Melissa Ox's Blog

new phone pouch

2011-09-12T19:38:00.001-05:00

new phone pouch, a photo by melissaox on Flickr.

Just got this today..

Case Mate Tough Case for BlackBerry 9900

2011-09-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here it is. The case showed up via USPS yesterday. I have to say it was a bit of a fight to get it on properly. The case fits tight and has openings for the buttons, and you have to get them in properly in order to be able to use the phone.
I don't recall it being an issue with the Otterbox or Seidio cases I used on my 9700 - although they did have a lot of steps to get in and out.

A downside if you are looking for protection in your case, the Case Mate does not over the keys or the screen.

An upside, its not all black, which is a huge plus for me. Not that I am normally a pink fan, but the pink and black look nice.

The case has nice grippy texture to it. I was running into problems with the 9900 being rather smooth, it would slide off the top of my closed laptop at work. Now its not sliding if sat on a smooth surface that is not perfectly flat.

One other downside I ran into, the hole for the headphones is too small for the cord I have in my car to hook up to my stereo, but I had no problems plugging in my hands free or my charger.

Now I will admit at first I found myself wondering what the return policy was. However after a few hours I decided I would keep it.

And if you are wondering, the case does actually come in all black too, in case you like it, but pink is not your thing. You can check them out on amazon:
Case-Mate BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9930 Tough Cases, Black / Pink

Case-Mate CM014689 Tough Case for Blackberry Bold Touch 9900/9930 - 1 Pack - Retail Packaging - Black

Below are some pictures I took:

What Happens When I Play With The New BlackBerry Too Much?

2011-09-10T14:04:00.000-05:00

Billie demands pictures. I am impressed with the camera. It is much easier to use than the 9700 and takes really good pictures.

Deliveries

2011-09-10T11:41:00.000-05:00

I got X-men First Class and my new phone case.....
Have to see how the case works out. I was not impressed at first and it was a bit of a fight to get the phone in, but its growing on me. It does not cover the face of the phone at all.

K @ soccer

2011-09-10T11:38:00.001-05:00

K @ soccer, a photo by melissaox on Flickr.

Here is Kaylee play - she is #8

Soccer Practice Try #2

2011-09-09T17:29:00.002-05:00

Wednesday's soccer practice were cancelled as soon as we got to the field. Tonight we got in almost 30 minutes before the skies turned dark and we all took off to get on our way before the rain.

Kaylee goes off and practices with her team like a champ. Billie on the other hand wants to chat to her teammates, her coach, and me after kicking the ball for five minutes.

Tomorrow is Kaylee's first game this season. Billie's is not until next week.

We will see how soccer goes for the girls.

Upgraded to 9900

2011-09-08T19:16:00.000-05:00

So this past Friday I picked up my new Blackberry, the 9900. I have been waiting for this phone for a long time, I love the touch screen with the full qwerty keypad. I am loving the snappier phone.
I decided to try the case mate tough case in part because it has pink (aka a color other than black) and I was not pleased with the Otterbox Defender for the 9700. I found the arms on the holster part would break after a little use. After getting it replaced I gave up. I was using a Siedio until I wore it out, but they don't have 9900 cases yet.
I should get my case as early as tomorrow, hopefully no later than early next week.

Rugged Update

2010-06-11T19:32:00.001-05:00

I have to say I love this case. I thought it was too big and bulky at first, but it really is not.
The hardest part for me has been to remember to take the cover off the camera when I need to use it.
I have noticed I seem to make more typos with the screen cover than I did with it bare. Although I really didn't think about it until I read a post about it. Not sure why that would be versus the Otterbox as both basically just cover the keys with clear plastic.

I feel very secure about the holster and case. Unlike the Otterbox where an invisible crack would appear and make the 9700 slide out.
I like the look and feel of the case.

Another improvement over the Otterbox case, is that the touch pad is covered. I found on the Otterbox little bits of stuff, hair, fuzz, sand (I am in FL I am always fighting sand) would sneak under the opening for the touch pad and get up in the screen or down in the keypad. This would require removing the case to get in there to clean it out.

I also find the Seidio much easier to get on and off than the Otterbox.
I found I got used to the clip at the top to pop the phone in and out quickly. I had to watch myself because i want to fidget with the lock when my hands are free.
I don't think it would hurt the case to cut the camera cover off, although I don't think I will.

Melissaox - Putting on the Innocase Rugged

2010-06-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

Seidio Inno Case Rugged Review

2010-06-06T10:09:00.003-05:00

Innocase Rugged for the BlackBerry 9700 Bold First Impressions

There are four parts to the case, the two hard plastic covers that
snap on, one in the front, one in the back. There is a softer plastic
case it slips into after snapping on the hard case. Then the plastic
skeleton slides over top of the soft cover in the groves.

I snapped some pictures of the case as I took it out of the box. I am
not sure about the plastic covering over the track pad, although
surprisingly I didn't actually notice it once I got it on.
I found this case was easier to put on than the Otterbox Defender
because the keypad covering was attached to the case. I didn't have
to spend time lining up the clear plastic cover over the keys as I did
with the Otterbox.

I am not sure how I will like cover over the camera, but I am going to
see how it works out. There is a little peg on the camera cover that
fits nicely in a little hole to keep it away from the camera. The
only other area that gets uncovered is the usb and audio jack on theside.
I haven't used a holster with a top clip, or a lock before, so I will
have to see how it goes.

Overall, first impressions, I like the case. It has a nice look to it
and it was not hard at all to put on. I think I am going to like this
case. I have attached some pictures below. You can see all of them on my
Flickr page here.

You can buy one from Seidio here
Pictures below:

Beat a video game

2010-05-22T10:53:00.001-05:00

Maybe its because I'm a girl. Maybe because I don't play or like shooter games. Why do people feel the need to play a game as fast as they can and beat it?
I like to play and enjoy a game. With games like lego star wars there are all sorts of hidden things to unlock and find. This is what I like. I'm not interested in beating the game or finding the end. I'm interested in playing and enjoying the game and the play.
I'm often drawn to games like Wii Fit that you don't win. Or Mario Party where there is no end to get to. Its just fun.
Another one of my favorites are the Unos on xbox.
I guess its all personal preference. Mine is just different.

Saturday

2010-05-22T10:40:00.001-05:00

Its been an interesting Saturday morning.
Dave actually made something from a cooking show that worked out ok. It didn't take three times as long and make a nasty mess.
Kaylee and Billie spent a lot of time chasing one another around the house over a balloon which was not blown up.
I knitted and watched a dragonslayer movie on Syfy.
Now the girls are taking an usual daytime bath.

The rocket was scrubbed last night. And pushed off to Sunday night. I don't think I can stay up to see it as I get up at 5am on weekdays. Sad I won't be able to see it.

Still Unfollowing

2010-05-16T09:18:00.001-05:00

Wow. I haven't really unfollowed 200 yet. This is not a lot of fun.

Today is Kaylee's birthday party. She turned 5 on Tuesday. I am not a party fan. But she is excited.

Busy LIfe

2010-05-15T12:07:00.002-05:00

Well, life has kept me very busy.

I discovered today that there is a limit on how many people you can follow on twitter. Basically 2000 then after that there is a formula that is based on how many followers you have. So I am unfollowing lots of people today.

Sorry, mostly I am sticking to people who are not following me.

Did you see Iron Man 2 yet? We did. It was great.

Oh, and Chuck will be back for another season - which is the best news all week.

Bunny Pic

2010-03-31T19:05:00.001-05:00

Here we are at the mall. We decided to pay the Easter Bunny a visit.
Kaylee was excited, and so was Billie until she got close, not even her binky could get her to go near the rabbit without her dad. So here we all are trying to smile.

Warming Up

2010-03-07T11:33:00.002-05:00

I am so very glad its starting to warm up again in Florida. I don't like cold weather, that is why I moved here.

It seems like everything is getting happier with warmer weather.

Well, except Billie who is currently screaming her little head off from her pack n play in her room. She was naughty and threw a book and sippy cup. She is not very happy.

WoW Spam

2010-02-02T20:54:00.002-05:00

If you didn't know, my World of Warcraft account was hacked in November. No I did not buy gold, or have a keylogger. I believe the tried a few times to get into my email account because I got a few messages on my BlackBerry that my account was not working.

I logged into check it out and find an email about my WoW password being changed. Bad times....

I have a token now that gives me a special code to log in, and I changed my WoW email to one that is only used for WoW. I don't worry about being hacked, and try not to panic when I get an email about my email not working.

Anyhow, the point I was getting to was the fake WoW phising spam. I was getting one or two every couple of weeks. Fake emails claiming to be from the WoW team and needing information, or log into a site. Well, it was coming to my old WoW email address, clearly not really from Blizzard. I have been forwarding them on to Blizzard.

However the pace has skyrocketed. I am now getting several a day. Its really quite annoying.

So phising spammers, get lost you evil people. Stop trying to feed off of others by stealing their information. Its just wrong.

Now that I have that off my chest, I think I am quitting WoW, again. Maybe it will be another break. But I think tonight with the Wintersgrasp incident I am done.

I like Wintersgrasp, however its hard to get into because it only happens every couple of hours and you don't know when it will be exactly as its based on when the last one finished.

I was excited after a rough day to see it was about to happen, I log in, get the quests, get started. Later as we were defending I start to have very bad lag, and the game kicks me out. No big deal, just annoying. Until I log back in, and I'm in the middle of nowhere and marked so that the other side can attack me.

Ok, fly back to the battle. Oh no, I'm no longer in queue, and the game is full. I have to wait. Wait until never as it ends before I can get back in and collect my reward.

I have had enough I think. I have better things to be worried about. Sadly even quiting probably won't make the spam go away.

Otterbox For My 9700

2010-01-30T14:42:00.002-05:00

I had an Otterbox for my BlackBerry 8900. For some reason I debated a few days before ordering the Defender today for my 9700. I ordered:
OtterBox Case for BlackBerry Bold 9700
I should have it on the 2nd and I hope I love it as much as my previous Otterbox. I just wish they had some color other than black.

I like the complete covering, the keys, the screen, everything is covered up. And it comes with a great holster that never lost the phone nor came off whatever I hooked it on.
Now, you might wonder why I need the protection. If you have ever followed me on twitter then you probably know I am a klutz. I work an office job, but I do a lot of dropping and knocking over. I have ruined at least one keyboard thanks to a spilled drink, so an Otterbox is my way of trying to keep my BlackBerry safe from me. And maybe my girls too, as my 19 month old and 4 year old are always trying to get away with my phone.

I will give it a try and then write up a review. I expect it will be just like my 8900 case, but with the holes in the right spot for my 9700.

Star Trek Online

2010-01-30T11:11:00.002-05:00

Well, the husband finally got it downloaded and installed last night. He was up until almost 2am trying it out.
He hasn't been wowed by the game so far. It says its kind of complicated. And I was right, I wouldn't enjoy it.
Check it out here -
Star Trek Online
The game is very customizable. You have lots of things you can change and modify to make it your own. The talent trees remind him of Star Wars Galaxies back many years ago when we used to play.
He seems a little disappointed. But I convinced him to keep playing to see how it goes.
That means he probably will not be playing much World of Warcraft, so either I am going to play alone or I won't play at all. So far I haven't played much at all. It might be time for a break from WoW for me too.

New Year New Ideas

2010-01-29T20:43:00.002-05:00

I sure have been naughty about posting over the past few months. I am going to try and be better.

First - Apple iPad???? Really?? I am no apple fan, well I don't have or use anything apple. But I found the iPad to be uninteresting. Just a bigger iPhone/iTouch. Oh well. Apple's loss.
However I am sick and tired of people trying to compare it to a Kindle. I couldn't imagine reading an entire book on an LCD screen. Plus, its kinda too big, and way more expensive than a Kindle. Not to mention Apple wants to sell books for $3-$5 more than Amazon. What is up with that?

So I am heading back to Kennedy for another NASA tweet gathering in February. It should be a great time for the launch of the SDO, a rocket, not a shuttle this time. I am sure it will still be amazing.
On the NASA note - we can afford millions and billions for a high speed rail? Does anyone really ride those in the US? But we can't afford to fund exploration of space? I wasn't even alive back when we landed on the moon the first time. I would love to have a moon landing in my lifetime. Clearly so would alot of other people, as I am hearing there is a bit of a fuss over scrapping moon plans.

On a completely different note, I updgraded my BlackBerry this week from an 8900 to a 9700. I wanted the battery life as my 8900 battery was not doing so hot. Sure I could get a new battery, but a new phone is much better. And it looks like I picked a great time. We haven't had 3G here although I have been told the hardware is around. Today myself, my husband, and one of his co-workers found ourselves attached to 3G for awhile. I would guess T-Mobile was testing it out. By the time I got home I was back to Edge, which is no big deal as I am on wifi at home.

And if anyone saw my tweets earlier, I haven't decided on Star Trek Online. My husband pre-ordered his tonight and got his early code. Its been downloading for hours. I will wait to see him play this weekend to make my final decision. I have never really been a Star Trek fan until the recent movie. I thought it was good, and have given some of the older stuff a second chance.
Of course if we both start playing Star Trek we will have to take a break from World of Warcraft.

Well, enough rambling on for one night I think.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T11:29:00.002-05:00

Well, another Thanksgiving is behind us. Thanksgiving aka Turkey day, happens to be one of my favorite holidays. I like turkey, and mashed potatoes, and stuffing.

However it has been a rough week. The big problem, Billie got sick. She had a fever. And of course it was worst Thanksgiving. Why does she always get sick late at night, weekends, and holidays?
So Friday the husband took her to the Urgent Care office as the regular doctor's was closed. They checked for strep, flu, all negative. So he said it was a virus, and sent him off to Publix for antibiotics.
We now think Billie is allergic. She got worse after we started the medicine. She got a little rash and started to have the nastiest blow out poo's I have ever seen. Trust me you do not want any more detail than that.
So we stopped the medicine yesterday. And not to much surprise she is much better today. So far no nasty blow outs, no screaming aches, and the rash is fading away. Granted, the rash may have only been heat rash, as Billie seems to get it a lot, but who knows.

SocialScope started acting up again today on my BlackBerry. After a quick email, which did not get a reply, it was back up and running. I keep UberTwitter installed as my back up. But twitter is not the same without SocialScope. I really hope it has not been abandoned. I am not sure as we have not had an update in a long time nor any tweets from their official twitter account.

I got some deals online at Amazon and Wal-Mart over the past few days. Mostly at Amazon. I think I have finished for the girls, and the husband. Now to finish everyone else.

Day

2009-11-23T19:18:00.001-05:00

Been a long hard day. I'm jealous of everyone with the new 9700. It sounds like it gets a lot more out of its battery.

Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Lots of turkey. I love turkey.

Kinda blah today.

Sunset On Another Adventure

2009-11-18T19:32:00.003-05:00

It felt strange returning to work and my normal life this week. Clearly the Nasa Tweet-Up had more of an affect than I would have guessed. Was it the people? Was it the message? Was it space itself? Who knows. I am not going to question it.

I have never been around another group of over 100 people who, for the most part, didn't know each other, that were all so nice and friendly. If only every one and every gathering was like this. It would be wonderful.

Clearly Space Exploration is important. And just as clear, many people have forgotten about it. Can you blame them? These are not the best of times. Regardless of which side you are on, who or what you believe, times are tough. But that doesn't mean we let something as monumental as space pass us by. Exploration is what we do.
Plus, I would rather be visiting the ETs first than have them visiting us. With our sci fi movies, tv, and books, we are all bound to think they are here to kill us, enslave us, or eat us. Gets good ratings, box office sales, or best seller lists.
Maybe I should write a story where the aliens are not here to use and abuse us. . . .

Some great places to check out -
http://spacetweepsociety.org/ A lot of the members of this group were at the tweet-up, they are good people.
http://savenasa.ning.com/

NASA Tweet-Up Day 2

2009-11-16T21:11:00.002-05:00

Here is the correct link to my flickr pictures from the Nasa Tweet-Up. Yesterday apparently my copy and paste was missing the majority of the number at the end.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissaox/sets/72157622811798508/

I am very tired and just finished loading the pictures. I am going to try and get my husband's video online, but I am not sure I will make it.

Watching the launch from so close was amazing. The sound was so loud and the light was so bright. There really are not good words to do it justice. It is much better than watching from my back yard.

NASA was great to us and we would all love to go back again. Everyone we met, and there were a lot of you, was wonderful.

Day 1 Of #Nasatweetup

2009-11-15T21:35:00.003-05:00

What a great time. I am so worn out, so I plan on making this quick.

First, pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissaox/sets/721
These are the pictures both myself and @dave_ox took.

We got to meet @astro_dave and @nasa and @rocky_sci to name a few. It was amazing.
We got to get so close to the launch pad, the one with the shuttle on it. The bus tour was great too. We saw the VAB and the crawler.
Somehow we made time for the 3D Imax movie and the ride that simulates a launch.

One thing is for sure, my feet hurt and I am tired. Tomorrow up early to head out to the park and get bused to the press site to see the launch.