This is kind of a big deal for me, because much as I love Apple, I have resisted the mighty touchscreen gadget for a good long time. For a multitude of reasons, I don’t want now, nor have I ever wanted, an iPhone. I’m not a phone person for one thing. I barely make calls, and I only send enough texts to spend about £10 every 2 months. And they’re WAY too expensive to be carrying around all carefree. I’m sorry, but if I paid £400 for an iPhone and something – loss, theft, damage, whatever – happened to it, I would be horrified. I just can’t afford to take that kind of financial hit when I’ve got  at least 15 more years of student loan payments looming over me. So the best way to avoid that is just not getting one.

So, no iPhone. But I’ve also shunned the iPod touch for the same major reason I’ve discounted the iPhone as an option: I do not wish to be tied to the interwebs by a device. Everyone I know with an iPhone, Scott included, spends SO much more time than they would usually spend fiddling with the internet and social media. And I feel like I get enough of that between my computer and my job, so I really wanted to avoid that kind of overuse, and in some cases overdependence, on technology just because it’s there.

However, despite all of that, the time had come for me to replace my 5 year old 30GB iPod. (It still works, but the battery is shot, so it’s basically going to live out the rest of its life as a plugged in, very small box for the large portion of my CD collection which resides in my parents’ house across the ocean.) The 2GB of space on my dinky, but well-loved, Nokia just wasn’t cutting it, and it was fiddly to manage anyway.

I deliberated for longer than is probably healthy on whether I should go for the nano or the touch. And if the nano had still been the style it was before they made it a little square touchscreen, I might have ended up with that. But I did realise that the touch could be a pretty useful tool, especially for things like travel. And lately, I’ve come to realise that I’m probably going to be in the line of work I’m in for a good long time (which isn’t a bad thing, by the way), and keeping up on the current technology is a good idea for my personal education in the field. So in the end, I decided the iPod touch was the best choice, both as a device and in terms of value for money.

Now that I have it, I DO like it. I’ve set myself some personal rules, like no facebook unless I’m travelling (and even then, I’d rather avoid it, because it gets more evil by the hour). And avoiding using the interweb in bed. But also positive rules like getting into podcasts again. And even Twitter. Not to tweet myself, but to keep up with news and cool things like science that I don’t normally seek out unless I’m thinking about it. I freaking LOVE science. Especially space. And I haven’t really given myself the time to explore that as much as I’d like to. Now I have free apps for NASA and Space Weather, and the amazing StarWalk app so I know what I’m looking at in the night sky no matter where I am.

Today I listened to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk podcast on the way to and from work, and it was absolutely awesome AND hilarious. I mean, did you know what lobsters and Spock have in common? Because I do now. But I found out the show just by following him on Twitter the other day. I also followed Jon Snow (for you Americans, he’s Channel 4′s badass news anchor) who is now in Japan tweeting the aftermath as he sees it, and actually providing some decent insight rather than just gaping at it all. Things like that are actually getting me really excited about being more informed and learning about stuff I’m interested in during my 45 minute walks every morning and afternoon. So if I can use this gadget to facilitate that, it was definitely worth the money.

And, most importantly, now I can play Angry Birds.

First of all, the ginger beer. It’s ready! It’s fizzy! And quite good. After drinking two pints the other night, I have concluded that one pint a day (and probably even just half) is all I need. Not because of the alcohol content (it’s only about 3%), but because of the amount of sugar and fizz involved. I don’t usually drink soda, and I rarely even drink lager or other fizzy beers (I’m a real ale girl, as you may well know), so I’m not used to that amount of bubblage, nor is my gut. Enough said. But at this rate, the stuff will last for ages, as we started with 40 pints. And next time, I’m going to try making it properly from scratch. The Coopers kit is good, but it involves some artificial sweeteners, which I’m not really down with.

Next up, courtesy of my friend Mali and Jezebel, Sister Salad Thinks Yo Comments Are Wack. In which two smart ladies, using Sir Mix-A-Lot as their muse, berate the moronic commenting hordes plaguing YouTube (not to mention plenty of other sites open to comment by the public). Part of what makes it so great is that they are taking their message fairly seriously, but not themselves, so plenty of bad dancing ensues. And costume changes! I approve.

Good thing the third: french toast. I made some this Sunday morning. This follows on from the previous good thing because french toast is something I love more than any other breakfast food, and Mali’s family makes THE BEST french toast I have ever had (sorry, Dad). It doesn’t so much have to do with the toast-making technique as it does the myriad of accompaniments served alongside. French toast at Mali’s house means all sorts of fresh fruit, yoghurt, syrup, and anything you could possibly imagine wanting with your french toast. Unfortunately it has been far too long since I have experienced the breakfast of breakfasts at the Royer household, but when I do manage to make some of my own, it always gives me happy thoughts of the event (and a happy stomach).

Yet another happy thing on the list is my parents and their buying of a house in Bethany Beach. It’s another place I haven’t been in too long a time, but we went there nearly every summer for a while, and my parents have continued to go back regularly. It’s a good beach, and now we’ve got a more permanent place there. While I may not be able to take advantage of that from my current overseas position, it’s good to know it’s available to me when I manage to be around. I’m already planning it into my Dan-and-Kathleen’s-wedding-going trip for next year.

Last but certainly not least, I get paid tomorrow. I definitely like the reinflating of my bank account. However brief and minor it may be, it still buys me groceries.

And soon enough, I will show you my newly painted bedroom, which is also something I like, this week and beyond.