My Random Blog

Note: This is NOT an “ad” post. I’m no one’s sales bitch and I don’t post ANYTHING that doesn’t come directly from ME.

I hate checking my voice mail. It’s time consuming and I don’t like to have to listen to the bullshit messages before getting to the ones I want and/or need to hear. When I had my iPhone I LOVED the visual voice mail. I, personally, think that ALL cell phones should have that feature. It’s priceless. But, alas, they don’t.

Today I discovered this neat-o service called YouMail that takes the ass pain out of voice mail retrieval. And it’s NOT just for BlackBerrys. it works with a shitload of other phones and pretty much every carrier. Basically, if you have voice mail attached to your cell, you can probably use it. Best part of all: It’s FREE. I love free stuff and I figured y’all would too.

The whole set-up process took me about 5 minutes, if that. Setting up my preferences took me about another 5. I could sit here and list all the nifty features of YouMail, but that’s why they have a Web site. I will tell you, however, that I now have visual voice mail, and have also opted to get text transcripts of them- which is pretty cool. It’s also funny when they don’t get it transcribed exactly right- but they also email me an MP3 of the message, so I can hear it if I need to. They also give me detailed caller ID info on my voice mail leavers. (Even the ones who hang up.) I should note that if you don’t have email on your phone, getting your messages emailed to you might not be as fabulous as it is for those of us that do.

Finally, since I also hate it when people block their numbers before calling me, I’m using the “DitchMail” option on those assholes. They get a greeting that tells them I don’t accept blocked calls, to unblock their numbers and try again- then hangs up on them. If you don’t want me to know who you are, then you shouldn’t be calling me. Anonymous calling is for tweens, telemarketers and pussies. Put your big girl panties on and call me back.

Peace and nifty, free shit.

EDIT (July 11th, 7:53 p.m.): I have been having some issues with YouMail that I thought I’d share. This afternoon Hot Future Doctor called me about 3 p.m. I didn’t get notified until after SEVEN P.M. And when I did get notified, it was in a text. No email, with attached voice mail, the way I set it up. I even went back and re-checked my settings. THEN I attempted to forward his voice mail to my email and it didn’t forward. It’s been half an hour now. I also attempted to forward it to my SECOND email address… So far nothing there either.

I have sent a message to YouMail detailing my snags and expressing my unhappiness. I understand this is a free service, but that kind of delay time between voice mails and notifications is not acceptable. I’ve decided to give it 24 more hours and if they don’t fix this shit- I’m getting rid of it.

I have been so all-consumed with BlackBerry software, applications, graphic design and themes these days that I seem to have forgotten I even have a blog. I’ve joined a couple of online forums, and have been busy helping other forum users. Mostly with links to new operating systems, since posting them is a big no-no. I’ve always been a modder of Motorola and Nokia phones, so I’m quite new to this BlackBerry world. So far, me likey.

In addition the technical stuff, I have discovered ColorWare. While cruising around BB theme sites, I ran across NancyDrew BlackBerry Themes. (If you’re looking for themes for your BlackBerry, she’s a fucking genius.) She has a photo of her “PinkBerry” there, done by ColorWare, and I almost peed myself. She was even kind enough to answer some of my questions about it. I just don’t know how I’m going to live without my phone for the amount of time it will take them to paint it. I have discovered the crack of cell phones and I am addicted.

Moving on…

Saturday night at work was Saturday night at work. I was SO tired from having been there once already, early in the a.m., but I was actually let off about an hour early. Something that never happens on a weekend night. So, naturally, I had to take advantage.

I don’t know where I got the strength, but I met up with BFF and a few other girlfriends after work. I was still very tired, so I decided to mix my Tuaca with Red Bull. THAT handled my tired problem pretty efficiently. I remained awake and able to drink beer the rest of the night. A good idea at the time, but a bad idea on Sunday. Needless to say, I didn’t go anywhere yesterday. (I had the day off, thank God.)

I spent today (my usual day off) not doing all the shit I meant to do. Like laundry. Between my BlackBerry and my laptop, I’m shocked I managed to even feed myself.

I’m off to do more nerdy shit, then I’ll try to turn my brain down enough to sleep.

Peace, addiction and fun.

Sooo… I got my hands on RIM’s latest beta OS for my BlackBerry Curve last night (all hail the Internet) and installed it. There are not words to express how thrilled I am with it.

It seems that AT&T likes to lock down certain features that should otherwise be available. For instance: My phone did not have a video camera or the ability to stream videos online from sites like YouTube. I consider those pretty basic features, considering this phone retails for upwards of $400.

Well thankfully I’ve been modifying phones for years and was able to upgrade my software myself. Now my fab CrackBerry does all the things it was born to do. I’d like to give a big middle finger to AT&T now. Ya’ll can’t keep a true nerd down, bitches.

Gotta get ready for work now. I’m dreading it as I’ve been there once already today and have been up since 7 this morning. I should be off about midnight. My attempt at a nap was futile. God help me when all the sugar and caffeine wear off.

Me and my hangover will be back Monday.

Peace and technology.

What a weekend.

Friday night with the girls was super fun. Sex and the City was fabulous, but the way some chicks dressed themselves to see it was a little ridiculous. It was worth it just to see the fashion nightmares that came out to play. Note to those women: While this IS California, it isn’t Hollywood. And Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte could not see you through the movie screen. I’m really not sure what was worse- the fashion show, or the “I [heart] Sex and the City” t-shirts. My girls and I were super excited to see the movie, and loved it- but we dressed like ourselves.

After the movie we commenced to drankin’, hit several local hot spots and celebrated Michelle’s birthday the right way. Saturday night at work I was wishing my head would just explode already.

Last night, after work, drinks sounded like a good idea again. I met up with Sly and we decided to see how much beer our bodies could hold. Turns out they hold a lot. Today I am not feeling that spunky. Thank GOD I don’t have to go anywhere.

On another note, I got a new phone. Again.  I thought I’d try out the BlackBerry since it’s the only kind of phone that I haven’t had yet. That, and Fashion Paramedic adores hers so much that I had nasty phone envy. So I got myself a white Pearl. It’s cute and I like it, but I am considering it my BlackBerry “training” phone. The QWERTY keypad is foreign to me and I’ve gone from texting like I invented it to texting like a 2 year old. I am getting better though. So once I master this one, I’ll upgrade.

Ya know how women are with shoes? I’m like that with phones. It’s a sickness and I need help. But until someone comes up with electronics rehab, I’ll keep getting new ones.

Peace and smartphones.