want to go back. Hell, I can’t even stand office anymore and am debating getting iWork for my mac instead of my current office program.

Occasionally I’ll see people in my Twitter stream tweet about something they posted to 12 Seconds. I have always been the person to not want a web cam, so it was never anything I was all that excited about.

See, I have this fear of being on camera. I think I look ridiculous. I also hate my recorded speaking voice as well. Record me singing fine. Record me talking on camera. Not as fine. I’m not sure where this stems from but I just don’t care for it. On top of that web cams just freak me out in general. I wouldn’t even get one when my brother was overseas. We did voice chat only on Skype.

So, now I have this MacBook. I’ve had it for about a month now. When I got it, someone recommended I sign up for 12 Seconds. It was then that not only did I sign up for an account, but I remembered this damn thing came with a web cam. Oy.

I have an account, and I haven’t used it yet. I actually completely forgot about it again until I received an email notification that a friend was following me there.

I should probably get some courage. Maybe tomorrow.

I cannot believe I haven’t posted about this until now. Last week I successfully completed my mission to find an awesome bag for my new macbook as my designer slim from Acme Made that I purchased for my dell was not going to work.

Thanks to a suggestion from a twitter friend, I checked out R.E.I. I found a bag that wasn’t meant to be a laptop bag and figured I would pick it up just in case it would work. If not, it was going to be a great hiking bag anyway. I ended up getting the Oswego bag in blue by Keen. I went to the Apple store the next day and bought a slim incase sleeve and voila! Mission completed.

The laptop bag is now dual purpose and I have an awesome way to carry my macbook on top of it.

Hi. Im Tonia (or Tanya if you ask Lux or Starbucks). I’m a accessory whore. I’m sure this is no surprise to most people.

Recently I purchased a new 13″ macbook, which now is in need of a new bag. My previous laptop, the monster 17″ dell, has a gorgeous designer slim bag in black and teal from Acme Made. I love Acme Made bags but didn’t want to limit my decision. Thanks to a friend I was forwarded a great link loaded with laptop bag suggestions (one I think was even from a recent acquaintance that I didn’t know at the time the thread was started).

Some things I am looking for (not sure I can get them all in one bag):

• Stylish. This is pretty much a must.
• Type. I prefer either a verticle over the shoulder or a hand bag.
• Color. I *have* to have color. Likes? Hot pink, brown, white, teal, plum.. anything but black
• Slim. I want something that has a lot of space and compartments but is tiny
• Unique. I can’t handle typical.

I have now narrowed down my options to 6, and am going to crowd source for some opinions. If you know me and my personality, please give me your opinions and let me know which one you think would be best for me or feel free to suggest another. Notice I have not found a bag that comes with hot pink as its main color yet. If someone finds one of those I will be in heaven.

1. Timbuk2 – Um hello. Building your own bag? Even going as far as optimizing for my left-handedness. Not sure it can get much better than this. Note this is just a picture of the bag type not the exact color and specs I want.
2. Women’s MB from Brenthaven. Hot pink and brown and apparently also comes with another flap in case I am ever indecisive again? Also vertical, which is a bonus.
3. Crumpler Luncheon. Vertical, over the shoulder, cute, small and fits several different items.
4. STM Phantom (in red). Not as “cute” as the others but still cute in a way. Not sure why but there’s just something I like about it. Maybe because it’s over the shoulder but looks like a hand bag?
5. Giddy Up by Pinder. Looks like a hand bag. Hot pink and brown.
6. The Kate by Acme Made. I wasn’t able to get any of the cute bags from Acme with my old laptop, and I despite all my looking I still have a partial lust for the Kate.
7. F21 Nightclub Bag from Freitag. Not sure I want to spent this much but I have to admit this is a nice bag.(I like the one with 20 on it).

So it’s been about a full 24 hours since I’ve started messing with my MacBook, but I bet I’ve only had about a couple hours on it at most. I haven’t even began to start switching existing documents over, installing programs, or setting up the airport I bought to help use my external drive wirelessly for time machine. I’m surprised I even know that much Apple terminology. Someone started talking to me about spaces today and I think I was hearing Dutch or Swedish or something.

I want to set it up myself, but at the same time am really scared of fucking something up, mainly ruining files that I have stored that I need to transfer over and cannot lose.

Here’s what I’ve done with my MacBook so far:

• Written two blog posts
• Downloaded photos and found them to use elsewhere
• Installed Twhirl
• Opened video chat on accident

I know it doesn’t seem like anything big, and really it’s not. That’s just as far as I’ve gotten.

What has been weirding me out the most is that I cannot seem to figure out how I randomly zoom in and out of web pages as I’m mousing over the page. Odd. Can’t find a rhyme or reason to it yet, but I’m sure that’s also partially due to me not really caring enough to watch what I’m doing when it happens yet.

We’ll get this figured out. Sooner or later.

Edit: Figured out the zoom thing. SCORE!

My plans today were honestly to spend a few hours tanning after work. I was able to get out early due to some late meetings yesterday and it was in the low 90s. Unfortunately, when I arrived home, it had mostly clouded over and well, that’s not fun for tanning. Then it hit me. Shopping is always fun!

I decided to warm up a bit and head to Target first for a new comforter. I got one that is shades of red and orange to brighten up my dark mahogany and black leather bedroom furniture. I didn’t realize it was a whole bed set though, and now I am stuck with these stupid pillow shams as well as a queen sheet set that probably won’t fit over my pillowtop mattress. Oh well the comforter was on sale. At least I can se that and the bedskirt. Sheets are a cute print for a handbag too.

After the Target rendezvous, I headed to Chandler Fashion Center. The goal was to enter the Apple store and purchase a MacBook. And I did. In fact, although I haven’t had a chance to do much with it yet, my goal for tonight was to be able to do the basics (check my email, send a tweet or 1,000, and blog). So this is my first ever blog from a Mac. Along with my MacBook, I got a cute little photo printer that after the rebate will be free! Score!

Uh oh, here’s the Apple Store:

And here’s me about a half hour later with my new found love:

My plans for the rest of the night were to head to get a piercing at HTC and then watch the Latte Art Competition next door at Cartel Coffee Lab. However, I was having issues deciding on a piercing and as I was waiting for everything to start at Cartel I just wanted to come home and set this cute lil thing up.

So here we go. We’ll see how much of my PC stuff will “migrate” over. I am almost guaranteeing I’ll still have to backup my BlackBerry with my PC.

I’ve had a great first week back in Phoenix. I previously mentioned that on Tuesday I went to Cibo for a birthday dinner.

On Wednesday,I attended the 24 Hour Film contest screening which is sponsored by the Independent Feature Project – Phoenix Four of my friends created a film a few weeks back for the contest and ended up doing phenomenal.They won for best use of a prop as well as won 2nd place overall and therefore qualify for the Phoenix Film Festival in March. See their awesome thriller on You Tube.

Thursday I was supposed to catch up on everything I hadn’t accomplished since I left for Vancouver. However, I got in this mood to buy a macbook. After work, I went with Bob to the Apple store at the Biltmore. I found a great one and once I figure out what my tax return is going to be, it is game on! On the way home, I saw a fire a few blocks away from my house. As I was coming back from running errands, it was so bad that I could hear the helicopters over my stereo and the entire surrounding area was blocked off. It was a long alternate route home.

Friday I made my return to East Valley Friday Nights (#evfn), which was held closer to me (finally) at Four Peaks Brewery. I chatted with some old friends as well as met some new and enjoyed a nice pint of Kiltlifter after being away. I was hungry, but not starving so I ordered their spinach artichoke dip. It was amazingly good, but I barely put a dent in it. I then employed the help of others to finish the bowl and with five people chowing down, it only ended up half way gone. I think the bowl was magically refilling itself. While at Four Peaks, I met a woman that was in town exploring job opportunities. She happened to be a Kent State grad that lives in Cleveland. It was awesome having another KSU alumni to chat with. We went to an exotic arts festival that was recommended afterwards, which was fun, but not as good as expected. I was able to get home early enough to *finally* get more than 5 hours of sleep for the fist time in two weeks.

Yep, I think I am back to my regular schedule of crazy.