My new travel companion

Yesterday, my dad surprised me with a Kindle (an ebook reader) for my birthday. "Here," he said, interrupting my Netflix watching session, and presented me with a box. "For your birthday." "Whaaaattt???" I gasped, totally caught off guard not because my birthday is still weeks away, but considering everything my dad has gotten me in this past year to celebrate my college graduation (a new digital camera to replace the one he got me for my 18th birthday that was stolen on my 21st birthday; and a three month trip to Vietnam), I really did not expect nor even want him to get me anything. (His reasoning, I kid you not: Since you're at home all day without a job, might as well do something.)

When I started opening the box and saw the keyboard, I thought he got me one of those huge novelty calculators--as a joke, because I'm bad at math. Then I opened the whole thing and saw the "amazonkindle" logo and I was totally surprised. "WHHHAAAT?" I continued gasping. "A Kindle??!!!" This gift really came out of the blue because I had never, ever considered getting an ereader. When they first came out a few years ago, I really didn't get them. I thought, "Why would anyone choose to read a book on a screen versus a hard copy? How can you even compare the feel of a digital gadget to holding a book?"

There is a feel to holding a book that makes the reading experience so much more enjoyable. The distinct smell of book paper, made even more distinct if the edition was old; the feel of the textured paper as you skim through a page to find that quote you loved but had forgotten to drot down; and the satisfaction of a page turn, the corner tenderly between your fingers while you quickly finish the last words on the page, in anticipation for the next scene of events.

Then, I traveled. I will admit, the need/enjoyment of a hard copy book in hand is lessened when you have to lug it around in your backpack, straining your back because you can't just bring one book while traveling, you have to bring at least three for variety. Along with the back strain, it takes up valuable souvenir space. When I went to Vietnam, I was only able to bring with me four books due to luggage space limitations--all of which I finished in 2 weeks. Two of them I enjoyed and the other two I hated, but had to read out of boredom. When I left, I had to leave them all behind (it was painful letting go of the two I enjoyed...painful!)

So when my dad gave me the Kindle, I immediately thought of how wonderful it will now be to travel with the world's library at my disposal, to entertain myself even in the most excruciating of wait-times that is intrinsic to travel--all in a compact, lightweight device.

I've spent all of today playing around with it, figuring out all the buttons and downloading as much free books of interest as I can...and I got to say, despite my bias for hard copy books, this thing is freaking amazing. It is super lightweight (lighter than a paperback), which is perfect for travel.

For comparison, I set it alongside my travel books.

I love travel guides, but hate transporting them around (especially Euro travel guides; they're heavy). With the Kindle, I have all sorts of travel guides at my disposal that I can whip out while lost, roaming the confusing labyrinth of streets and not look like a tourist.

One single battery charge lasts up to one month, so I don't have to worry about charging it on short trips. And most importantly, the screen really reads like a book. The screen utilizes high-contrast e-ink, which does a good job of replicating the look of book pages, so when I'm reading, it doesn't tire my eyes in the way an LCD screen would (ahem, Ipad).

At this angle, it looks like any paper copy.

In all, I'm loving my Kindle so far. This thing is made for travel/commuting, or basically any context where lugging a bag of books around is not feasible. This is surely going to become a much cherished travel companion.

A much needed pick-me-up

You know those days when you're just not feeling...right. You don't necessarily feel "down", but you obviously don't feel "up" either. You can't exactly pinpoint what those feelings are or even where they originate from, but you just kind of feel unsettled and insecure. Well, I've been feeling this way, on and off, this whole week and...it sucks.

I've been trying to do little things to cheer myself up, like listen to a particular song or do some online shopping (I love Ebay), but they've all fell short of ridding this nagging downer I've been feeling. So, I turned to something that never fails to brighten my spirits nor that of anyone else I know---ice cream! And not just any ice cream, but "Thrifty" hand-scooped ice cream at Rite Aid.

If you never had Thrifty hand-scooped ice cream at Rite Aid, you've been missing out. Rite Aid's Thrifty brand of ice cream is dated way back when Rite Aid was known as "Thrifty Drug" and when it was still customary for pharmaceutical shops to also sell hand-scooped ice cream on its premises. "Thrifty Drug" was later bought out and renamed Rite Aid, but considering the generations of young'uns that grew up to love Thrifty Ice Cream, Rite Aid was smart enough to preserve the in-store ice cream shop (at least on the West Coast).

And so, this is where I headed to get that pick-me-up I so desperately needed. Of course, I had to pick up some buddies on the way and go through the requisite..."Wait, I'm lost...this is the wrong location...turn around, it's located at the OTHER Rite Aid." Apparently, not all Rite Aids serve hand-scooped ice cream. The closest Rite Aid (on the Eastside) that does have an in-store ice cream stand is located on McKee and White.

When we finally arrived and was immediately greeted by the "Thrifty Ice Cream" sign, I felt a little jump of excitement in my stomach, similar to those twinges of excitement I remember from childhood when my dad brought home M&M candies just because.

And really, who wouldn't crack a smile on their face when faced with the close possibility of eating delicious and very affordable ice cream. Because, it ain't called Thrifty ice cream for nothing! $1.29 for one sizable scoop of ice cream. Can you really beat that price? And (to me) it rivals the top ice cream chains in terms of taste and richness.

It also doesn't hurt when you know an employee at Rite Aid who can hook you up with extra servings! (That's why I love the Eastside, where I can always bump into old high school folks who are always more than happy to help me out) Thanks, friend!

On this particular day, I got the Black Cherry flavor. My buddy Amy got pistachio. It really was all I needed to take me away from the general 'blahness' I was feeling. Consuming this delicious cone of ice cream in the most unexceptionable surroundings... in the early evening, sitting outside in the Rite Aid parking lot, the sounds of shopping carts scraping concrete, over a chit-chat session with friends about random events, just enjoying the moment...yeah, that's exactly what I needed.

Fire near 101, McKee Rd

We saw the fire from a distance while driving around McKee and got a closer look on 101 North. Apparently, it was a grass fire that spread to a Kelloggs factory and brought down a Vietnamese radio station. Communist retaliation? J/K :)

Thanks to Amy for capturing the picture.