I am a Twitterer. A tweeter, a twit, whatever. I like Twitter specifically because they have made it so easy for you to use it from a mobile phone (or at least for other people to write applications that I can use on my mobile phone. I love the Twitpic integration in them that allows me to seamlessly upload photos from my mobile phone. It’s great… kinda.

A few months back, Kelly got an iPhone. That’s great. She can take all the photos she wants and do all sorts of magical stuff, because the iPhone has an application approval process that at least vets the application (they aren’t crashy or terrible). That is great for Kelly. There are tons of good Twitter applications for the iPhone.

Unfortunately,  I have a company-provided Windows Mobile phone, specifically the Samsung Blackjack II. It’s a good phone – it hooks up to my company’s email and has a good battery life. Windows Mobile, however, doesn’t have an “App Store” or a vetting process, which is both good (yay, free! open! do what you want!) and bad (why does this app eat memory like PacMan?).

This leads me to my search for a good, non-crashy, non-memory-hogging Twitter application for Windows Mobile. I’ve tried many, and the majority of them are “not good”, meaning they are either nonfunctional (ceTwitsp) or bizarrely interfaced, massive apps (PockeTwit). I say “majority” because they are not all terrible – in fact, there is one that I have found to be on the same level as an iPhone app as far as stability and usability – and that one, shining example is…

Twinkini.

It’s fast, it’s stable, it’s not a memory hog and I don’t have to fight it like some others to do what I want it to do. Yes, it’s a for-pay application, but it’s that good. I’m normally a big supporter of open-source, for-free software, but there just isn’t anything on this level.

Kudos, to yudos, Trinket Software.

And what’s more – it actually functions!

A good friend of mine’s family does this thing around the dinner table during “Family Night” that is called “One Good Thing” in which you have to say something selfless and charitable to others you did during that day. It can’t benefit you – like being part of your job. One would assume that over the years of Family Night and the ever-present threat of “One Good Thing” would lead to good things happening from that family – at least on that one day of the week. This is a good idea and should likely be included in an Omnibus Spending Bill as a requirement for all taxpayers.

But that’s not why we’re here, oh no – I have a story to tell – even despite the commandment from the Pregonaut that “You may never tell this story again”. This story must be told… and it will be, after the jump. Please be warned that I get rather angry in this story involving a drive-through pharmacy and that I use some rather colorful language – all of it extremely useful and apt, though.

Those of you who know me know that I very rarely get what I would called riled up. Hackles raised. Snortin’ mad. Completely ape-shit crazy with rage. I just don’t. Maybe it’s because I have few morals. But there are a few, select times when forces collide that I will get riled. This, ladies and gents, is one of those times. Allow me to set the scene:

The scene looked like this, except A) not pleasant and B) not English

Kelly and I were headed off to see Watchmen at the locate theatre and decided to “hop” through the Kroger Pharmacy Drive-Through here in beautiful downtown Hikes Point. There is enough room in the drive through lane for four cars (this becomes important later), and there were currently two. Sometimes it’s just easier to go into the store. It appeared that the first one (a Prius) was being served and Krogers was busy (Friday is party time, yes?!) on the inside, so we entered… THE WORST DRIVE THROUGH EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD.

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Kelly’s been using BeginnerTriathlete.com to help her train for her 2008 Louisville IronMan triathlon. Being the statistic-loving guy I am I went and pulled Kelly’s mileage totals for all of the training she’s logged since mid-April:

2008 totals

Bike:	  1814.42 miles in 122h 30m 46s
Run:	   332.94 miles in 59h 24m 16s
Swim:	    77.50 mi1es (124,865.7 meters) in 43h 16m 45s
Strength:   15h 55m
Canoeing:    2h 00m
Step:	        45m
Walking:     1h 40m

Man, that is far when you put it all together. Far!

Gnoam Chompskee represents!

Well, the 2008 Muncie Endurathon triathlon is in the bag, and boy was it a doozie! By far the largest triathlon event Kelly or I had ever participated in. Also very well run and in a great location (the Prairie Creek Reservoir in southeast Muncie). For those of you who are blinking your eyes and wonder “what is a triathlon?” let me explain (after the jump)

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There are two people that I regard as having helped me to understand my cultural identity – to understand what it means to be an American, to be a Southern boy, to live in a country made of free people. One is Jack Kerouac and the other (and likely the most important) is Hunter S. Thompson.

His writing conveys a wild, insatiable interest and keen bead on his subjects – be they the Kentucky Derby, race relations in Louisville, the wild flipside of the American Dream, or politics. He taught me that all writing is journalism, and journalism is much more than writing. His madcap dispatches blend furious imagination with a seam of truth that runs so deep as to ground the whole escapade like a seasick man clutching a ships railing. Some of his work is a tough read, no doubt, but it’s all worth it for those moments of pristine clarity that ring out like gunshots through his work.

Gonzo, a movie about Hunter S. Thompson is soon to be released in theaters. Trailer below:

A couple of choice quotes “after the jump”…
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Yes, Kelly and I are selling our home. We’ve listed our house with Sharon Toms (the realtor who helped to sell Danielle’s house) and this morning it showed up in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Here’s the skinny:

MLS #1204212Listing Price: $134,900.00
Rooms: 3 beds, 2 bath, full basement
Square Footage: 1,218
Greater Louisville Area Realtor Listing: 3107 Hikes Lane, Louisville, KY 40220.

You interested? Let me know – I know the seller.

Greetings, and welcome to 2008, and with this new year comes a new look for this website, thelocust.org. Thus begins the 9th year this website will detail my trials and tribulations. It’s been an adventure, it’s been a learning experience, it’s been me.

As far as years go, 2007 was a pretty good one – and a fairly active one for me. I trained for and ran my first-ever mini-Marathon, my first triathlon (even though it was a small one), and Kelly decided that she would do the 2008 Ironman Qualifier here in Louisville. I coached the Power Creative softball team and we won 3 games – which are 3 more than in the previous two seasons, combined. I renewed my interest in biking and I also learned to swim for distance, and not just to not drown.

Kelly and I also visited Barçelona, Spain in our first-ever trip outside the lower 48 states. Which reminds me that I will be writing up our Barçelona travelogues very shortly, as a bit of a New Years’ Delight for you all.

Tonight, Kelly and I spent our New Years Eve at home, me with a head cold and it rainy and windy outside. It’s uncharacteristic for us to not be at a party with our friends, but I am rather enjoying this time for reflection.

This time, last year: Chris Gerstle’s lament.

A brief, if very enlightening article (from way back in 2004) on Harvard Professor John Stilgoe, who teaches a class in “exploration” (as stated in the article). It strikes me as less exploration and more of understanding the messages that are broadcast to us by things we encounter everyday – the critical understanding of form, function, and in a large part, advertising.

Read here: The Eyes Have It (Professor Teaches A New Way Of Looking At Things)

Having been in the employ of an advertising agency for the past four years, I’ve come to understand that all advertising has been designed for some effect. The shape of a Coke bottle, the hidden arrow in a FedEx logo, the smell of fries from McDonalds. They’ve all been designed – for you. Understanding this can radically change your perspective on the world.

It’s been making the funny rounds here at work… Pizza?! Now that’s what I call a taco!

Great new Louisville ad made in town by a Doe-Anderson, Red7E and Guthrie Mays. Yes, I know, I work at Power Creative, but this ad is fantastic. It’s got some teeth (which are usually left on the cutting room floor). It’s part of a new branding initiative from Greater Louisville, Inc. Visit the website: ShareLouisville.org, or visit the original Louisville fan-club, Why Louisville. Why Louisville has a Beer Wolf. Share Louisville does not. Why 1 – Share 0!

via MoreThanDerby