Razr Droid is a Big, Okay Phone

As I've said before, hubby decided to get our boy and me Droid Razr  for Christmas.  Though I had resigned myself to NO phone after my contract was up, instead I got a new phone.

A HUGE phone.



And what do I think?

Well, it sure is pretty.  Getting the screen protector on is a pure-D pain, though.  Little bubbles and flecks of enraging dust.

It's a big phone, that's for sure.  Which is what I wanted.  I've long thought a markedly larger screen (larger than my old LG Vortex, for sure) would help with my lousy eyes (we'll talk about my eyes sometime), but it turns out I was wrong.  This phone is still very rough for me, even with its 4+ inch screen.  Go figure.

This phone brags 4G-LTE, but I gotta say, I'm not terrifically impressed.  I find myself not getting updates, the phone lagging and locking up, mail not syncing, etc.  It's not as fast as I would have expected, and it's not as reliable, connection-wise.

The phone itself is pretty intuitive, operation-wise.  It does come utterly loaded with bloatware and crappy games that seem to defy removal.  But the app market is easy to use, and it only took a few minutes for me to customize.  It comes with 16 gig internal SIM (with up to an additional 32 gig via mini-SD), so it should take me a while to max the poor thing.

The camera is pretty okay, though the controls don't do the orientation flip I'm so fond of, and the zoom is pretty jerky, not at all smooth.

My biggest complaint about the Razr Droid?  That miserable battery life!  Wow, what a dog!  Never had a phone eat through battery like this one.  I understand why--it's got a zillion things going on and a really nice, sharp, large display.  But this phone is constantly plugged in.  When I'm home, it's charging, when I'm in the car, it's charging.  And when it's left on a table overnight?  It's practically dead by the next morning.  Yes, I could shut the 4G off (which I do at home, riding off WiFi), I could disable the mail sync, I could do all those things to extend life, but then the phone wouldn't have the very FEATURES meant to make it cooler than my last phone.

So I guess my verdict is "pretty okay."  Great if it's free through your carrier, very nice, large display, good enough camera with a decent built-in flash, but otherwise average, and a markedly worse-than-average battery life.  Or at least it sure seems that bad from where I'm sitting.  It's a decent phone, but man, if you're looking for a phone that'll last you through a day far from outlets and chargers, this probably isn't your phone.

I promised I would get back to you on the smaller candle supply site we hit after the Candlewic mess?  Well, the order came today.  We ordered on Friday, it shipped (from Montana) on Monday, it arrived today--Wednesday.  The order contained exactly what we'd asked for (and a tiny bit extra on the wax, according to our scale).  While we had chosen Fed Ex, the site does give the option for "cheapest shipping at the time of shipping," and, apparently, that turned out to be USPS or some combination of USPS and Fed Ex.  And that's just fine with us.

The name of the place?  Cierra Candles   And, while our order only consisted of glue dots, some soy wax, and a couple of fragrances, we're happy enough with them that our next order will go through them, too.  Sadly, they only have soy wax (which we'll use sometimes), so we'll have to go elsewhere for our palm.  But we're looking at checking into their soap making supplies, too!

Pouring those soy candles tonight.  Just a few, like with the others, trying to get a feel for different waxes and different scents.  This one's soy patchouli in a greenish.  Should be interesting!

Well, didn't mean for this to turn into a series of product and vendor reviews!  I guess, after writing for Epinions for 13+ years, it's just habit.

Boy, this was a text-heavy thing, wasn't it?  Let's find some really bad paneling!

Holy kitchen paneling, Batman!

New Year's Eve

I always put an apostrophe in there--is that right?  I figure it's a possessive, you know?  Like "the eve that belongs to the new year?"  I dunno.  I think I think too much about things not necessarily requiring so much thought.

Noticing an online news trend of sorts--more and more news items are turning up in video form.  I don't like my news in small, 30 second videos.  Seems too much like fast food news, you know?  I'd rather read a more in depth piece, something with more meat and less on the "cute news reader" front. 

Considering returning our new cell phones and exchanging them for something else.  They're made by Motorola, and Motorola has some seriously troubling ties to the Israeli government and the IDF.  If we're against Israel's apartheid policies, if we support the BDS movement, then we shouldn't be buying from companies tangled up in that.  So it's looking like maybe we'll make the leap to Samsung or LG.   I know Samsung is made in South Korea, I'll have to look at LG's politics. 

Gets hard, voting with your wallet.  I haven't had a Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese for years, and I'm sadder than sad about having to swear off Starbucks' Frappuccinos.  Well, not sadder than sad, but a bit put out.  I get over that by thinking about how much more put out I would be if someone bulldozed my house, shot up my little brother for getting too close to a wall meant to imprison my people, and tore up my olive groves to keep food off my family's table while denying my mother access to medical care and refusing to allow repair to the bombed remains of our sewage treatment facilities which continuously pump sewage into our fishing waters.  Puts it in perspective, makes going without flavored coffee a little easier. 

Did better on the blood sugar last night.  134 at two hours post-prandial is still a little higher than I'd like, but it kicks ass over 191. 

Tonight is the big, last hurrah, food-stupidity-wise.  I have really gone to new lows in the space between Christmas and New Year's, but that's okay--I went into it knowing I was going to.  Tomorrow it's back on.  And I feel like it's something I can do. 

My fancy hairspray came--Sebastian Zero Gravity.  It's a fantastic hairspray, great hold but brushable.  Sadly, the can was broken--the sprayer snapped off (not just come loose).  Amazon refunded the cash, but now I have a full can of spray I can't use.  I'm such a miser, I'm trying to figure out how to magically make that sprayer work. 

Speaking of fabulous products, notice the little "My Reviews" link up top?  That's a link to things I write, and it would make me happy if you took a look every now and then.

Watched the end of Walking Dead Season 2 last night.  A few surprises, but mostly not.  The dead folks I expected to die, though how one died was a surprise (or how one re-died, I should say), and a couple survived I expected dead.  My theory on who is what and why bore out, though not enough detail (yet).  Wish they could crank the gore down just a whit.

Sore throat two days running.  Not really bad, but not liking it.

Went to Costco earlier.  Turns out the cell phones would have been drastically cheaper there.  Oops.  Now we know.  Turns out returning the phones wouldn't ding Motorola--our carrier would just resell as pre-owned.  Next phones, we'll do better.

And that's that.  Popeyes and a burger for New Years dinner.  I hope everyone has a great New Years, and for goodness' sake, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.  Seriously, don't be that sloppy loser.  Call AAA (1-800-400-4222) and see if they can help in your area.  No, you don't have to be a member.  If not?  Sleep where you are, drive in the morning when you're sober.