Reviews

• CNet: The bottom line: Some minor design issues and multimedia quibbles aside, the Motorola Droid is the most powerful and fastest Google Android device to date. It fully embraces the openness of the Android platform and offers Verizon customers a smartphone that certainly rivals the other touch-screen devices on the market. 4 out of 5 stars.
• Laptop Magazine: The Droid from Motorola is not only a cut above the BlackBerry Storm2, but every other Android phone in terms of its rock-solid design and speed…The Droid is not for everyone. It will be too hefty for some, and its hardware keyboard is a bit cramped for rapid text entry. Nevertheless, the Motorola Droid is hip, powerful, and smart, making it our top smart phone pick for Verizon Wireless. 4 out of 5 stars.
• Engadget: So, is the DROID a good smartphone? Yes, the DROID is an excellent smartphone with many (if not all) of the features that a modern user would expect, and if you’re a Verizon customer, there probably isn’t a more action packed device on the network. That’s not to say the device doesn’t have its faults; the camera was unpleasant to use, the application selection feels thin in both quantity and quality (despite the claim of 10,000 options), and the phone has bits of basic, non-intuitive functionality that might chafe on some users after a while. But even still, it’s hard not to recommend the DROID to potential buyers eager to do more with their devices. It’s easily the best Android phone to date, and when you couple the revamped OS, Verizon’s killer network, and an industrial design straight from a gadget enthusiast’s fever-dream, it makes for a powerful concoction.
• Gizmodo: These things are true about Droid: The camera’s not great; the keyboard isn’t mindblowing; Android 2.0 lacks the polish and multimedia prowess to completely match the iPhone. What’s also true is that a killer design, Google’s services, Android’s exploding app ecosytem, powerful multitasking, a stunning screen and Verizon’s network still make it the second best phone you can buy right now, after the iPhone.
• Boy Genius Report: So, what’s the wrap up, you’re asking right? We absolutely love the Motorola DROID. It’s a perfect storm between awesome hardware, great software, and a great network. That’s not to say it’s for everyone. It isn’t the most consumer-friendly device off the bat and it’s going to take some time and a whole bunch of improvements before we think Android can totally compete in the consumer space like others can, but Android is getting there slowly and this device in general couldn’t be a better way to show it off. There’s obviously some compromises like a pretty flat QWERTY keyboard and a little heft from the inclusion of metal as a design element, but the pros easily outweigh any cons if you’re on Verizon. And even if you’re not, it’s the most compelling alternative to the iPhone we’ve ever used.
• Phandroid: [Editor's note: Yes, this one is biased towards Android. And?] The Motorola Droid screen is the ticket to an amazing experience on virtually every facet of this phone’s features. Whether you prefer a hardware keyboard or software keyboard, the Droid offers both in a compact frame that’s no bigger than the best full touchscreen phones out there. The addition of Google Navigation is mind blowing and large feature upgrades like improved camera options and consolidated contacts/communication take the Droid a step beyond other Androids out there. It isn’t a perfect phone, but it gets the important things right and has zero areas of total failure.
• PhoneDog: Do I recommend Droid? Yes. The usual caveats apply, and in this case I highly recommend you try the device’s physical keyboard out for yourself. My thumbs didn’t much care for it, but I’m sure some of you won’t take quite so much issue with the setup…Would I rather have Droid than any other device on the market? Not sure I can say that. Will iPhone users leave AT&T in droves for Droid? Some will, but likely more for Verizon’s network than Droid itself. Will BlackBerry users jump ship for Android on Verizon? Not if they like their BBerry’s keyboards, they won’t. But is Droid an excellent smartphone? Absolutely.
• Phone Arena: Verizon has definitely got itself a jewel in the form of the Motorola DROID and will most likely provide some much needed attention to the open platform…We found very few faults with the device…It may not be completely perfect, but it does place the emphasis of DROID in Android. 8.5 out of 10

And, of course, if you’re not interested in a bunch of very in-depth reviews, here’s some video:

Finally, here’s the hardware portion of Phandroid’s review. (There are a few more vids there covering the camera, the software, Verizon, etc. so you should go check it out if you want a very complete video review.)

[Edit] For those of you who want it, here’s a side-to-side with the iPhone 3GS from TechnoBuffalo (thanks to @Tyme for this):

My Thoughts
After having read and watched all of these reviews, this is what I get out of them:

• The phone is great in just about every way that matters for a smart phone. Some opinions differ in regards to the camera and Android itself, but most of that seems to be based on individual bias.
• The hardware keyboard is a disappointment mediocre.

OK, so I got a lot more than that, but for the sake of this post pretend that’s it.

The most important thing for me in a smartphone at this time is writing capability (ie, a keyboard). Why? I’m a writer, and I like to write on the go. I’m not planning to write novels, but scenes of novels, short stories and blog posts are definitely on the agenda. Additionally, I want something that I can browse the web, read my RSS feeds and news, connect with people, take and upload pictures (and hopefully videos) to Facebook, play music and watch videos with.

With all of this in mind, I’m strongly, strongly debating between the Droid and a Blackberry. (Of course, I’d be waiting for a Verizon BB with WiFi, preferably one with a Tour-style keyboard.)

• The Droid does everything I could want (things mentioned here and elsewhere), but from what I read here the keyboard is sub-par, so at best, it’s mediocre in that which matters to me most.
• The BB doesn’t do everything I’d want, especially in the areas of navigation and augmented reality, but the thing I want most–a keyboard–it does spectacularly. (Even with fat, squishy fingers, the Blackberry keyboards are nothing short of spectacular.)

And in case you’re wondering, yes, the keyboard is that important to me.

So here I am, still wondering whether the Droid will be worth it for me. Luckily, on my side I have time, so I think that despite my initial excitement I’ll be waiting until I see what Verizon has in the pipeline. I’ll write up my own impressions on the Droid when I test it, as well as a comparison with other phones available. Obviously, I won’t make any decisions until I check out the phone for myself.

P.S.
By the way, just as an FYI, if you’re on Verizon or are thinking about going with Verizon and are looking for a Blackberry, consider taking advantage of their buy-one/get-one offer on Blackberries, which is rumored to expire November 7th. There’s a good chance they’ll bring it back, but obviously, there are no promises here.

Here was her response to me (emphasis mine):

Network neutrality is the principle that a consumer has equal access to all sites. However, the term is misleading. The problem is that over the next couple of years, large Internet sites are planning to offer high-definition video services, which will use large amounts of bandwidth and clog the pipelines of the Internet. Telephone and cable companies want to be able to charge for such large amounts of bandwidth; otherwise, they will have to pass the costs on to the consumer. These Internet sites obviously oppose such a move, as it forces them to pay for using increased bandwidth. Accordingly, these same Internet sites are aggressively lobbying Congress, and liberal special interest groups have seized on this opportunity to garner guaranteed access to Internet services.

Coupled with these special interest groups, Internet website lobbyists are distorting the picture by calling pay-for-performance fees a punishment to small business websites, using the term “network neutrality” as the hands off approach, when in fact their changes would be the first major government regulation of the Internet. Moreover, the changes that telephone and cable companies would like to implement consist of large amounts of bandwidth that a typical small business website would be extremely unlikely to use.

Rest assured, though, that as this debate continues, I will continue to monitor the issue and listen to the experts and my constituents. Should any legislation regarding network neutrality come to the floor, I will keep your comments in mind.

Congresswoman:

First, when you talk about Internet “pipelines” make sure you understand that the Internet is not a “series of tubes”. It’s also not a toilet. It won’t get clogged, by “liberal” groups or otherwise. (It’s almost as painful to see a representative using “liberal” as a derogatory term in a letter to her constituents as it is to see that she has as good a grasp of the Internet as Ted Stevens, former Rep R-AK.)

“The Internet does not work that way!”

Second. companies already pay for increased bandwith. What network neutrality protects is consumers paying different prices for how they use that bandwidth. Imagine going to any store selling office supplies and being charged different prices for the same type of printer paper based on how you plan to use it. This wouldn’t make any sense there, why does it make sense online?

Third, just like people already pay for increased bandwidth, they also already pay for performance. If I have DSL–as a web surfer or a website owner–I’ll be paying less (in theory) than the guy paying for T4 speeds. Network neutrality simply means that this will be the case, that network speeds and access to its features won’t be tampered with artificially. However if network neutrality is not upheld, then companies will be able to artificially throttle speeds based on the type of content being delivered or received, separate from the amount. This could be devastating for small business, and makes it fertile ground for monopolistic activity.

The idea that all regulation is bad regulation is a popular one among conservatives. It’s also a wrong one. I’m not saying that the idea that all regulation is good regulation is any better, what I am saying is that despite opinions to the contrary there is such thing as good regulation. This is an example. It is not onerous heavy handed regulation aimed at destroying business, it’s common sense regulation aimed at ensuring that the system is not abused and used for anti-competitive purposes.

If you’re concerned about this issue–and if you access the Internet for any reason you should be–then I urge you to contact your representative and contact your senators. Write to them, call them, and show up in their offices if you can. Tell them that network neutrality is worth defending.

The last personal cell phone story on this blog was written over three years ago. We (the wife and I) still have those cell phones, believe it or not, something which is about to change. For the past few months–ever since we moved to Land O’Butter, Florida, really–I’ve been wanting itching a new cell phone, something with applications, with internet access, enough storage space to store my music, the ability to play movies, with access to my RSS feeds so I can read them while out walking, and most importantly, something I could use to write on the go. In other words, I needed a smartphone.

Editor’s Note: I know. This is a long article. 3900 words. That’s a lot. Maybe it should have been split into multiple small ones, but I left it this way because it’s how I read best. Also, I don’t like to click on “next page” very much. For comfort’s sake, here’s a Table of Contents:

• The Carrier
• The Phones: Pre-Requisites
• Palm Pre
• BlackBerry Tour 9630
• HTC Hero
• Samsung Moment
• Conclusion
• Postscript: Why Not an iPhone?

The Carrier

Before looking at phones, I had to find a carrier. AT&T, who I’m currently with, suffers from bad network quality around these parts, so it was time to switch. After looking around at all the carriers available to us which offered good service in our area, it turned out that I had two choices: Verizon, which gets spectacular coverage everywhere except the middle of the Everglades (by which I mean, not on the roads) and Sprint, which I keep wanting to call U.S. Sprint. (Was that the old name?)

For this piece, I decided to study all the available Sprint phone options, since it looked like that might end up being my carrier. (Family member works for Verizon and by using her discount both Verizon and Sprint match up pretty closely in features and price.) The plan I was looking at was a 1500 minute family plan which included unlimited 3G internet, unlimited texting and MMS, free mobile-to-mobile regardless the carrier (Verizon, AT&T, Boost–it’s all good), as well as a great sports and streaming video package. All this for about $165 (including insurance on the phones and taxes). Not a bad deal. Not a bad deal at all.

The Phones: Pre-Requisites

Sprint’s lineup of smartphones is possibly the best of any company out there right now, so narrowing down my choices wasn’t easy. Fun, but not easy. Before getting started, I made a list of what was important to me. Note that this is the criteria by which I judged all phones:

• Writing: I need something which will let me write relatively comfortably on the go. At the beginning of this search I didn’t have a preference as to whether the keyboard was physical or software, so long as it allowed me to type fairly quickly, fairly accurately. After my search, I’ve come to the conclusion that a physical keyboard is usually (although not always) better than an on-screen one.
• Internet: I need something with which I can access the Internet, specifically (and most importantly) something I can use to read my RSS items on the go (I like to read while walking) and something I can use to blog on the go, or at least write drafts while waiting in line at the store. Any other internet functions, such as YouTube and ESPN are great additions, but not by any means necessary.
• Reading: eBooks, PDF and Word documents. All musts.
• Music/Video: My iPod’s with me almost ALL the time. It’d be nice if I could carry my media without dedicating pocket space strictly to it. When I go walking or to the gym or on a plane, the last thing I want is to have to carry my iPod and my cell phone. If one device will suffice, why bother with two?
• Camera, preferably one that takes video: This is obvious. I like to take pictures in random places, and don’t always want to carry my Fujifilm s5100. Oh, and the Camera should have flash. Believe it or not, that was one of the big selling points with my current phone, mostly because using it as a flashlight has saved me more than once.
• GPS/Maps: One of the biggest reasons to have a cell phone these days is to have a map available to you at any time. Face it, it’s no fun getting lost somewhere you don’t want to be, and sometime a GPS can make the difference between getting home and spending the night on the side of the road in the middle of a town you don’t know. (By the way, I hate South Carolina. Thought I’d just, you know, drop that in there.)
• Applications: Smartphones are palm-top computers. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to expand a phones functionality by adding new, useful applications to it. While the iPhone is the king of apps, no doubt, they’re not the only game in town. Google’s Android has a thriving app community and from the looks of it, Palm is developing a homebrew club itself. Of course, Blackberry has access to a ton of applications, so it too offers a number of options. Whatever phone I pick should run on a platform on which there exists some type of active development community, even if it’s fledgling. (It wouldn’t be at all surprising if I decided to write a few apps for whatever platform I end up going with.)

So with all that in mind, I went on the hunt for phones. After much searching, I’ve been able to narrow things down to a few contenders. The following is a preliminary review on each of the phones I’m considering. One of these phones will be at my side sometime in November.

Here’s a list of pros, cons, and maybes on the Pre.

Pros:

• Physical keyboard standard (slideout) and home-brew digital keyboards.
• Great size: It’s smaller than an iPhone and considerably more comfortable in the hand.
• Because of its onboard memory (8GB) it can handle more apps being installed than either the Blackberry Tour or the HTC Hero, two of the other phones mentioned here.
• Browser runs off of WebKit, which is the same engine as the iPhone’s Safari. In other words, it’s a full browser.
• It has a flash camera of good quality.

Cons:

• Keyboard feels cramped. Even to my wife, who has dainty, little hands, it felt somewhat cramped. Not anything we couldn’t get used to, but still, not comfortable for us out of the gate. Luckily, there’s a homebrew app which allows users to install a software keyboard.
• Early reports indicate this is prone to breakage.
• Feels cheap, plasticky. A phone that is potentially this good should feel considerably better, sturdier.
• No Adobe Flash. Uses app for YouTube videos. Seeing as I rarely watch YouTube, you can file this app under “I” for “I don’t care.”

Maybes:

• On again/off again integration with iTunes. If you didn’t know, Apple and Palm have been having a bit of a fight over the Pre’s capability to integrate with iTunes using what’s tantamount to reverse engineering. It’s easy to argue on both sides’ behalves, but the only thing that matters to the consumer is this: It’s freaking annoying to have your phone sync one day then not sync the next.
• 8GB of integrated RAM, non-expandable. I would have filed this under a “Con”, but considering you can install more thatn 512MB’s-worth of applications–a limitation found in all other phones considered–this moves from “Con” to “Maybe. The fact that it’s 8GB, non-expandable makes it mostly a Con. Despite what the Sprint rep tried to convince me of, 8GB is nowhere near enough space for my media.

One thing I left out of this list is Palm’s new operating system, WebOS, which they debuted on the Pre. There’s a lot to love about WebOS, and if they can create more excitement about it they might have a winner on their palms.

Just for kicks, here’s a video from PreCentral.net. You can find a TON of these online, including comparisons with some of the phones mentioned here.

You can get the Palm Pre from Amazon for $99 with a 2-year contract. At the Sprint store the price is $149, including a $100 cash-back rebate, so you’re shelling out $249 at the store. The Palm Pre will be available for Verizon users sometime in early 2010. Who knows, maybe they’ll expand the memory, which should bring the cost inline with the iPhone.

I gotta tell you, WebOS seems like a very a well constructed OS. If you like it but only sort of like the Pre then maybe you should check out the WebOS-based Palm Pixi.

Here are the highlights, lowlights, and midlights:

Pros:

• The keyboard. It’s phenomenal. My Blackberry-loving friends were 100% on the money with this one. Although it seems small at first, the keyboard on the Tour (as well as other Blackberries I tried) was by far the most accurate and easy to use of any keyboard I tried, nearly-matched only by the keyboard on the Samsung Impression (more on that later). Even with my fat, squishy fingers, it was beautiful. This alone makes the phone worth considering, despite any other flaws. Seriously, I can’t say enough about how awesome this keyboard was. Guess that’s what happens when you have low-to-no expectations.
• 3.2MP camera with flash. Let me repeat that part, WITH FLASH. It seems manufacturers don’t find this to be a particularly important detail lately, for some reason.
• Storage is expandable to 16GB via MicroSD card.
• Trackball is extremely comfortable for use, which makes up for the lack of touch-screen capabilities.

Cons:

• No WiFi. This right here is by far, hands down, the phone’s biggest and most horrid flaw. As someone who would prefer to use WiFi while at home (Sprint allows this option) instead of using my minutes, this is almost a deal-killer. Seriously, if not for this there’s a pretty good chance I’d be telling you about my first days loving the Crackberry.
• No touch screen. Although the trackball makes up for this, a touchscreen would still have been nice.
• Applications can only run from onboard ROM (512MB). Limits larger apps, like games.
• No Adobe Flash

Maybes:

• The BlackberryOS. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this, so I’ll just leave this detail here. The fact that it’s proprietary is a big negative for me, but its quality is great, so it evens out, sort of like fish sticks that are burnt on the outside but frozen on the inside. I don’t know anything about its development community, however, the software available for it, or any of that jazz.

Basically, the phone seems awesome, ESPECIALLY (and almost exclusively) because of the keyboard, and has just about everything I’d need, though not necessarily everything I’d want, with the elephant in the room being the missing WiFi, which is a deal-breaker. Probably. Maybe. Again a video, this time from WireFly.com:

By the way, I know the video talks about the Verizon version. Both the Sprint and Verizon version are pretty much the same, with very few differences. Speaking of which, you can get the Blackberry Tour (9630) from Amazon.com or $49.99 with a 2-year contract. Note that the link goes to the Verizon version.

Sense UI. Is. Beautiful. It’s quite possibly the most perfect smartphone interface I have ever seen. If HTC made this interface available to non-HTC Android phones, I would happily buy it in a second. Alas, HTC is a hardware company and the interface is one of their phone’s main selling features, so there’s no reason why they should sell the software, the same reason Apple doesn’t sell OS X for use with any Intel-based PC, even though it’s technically the same hardware.

Here are the goods, bads and in-betweens.:

Pros:

• Sense UI. Seriously, this alone is a reason to buy the phone. To quote @TeddFox, everthing from mail to the dialpad is awesome.” He wasn’t exaggerating. And for you iPhone folks, as an Apple guy myself, let me tell you, the iPhone has NOTHING on this. It is beauty insoftnate. (Yes, that’s a made up word.)
• Phone handles Adobe Flash, which means you’re not limited to YouTube for videos, but can also [Edit: IN THEORY*] watch Hulu and other video services, as well as be bugged by the billion ads Sports Illustrated puts up on its web page. (I won’t link to it in order to spare you the browser crash.) *After testing it again for a second, time, I found that some videos would load while others wouldn’t. Seems to be a hit-and-miss with video players.
• It’s Linux under the hood. That means a Linux file system. For anyone who knows their way around the Linux directory architecture, this is a big plus. The fact that it’s Android also means there’s a thriving development community.
• Storage is expandable to 16GB via MicroSD card.
• Phenomenal construction. This phone is thin but feels very sturdy. Not quite an iPhone, but not far from.
• 5MP camera. Beats just about anything out there.

Cons:

• Like the Blackberry, applications can only run from onboard memory. (512MB ROM.) Limits larger apps, like games. All media is stored on the SD card, however.
• Camera doesn’t have a flash. Sad to see when HTC goes to the trouble of packing in a 5MP camera on this thing.
• The trackball sticks out. A lot. I can see this thing accidentally clicking way too often, meaning the screen is turned on when it’s not in use and siphoning the battery when it shouldn’t.
• Digital keyboard only. Don’t get me wrong, the digital keyboard is pretty darn good, right up there with the iPhone’s and more spacious than the Pre’s physical keyboard. But in testing out phones I’ve come to realize how important this is to someone who plans to do a lot of writing in this thing. For me, this falls as a maybe since it’s not as good as the Blackberry’s keyboard, but better than the Pre’s, even though the Pre takes advantage, as all physical keyboards do, of tactile memory, and not needing to always look at your keyboard when typing. This is not the case with ANY software keyboard, not even the Blackberry Storm’s (not reviewed here). Update: I did another set of tests just to be sure that my results weren’t skewed before. They were. I had this as a “Maybe” before, but this test moved it to entirely negative. After doing a side comparison between the Palm Pre, iPhone, and HTC Hero, I can state that the Hero had by far the worst keyboard. It was uncomfortable to write with, slowed me down horribly, and in portrait mode it was all but useless, almost as bad as the Blackberry Storm. For most people this wouldn’t be a huge deal. For me, it’s a deal killer.
• Lag: (Added on Oct 17, 2009) The phone was responsive, for the most part, but there were times where the lag got in the way of usage. I can see this being an annoyance.

Here’s the short of it: If this phone had a halfway decent physical keyboard and a flash camera I would have bought it immediately, no questions asked. [Edit: And after a few days, I probably would have returned it and asked sought another phone.] Want a video review? Check out this CNet review:

For the record, I didn’t find it sluggish at all, though the movie playback wasn’t as clean as I would have liked. (In this sense I’ve been spoiled by my iPod.)

As of this writing, you can only get the Hero from Sprint for $180 with a 2-year contract or from Best Buy for $599, no strings attached. You can also get the unlocked European version from Amazon.com.

Since I haven’t yet tried this phone, I can’t really give you a lists of pros and cons. I tried the Samsung Impression, which is likely pretty close to what can be expected from the Moment. at least insofar as the keyboard is concerned. From what I’ve read however, unlike the Moment, the Impression has a proprietary headset jack, not a 3.5mm, and that’s a very, very bad thing. If the Moment has that then it’s potentially a deal killer. Proprietary audio interfaces are a HUGE no-no.) The experience was a very pleasant one, and if it’s really the case that the Moment and the Impression are very physically similar then I might end up going with the Moment. My only real complaint with the Moment (and with all slide-out keyboard Samsung phones, for that matter) is the keyboard’s configuration, which I consider fairly uncomfortable. I actually type considerably faster and more accurately on the Blackberry Tour AND the Blackberry Curve (not reviewed here).

More information on this phone will be forthcoming, I think. Honestly, the best place to keep up with all of this, is via my Twitter account, though I will warn you, I tend to get very politicky there, and sometimes post very frequently, so if you’re not into that then do yourself a favor and avoid it.

Conclusion

As you can see, everyone of the phones has its ups and downs, and if one of these were chosen for me, then I’d probably be quite happy with it. My only real concern is regarding Sprint, mostly because a few years ago I heard nothing but complaints about them. This seems to have improved.

My chief complaint from all phones was this: not enough choice in writing applications. While Documents To Go is one option, I’d love to see an online editor become available, something like Google Docs or Zoho Writer. Online documentation formatting would be spectacular, as it would allow for some editing work to be done on the road, without having the hassle of uploading/downloading work directly to your computer. Of course, then there’s the issue of Blackberry Thumb, but still, this is something to consider.

I hope you found this somewhat useful. I’d like to thank @jdwangnet and @jdwangnetnews for all his (their?) help in gathering some of this information, particularly when it came to the Blackberry Tour.

So that’s it. If you want to chime in (and for this topic, I’d really, REALLY appreciate it), please do so. I’d love to see your thoughts and comments. Who knows, maybe your opinion will be the deciding factor in helping me determine which phone I’ll end up getting.

Postscript: Why Not an iPhone?

In four words, one acronym: AT&T.

When I first started researching new phones, my mind was pretty much made up: I wanted an iPhone. I’d used it before and loved it. I own a Mac (which I adore), have an iPod, and have been slowly brainwashing my family into the Cupertino Cult since I got the thing. (Really, it was my sister’s fault. She was the first Cupertino Cult member in our family.) Nevertheless, while there were recent moves by Apple which bothered me from a philosophical standpoint, it was AT&T, my current carrier, which all but made the decision on the matter for me.

When living in south Florida, having AT&T was great, but soon after we moved to Land O’Butter we noticed that things were no longer that great. In fact, they weren’t even all that good. Every day I have multiple dropped calls. Every day, I have problems connecting. Every day. Multiple times a day. This has made my phone somewhat unusable (and for anyone who has tried to call my cell phone, you know exactly how futile of an act that is these days).

So when I started comparing prices between AT&T and other companies, I knew immediately that this would be the end. No more AT&Tn and no chance of an iPhone. (To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: “Mr. Jobs: Tear down this partnership!”)

AT&T’s prices are quite high. Highest in the industry, in fact, right up there with Verizon’s (if I don’t count the discount I talked about). By and in large, this is for good reason: their coverage area is huge, even though their overloaded, underpowered network has gotten more than enough complaints. Yet while all my friends in South Florida with iPhones bragged about being able to use the 550 minute family plan for not much more than we currently spend for ours, I had to contend with the following realities:

Unlike in South Florida, the big company here is Verizon. As popular as they are, there’s not one dominant cell phone company in the area, and everyone I know uses all kinds of carriers: my wife’s friends use MetroPCS, our parents use Verizon, my siblings use T-Mobile and Sprint, and my friends use everything from Boost to AT&T. Most of the people I know who brag about being able to use AT&T’s 550 minute plan have the distinct advantage of either not talking on the phone much or knowing mostly people who also have AT&T, meaning they can more readily take advantage of the unlimited in-network mobile-to-mobile. Not so here.

After some thinking I realized that there was still one slim ray of hope: at 1400 minutes, AT&T offers a calling circle. The vast majority of all our calls are made to 10 people! Ironically, with a calling circle, we wouldn’t use more than 550 minutes anyway, and we’d have about 800 roll-over minutes a month. If we could have that feature at the 550 minute mark, we’d be within budget. But no, AT&T wouldn’t budge, and at the 1400 minute family plan level, in addition to a texting plan ($5/month for 200 messages) the costs shot up from the expected $150/month to $182, even after the discount we get through The Wife, who works for the county.

Sorry, but the iPhone isn’t worth THAT much to me.

After this, I searched around for other possibilities, starting with Verizon Wireless. After all, they really DO have the most coverage area in the nation, hands down. (Only once have I roamed when using a Verizon phone, and that was about 7 years ago while driving through Middle-o-Nowhere, North Carolina.) Alltel showed some promise (although they’re now Verizon, anyway), as did T-Mobile, but the later has some reception problems in this area, while the former just didn’t seem like a good fit for us. Then there were the budget carriers, such as Boost and MetroPCS, but considering the amount of travel we do, neither was really an option.

In the end, after searching, there were only two real options to us: Sprint or Verizon. While this article was based entirely on Sprint’s offerings, Verizon is closer to getting the nod, mostly because of costs (again, with the discount, which brings our total cost to around $145/month after taxes). The downside, of course, is that Sprint has a considerably more impressive smartphone selection. Maybe the next few months will change that, though. After all, it looks like Big Red is getting the HTC Hero. Considering The Wife fell in love with the Samsung Rogue, perhaps there is hope for Verizon after all.

• …a fight over health care tears countrymen apart in bitterness, fear, and anger.
• …protesters appear in large numbers to fight this health care reform; some use racist images.
• ….a left-leaning leader is constantly confronted for this health care proposal by opposition preferring private insurance, opposition which accuses his plans of being socialist and claiming quality of health care will be lower.
• …some doctors fear significant loss of income as well as government interference in medical care decisions due to this plan for universal medical insurance.
• …physicians vow to close their practices if and when these reforms come into being.

Welcome to Saskatchewan, 1961. It was here that Tommy Douglass, the man voted as having been the “Greatest Canadian”, introduced reforms which would bring about universal health care coverage to the Canadian province.

While I’m not suggesting here that a plan like this be introduced in the US, I wanted to point out that a very similar debate to this, with very similar tactics and arguments, has happened before.

In the end, despite the protests, including a doctors’ strike the reforms were passed. Soon thereafter the Saskatchewan plan was adopted at the federal level, and all Canadians had health coverage. Sure, their system has its problems, but they’ve managed to solve two of our biggest: first and foremost, everyone is taken care of (eventually). Second, the nation spends less per person than its neighbor to the south, all the while their citizens get longer life spans.

Recently I wrote my local House representative, Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) about health care. With all the news going on about it, I really wanted to make sure she knew what my wishes were. Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t be the only one and she could be persuaded to support a plan which brought about universal coverage without giving the health insurance industry a big wet kiss and a present.

Here are the points I made in my first email:

1. She should support a plan with a public option. Of course, I could understand if she was philosophically opposed to it. I respect that. In lieu of a public option she should…
2. Support a plan which regulates insurance companies more tightly, and optimally makes it illegal for primary health insurers to make a profit. (The US is the only place in the world in which it is legal or insurers to make a profit from primary health care insurance.) If the government does this it does not have to set up a mega-system. In fact, a well structured system can eliminate the need for Medicare/Medicaid and offer a cradle-to-grave care system.
3. Canada and England get talked about all the time, but they’re not the only systems out there. In fact, unlike those two, which are completely socialized, most systems are a combination of public and private plans. (I then listed examples of various capitalist democracies (just like we are) which give everyone health care and have a more private competition than we do here.)
4. We already have a great, cost-efficient and well run public system. It’s called the VA, and it has one of the best track records in the world (for everything other than mental health). If a public option is to be considered, let it be modeled after that.

I went on to explain each of these points in detail (something I may do here if called upon to do so). A few weeks later, here was her response to me:

On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 5:50 PM, Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite [fl05ima .pub@mail.house.gov] wrote:

Dear Norbert:

Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I appreciate the time you took to contact my office on this important issue and welcome the opportunity to respond.

President Obama recently told Democrat leaders in Congress that any bill proposing reform of the health care system must include a new insurance plan run by the federal government, akin to Medicare or Medicaid. If this option is available to all, it will likely underpay physicians and hospitals the same way Medicare and Medicaid does. Therefore, it will be much less expensive than private insurance, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says Americans will rush to join this new system. This will cause employer-based insurers to lose business and many will be forced out of business altogether. While President Obama has called these claims “scare tactics,” a recent report by the CBO confirmed that a government run plan will move people off private insurance and in to the government’s plan.

There is no country in the world with government-controlled health care that does not ration care. We are constantly told by President Obama that the quality of care in these countries is so much better than our own, yet he conveniently neglects to share with you any of the horror stories. Trust me, they are not to difficult to find and serve as an excellent reminder that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the street. Furthermore, Americans have become accustomed to a health care system that spares no expense even in the face of grim odds. This fact leads me to believe that Americans would have a difficult time adjusting to the inevitable rationing of health care services.

While I disagree with many of the proposals I have seen thus far, I am committed to trying to influence the final product with provisions I think are absolutely necessary. First and foremost, I believe that everyone should have access to a physician, and also have a choice in which physician to see. In England, physicians are assigned by zip code, which is just absurd. It is imperative to protect the doctor-patient relationship and not allow the government to intervene.

As your Representative, I will continue to advocate for proposals that place the choice of health care in the hands of citizens and keep the government out of your doctor’s office. One plan I greatly favor is allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines. State legislatures are responsible for determining which services insurance companies must cover, and some states have more mandates than others. For example, individual insurance plans in New Jersey cost six times as much as if the same person were to buy insurance in Kentucky. If the federal government could allow everyone to buy insurance from a different state than they reside in, the choice of plans would increase and price would decrease dramatically. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any Democrat proposal that has adopted this outlook.

Throughout my tenure in public service, I have always kept an open door and an open dialogue with my constituents. As Congress addresses the many challenges facing our nation, I hope you will continue to share your thoughts and views with me. Accordingly, I encourage you to visit my Web site at http://brown-waite.house.gov to email me and find useful information about our 5th Congressional District.

It is my honor and privilege to serve the people of Florida’s 5th Congressional District and my offices and staff are here to provide you with any assistance you may need.

Sincerely,

Ginny Brown-Waite
Member of Congress

Yeah, this lady’s a partisan hack. Fear-mongering, misinformation, childish name calling… that’s exactly the kind of message you want to send your constituents! The tone is that of a person who is elected to be a representative for her party, not a representative for her district.

I’m considering the following as a response, which I wrote in anger (so yes, it’s somewhat ranty.) The first letter was in email form. This would ether go via snail mail or hand delivered. Of course, I might just go into her office and see if I can meet with her (not likely).

Dear Congresswoman Brown-Waite,
After reading your response it’s hard for me to tell whether you even read what I sent you. It was obviously scanned, and the overarching subject matter addressed, but it is obvious you either didn’t read it and sent me a canned response, read it and decided to send me a canned response anyway or simply thought addressing me was beneath you and threw a party line of “Government takeover! Rationing! Democrat leader! Scary!” I’m disappointed. Not responding would have been better than what you sent.

That said, you’re my representative, and as such I will continue to make sure you know my viewpoint if you are to speak on my (along with my district’s) behalf.

Had you read my previous letter, you would have at least acknowledged that there are VARIOUS other models out there other than the NHS (which is indeed MOSTLY socialized, not totally) at work in capitalist representative democracies. In fact, most of the world has a hybrid public/private system where private insurers, hospitals and providers are allowed to operate and are able to cover everyone for far less than we do here. (A lot of that, by the way, has to do with the culture, but this isn’t something we’ll take care of in 2 or 3 years. It may take a generation.)

By the way, your gross oversimplification (and mocking demonization) of the NHS is an insult to the British, to all Americans who get health care through socialized medicine (i.e., the VA), and to anyone to whom you’ve ever sent that letter. You’ve done your country a disservice. In addition, it reveals a certain level of ignorance on your part. (You obviously don’t know that Britain actually has a very robust private insurer market. It’s not all socialized.) Please take the time to educate yourself on this very important subject, learn how other thriving capitalist republics do this health care thing, and look past the blinders of party politics and Washington spin:

Video:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p101&continuous=1

Article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778.html

Book:
http://www.amazon.com/Healing-America-Global-Better-Cheaper/dp/1594202346

(Disclosure: the aforementioned links were all created by T. R. Reid. He offers some of the most complete international health care analysis available.)

And you also talk about “horror stories.” Yes, sure they have horror stories. Everybody can dig up a horror story. But unlike those other countries, we are the richest country in the world, and have THOUSANDS of people losing their homes and going bankrupt due to health care, IN ADDITION to people who are denied care, rescissions in the middle of therapies, random rationing based on a profit motive and more! Sorry dear Congresswoman, you live in a glass house. Don’t throw stones. If we’re to compare side by side, you’ll see that socialized health care systems like the NHS tend to produce better overall health care results according to the World Health Organization. Alas, my interest is not in a socialized health care system like the NHS (although if that were on the table I would have little problem supporting it. A VA-style system for all sounds GREAT! Did you know that the VA has the highest satisfaction rating of any insurer?) My interest is in universal health care that is not subservient to corporate interests. Whether this happens with a socialized system or with a capitalist system is inconsequential. (If you could step away from the party lines, you could clearly see there are more than two sides to this debate.)

In fact, let’s look at systems which use private insurers.

Take Switzerland’s system, for example: Switzerland is a country, but it’s more like a collection of independent states than a completely coherent nation. (Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?) Because of that independence, which culturally works much like the US, a national, socialized system there does NOT make sense. In fact, until 1993/4 they ran their health care system almost exactly like that of the US. They had the same problems! Since then our paths diverged: we gave up the idea of universal health care, and instead instituted HMOs, creating a health insurance problem in the US which is costing us billions a year. The result: ~40-million uninsured. Switzerland, on the other hand, made it illegal for providers of primary care to make a profit, but made insurance compulsory. The result is that now everyone there is covered, everyone can afford insurance, and their per-capita expense is lower than ours. No socialized health care, not even socialized insurance, but a thriving health care market nevertheless.

How can that be? The fact is that insurers are not much more than a payment delivery system. Why should they be allowed to profit from primary care? They don’t produce anything, they don’t add value to anything. All they do is get money from point A to point B. This is all they do and for this they charge a 30% overhead (and more), which is why they’re able to pay their CEOs millions. Think about it this way: Imagine that your bank account charged you an extra 30% every time you used your debit card. That would be criminal, and congress would be in session until something was done about it! Yet this is exactly what’s happening now with health insurance.

As for-profit entities, health insurance companies’ primary responsibility is NOT to deliver or ensure service, but rather to make a profit. How do they make profits? By increasing costs and denying care. (By the way, my insurance rates went up 30% this past year. They went up 50% the 2 years prior, and 45% the year before that. Even Zimbabwe laughs at that level of inflation.) Their main goal can either be providing care or making a profit, but not both. Frankly, if they are allowed to continue making a profit, then I beg to be put into a non-profit public option. At least then I know my costs are going to care rather than bonuses.

Now, before you scoff at this as a crazy idea, know this: THE UNITED STATES IS THE ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED NATION IN THE WORLD WHERE HEALTH INSURERS ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE A PROFIT FROM PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INSURANCE. Keep in mind the world PRIMARY. Humana and UnitedHealth and Aetna would still be able to make a profit from secondary care insurance–breast implants, cosmetic reconstruction, gastric bypasses, gender reassignment, skin removal, etc–but payment for primary care, the kind of care you can’t opt-out of by virtue of wanting to live, should NOT be a secondary consideration to profits.

Let’s take another example: Japan. Again, there is no “public option” there, no socialized medicine. In fact, 80% of the hospitals there are privately owned: even more than in the US! There, however, the government imposes very strict pricing controls on doctors and hospitals. This has given them an impetus to create cheaper machines and deliver cheaper care. Did you know that while an MRI in the US can run from $1200 to $1500, in Japan it’s $90? Also, they have private insurers. For people who can’t afford insurance (if out of a job, for example), they are provided with social care (much like our medicaid). This is very much like what’s being proposed now with one exception: PRIMARY HEALTH INSURERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE A PROFIT. As one government official in the film to which I link says, “It is forbidden.” Let me say again that the United States is the ONLY place in the world where insurers are allowed to make a profit. For the record, Japan spends 1/2 what we do on health care and live longer. And something you might not know: they don’t have waiting times! You can walk to see your doctor at just about any time. Me? I have to wait 2 months to see my primary care physician. (By the way, I bet you didn’t know that Europe has twice as many primary care physicians as the US per capita. If you actually read this and care to ask me why I will happily explain how.)

That reminds me, since we’re talking about my PCP having to ration time, let’s talk about that subject. Here’s what you said:

“There is no country in the world with government-controlled health care that does not ration care.”

(Then you continue on about horror stories, something I’d expect from attention whoring troglodytes like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. I expected far better from you, Congresswoman.)

Here’s a hint: THERE’S RATIONING RIGHT NOW WITH PRIVATE INSURERS! If you honestly believe there isn’t then you don’t understand economics and should resign your seat immediately. If you understand economics then you just lied to me or haven’t taken the time to actually think things through. (Based on your email, I fear the later, though hope for the former, which would at least make you competent.) Here’s an example of very real rationing going on right now: on my health insurance receipts it states very clearly: “Lifetime maximum: $2.000,000.” That, by the way, is for me and my family. Suppose my wife gets pregnant and has a complicated pregnancy. She gets preeclampsia. Baby has to come out early because my wife’s life is in danger. Now I have a wife in the hospital with an emergency procedure and a baby on life support. How long will that $2,000,000 last me? Realistically about a month and a half.

This is rationing, plain and simple, rationing which A FOR-PROFIT SYSTEM ENCOURAGES BECAUSE THE DELIVERY OF CARE IS A LIABILITY, AND THEREFORE AGAINST THEIR PRIMARY PURPOSE OF PROFIT. Here’s what you said:

“Americans have become accustomed to a health care system that spares no expense even in the face of grim odds.”

This is patently false, and if you truly believe this, you haven’t been paying attention.

I’ll use a final example, Germany, the birth place of the employer-based insurance system most working Americans are participating in today. Germany has a universal multi-payer system with two main types of health insurance. Germans are offered three mandatory health benefits, which are co-financed by employer and employee: health insurance, accident insurance, and long-term care insurance.

- Accident insurance (Unfallversicherung) is covered by the employer and basically covers all risks for commuting to work and at the workplace.

- Long term care (Pflegeversicherung) is covered half and half by employer and employee and covers cases in which a person is not able to manage his or her daily routine (provision of food, cleaning of apartment, personal hygiene, etc.). It is about 2% of a yearly salaried income or pension, with employers matching the contribution of the employee.

- The third is the health insurance system. There are two separate systems of health insurance: public health insurance (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) and private insurance (Private Krankenversicherung). Both systems struggle with the increasing cost of medical treatment and the changing demography. About 87.5% of the persons with health insurance are members of the public system, while 12.5% are covered by private insurance (as of 2006).

(Source: Wikipedia)

Now, this brings up something very important with both their system and ours. Under their system the top 12% of earners can completely opt out of paying for the universal insurance. This creates a situation in which some doctors are underpaid. Sound familiar? That’s because in the US we have a similar problem with Medicare. Currently, Medicare gets stuck with the sickest of the sick. The for-profit health insurer can cherry-pick all the healthiest individuals and dump the rest on the public system. At 65, when people start their decline in health and are retired (and therefore not paying into the system), people are dumped off onto the Medicare.

Think about it: those who cost more are dumped by the health insurance companies (some of which simply will NOT cover you if you’re over 65) who let the public foot the bill. The health insurance companies take all the profit from all the years of health insurance premiums when they’re young and healthy, and we get stuck with the bill. This is a big reason for the cost of Medicare. Removing the profit incentive from health insurance companies (and regulating them along the lines already being proposed) would mean that if a company wanted to make money they would continue supplying care. We could create a situation like Germany’s, where people are covered by the same company from womb to tomb. That would certainly alleviate some of the stress under which Medicare finds itself.

I could continue this with country after country: Taiwan, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, Denmark… they all insure health care differently. They all have different solutions. And unlike the US, they all cover everybody, pay less than we do, and live longer. Oh, and in none of these do you have a government bureaucrat sitting between you and your doctor, like what you suggest. Unlike now, of course, where I almost literally have a businessman sitting between my doctor and I. (It’s why they always have to ask permission for procedures, to “clear it with the insurance company first.”)

The American health care system is great in many ways. Our cancer survival rate is the envy of the world. Our hospitals are in many ways what the world strives for. Wonderful. And the health care system really has the potential of being the best in the world, as it once was. But the American health insurance industry is hampering those efforts due to profit. By keeping with the party line as you have, by fear mongering and by making arguments which have shown time and time again to be false, you are part of the problem. Either begin to fix it or do your country a favor and resign.

I look forward to hearing your reply. However, if it’s not going to be well thought out, if it’s going to be another couple of paragraphs of fear mongering and party lines, then don’t waste your time or mine. And for the love of your self respect, stop with the fear mongering: it just lumps you in with the extremists.

P.S.
“Democrat Leaders”? You mean “Democratic”. If this was a mistake, then please correct it. If it wasn’t then please stop with the childish political games. All it does is alienate constituents and cast you as an ignoramus.

Thank you for your time,
Norbert Cartagena

Angry, I know. I shouldn’t be this angry over a form letter, but it’s disrespectful and dishonest, and so I am. Still, before sending it, I’ll cool down some.

[Edit] Upon review, I think that there’s simply too much information here. My mistake is in trying to be completely transparent with my thought process and intellectually honest. Maybe if I could some how fit this all in a bumper sticker. What do you think, “Womb to Tomb: Health Care for All”? “Socialism: Not Europe’s only export”? I don’t know, I’ll play around with this.

Frankly, I’m still withholding judgment on the news. Here’s why:

This reminds me of when I used to work for this one company who was into buying other websites (mostly looking to buy communities). Rather, the owner was into buying websites because of their communities, the owner who didn’t develop the network, but instead bought it. Mind you, he had a good thing going there, with one cash cow website, but I’m digressing.

(FYI: I don’t work for 9Rules, I’m a member of the network. Independent in every way shape and form.)

Anyway, so a few months after getting hired the owner ended up buying this website for people with an “addiction” to overclocking their computers. Great site, great content, spectacular community, beautiful design (for the time)…

…but it wasn’t a smooth transition.

Right away a lot of people in the crowd were displeased. In fact, we were about to have an exodus from the community, rendering the property almost totally worthless because not only would the hardcore readers and those who interacted be gone, but also because that site had it set up so that site authors and forum moderators were pretty much one and the same. No community meant no mods stayed meant no authors wrote articles. As editor-in-chief of the site, that would be very bad for me, especially since the owner still expected that the site would post with the same frequency as before. To resolve this, I ended up calling ALL of the moderators/authors during non-business hours. (I can very specifically remember a call made during a movie outing with my family.) Considering a lot of these calls were to Canada, this wasn’t exactly cheap, made worse by the fact that I was never reimbursed for these calls.

Anyway, long story short, it was a struggle, but eventually the site started churning out stories again. Then the site’s format was changed. Again, revolt then exodus, then peace. Then the owner up and changed the layout of the site; another exodus, another revolt, and even some hacking attempts from members of a rival website made up of ex-overclocking addicts (now they were hardware wizards). Eventually there was this whole truce made and some fake FBI threats from the network owner, and… Well, anyway, it got messy, then clean again. Then website name was changed to something that previously belonged to an NC-17 site (with a logo to match), and that led to a bunch of jokes, followed by another name change which didn’t match the content at all: the owner now wanted consumer tech (phones, PDAs, cameras, etc) instead of what the community was there for, which was tweaking PCs to perform at their best. Another exodus, another revolution, and then an infusion of new(bie) blood, which was good for the owner, bad for anyone wanting to do more than babysit.

Seriously, this was one of the most botched takeovers I had ever seen, and I had by that time already seen a few.

So where’s this whole messy story taking us? Back to the 9Rules takeover. My experience with this kind of buyout hasn’t been good. Last time I was on the other side of things, and saw how different the public and private personas of the owner were. Online he was great, though he sometimes acted like an 8 year old boy on a tantrum. Offline he was a drunk, manipulative bastard who sometimes acted like an 8 year old boy on a tantrum. As you can guess, given my experience, I don’t exactly trust the new ownership yet. I don’t really have any reason to, but other than my own hangups I also don’t have any reason not to.

Good luck to the Triad on their future endeavors, and thanks for what was put together.

As for SplashMedia, well all I can promise is that I’ll stick around, see what happens, see how things change, and work to make the best out of this situation.

For the past two months, every visit to a nearby Barnes and Noble either started or ended with a trip to that section of the store where beautifully ornate but overpriced journals are kept, displayed in such a way that even the blind could appreciate their beauty. Some of them are bright, others subtle; some come in hard or soft covers while others seem to be somewhere in between; they’re bound in leather, and plastic, and cardboard; some look as if they were designed to become fixtures upon desks while still others look as if they were meant to be tossed in a small bag and taken on a hike in the forrest, where a writer would note nature-inspired tales and observations.

On a trip to Puerto Rico in 2001, one of these–a small, black journal with a soft-leather cover containing two spots for writing implements and a string to tie the thing shut–became the preferred recording device of thought, conversations, and observations made during the visit. It was a place in which ideas and descriptions and pictures and memories could dance. That journal’s still around, siting in a box in a storage closet, stuffed with post cards, pictures, and other memorabilia.

That trip was eight years ago. Was it time to get another?

During a honeymoon trip to Orlando, just over five years ago, another one of those journals, received as a wedding gift, sat open in a hotel, its blank pages stared upon by eyes lusting for words but without the will to commit them. It was spiral-bound and had a hard cover of red and autumn, with the words “I hope you dance” inscribed in gold lettering. Eventually, the events and thoughts of that day were indeed committed to the pages, but that was the last time that journal would be written on for another four years, when those eyes, now filled with reverence for the notebook, would again gaze upon its still blank pages, thinking of what could be.

That journal now sits inside a desk, less than fifteen of its pages written on. Ironic.

This time there was no trip to precipitate the purchase, and it wasn’t a gift. Instead it was simply a matter of desire, which is why it took two months and multiple trips to that particular store to finally decide that it was worth it. Two months and numerous trips for a $40 purchase. Why?

Someone in a writing group once quipped that it had taken her years of writing before she was finally convinced she was good enough to write on one of those fancy journals. Another person jumped in saying that she had felt the same way, until she realized that the thing wasn’t some magical tome, it was just a notebook–an expensive notebook!–one in which she could write, make mistakes, and doodle if she wanted.

Between two living room chairs, on the floor, sits the “Medici Lions Kraft Recycled Italian Leather Journal.” That, by the way, is a rococoesque, marketing-inspired name for “pricey notebook”. Pressed on to the leather of both the front and back covers, the edges protected by a thin wrapping of leather string, are fanciful patterns featuring plants and decorative lines. These are bordered a by a string of petite, golden leaves. On the center of the front cover is a shield with the Medici lion, a beast on its hind legs, facing right.

When it was first removed from plastic packaging–protecting this notebook from passing hands until ready for use–the relaxing smell of soft leather filled the air as the notebook slipped out. That was followed by some time spent enjoying the thing for what it was, smelling it, touching it, and imagining the words that could be. Pages turned one by one, blank, waiting until the moment when they would be forever scarred and at the same time blessed with the fulfillment of their implicit raison d’être.

The only books written which can often be considered near-perfect the first time around are journals. Thinking about that, it became a possibility that this would be its use. But maybe there was something more. The soft feel of its cover and sturdiness of its pages demanded that more than the trivial thoughts and goings on of an average day be conferred upon it. A novel? A collection of short stories? An outlining of philosophical inquiries and thought experiments?

Ideas for what to write in the journal abound, but fleshing out these before beginning to write is at least somewhat important. Unlike the many tens of legal pads onto which hundreds of pens’ worth of ink have been spilled, this type of notebook isn’t one to be readily discarded. Is it okay to fill it with something trite?

Not surprisingly, a week after its purchase its pages are, of course, still empty.

It is not a holy relic, nor is it some decorative piece meant only to enhance a place by simply existing. It’s a notebook, one in which words will eventually be written, one which will eventually be filled, and one which may eventually be read by eyes other than that of the words’ author. In any case, one thing’s for sure: after a months-long line and a $40 entrance fee, it would surely be a waste to not dance.

“There’s a real question at stake now. Is President Obama creating a civil war in our own country? We are witnessing a slow, steady takeover of our true freedoms. We are becoming a socialist nation, and whoever can’t see this is probably hoping it isn’t true. If we permit Mr. Obama to take over all our industries, if we permit him to raise our taxes to support unconstitutional causes, then we will be in default. This great America will become a paralyzed nation.”

Sadly, this is a theme I’ve heard far too many times, particularly over the past 9 years, when it has become somewhat mainstream in certain circles, circles which can now grow very easily and aren’t limited to small, unorganized militias. In fact, a Russian academic, Igor Panarin, has been suggesting that the US would disintegrate in 2010.

I wouldn’t be surprised, actually, if there was a major disturbance at that time. Disintegration? I’m not sure, but a civil war isn’t entirely out of the question. (Honestly, in the US, has it ever been?) Jefferson’s thoughts on “the tree of liberty” comes to mind. All this said, I can’t help but wonder why people feel this way, and what has led us to this point. Here’s my take:

If another civil war were to be brewing, it would not be caused by Obama. It may ignite under Obama, but the fuel would have had to be in place long before. In fact, I venture to say that it would have really picked up steam during the Bush years, since it was during that time that political partisanship skyrocketed to levels unheard of throughout most of American history. But of course, the seeds of that go even further, to Nixon, and the betrayal of the American people, after which point people stopped trusting their government. (Polls indicated that pre-Nixon, ~70% of people trusted the government to do the right thing. Post Nixon that number dropped to ~30%.) A little of this steam was let off when Reagan was elected under the “let’s drown government in a bathtub” banner, giving the feeling that “One of us” was in charge. Of course, the lines were being quickly defined here. Then some more steam was let out when Clinton was impeached over a clearly partisan witch hunt, another event which made some people feel vindicated over their mistrust of government. Whatever feeling faded, however, returned with the 2000 election, when trust in our electoral systems were shaken. Evidence has come out to the effect that indeed some manipulation, at least of the also-contested 2004 election, did indeed go on, as admitted by Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security, who “was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush’s re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over.”

The lines were drawn even deeper when Congress became implicated in the criminal activities of the Bush administration (pretty much everything done under the mantle of “Protecting the country from terrorists”). While some attempt to excuse themselves by saying “we didn’t know”, the fact that the leadership of both parties in power refused to investigate allegations and push “impeachment off the table” means that they were both implicated. That’s because the Bush doctrine very clearly drew a line, explaining it (as they did so many times) in Biblical ways: “You are either with me or against me,” or more specifically, “you are with us or you are with the terrorists,” the crux of the Bush doctrine. Another perfect example of that was the more common “America: Love It or Leave It”, featured in bumper stickers everywhere, usually on the back of a pickup truck.

Now, how does Obama fit into all this? The lines were clearly drawn, left vs. right. As a perceived member of the left, Obama has become a lightning rod for all of this, particularly during this time of economic upheaval, when the very worst fears of many, the fear of a socialist oligarchy, in which only a select few are the social beneficiaries, have become manifest. Obama is way for some to focus and embody their fears. The fact that we have a Democratically controlled Congress means that some conservatives, the group most likely to mistrust the government (considering Nixon and Bush, the irony here is dripping, isn’t it?) feel “trapped”. Entertainment media feeding that fear will help create a feedback loop of fear which would make this the most likely group to start striking out. This, of course, is a natural reaction to feeling trapped and powerless. (All the times in my life I’ve struck out in anger have been times when I felt there was no other recourse available to me. In other words, I felt powerless to stop whatever external force was creating that sense of powerlessness within me.) The Tea Bag parties are a perfect example of this, and as we’ve seen, the health care debate is its extension: generalized fear over the loss of control. (Again, a feeling perpetuated not by any actions we can see around us, but by some media outlets telling us that we’re seeing all that around us right now. The fact that it’s now so easily to talk exclusively to people who feel exactly like us makes that cycle all the more pervasive.) For people who believe that any government action is aimed at exactly that, removing personal control, and for which that can be its only aim, then any action taken by the government which is not retreat into seclusion is a threat to them. And once you feel under threat and out of control on all sides, what do you do? The only logical choice: you strike out.

Obama’s no more the cause of this civil war than the sky is the cause of the color blue, but because he’s in power, and because there is a large group of people who oppose everything they think he and his kin stand for, he gets blamed for things like dividing the country to a civil war.

Remember the story of Moses, when he parted the Red sea. He may have been in charge, but he didn’t part the sea: a force far greater than him parted it. He could wave his hands around all day long and that water wouldn’t have done a thing if there wasn’t a force greater than him at work. In Obama’s case, there are very few things he can actually do to divide people more than they are. Historical forces are already doing all that work for him, whether he likes it or, as I suspect, not.

Alright, that made more sense in my head. Also, it wasn’t anywhere nearly as drastic.

At any rate, we ended up stopping by Blockbuster to pick up a rental. Yes, we have Netflix. We LOVE Netflix, but we wanted something now (or then, whatever). After going in and looking around for a bit, we found the 2-for-$20 and 4-for-$20 tables. Jackpot. We put the movies we were going to rent back on the shelves and started looking through these pre-viewed wonders. Luckily, we had time enough to search, because it was at that moment that heaven’s pipes broke and flooded the streets.

Half an hour later, when it stopped raining, we walked out with a handful of movies, including The Golden Compass, Babylon A.D., Inkheart, and some dragon documentary made by Animal Planet. (I can’t remember its name, sorry, but it was this documentary which chronicled what the evolutionary path of dragons would have been if they were real. Very cool, although it had the cinematic quality of the made-for-TV Dynotopia, which we also own, and which I’ve watched more times than I can count.)

It’s lucky for me that my quality threshold is lowered the cheaper a movie gets. While The Golden Compass, Inkheart and the dragon movie are movies I’d pay more than $5 for, Babylon A.D. isn’t. In fact, the only way I can really justify this movie being in my collection is if I think about this as a “buy 3 get 1 free” deal.

Alright, so Babylon A.D. isn’t that bad. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s a Vin Diesel (his stage name; his real name is “Weenie McWeinerton”) sci-fi movie, sort of like Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick but with less space action. (Actually, Chronicles of Riddick is one of my favorite movies, as it ties in a pretty good story with phenomenal special effects and awesome action. In fact, that’s one thing about Vin Diesel movies, they’re usually great for action. But I’m digressing.) It’s about this mercenary, Turop, who’s hired to transport this girl with huge lips and some kind of power into the U.S. Problem is that he’s considered a terrorist, and by this time North America is essentially a fortress, guarded by unmanned jets, jets easily dispatched by Turop on a snow-mobile. (I think it was a Scootie-puff Jr.)

I’d go on with the story line, but… honestly, I’m not sure where the story line went. First there were these guys fighting who look like they came out of Westside Story, then the pair, accompanied by this kung-fu expert nun, make it to New York where a mafia-style religious order starts a massive gun battle with what look like understudies for the part of Skeletor in the 1980’s He-Man movie, all of whom ride bikes. That’s before everything blows up, Turop dies so that he can live, and the Westisde Story gang dips into his brain to find where the girl ran off to.

So yeah, all in all it was a great movie. Really. It was just missing a coherent story line and a good ending. (I blame the writers.) Other than that, awesome. My favorite part? The big Coca-Cola Zero airplane that takes up about a minute of screen-time. I don’t know how much Coca-Cola paid for the spot, but they got their money’s worth, as it was easily the most memorable spot in the film: I laughed so hard and for so long I had to pause the movie. I don’t think they meant it to be quite that funny, however. The next memorable moment was when Turop shot a cute arctic bunny. Sorry, but any film in which a bunny is so hilariously shot is one I can’t take all that seriously. “Oh look, a bunny!” I said. 10 second later, I see a man, then a laser point, and suddenly rabbit brain cells, millions of them.

You’ve probably noticed how incredibly rambling this post is. Well now you know what the movie feels like. I can only recommend this movie if you like Vin Diesel movies, action, special effects, or sci-fi. Actually, for those of you looking for good sci-fi, a couple of cool technologies are featured in this film, and a few anthropological ideas are pushed, but nothing is explored in depth, which was a big disappointment I felt with this film. The concepts they touch on, of a religious order pressing towards the next level of evolution by the creation of a “miracle” combined with the levels of political instability displayed, were topics I would have loved to know more about. Alas, they surrender talk of that for the Coke Zero plane and explosions, lots of them.

In short, the movie was enjoyable to watch, though I think it’s one I’ll feature at my next “Bad Movie Party”. Yes, I’ve seen worse, but this one is good enough to enjoy and bad enough to be made fun of.

Come to think of it, maybe it was worth the $5.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis: The book first starts out as a dystopian socialist type of society where everyone refers to themselves as “We” (no concept of individualism). This, along with the main protagonist’s journey, mirrors that of Winston’s in Orwell’s 1984. Eventually, the main protagonist runs away from this society and discovers individualism. While the first part of the book scrutinizes the evils of runaway socialism and communism, the second part, the climax, exalts the virtues of selfishness. It’s like saying “The cure of Marx is Nietzsche.”

The book, while interesting from a psychological and philosophical point of view, nevertheless ends up as a diatribe, an ode to selfishness where the lesson taught is beat over the reader’s head; I at this point had to take a break from reading. While reading the conclusions I couldn’t help but think “this is wrong in SO many ways.” But I’ll give the book and author the benefit of the doubt: it was written during a time when the consequences of pure selfishness on a grand scale were as yet unfamiliar and unfathomable to the author. On a micro scale, the power of individualism is a great thing, and that which she exalts should be taken to heart by anyone: no one reading this should walk away without having learned something about the importance of individuality even when it runs counter to society. But this will to power, this rugged individualism shouldn’t be the basis of a societal system. In that sense I hope anyone reading this can see past her myopic fear of socialism and see the true danger: extremism and universal applications of a simplistic idea.

P.S.
If you’re into books check out GoodReads , and feel fee to friend me there if you see me around. I’d love to see what you’re reading.

See, what I’m about to show you can be done by just about everyone, but it will require some guidance, particularly from Google. Come to think of it, here are your requirements:

• Access to the Internet.
• A second computer, since the first SHOULD be off the Internet. In theory.
• A thumbdrive.
• HijackThis.You may also want to print this tutorial on HujackThis.
• A printout of the following websites. (If you have access to the web on a safe computer then you don’t have to pint these, though you may still want to.)
  1. A tutorial on looking for and clearing trojans: http://www.governmentsecurity.org/places_viruses_trojans_hide_startup
  2. A tutorial on MSConfig: http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig
  3. This tutorial you’re reading right now. This very one.
• Patience.

Note: This tutorial comes with no guarantees expressed or implied. If you screw up, you’re on your own. Sorry to be so blunt. I’m a Mac and Linux guy. I’m just putting this up because it might be helpful to some who read this. If what you read here scares you or you don’t have the patience, just pay someone to do what I’m about to describe.

Alright, here we go:

1. Disconnect your infected computer from the Internet if you can, if you have access to another system. If you can’t that’s fine, but you run a few risks. Sorry.
2. Go to another computer and download “HijackThis” to a USB stick. You’ll need this tool AND you need to do this from another computer in order not to run the risk of infecting your thumbdrive.
3. Start your computer in Safe Mode. Reboot then when the very first system screen comes up (whether it be the “Dell” or “HP” splash logos, or whether it be the motherboard running through a system check) start pressing F8 fast and repeatedly until you get the Safe Mode prompt, a text-only screen that should come up before “Windows” shows up.
4. When you’re finally logged into safe mode (it usually looks like crap because all the drivers that make everything look nice are turned off), go to Start > Run and in the window that appears type “msconfig” (without the quotation marks).
5. In the MSConfig you can tweak a lot of stuff, so you may want to read the tutorial on MSConfig you were supposed to have printed if you plan to mess around with it extensively. For now all you’re doing is going through the Startup tab and unchecking everything you don’t recognize. (You may still want to read the tutorial, just in case.) To be safe, though, you will want to search for information on everything you’re about to uncheck.
6. With Notepad, open C:\Autoexec.bat. This file should be empty. If it’s not, delete everything here. (Backup the file, just in case. Call it… “Autoexec.bak” or something.)
7. With Notepad, open C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. This file should also be empty unless you’ve put something in here. If it’s not, delete everything here, but back up the file just in case.
8. Read the tutorial you were supposed to print on trojans. Do everything in that tutorial.
9. Install and run the HijackThis tool. (For any questions, refer to the tutorial I asked you to print on HijackThis.) Post your results to a HijackThis forum. You can (and should) also research each result using a reputable search engine.

And that’s pretty much it. Yeah, I know, it sounds hard. It’s kind of annoying, that’s for sure. It’s why people charge $80 to do this. But if you have the time and are short of funds, then this is a great way to learn about the ins and outs of your computer. Good luck.

(Thanks go out to RoboNick for this info.)

Bill Cosby’s keynote speech in Carnegie Mellon University. I found it interesting because there have been plenty of times in my life when I doubted myself–as we all have. At times I’ve given into that doubt. At time’s I’ve overcome it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned throughout it all? If you’re going through Hell, DON’T STOP!

Right in the middle he starts talking about the first time he got his big break, how the demons inside his head–those voices we all hear that tell us we can’t do something, the voices of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt–took over him during his biggest opportunity and what it took to overcome them. Towards the end he hands us this nugget: “Don’t talk yourself into not being you. At any time. You don’t have an excuse that works. When you say ‘But I was nervous!’ That’s not you! That’s not how you got here! Yeah, you can be nervous. It’s good for you. It tunes you. But people want to see you… When you’re good, then you bring YOU out.”

One day, when mom was doing the laundry, she looked at the back yard told me, “That grass is so high Tarzan’s going to make his next movie in our back yard.” This was the greatest news any four year old could get: Tarzan would be coming to my house to make a movie in my back yard!

Somewhere in the back of my mind thoughts wondering whether there would be enough room for him bubbled up. I mean really, there were no trees back there, how was he going to swing around? But I pushed those thoughts out as soon as they appeared. After all, mom said he’d be coming to make a movie, so she had already talked to him on the phone, right? And how had he found out about our yard? Dad probably told him. (They knew all the famous people.)

Although those questions still gnawed at me, my excitement never lessened, my faith never waned. He was coming to make a movie: he was the king of the jungle, and our back yard was as jungle as he was likely to get around here. And most of his movies were done just a couple of streets over, like everything else.

For days, I bragged to my friends that Tarzan would come to my house sometime soon. They were excited. I beamed. We all wanted to meet him, all wanted to be in the movie, all wanted to swing on vines. We even practiced our Tarzan screams, much to the chagrin of our parents and the neighbors.

Sometime later, I can’t say when, I heard the sound of an engine buzzing in the back yard. I stood at the marquesina and looked on as dad slowly mowed the grass, cutting it down to a more civil size. Why was he doing this? Tarzan hadn’t come yet! Then again, maybe Tarzan was like Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Mouse, coming and going without being seen. Or maybe he had decided to film somewhere else this time. I never asked anyone about that, thinking that if I didn’t, maybe he’d still show up.

Months passed. Every time the grass grew more than six inches I would get excited: maybe this time he would come, or if he’d come last time, maybe I could see him. Or maybe I’d find a lion in the back yard. Or maybe… maybe…

Justifying to myself why he hadn’t come yet was easy. After all, it wasn’t like the back yard was big enough to swing in, and there really weren’t any trees, other than our neighbor’s lemon tree, which branches that grew over the fence to our yard. Maybe dad and mom decided he couldn’t make the movie in our back yard and forgot to tell me. But the hope lived, and lived, and lived, until one day it left.

I waked to the back yard, barefoot and in my underwear, with woolly hair looking a bit like a jungle boy. The grass was about as tall as my ankles. I looked around yard, at the bushes then at the sides of the house, even the where all the recao grew. He wasn’t there. He wouldn’t be there. No Tarzan, no movie. He wouldn’t come. He didn’t come. Tarzan never showed up.

Edit: P.S…
Years later–only a couple of years ago, in fact–I finally asked mom about what she said that day. She looked at me with as if she’d heard something very strange, then told me she didn’t remember saying anything along those lines.

For years I had wondered whether maybe she used the phrase regularly for things being so wild that Tarzan himself would be involved. (Having four small kids running about, this couldn’t be discounted.) Turns out this she didn’t; this was an off-hand remark, something she no longer remembered, and likely didn’t remember just a few hours after first saying it then. I obviously did.

Academic Overview

The 48-Hour Bravo pH Esophageal Test monitors the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach) for 48 hours in order to determine whether the heartburn I’m feeling is really acid or something else. In this case “heartburn” actually means the burning in my throat, as if I’d just swallowed battery acid, rather than in my chest, as if my heart had burst into flames. (This might indicate another condition entirely, one called LPRD, or laryngo-pharyngeal reflux disease. It’s sort of like GERD, but felt in the throat, not in the chest.)

During the test, the doctor puts a 26mm capsule down the throat and sticks it to the side of the esophagus. A monitor is then given to the patient which records the capsule’s pH readings. These will, in theory, help determine if the person has GERD. Two days later, the monitor is returned. A week later the capsule will detach itself and go through the digestive track.

For more details on the test, including getting ready, check out the Cleveland Clinic’s information site on it.

My Experience

I went over to Tampa General Hospital to get implanted with the Bravo pH capsule. I got there, as per instructions, at 1:30 P.M. Got checked in, found the waiting room which overlooked Tampa Bay and Bayshore Blvd. The Wife, there with me, cracked a smile when she realized she “could see [her] old high school from here!” The soft music playing in the background made the scene like something out of a travel video. A few minutes later we looked at one of the nearby televisions and realized it was playing a travel video.

After an hour of watching, waiting, and enjoying the aroma of hot chocolate–especially aromatic considering I’d not eaten anything in almost 24 hours–the nurse stopped by with a device the size of a small-to-medium camera which I would, for the next two days, wear around my neck. This would be the external monitor, which would record all the transmissions sent from the tiny device which I would soon have implanted in me. Additionally it had three buttons which I would press every time I felt I had heartburn, regurgitation (food coming up to the back of my throat) or chest pain. Then she gave me a diary and told me to write down all my symptoms along with the time they occurred, making sure to use the time shown on the device itself, and not any other time piece. Beside the time, I would later find out, there was also a display of my current esophageal pH. I would later find this a very useful tool with which to experiment.

With all that said and done, I was brought in for the procedure. I laid down on a bed, clothes and all, and my gastroenterologist came in. He told me to gargle some numbing liquid–”DON’T SWALLOW IT!” he repeatedly reminded me.

“Aren’t you going to put me to sleep?”

“Nope. The procedure will take about a minute. The stuff you just gargled will numb your throat to quell your gag reflex.” As he said that, the nurse stuck a plastic ring in my mouth to keep it open, then strapped it to the back of my head. (Frighteningly S&M-ish.) Then he continued, “Alright, now I’m going to put this down your throat.” It was at that very moment that he pulled out this long, thin hoobajoob, about the size of my arm, out from under some desk. Oh, shit, I thought, as he asked me to turn to my side. “To make this a bit more comfortable I’ve lubricated the device with a bit of water-soluble KY-jelly.” Seriously, I didn’t need to hear that.

As I lay on my side, the doctor stuck the device in my mouth. When he got to the back of my throat he ordered me to swallow. As soon as I did he shoved the hoobajoob all the way down to just above my stomach. That’s when he turned the suction machine on. “Alright, now this will take about a minute, so just relax.”It took everything I had not to start heaving. All I could do was count. Seventy-two seconds later, he pulled out the hoobajoob. A monitoring device about the size of a #2 pencil’s eraser and ferule had been implanted in my esophagus. It would take about a week for it to dislodge itself and go through the Chamber of Doom.

The whole process, the laying down–the gargling stuff, the implantation–all took about ten minutes. It would be an hour before I ate or drank anything, as per doctor’s orders, seeing as the numbing agent I gargled also numbed the control valve which keeps food from accidentally finding its way into the lungs.

The Testing Period

Normal esophageal pH is somewhere between 4 and 7. If it goes lower it indicates that acid is being refluxed, since the stomach’s pH is between 1 and 2. If it goes higher it might indicate bile reflux, although the stomach sometimes as alkaline periods. (The pH of bile is above 8.) Sudden drops of pH (from 7.1 to 5.3, or 6.1 to 3.8) indicate acid reflux. During the testing period my pH went as low as 1.8 and as high as 8.6, possibly 8.8. All this as per the pH display in the Bravo monitoring device I now had hanging around my neck. (It really did look like a camera.) The vast majority of the time it stuck between 4 and 7, usually between 5 and 7. What this means, I have no idea. I will when I get my results back.

I was told to eat foods which would cause my symptoms, so the first thing I did was head to my parents’ house, where my father, a pizza restaurant owner for years, would be making pizza. It was delicious. Deeeelicious. I topped the pizza off with a small Starbucks frappuccinno. Yes, evil, I know, but these are foods I KNOW would bring about symptoms. There was one small hitch with my plan, however…

Did I tell you I have a bad gallbladder? Yeah, I do. Having it taken out sometime soon (probably in the next week). Runs in the family. Also doesn’t help that I spent more than my fair share of time pigging out to crapstacular food. Mia culpa, mia culpa. Problem now was all those highly acidic foods were also fatty enough to cause problems.

My gallbladder took its revenge on me not immediately, but rather the next day. (It holds grudges.) While I had heartburn after the pizza (the pH reading dropped as low as 2.0 for brief periods, but stayed mostly above the 4.0 mark), it wasn’t until the next morning that the problems really started. After my breakfast–a sandwich made of egg whites, wheat bread and kale, followed by a cup of vanilla almond milk–I started feeling bloated. Real bloated. Then suddenly I started having pains. I was having a gallbladder attack. This was at 9:30 A.M. It would be almost 7:00 P.M. that night before the attack passed. In the meantime, my pH fluctuated between way-too-acidic (pH 3) and way too alkaline (pH 8). Since I wasn’t able to eat or drink during this time, the test was pretty much ruined.

I tried to salvage the situation on the final day. I was feeling well enough to eat what I would regularly eat, including low-fat foods that would cause me symptoms, foods like barley, oats, and juice (although it never dawned on me to try out BBQ sauce). For the most part the worst food of the bunch was the barley, which always gives me problems after a while. Don’t know why, really. It goes down fine, but then about an hour later I start burning up. Same with oats. The pH monitor corroborated this observation.

Anyway, the test ended at 4:00 on the dot; that’s when the monitor shut down. I dropped it off at the hospital and was finally rid of the thing. I should be receiving the results sometime this week. At that moment all I cared about was that I could finally go back to doing things like sipping water throughout the day and eating mostly fruits and vegetables, things which I know keep my heartburn at bay, medications or no.

The hardest part of this test, gallbladder problems aside, was that I couldn’t take anything for the discomfort I felt. I couldn’t chew gum, couldn’t suck on hard candies, couldn’t drink water to wash out the acid, and certainly couldn’t take antacids. Hopefully, however, this test shows that things aren’t as bad as I thought they’d be, even though they’re obviously not good. Now that it’s over I’m only concerned with one thing: getting rid of the bad, un-salvageable gallbladder. That’s a story for some other time.

She was describing something she was excited about. Not just speech, but also lots of hand motions. Lots. Suddenly she whacks me with her elbow; doesn’t know whether the hit lands in the head or what, but she starts inspecting me. That’s right before a punch to the arm jolts her out of sleep. “Ouch! Did he just punch me?”, she thought, turning to me and seeing me fall asleep with my back to her. Was he dreaming? What the heck was that all about?

Next morning we talked about what happened. She told me about her dream, how she thought she beaned me. I told her about my dream and how after she beaned me I, still in my dream state,  did the knee-jerk thing and punched her on the arm before going back to the park to hide and seek or whatever.

We called it even, and now tell the story to get a laugh, the story of the night we beat each other up in our sleep. Anger issues? Maybe. Not likely. For now we’re going with love taps.