green noise

Being a self professed geek and Apple fangirl, I’m of course, an iPhone user. It’s an amazing device; stylish, fast, and infinitely useful for the geek on the go. Not only can I make phone calls with it, I use my iPhone every day during my commute to listen to music and audiobooks and play games, in the car to get directions, and wherever I am to access my e-mail and internet. It really is the most wholly useful device I think I’ve ever owned. Having said that, I will admit (much to the chagrin of many of my iPhone obsessed ilk) that this wondrous gadget is not without its flaws. Namely, the keyboard.
For many things, the touch-keyboard on the iPhone is adequate. It’s an acquired skill to really nail down, and I’ve gotten fairly adept at texts, short e-mails, and the like. But there are times, particularly when I’m at work or even at home, when I’d like to type something more substantial (a blog post from my iPhone’s WordPress app, perhaps) without firing up my laptop or getting out of bed (no, I don’t have a bed at work. I sleep on the floor when I’m there). For that kind of thing, a tiny virtual keyboard is no match for my pseudo-sausagey fingers.
So, when I happened upon this, my geeky little heart went into overdrive. WANT!! Ion’s iType looks like it could be an almost essential add-on for those of us who feel the need for something a little more tactile when we tweet. Granted, the iType isn’t a true full sized keyboard – it’s the size you’d see on your typical laptop. Even that, though, is sure to be an improvement. Imagine being able to type a full e-mail or blog posting on the iPhone with the same level of speed and comfort as you would on your own laptop. I, for one, would rejoice at not having to redo every other web search because my finger accidentally pressed the G instead of the H, for example. Being able to type more comfortably for a longer period of time could also be a huge productivity boost, allowing me to utilize apps like Documents To Go when I’m away from my computer, and edit any one of the endless spreadsheets I’m responsible for maintaining at work.
Another great feature of the iType is the fact that it functions as an iPhone charging dock. Not only do you get the convenience of the large keyboard, but your iPhone gets juiced up in the process. With the iPhone is placed in the docking area of the keyboard, the overall effect is almost that of a netbook (obviously, with a smaller screen). But you get the portability of something that small, the convenience of the iPhone’s 3G (or WiFi, or Edge) connection, the usability of an actual keyboard, and a charging dock, all in one neat little package. I really do think that Ion’s on to something here with this, and I look forward to getting my paws on one as soon as they come out – don’t you??
(As of this writing, word is that the iType will be available sometime during the first half of 2010, and will cost a little more than $100.)

I will make no bones about these three facts:

1. I am (and always have been) a geek.
2. For most of my life I was (and, to some extent, still am) a tomboy.
3. I am what the clothing industry likes to call “full-figured” (a polite way of saying that I could benefit from a brisk walk around the block after dinner.)

Whatever.

Basically, this combination equals all too many frustrating and fruitless trips to the mall when I was younger. Even if I did want to wear what all the other girls were wearing (something I think my mom might have preferred) they didn’t carry “cute” clothes for chubby chicks. So needless to say, I never really developed my mom’s or my sister’s skills for shopping, fashion, or bargain hunting (unless we’re talking getting great deals on tech gadgets…but that’s a whole ‘nother blog post.)

Well, I’m 30 now (yikes!) and apparently, that’s changed. I work in a professional office with a dress code that forbids my usual wardrobe of jeans and t-shirt bearing slogans like “No, I Will Not Fix Your Computer”. So I’ve had to work on my “girl” skills and I think it’s starting to pay off. I really took noticed of it last week. I had ordered some clothes online (I’m a geek grl – did you expect me to buy clothes in person? That’s so last century!) and they were waiting for my when I got home from work on Friday. I have to say that the fattening up of our nation has had the positive effect of meaning a lot more shopping options now for me and my shapely sisters. I usually shop at the lovely (but often pricey!) Lane Bryant. This time, I decided to try being (somewhat) thrifty, and went with Avenue.

So what did I get, and how did my efforts fare? Well, here’s the list:
3 pairs of work trousers
3 work appropriate tops
2 solid color cami’s (perfect for layering under all manner of tops, for work and casual wear!)
2 pairs of jeans (one medium rinse, one dark…can’t remember my last pair of dark jeans. I’ve missed them!)
1 pseudo fancy-pants t-shirt

The total for all of this would have been $290.95 (it’s not cheap being chubby) , plus $15.95 for shipping for a grand total of $306.90. Yikes! However, I tried to pick items that were on sale – after all, clothes always look and feel better when you’ve gotten them for less than the normal price – it’s a proven scientific fact. I purchased 11 items, only 4 of which were not marked down in some way. That got me down to $220.53, plus shipping. Not bad. I’d have been happy with that, but decided on a whim to look for any kind of coupon code I could find online. A brief Googling later, I had a 25% off code, which Avenue happily accepted. I brought my pre-shipping total down to a lovely $181.35. Not bad for a tomboy.

I’ll never be a fashionista – I don’t have the patience and, until the runway meets runtime, I’ll likely never have the desire. But being able to snag some sweet deals on clothes that I can feel good and look good in, without ever having to face the humiliation of fluorescent lights, fitting room mirrors, and the dreaded salespeople with their condescending “Did you want that in a larger size?” makes this geekgrl feel pretty damn good.