Those of you who have read me for sometime know my many angsts and confusions over when and where my cell phone contract with T-Mobile would run out.
I meant to do a grand tour of all the potential carriers this June, but in the end, the phone I wanted was the Nexus One.
When T-Mobile finally made me eligible for a reasonable upgrade to it last week, I couldn’t resist.
Verizon, you could’ve had me, had you only been more timely and excited about me being with you.
I’m sitting here watching my new Nexus One charge before I fire it up for the first time, and I decided to take one last pic with my Blackberry.
The picture is of the Nexus One, and it’s the picture that’s inside this internet blog post.
Sometimes there are days when you need a Fresca?
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(To your right – from the cover page of what I am writing at right now.)
A lot of people ask me the classic “what kind of music do you listen to” question when they’re trying to date me.
This is not info I disclose readily – it has to come out in an organic fashion.
For example, from the following, try and figure out if I listen to the 3 musicians named in the title of this post.
Brian: Hey soul sister is on again wtf
Brian: Who sings this I hate it so much
Girl: Train
Girl: Lolol
Brian: Its so girly lol
Brian: Like is Girly Rock a genre now
Girl: Oh mon brion lol
Brian: I blame the Goo Goo Dolls – they started this back in the 90s lol
Girl: Omg themmm
Brian: Hey Jealousy!
Girl: I love that song!!
Brian: when did that come out
Brian: I think it was like 94?
Girl: I don’t know brian I was like [redacted] then
Admittedly, there’s a lot more interesting stuff than musical taste happening in that exchange, such as relationship-based math.
Here’s another go at music.
Brian: Lolol that Pink song “I’m comin up” is on
Girl: Oh god lol
Brian: I haven’t heard this in a long time
Brian: It’s terrible lolol
Brian: Everybody’s dancin and they’re dancin for me!
Girl: Horrible
Brian: I’ll be your operator you can all anytime, I’ll be your connection to the party line!
Girl: We should remember what year it came out and then use that to compare our ages again
Brian: : /
Last one.
Brian: I was at this party one time and Coldplay came on and this dude LOVED them like in a really hipster/snobby way and I kept saying they were originally called Coldburst
Brian: He made me go read their Wikipedia page he was so pissed
Brian: And I was like “yeah they must’ve had it taken off so nobody would find out”
Girl: I don’t believe you
Brian: You weren’t even born yet when they were Coldburst lol
Seriously, Pink has been famous for almost a solid ten years now. I’m trying to think who she compares to historically – like how will she be remembered 20 years from now?
I don’t thunk her music has really transcended anything, but obviously they still play it now and then, and she’s been in the cultural zeitgeist for a good chunk of time.
What does zeitgeist even mean – I’m in over my head again. Did I just call Pink a Nazi?
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To preface this, you need to know that I locked my keys in my car about a week ago, and the AAA guy that came to get them out was FURIOUS at my ineptness, especially when it turned out the keys weren’t even in the car.
So I was on Blackberry Messenger with the same person I was on with when it happened last time.
Brian: Gah damn it I left my lights on now my battery is dead
Girl: Omg brian
Girl: You have so many car troubles
Brian: I swear I call AAA once a week lol
Girl: LOL
Brian: it’s not the car it’s me – just always in a hurry
Girl: Omg if that same guy some again
Girl: Comes
Brian: Lololol oh god it’s even more cold today
Girl: Lol forever
Brian: I will buy him this romance novel from borders
Brian: IMG00608.jpg ( 77.03KB )
Girl: LOLOL
Brian: I’m just like “sorry man I know it’s cold I got this for you”
Girl: “This should keep you warm at least a little”
Brian: Lol
Brian: Oh man it is cold out
Girl: : (
Brian: My hands have frostbite and no longer work
Girl: R u wearing shorts again
Girl: Oh no lol
Brian: LOL
Brian: Like my car won’t start and also I tripped on the curb and fell down and can’t get up lol
Girl: LOLOL
Brian: Nobody will help me lol
Girl: Lmao
Girl: Omg
Brian: I’m loling for real right in the middle of the store lol
Girl: Lol lol lol
Brian: Oh god the car just started now what lolol
Brian: He will get here and I won’t be lol
Girl: LOL SHUT UP
Brian: I will leave the book on the ground with a sorry note
Girl: Omg I’m dying
Girl: LOL
Girl: Horrible
Brian: Oh man I am glad I can share this with you
Girl: Lol omg me too brian
Brian: going to the gym – time to get big and strong!
What happens to all my BBM pals when the Google Phone takes hold of my life January 5th? Do you think I can still find ways to have mobile instant messaging fun?
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(Yes, I’m excited about the Google Phone. Rumored January release and supported by T-Mobile for once.
Also, Calvin Stadiums has been blogging over at Yardbarker for a couple weeks now, and look for some Who Shot Mamba? blooper reels on the Facebook Page this week.)
Some years back my mom started sending those “here’s what everyone is up to” letters with her Merry Christmas cards.
I immediately insisted on control over any part of the content that referenced me, so each December I submit my own section for her to include.
(My brother does this too – perhaps he can post the 2009 edition, as his are excellent.)
Alas, this is what I sent her over the weekend.
I’m still writing and acting and producing and trying to get new projects together.
I’ve never touched a guitar before. Also, I stopped using question marks this year for awhile. Isn’t that weird.
Oops! Lost my car keys again! LOL
Do you use gmail?
Your pal,
Brian Spaeth
P.S. My sole goal in writing this was to have my mother say something like, “I am not sending this!” and I guarantee she did exactly that after I emailed it to her.
Sent via my Blackberri Tornado II From T-Marbles
Movie – www.whoshotmamba.com
Twitter – www.twitter.com/brianspaeth
Facebook – www.facebook.com/brianspaeth
Website – www.brian23.com
P.P.S. Mom, make sure to include these links, cause like that’s part of the joke for this section of the letter.
P.P.P.S Also include all of these PS’s – including this one. These are also part of the joke.
P.P.P.P.S. Sorry for not taking your Merry Christmas Letter 2010 seriously. :(
I have to admit, I can’t see a day where I ever send Christmas cards or letters of any kind myself.
Like I get them from friends of mine who are married already, and I’m always thinking, “Why did you send me this and why is it signed The Jones Family? I don’t know what one of those is – why don’t you just email or call me? Yeah, I know I don’t answer my phone ever, but why did you get married?”
Do you or your family send these type of Christmas letters? Do you send Christmas cards? Do you believe in Merry Christmas Trees and why.
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Who Shot Mamba? Chapter 4 is up – you can watch it at the end of this post or through the link or wherever.
It’s probably the most unique use of an Inflatable Ben Wallace you’ll ever see, and also my songwriting debut. First hint of Bill Walton, as well.
In the meantime, I had this conversation in my ongoing quest to get new cellular devices…I swear my contract keeps extending itself.
When I asked in March, it was up this month. When I asked in September, it was up in March 2010. I asked last week…and this is what they told me. Every word of this is real.
Please wait while we find an agent to assist you…
You have been connected to _Ashley A.
_Ashley A: Hi Brian, welcome to T-Mobile live Chat. I’m _Ashley and I will be happy to assist you. Please give me a moment to review your question.
Brian Spaeth: Okey
Brian Spaeth: Hey Ashley are you a real person or a computer person
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So here is some information:
1) My Mac is down for the count, which means I have a hot date with the Apple Store this afternoon. If they can’t immediately fix it, I’ll be like, “Oh man! C’mon, try again.”
2) This non-Mac-having is severely crippling, and pretty much couldn’t come at a worse time, considering the WSM? site is supposed to open tomorrow, and the first teaser is out next Tuesday.
3) I like to talk about my computer problems in a public forum, so that other people will have sympathy, and then like they will tell all their friends about how strong I am in the face of the ultimate adversity.
3a) I bought a houseboat over the weekend, and now I live on it with my hot new wife, who I just met. She was the one selling the houseboat, and I was like, “Hey, do you come with the houseboat – ” and then she was like, “Yes,” and then I was like, “Man, that seems like a weird deal – do all of the houseboats at this water vehicle store come with hot girls to marry – ” and she was like, “Yes.”
4)If you look in the sidebar there, you’ll notice I’ve written a new (free) book, and also provided a backdoor into the the WSM? site.
5) If this first technology crisis wasn’t bad enough, I was in the local T-Mobile Action Center over the weekend, and found out I’m not actually a free agent until JUNE. (I thought it was November.)
What’s the worst adversity you’ve ever faced, and on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being “toughest”) how tough were you in the face of the adversity from the first part of the sentence.
Also, do you think if they renamed them T-Mobile Action Centers, that more people would switch to T-Mobile, and why or why not.
(Don’t forget the WSM? Facebook Page – it’s the only place you’ll be able to access the first teaser next Tuesday.)
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So like here’s the new domain. The non-complicated but maybe worth reading summary:
1) Everything is exactly the same except that the banner is now clickable, and the link color is blue-er-er. The social networking buttons are new at the bottom of the posts, as well. Oh – copyright footer is new and graphical.
2) Also new – the little rotating media box in the sidebar. It’s assorted WSM? social networking links and a Prelude to a Super Airplane link.
3) The feed is running through Feedburner now – it’s linked up in the RSS thingie.
4a) There’s now a mobile version of BTAA, and it like has its own special banner (with an explanation point) and everything.
If you’re on any cell phone other than an iPhone, just go to brian23.com and it automatically redirects you to the mobile site. Or, you can go to the link at the start of this sentence, and then text yourself the link.
(I did this through a site called MoFuse, and it was free and easy. They were recommended by Chris Brogan, and if you’re a burgeoning social networking junkie, you should probably be checking out his site on regular basis.)
4b) iPhone users are set to just go to the regular site, because Disqus doesn’t seem to work in this mobile network version. This will surely get toyed with and changed in 6 months when the world is totally different than it is today, as seems to happen regularly.
5) All the comments transferred on their own. I don’t know how this happened, but Disqus has come around and redeemed itself lately, yeah?
Monday I’ll start going through your list of requested topics – thanks for being my BFFs. Thoughts on any of this, or a list of three things you wish you weren’t too embarrassed to name your dog are welcome.
If I weren’t afraid of dogs, mine would be Tree, Desk, and Horse.
(You can follow me on Twitter here.)
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by Brian on March 12, 2009
in Blackberry,Blogs,Books,Brad Radby,Cleveland Cavaliers,LeBron James,Misc,Movies,Super Airplane,WSM?
Re: the samples of my next book, from the comments section of the last post:
orange5o 1 point
not sure you would want my feedback again!
but seriously, screener?
Your statement implies I fear criticism in some way, which is not true.
As to WSM? screeners, I talked to the Post Office on Tues, and they said they were waiting for my fax requesting the contents of my PO Box shipped to me. I told them nobody told me I needed to send such a fax, and it has since been sent.
That said, someone told me they just got theirs yesterday, which means I shipped 20 of these things on the same day, in the exact same fashion, from the same location and:
- Some of them were delivered.
- Some of them got kicked back to me for insufficient postage.
- Some of them got delivered three weeks later.
And the Post Office complains they’re underfunded. I’d say do a better job delivering simple items with the funding you have, then we can discuss more funding.
Okay, so this afternoon I go off the grid for a week – no blog, no Twitter, no internet.
I will have email, because I can’t totally disconnect, and I’ll have my phone with me, so it’s hard to not have email without undoing all the settings on the Curve, which I don’t feel like doing.
Be back as soon as everything is hooked up again, which should be about a week.
I’ll be using this time to make my way back to redactedland, and also to find new jokes, and also to make a true and concentrated effort to reconnect mentally with the Cavaliers, because really I should be more excited than I have been about sports since 1995, but I just haven’t been able.
PTSA should be available in Kindle (and thus, iPhone) this afternoon. I’m not at all pleased that the format only allows one font, but such is life. It’s uploaded – don’t know how long it takes to “go live”.
I’ve fixed all the unintentional typos in the print edition, and there were more than I thought, but nothing disastrous.
That means that yes, the typo on the cover is on purpose. Be well – please give me a bunch of volatile comments to read when I get back.
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So looks all of youse – it looks like I’ll be going off the grid for a bit – probably will post tomorrow morning and then I’m off for a week.
I have to do some vague transitionary thing that will remain vague in case my stalkers are watching/reading, and also because I’m out of jokes.
Between writing two books, a screenplay, and being on Twitter since December, I’m out of fingertips and jokes.
I’m pretty sure I’m out of words altogether, which is why I end up posting Becky chats.
Herein we continue the quest to give Devin Harris a nickname, Becky deals with the tumultuous world of the Philadelphia Airplane Station, I enjoy Dancing with the Stars and its Communist females, and we discuss potential Lost endings.
Becky: Meta time
Becky: There’s a rapper named Devin the Dude
Becky: And The Dude is also one of the greatest movie characters of all time
Becky: “The dude” could also describe “the man” as slang
Becky: Hence
Becky: The Dude
Becky: Ehv
Brian: I dunno The Dude is like sacred ground for some people
Brian: I don’t think you can give that to Devin Harris
Becky: Why not
Becky: He’s larger than life!
Becky: He makes miracle shots!
Becky: his name rhymes with heaven!
Becky: Devin sent
Brian: See now there might be an interesting thread
Brian: How about Angel lol
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