Not so long ago I was the girl who emphatically said, “I will never own an iPhone! Who would want their phone, iPod and camera wrapped into one device? Then if something happens to it you’re totally screwed!”

So long good friend.

Flash forward to Tuesday morning, July 5th. I’m half asleep, dragging my feet in protest over the end of a gloriously lazy holiday weekend and the start of a new work week. There’s a water bottle on my nightstand. I think it has a lid on it (it doesn’t) and I think it’s empty (it’s not). I pick it up, I inadvertently tilt the bottle and approximately seven droplets of water splash onto my nightstand, right where my iPod happens to be. I probably could have done this a hundred times over and not gotten the angle just right so that the water would ricochet into the port at the bottom of said iPod. But this time…

I dried it off, the screen flickered and went black.

I left it propped up on my bed, hoping to drain the water from inside.

I read online that uncooked rice sometimes pulled moisture from technical devices, so I bought a bag at lunch and submerged the iPod.

By Monday evening I was ready to make the call…my iPod was deceased.

To make matters worse, it’s not technically *my* iPod. It belongs to my good friend Toni who (along with her husband) has adopted me when it comes to technology toys, graciously passing down their used electronics when they upgrade to new devices (I have also been in possession of a Huffman loaned XBox 360 since mine presented the red ring of death last year). I felt horrible on many, many levels.

But lo! A ray of light there still may be!

There is a silver (or as it turned out, a white) lining to this story. Since my parental units moved into their new condo in January, there’s been some talk of cancelling our family plan from AT&T because apparently their magical coverage fairies skipped over said condo complex with their snazzy orange silk. Parental units were already leaning toward Verizon because Mom’s work phone is Verizon and gets a signal at the condo and at their vacation abode in North Georgia. I saw my opportunity. I went for it.

Flash forward again to Wednesday night in the Verizon store where I looked my destiny in the face and knew there was no turning back.

I am not a person of impulse when it comes to big purchases (mostly because my bank account will not allow me to be) but I have been diligently saving over the last few months (for my Alaska trip in May…but whatever) and yes my rent went up this month and yes I have another trip planned to Tallahassee in October, but here are the facts that really helped my make my decision:

Fact #1: I cannot live without an iPod. I love music too much to not have it around me at all times.

Fact #2: A new 16gb iPod actually costs more than a 16gb iPhone with a new contract at Verizon.

Fact #3: I am 26 years old. I am single. I have no children. I am gainfully employed. I live by myself. There will be decades in my life when I have a family to take care of, a mortgage to pay for and other responsibilities that to tend to, none of which will allow me any flexibility for big and spontaneous purchases. But right now, I am nothing but flexible.

iPhone here I come.

By 7:30 p.m. EST, 48 hours after pronouncing my hand me down iPod DOA, I held in my hands a bright, shiny new iPhone to call my own. Yes, I was a little poorer than I was when I entered the Verizon store, but damn if I wasn’t happier than a kid on Christmas morning.

In twenty-four hours of iPhone ownership my life has improved in the following ways:

1. I am better able to keep up with emails and tweets for my growing business, Duolit.

2. I am better able to support my longtime favorite baseball team the Atlanta Braves (who I know beat the Rockies 9-1 today because my iPhone alerts me to the 3rd, 6th and final scores–previously, I only knew of their wins and losses when I caught SportsCenter in passing).

3. I am better able to communicate with my friends and family, including one of my old college roomies who lives in South Florida, but whom I got to see today through FaceTime.

Also in twenty-four hours of iPhone ownership, I’ve gone from that girl who thumbed her nose at people with their iPhones connected by virtual umbilical cords to being one of those very same people. I even downloaded FourSquare and have every intent of being that annoying person who “checks in” to every location I visit.

Sorry for the judgment fellow iPhone peeps…hope it won’t be too awkward at the meetings.

Later days,

- Shannon

So I’m watching the news today and I see that the Atlantic coast has its first named tropical system of the season, Arlene. Now, Arlene is a perfectly suitable name for a woman of leisure with bad roots, seven teeth and nine cats who lives in a trailer park and smokes Marlboros like a steam engine, but for a tropical system? Really? Not acceptable.

What’s my solution? How about this…what if instead of issuing a list of the same boring names every year, the NHC (that’s what weather nerds like me get to call the National Hurricane Center, a division of the NOAA–that’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, keep up people!) auctioned off each letter of the alphabet to the highest bidder every year? That’s right, I’m saying what if corporations could sponsor hurricanes?

Tell me you wouldn’t be more interested in the tropics if you were watching for the potential development of Hurricane Tampax in the Eastern Caribbean? Or if you heard your local weatherman say, “It looks like Tropical Storm University of Phoenix is headed right toward South Carolina…it’s okay, they could use a little education.”

So here’s my list below of alternate names for the 2011 Hurricane Season based on who I think would have the funds and desire to secure a spot on the list:

Allstate

“You’re in good hands with Allstate…when it comes to the recovery efforts from Hurricane Allstate.”

Budweiser

“In honor of their sponsored storm, Budweiser is going to throw a huge party wherever Hurricane Bud Light hits! With special guest stars Brad Paisley and Kid Rock!”

Coke Zero

DirecTV

“Ironically, Hurricane DirecTV is going to knock out satellite signal to every DirecTV customer in South Florida.”

ExxonMobil

FedEx

“Hurricane FedEx is expected to strike Miami in 2 – 3 days, it may take more time however given the holiday rush.”

Google

Hershey

iPad

“Apple has just announced it’s actually going to use its sponsorship to just call the storm iHurricane. A new tracking app is now available.”

JetBlue

Kinkos

Lowe’s

Microsoft

“We’re seeing something very strange with this storm, it appears that Hurricane Microsoft is actually shrouded in a swarm of bugs. Hurricane Hunters are going to fly into the storm today and drop a special patch to see if that fixes the problem, if not we’re gonna have to drop all support for this hurricane and move on to the next.”

Nike

Oprah

“YOU get a hurricane and YOU get a hurricane and YOU get a hurricane!”

Publix

Quizno’s

Ronald McDonald

“Hurricane Ronald McDonald is heading straight toward the Dominican Republic and unfortunately it’s not going to be raining Happy Meals.”

Samsung

Tampax

“Looks like it’s going to be a heavy flow day in Galveston as Tropical Storm Tampax comes ashore.”

University of Phoenix

Viagra

Walt Disney

Xfinity

“Hurricane Xfinity (formerly known as Hurricane Comcast) is expected to come ashore in Mobile sometime between eight a.m. and eight p.m. next Wednesday, prepare to spend the whole day at home waiting for this storm.”

YouTube

Zappos.com

When it comes to writing, you can get inspiration from just about anywhere. I have a number of writing idols, many of whom are novelists like Carl Hiaasen, Joshilyn Jackson and Chris Bohjalian. But I also take inspiration from other types of writers who excel in their own arenas–in particular, I’m talking about the man, the myth, the legend–Mr. Aaron Sorkin.

Prior to his acclaimed television success with West Wing, Sorkin got his start in TV with a little show called Sports Night. While almost everything Sorkin writes is gold (see: A Few Good Men, The American President, and The Social Network) in my eyes, nothing compares to the wit, humor and impeccable dialogue of Sports Night.

Once a year, I re-watch the entire show (it only ran for two seasons) from start to finish. It’s a testament to what a great show it is that even though I’ve probably watched it in its entirety six or seven times at this point, I love it just as much with every re-watching.

The best part (and the trademark of Aaron Sorkin, of course) is the quick-paced dialogue. Any time you find yourself struggling with character dialogue, you can rely on Sorkin to give you a dose of intellectual wit wrapped in a conversational vernacular that makes it seem authentic.

Just in case you don’t want to take my word for it, I’ve put together some of my favorite Sports Night gems for you to enjoy. If you’re interested, you should also check out the show, which was recently added to Netflix.

Get your inspiration where you can! And also, keep your ear to the ground over Duolit, something’s coming up that’s going to be really big!

Later days,
- Shannon

SPORTS NIGHT QUOTES:

Dan: I gotta tell you, at this point the length of this conversation is way out of proportion to my interest in it.

Casey: How am I conversationally anal retentive?
Dana: Let me answer that question in four parts, with the fourth part first and the third part last. The second part has five sub-sections…
Casey: All right, all right…

Sam: You shouldn’t think that just because I’m looking at you while you’re talking to me, that I’m necessarily listening to or caring about what you’re saying. It’s just something I do to be polite.

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