Here we go again.

Ok. The year is quickly winding down and here I am staring at this blog and wondering what to make of it. Again. I've tried on and off to use this medium in many and no ways, which explains its lack of focus. Frankly, I do not know what that will be; however, I am setting time aside to think about it and chart a course. Let's see what the 'new and improved' recipe ends up looking like. 

Roku or Apple TV

For the better part of this year I have relied on Hulu and Netflix to watch TV shows and movies. Prior to this change I had invested a great deal of time to setup a Windows Media Center PC to act as my DVR. While it worked with little to none intervention, it wasn't without problems. If we ever had a brownout, the PC would not come back on or the cable box would not power up on its own so I would end up with a blue screen  and no show recorded. Enter Hulu. I created an account and told it which shows I wanted to subscribe to and to show me only new episodes.  Since then I'm not concerned at all what happens at home because the day after my desired show airs, it is on Hulu.

There are drawbacks with Hulu.  For example, I cannot watch a show 15 minutes in, like I would w/ a DVR, with the intention to skip the commercials because the show is not available yet. However, this has not been much of an issue for me because I generally don't watch shows when they air; I watch whenever I can.

Given that Hulu and Netflix and my primary sources of entertainment I would like to get a 'box' that streams both that works well and is better than having a bulky power inefficient PC attached to the TV. Enter Roku or Apple TV. Roku seems ready to support both; see article. But there are rumors about Hulu coming to Apple TV. I've been inclined to move in the Apple direction because it's Apple so not a solid reason yet. From the looks of it, it may be Roku 1 and Apple 0, but the jury is still out. I have not purchased either a box yet, but soon I will. The question is which one.

A quick meal by myself.

Soon after leaving work today I stopped by the local Chick-fil-a for quick bite before class. Today was our final test, a 3 hour marathon, so I wanted to be sure 'hunger' would not impact my performance.

When I pulled up to the parking space I lingered in the car to finish listening to a story on 'All Things Considered.' When it was done, I carelessly stepped out of the car and went in to the restaurant. Once inside I realized I left my phone behind. It was a weird feeling. I have a DROID phone which means I'm always connected to cyberspace and it is not uncommon for me to check Facebook/Twitter, etc. while on a break. This time was different. I did not go back to the car for my phone  so there I sat with my food in front of me and I was totally alone.

I'm no stranger to having a meal 'alone', which I should work on but that's outside the scope this post, but I do so with phone in hand. This time it was just us: the food and me. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable experience. I simply consumed my food, let my mind wander and busy itself with no more than the brief distraction of a car driving by. I'm sure people were still sending out twitter/facebook updates but I was unaware of whom checked in where, posted photos, liked something, etc.  It was very relaxing and arguably the best way to pass the time before the long and timed test that awaited me.

Once reunited with my phone I checked the feeds for each application but it was not lost on me how much my behavior has changed since these things are so omnipresent in my life. But I don't 'need' to be plugged in all the time. Sometimes is good to just be and slow down even if the result is writing about an unplanned moment of reflection and posting it to web.