M.I.A.

Sorry for the blog absence over the last week and a half! My computer unexpectedly got a wee bit sick after the Thanksgiving holiday, so I was left without my dear MacBook Pro for a whole FIVE DAYS. Let me tell you, five days without my computer felt like I had lost an appendage.

Sure, I work on a computer all day at work... but so much of my life depends on technology, even outside of work, which became even more apparent last week as our lone personal computer was in the shop. Those Christmas gifts I had been working on designing? Totally put on hold. Holiday cards? Haven't had time to design them yet. Blog writing? Ideas swirling in my brain but no way to post them. Blog reading? I won't even tell you how many posts are unread in my Google Reader. Sure, I had my iPhone to satisfy my basic internet needs (and yes, I NEED the internet!), and I love my iPhone, but I can only tolerate that small screen and keyboard for so long.

I have always embraced the latest technologies and internet trends (i.e., blogging), but sometimes I feel like technology just makes life so much more complicated. I have so many blogs and websites I like to keep up with, but often it feels like I simply can't keep up with them all; it begins to feel like work to keep up with them all, instead of feeling like it's something I do for pleasure. I consider deleting some from my feed, but then I'm afraid I'll "miss" something. There is just such a vast amount of information out there, and sometimes it becomes overwhelming.

I love that technology and the internet makes life easier in so many ways, but I also feel like it has just created so much more for me to do! Do you have a love/hate relationship with technology?

*Sidenote: if you have a Mac, make sure you get AppleCare. Totally, totally worth it. A new logic board, which normally would have cost me upwards of $35o, was totally free.

QuickVoice for iPhone

I always have my best blog ideas while driving. Except, well, I'm driving, so I can't exactly whip out a pen and paper to write down my idea (and by the time I reach my destination, I have usually forgotten what my idea was. I have a terrible short-term memory like that). Now, though, I'll be able to just press a button and record a quick thought on my iPhone with the help of the QuickVoice app (which is free!) without getting into a fender bender. Seriously, is there anything this phone can't do?