I mostly started over with holiday decorations for this year. The sleigh, miniature pine trees, and antique green coffee pot (which is my favorite) all came from Antique Station in Old Towne Orange. Outside I’ve got a classic wooden Santa and giant multi-color Christmas lights. I’m tired of plain white lights, and I think multi-color will make a big comeback this year or next.

I’m getting tons of natural light during the day because it’s the only room in the house with a multi-window southern exposure. It’s next to the kitchen, which is terrific for snacking. It’s near the front door, so I can see when someone’s coming to deliver a package. It’s where Ilse’s food bowl is located, so she actually eats her food during the day while she’s hanging out with me (instead of waiting till midnight when all hopes of getting people food are dashed). Since it has a low ceiling instead of a vaulted ceiling, it stays warm in the winter, and since it’s on the ground floor, it stays cool in the summer.

Mine right now are David G., Carrie, Courtney, Chelsey, Bequi, Lindsey, Kimberly, Casey, Michael C., and Ali. Bequi only knows Lindsey, Ali, and maybe Carrie. Casey and Courney are the only couple. Chelsey and David would have to fly here from New York. I’ve known Carrie the longest, and I suspect she knows more of the others than anyone else.

I refreshed my profile page, and the same ten people showed up, but in a different order. How the heck does Facebook calculate whom to show?

Normally I wouldn’t break the grammar rules by alternating between spelled-out numbers (“two”) and numerals (“2″) in the same title, but these are the actual trademarks, so I have no choice.

I upgraded my smartphone. Literally upgraded, because I simply went from the HTC Droid Incredible to the HTC Droid Incredible 2. I loved my Incredible, but I decided it was imprudent to delay upgrading, especially considering that I could get the newer version of the same phone for only a penny. The Incredible 2 added a larger screen, front-facing camera, newer versions of Android and HTC Sense, and far superior battery life.

Oh, and the coolest part, even if I never use it? It’s a global phone, so it can roam anywhere in the world. I can even unlock the SIM card and use it on AT&T or T-Mobile here in the USA, although I have no idea why I’d want to do that.

I’d like to give him an answer to ease his mind, but it depends what he means. If he’s asking about something that’s broken, then the correct answer is “yes.” On the other hand, if he’s asking about fate, or an election, then the comforting answer is “no.”

I’ll just ignore him, obviously.

I get it, Apple. You think it’s cool to only have one button on the iPod Touch. Here’s the problem with that: It takes a bunch of extra clicks, not to mention a whole lot of counter-intuitiveness, to accomplish tasks that are simple and straightforward on an Android device. Not having a menu button is just like not having a right-click feature on a mouse; it makes tasks more complicated instead of simpler.

Yesterday I started using an Apple Cinema Display monitor in the office, and I’d never used one before. It’s a very sleek-looking monitor, and it has touch-sensitive brightness and power buttons on the right edge of the screen. However, I have a tendency to reach out and physically tilt the monitor up or down while I’m working. Sure enough, every time I do, I’m inadvertently adjusting the brightness or shutting off the monitor.

Good design doesn’t just mean that something is pleasing to the eye; it means that it’s actually well thought-out. There are plenty of things Apple does well, but they need a lot of help with buttons.