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I finally bit the bullet on Boxing day and bought a new phone! I have the worst of luck with phones and have had multiple makeshift phones in the past year after losing, breaking and drowning different handsets.
I've owned phones from Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Apple, so gave this latest purchase seriously some considerate thought. In fact I'd been out of contract for a year and been waiting for the iPhone 4.
In the end though I went with the Nexus S and while many reviews comment on how the iPhone 4 is better than the Nexus S, there are a few additional reasons that reviewers never seem to mention which persuaded me to pick the Nexus S.
Reviewers talk a lot about the specs and features of each phone. The first thing you'll notice about the Nexus S is that its fast, extremely fast and so much fun to play with too. I used to own an iPhone 3G and I actually found the Nexus S more intuitive to use. Everything simply works.
The iphone4 is a great phone, but the 4 button layout on the Nexus S works better for me. Your personal experience may be different.
And while Android vs iOS is also something you'll have to decide upon yourself. There is another big reason I chose the Nexus S and that is that T-mobile is so much cheaper for uncapped 4G service compared to AT&T.
I mean, originally I really wanted an iphone, but then I basically asked myself, would I pay myself at least $30 a month to own an iphone over the Nexus S?
I hate to bring service providers in to this but when you consider you can only buy an iphone on AT&T you have to bring them into it.
Another factor is the insurance too. iPhone's cost more to insure. The chances of me breaking this phone are 100% so I need insurance to cover me when I do. T-mobile insures the Nexus S for $6.99.
Finally the Nexus S doesn't require iTunes. No syncing playlists or any of that hassle, you simply drag and drop your files to the USB storage device icon it creates in My Computer and all your mp3s, mp4s and even m4vs play with no hassle.
So while the iphone is the industry leader, and narrowly beats the Nexus S in reviews, the service plan savings, insurance and ease of file transfers mean I would recommend the Nexus S over the iPhone. I love it!
With the 17-14 New Orleans victory over Atlanta Monday Night, the Saints locked up the fourth of six NFC playoff berths. A fifth will go to the NFC West winner, which will be determined on Sunday.
That leaves the Bucs, Packers and Giants to fight it out for the lone remaining wild card spot that's up for grabs, with the Bucs' odds being, perhaps, the longest.
The New Orleans win means the Bucs need to not only beat the Saints in the Superdome on Sunday, but they must have losses by the Packers (vs. the Bears) and Giants (vs. the Redskins) to allow the Bucs to qualify for the postseason. That scenario would eliminate the other teams and allow the Bucs to advance.
That leaves the Bucs, Packers and Giants to fight it out for the lone remaining wild card spot that's up for grabs, with the Bucs' odds being, perhaps, the longest.
The New Orleans win means the Bucs need to not only beat the Saints in the Superdome on Sunday, but they must have losses by the Packers (vs. the Bears) and Giants (vs. the Redskins) to allow the Bucs to qualify for the postseason. That scenario would eliminate the other teams and allow the Bucs to advance.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-6) playoff hopes are still alive. Imagine that.
As NFL Writer Ray Glier points out, the Bucs had three wins last season and their defense has been decimated by injuries. Their offense revolves around a second-year quarterback and rookies. Add to that, they are the youngest team in the NFL.
But the Bucs have a shot for a Wild Card berth. They will make the playoffs if:
Scenario A:
1. New Orleans (10-4) loses to Atlanta on Monday night
2. If Tampa Bay wins at New Orleans next Sunday
3. And if Green Bay loses at home to Chicago or the Giants lose at Washington.
Scenario B:
1. New Orleans beats beats Atlanta on Monday night
2. Tampa Bay wins at New Orleans
3. And Green Bay loses at home to Chicago AND New York Giants lose at Washington.
The Packers (9-6) absolutely can lose to Chicago (11-4). Remember the Bears want the No. 2 seed and first-round bye. The Giants (9-6) can absolutely lose to the Redskins. Remember, the Giants are reeling.
As NFL Writer Ray Glier points out, the Bucs had three wins last season and their defense has been decimated by injuries. Their offense revolves around a second-year quarterback and rookies. Add to that, they are the youngest team in the NFL.
But the Bucs have a shot for a Wild Card berth. They will make the playoffs if:
Scenario A:
1. New Orleans (10-4) loses to Atlanta on Monday night
2. If Tampa Bay wins at New Orleans next Sunday
3. And if Green Bay loses at home to Chicago or the Giants lose at Washington.
Scenario B:
1. New Orleans beats beats Atlanta on Monday night
2. Tampa Bay wins at New Orleans
3. And Green Bay loses at home to Chicago AND New York Giants lose at Washington.
The Packers (9-6) absolutely can lose to Chicago (11-4). Remember the Bears want the No. 2 seed and first-round bye. The Giants (9-6) can absolutely lose to the Redskins. Remember, the Giants are reeling.
Congratulations to The Kansas City Chiefs who won the AFC West for the first time since 2003 today.
In 2003, I was still living near Kansas City, George W. Bush was President, we had just started the invasion of Iraq, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first and only Super Bowl.
As Nate Torvik from the Armchair Reporter writes, "That year, Kansas City went 13-3 and faced the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC Divisional game in a season where the Colts did not win their division but won a wild-card spot. Larry Johnson was their first round draft pick, Priest Holmes broke the single-season touchdown record set by Marshall Faulk, and Trent Green was their 33-year-old quarterback (he’s 40 now!).
That is a lot to take in, isn’t it? Yet, here we are, the year is 2010, and coming off of a 4-12 season, my 10-5 Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the AFC West division crown and will be joining the likes of the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs."
I'm now keeping my fingers crossed the Tampa Bay Bucs can join them... And maybe even play them in the Superbowl.
In 2003, I was still living near Kansas City, George W. Bush was President, we had just started the invasion of Iraq, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first and only Super Bowl.
As Nate Torvik from the Armchair Reporter writes, "That year, Kansas City went 13-3 and faced the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC Divisional game in a season where the Colts did not win their division but won a wild-card spot. Larry Johnson was their first round draft pick, Priest Holmes broke the single-season touchdown record set by Marshall Faulk, and Trent Green was their 33-year-old quarterback (he’s 40 now!).
That is a lot to take in, isn’t it? Yet, here we are, the year is 2010, and coming off of a 4-12 season, my 10-5 Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the AFC West division crown and will be joining the likes of the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs."
I'm now keeping my fingers crossed the Tampa Bay Bucs can join them... And maybe even play them in the Superbowl.
I had a fantastic Christmas this year with the Sands family, celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas at their wonderful family home.
Thank you all so much for inviting me to a truly heartwarming and enjoyable celebration!
Thank you all so much for inviting me to a truly heartwarming and enjoyable celebration!
Having a wonderful Christmas Day, relaxing in and around Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria Island.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
Big thanks to my Dad today who went to wish my brother John, Mum & my Grandma Peg a very Merry Christmas, planting 3 sybolic flowers in the ground in their honour.
We took in some fantastic scenery at Robinson's Preseve this afternoon, the interior of the preserve features hiking paths, kayak and canoe waterways, bridges, picnic spots, a primitive campground, mangrove forests and a 53-foot-tall tower with a wide-open view of the Tampa Bay area. The 120-year-old Valentine House, moved to the preserve by boat, is near the entrance to the property, scheduled for a renovation to become Robinson’s information center.
Restoration in large part has been accomplished with grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Restoration in large part has been accomplished with grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Massive thanks to Greg Bizjak for securing me a suite tonight at the St Pete Times Forum for the NHL matchup between the TB Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.
Heading into the game Tampa Bay had won three in a row and was off to the best start in franchise history with 40 points through 32 games.
Before our group got to take our seats in the suite though we had to remove some impostors.
Apparently the family of four believed they were in the right suite and were quite dismissive when I asked them if they were 100% sure.
How things change eh? It wasn't too long a go I was crashing other people's suites, now its the other way around!
I felt so bad asking security to kick them out but I mean really, if youre going to crash someones suite then you should at least be engaging and entertaining.
Security did all the work and then with them kicked out, we were able to witness in clear view Marty St. Louis' crucial goal with one second left in the first period which ended up being key to Tampa Bay's 5-1 victory.
After that the Lightning scored three goals in 4 minutes, 7 seconds of a second period in which it held an 18-2 shot advantage put Carolina away. But the groundwork was laid when St. Louis put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1.
It was the fourth straight win for the Lightning (19-10-4), which swept a three-game homestand, and with 42 points, best in team history after 33 games, are now one point behind the first-place Thrashers in the Southeast.
Another highlight was Stamkos scoring his team-best 26th goal and 100th of his career to become the sixth NHL player to reach the mark before turning 21!
Heading into the game Tampa Bay had won three in a row and was off to the best start in franchise history with 40 points through 32 games.
Before our group got to take our seats in the suite though we had to remove some impostors.
Apparently the family of four believed they were in the right suite and were quite dismissive when I asked them if they were 100% sure.
How things change eh? It wasn't too long a go I was crashing other people's suites, now its the other way around!
I felt so bad asking security to kick them out but I mean really, if youre going to crash someones suite then you should at least be engaging and entertaining.
Security did all the work and then with them kicked out, we were able to witness in clear view Marty St. Louis' crucial goal with one second left in the first period which ended up being key to Tampa Bay's 5-1 victory.
After that the Lightning scored three goals in 4 minutes, 7 seconds of a second period in which it held an 18-2 shot advantage put Carolina away. But the groundwork was laid when St. Louis put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1.
It was the fourth straight win for the Lightning (19-10-4), which swept a three-game homestand, and with 42 points, best in team history after 33 games, are now one point behind the first-place Thrashers in the Southeast.
Another highlight was Stamkos scoring his team-best 26th goal and 100th of his career to become the sixth NHL player to reach the mark before turning 21!
Perfect conditions today - it didn't stop snowing here all day and then when then when the sun came out I was in heaven! Absolute quality skiing!!
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Here it is folks: The 10 Day Tour of East Canada we're about to embark upon.
We've tried to incorporate as much variation historically, culturally, physically through sports and really try to enjoy as much of the country as possible.
Fri 10th Dec - Arrive Montreal
Sat 11th Dec - Sightseeing, UFC George St Pierre Fight
Sun 12th Dec - Travel to Quebec City
Mon 13th Dec - Skiing in Mont St Anne
Tue 14th Dec - Skiing in Mont St Anne
Wed 15th Dec - Skiing in Mont St Anne, Night out in Quebec City
Thu 16th Dec - Travel back to Montreal, NHL Match: Bruins V Canadiens
Fri 17th Dec - Sightseeing in Montreal
Sat 18th Dec - Mont Royal plus Fire on Ice, Fireworks Show
Sun 19th Dec - Travel back to Florida
We've tried to incorporate as much variation historically, culturally, physically through sports and really try to enjoy as much of the country as possible.
Fri 10th Dec - Arrive Montreal
Sat 11th Dec - Sightseeing, UFC George St Pierre Fight
Sun 12th Dec - Travel to Quebec City
Mon 13th Dec - Skiing in Mont St Anne
Tue 14th Dec - Skiing in Mont St Anne
Wed 15th Dec - Skiing in Mont St Anne, Night out in Quebec City
Thu 16th Dec - Travel back to Montreal, NHL Match: Bruins V Canadiens
Fri 17th Dec - Sightseeing in Montreal
Sat 18th Dec - Mont Royal plus Fire on Ice, Fireworks Show
Sun 19th Dec - Travel back to Florida
Look who we ran into tonight in Tampa!
Welcome back! And Bon Voyage! LOL!
Welcome back! And Bon Voyage! LOL!
Rick Steves, public media host and author of over 50 guidebooks including the travel skills handbook, Europe Through the Back Door, shared lessons he’s learned from a lifetime of travel with us tonight as we took part of his studio audience at WEDU - our local PBS TV Station.
Perhaps the best advice from Rick was, "Finding places where you become part of the party rather than just part of the economy, should be the goal for any good traveler."
Yet, his entertaining, information-packed lecture didn't end up focusing on the best ways you can stretch your travel dollar, avoid crowds, packing smart, or eating and sleeping well.
Instead we got an opinionated lecture on how too many Americans are xenophobic full of stereotypes and cliches, and that Europe is somewhere they have to visit!
I don't disagree necessarily but I did find Rick's lecture a little too opinionated and a slightly polarized political rant that glorified Europe to be better than it really is. It also ended up being more about places he'd been to rather than how you can enjoy maximum travel thrills for every mile, minute and dollar in your next adventure like I'd hoped.
Still, he is a good speaker and his stories of visiting Iran were really interesting. He does a lot of good work for PBS and while I don't think I'd rush to see him again, it was still an enjoyable evening.
Perhaps the best advice from Rick was, "Finding places where you become part of the party rather than just part of the economy, should be the goal for any good traveler."
Yet, his entertaining, information-packed lecture didn't end up focusing on the best ways you can stretch your travel dollar, avoid crowds, packing smart, or eating and sleeping well.
Instead we got an opinionated lecture on how too many Americans are xenophobic full of stereotypes and cliches, and that Europe is somewhere they have to visit!
I don't disagree necessarily but I did find Rick's lecture a little too opinionated and a slightly polarized political rant that glorified Europe to be better than it really is. It also ended up being more about places he'd been to rather than how you can enjoy maximum travel thrills for every mile, minute and dollar in your next adventure like I'd hoped.
Still, he is a good speaker and his stories of visiting Iran were really interesting. He does a lot of good work for PBS and while I don't think I'd rush to see him again, it was still an enjoyable evening.
We were at the Bucs-Falcons games this afternoon and I have to say this is the first time the Bucs losing this season has really floored me.
We really thought the Bucs had won.
Yet, down 10 points with just over 10 minutes to go, the streaking Atlanta Falcons didn't flinch.
With Matt Ryan on their side, it's easy to understand why.
Eric Weems scored on a 102-yard kickoff return and Ryan finished yet another fourth-quarter comeback with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins that gave the Falcons a 28-24 victory that left us all in the stadium reeling.
Atlanta (10-2) now retains sole possession of first place in the NFC South over second-place New Orleans (9-3). The Bucs may not even make the playoffs.
What hurt most was the Bucs had this game won, yet still lost despite Ryan throwing two interceptions — the Falcon's first turnovers in five games — and completing 325 yards to 290.
I'd even tried to bribe the referees to help us!
The Falcons fans were celebrating like they'd won the Superbowl. With comebacks like this, maybe they will...
Meanwhile, I think this Jets fan was a little lost!
We really thought the Bucs had won.
Yet, down 10 points with just over 10 minutes to go, the streaking Atlanta Falcons didn't flinch.
With Matt Ryan on their side, it's easy to understand why.
Eric Weems scored on a 102-yard kickoff return and Ryan finished yet another fourth-quarter comeback with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins that gave the Falcons a 28-24 victory that left us all in the stadium reeling.
Atlanta (10-2) now retains sole possession of first place in the NFC South over second-place New Orleans (9-3). The Bucs may not even make the playoffs.
What hurt most was the Bucs had this game won, yet still lost despite Ryan throwing two interceptions — the Falcon's first turnovers in five games — and completing 325 yards to 290.
I'd even tried to bribe the referees to help us!
The Falcons fans were celebrating like they'd won the Superbowl. With comebacks like this, maybe they will...
Meanwhile, I think this Jets fan was a little lost!
Getting into the festive season the girls invited me to Hyde Park this afternoon to take some pictures of all the seasonal sights they have set up!
I did it! I finally started training again! And while I'm heading out of town next week to go skiing, at least I feel like I've started training for Ironman in 2011.
A full ab workout and pullouts, then I biked 15 miles in the gym to the backdrop of Everton vs Chelsea (which really helped!) before running 10k on Bayshore
It really feels good to start getting that runners high again!
A full ab workout and pullouts, then I biked 15 miles in the gym to the backdrop of Everton vs Chelsea (which really helped!) before running 10k on Bayshore
It really feels good to start getting that runners high again!
An exhilarating night of tennis tonight at the Tampa Bay Tennis Meetup group's Round Robin at Harbour Island Athletic Club.
I played for the first time in well over a year last night, so the opportunity to play again tonight was fantastic.
The quality of play was diverse too, which really helped me get back in to the game as Matt the organizer did a really good job of mixing up pairs for each match to keep the night balanced.
Start time was 6pm but I arrived late and it was absolutely fine as other people arrived after me. Play ran until about 9-930pm and a group was heading out to grab something to eat afterwords at one of the local places nearby.
There was a $10.00 per person fee that was cash only. This was a Harbour Island Athletic Club fee that is paid to Matthew Romick, the tennis pro at HIAC that runs the round robin socials.
They play every Friday so if you want to play let Matt know that you are there as part of the "Meetup Group". Once you arrive at HIAC let them know at the front desk that you are there for the round robin. They will let you through and you can go out the back and to the tennis courts. Normal meeting spot is near the grandstand seating on court 1 or near courts 2&3.
Balls are provided too so you do not need to bring any with you for this event.
A great night of thoroughly enjoyable tennis. I'll definitely play again!
I played for the first time in well over a year last night, so the opportunity to play again tonight was fantastic.
The quality of play was diverse too, which really helped me get back in to the game as Matt the organizer did a really good job of mixing up pairs for each match to keep the night balanced.
Start time was 6pm but I arrived late and it was absolutely fine as other people arrived after me. Play ran until about 9-930pm and a group was heading out to grab something to eat afterwords at one of the local places nearby.
There was a $10.00 per person fee that was cash only. This was a Harbour Island Athletic Club fee that is paid to Matthew Romick, the tennis pro at HIAC that runs the round robin socials.
They play every Friday so if you want to play let Matt know that you are there as part of the "Meetup Group". Once you arrive at HIAC let them know at the front desk that you are there for the round robin. They will let you through and you can go out the back and to the tennis courts. Normal meeting spot is near the grandstand seating on court 1 or near courts 2&3.
Balls are provided too so you do not need to bring any with you for this event.
A great night of thoroughly enjoyable tennis. I'll definitely play again!
Its ambitious, but Ive just laid out a preliminary race plan for the upcoming year in the build up to Iroman Cozumel, November 2011
I think I'll most likely only do a maximum of 2 half ironmans, possibly just the one and maybe a few more sprints on the way but at least the foundation is laid in!
Wish me luck!
http://www.trifind.com/MyTriFind/
I think I'll most likely only do a maximum of 2 half ironmans, possibly just the one and maybe a few more sprints on the way but at least the foundation is laid in!
Wish me luck!
http://www.trifind.com/MyTriFind/
I started my first Ironman training session tonight with a 9 mile bike and a 3.2 mile run, and it felt great!
Finding a training schedule is a lot tougher than finding Hal Higdons awesome programme for marathon training so I'm just experimenting right now. My main goal is to improve my swimming in future weeks but just to begin any for of training at all was exhilirating.
In fact Ironman is the most exciting thing I've ever done!
Finding a training schedule is a lot tougher than finding Hal Higdons awesome programme for marathon training so I'm just experimenting right now. My main goal is to improve my swimming in future weeks but just to begin any for of training at all was exhilirating.
In fact Ironman is the most exciting thing I've ever done!
Costa Rica is quite simply stunning! From diverse rainforests to active volcanoes, to magnificent mountains and beautiful beaches, I was wowed every moment.
The highlight would have to be ziplining followed closely by scuba diving off coco beach and hiking in the rainforests around the Arenal volcano.
I'll upload pictures as soon as I can!
The highlight would have to be ziplining followed closely by scuba diving off coco beach and hiking in the rainforests around the Arenal volcano.
I'll upload pictures as soon as I can!
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