Going for broke... Literally.

January is turning out to be a very expensive month. I have invested in a couple of things that, as a result, have depleted my chequing account. In a way it makes me feel a little ill, but both things were planned out and arguable very necessary.

The first hit my bank account took was my recent vacation to San Francisco. I was there for 9 days (+2 half days of travel). I will be doing another post about this trip as I will have pictures to post and will want to write out a lot of my adventures. Needless to say it was a good trip --- I love the West coast. I found it very relaxing and beautiful when I went to Vancouver two years ago and this trip only reinforced how much I enjoy it out there.

Some differences between Vancouver and San Francisco off the top of my head - SF is busier and has better transit. SF has more hills, and while it exists in its own micro-climate, it didn't rain everyday during my stay. The people are pretty friendly in both places.

My trip to San Francisco ended up being really great for me in a few ways. I got to relax. I got to explore a new city. I was able to meet up with family and made some new friends along the way. There was also a romance involved, which was a catalyst for a few of the surprises and highlights of the trip. But of course, this is all for the SF post, so stay tuned for that one... or few postings. We'll see.

The second blow to the bank account came today as I braved the Apple store and bought myself a new computer. My 'old' computer, an iMac, was purchased in 2007 when I moved to Toronto to study Graphic Design at Humber college. The computer has served me very well over the years but as far as the speed at which I am able to do work, it has started to become a real pain when I would like to get things done at a reasonable speed. Insert new computer.

If you've ever been into an Apple store you'll know a couple of things.
It's:
1) Busy and crowded. Hot and stinky;
2) Expensive;
3) Only fun if you're browsing and playing around;

I was in there to purchase a 15" MacBook - my first laptop - something that in and of itself makes this purchase a little more nerve wracking. I increased some of the features anticipating the demand on the system given the work that I will be doing on it. The result is an empty bank account.

It's an investment. It's something that will help me do my job, if not better then at least faster. The vacation is an investment in my mental health. Anyone who has taken a vacation can understand that.

So right now I am typing out this post on the laptop while I lay in bed. I feel as though typing in bed will become a regular occurrence, as will taking my laptop to a coffee shop and losing myself in my thoughts and work.

I am trying to get used to not having a mouse. Having never owned a laptop I have never gotten used to not having one. It's strange. What makes the process a little more involved is that new Apple products are all making use of gestures to make different things happen. This is due to the ipod, iphone, ipad, etc. All of the gestures will be the same. But again, having never used most of them it really takes some getting used to. But I do have to say that once you get the gestures in your head it really makes things faster as you're not reaching for scroll bars and the like. These Apple folks may know what they are doing after all. ;)

What I will forever mourn: the side number pad. I love that thing. I really do. Always have. Always will. I hate using the top row of numbers. Maybe it's because of math and calculators. Maybe it's because of phones. I have no idea, but I will surely miss the side number pad.

Something that I do like: The keyboard lights up, making it really easy to track buttons down in lower light. Even though I can type without looking at my hands, getting used to a new keyboard requires some downward glances to make sure I'm hitting the right spots.

I'm turning 30 this year and this year has unofficially become the year of change (or the year of new things). We're only a month in and there's a lot of change going on. There's so much more happening in my life right now that I didn't see coming. For now, knock on wood, it's mostly all good stuff. Here's hoping the next 11 months are just as kind.

Later all... ;)