For the past week, I’ve been using a new wireless keyboard and mouse as input devices for my iMac and have been loving them.
Both are connected to the computer using new-to-me technology called Bluetooth, which is a fancy name for the little walkie-talkies tucked inside each device, allowing them to communicate. I imagine their conversations going a little like this:
Keyboard: Computer, come in Computer, this is Keyboard. Over.
Computer: This is Computer. Go ahead, Keyboard.
Keyboard: Okay, I’ve got a series of letters coming your way. Let’s see, that would be shift and m, c, delete, i, c, e, delete, k, y. Holy smokes! How hard is it to type the word “Mickey”?
Computer: We don’t judge, Keyboard, we just follow orders.
Keyboard: Sorry, I-
Internet: Hey, guys! I hate to interrupt, but I need a notification window, stat! There are three new tweets coming in!
Keyboard: Tweets? Let’s see them!
Computer: Okay, Internet, I have a crew hoisting a window into view. They’ll chime when it’s ready. Now what were those letters again, Keyboard?
Keyboard: Never mind, I’m not receiving any new input from the user. He must be distracted.
Mouse: Computer, Magic Mouse here, I need the cursor moving now! Before that window disappears!
Computer: Copy that, Magic. Coordinates received. Engaging cursor thrusters
Mouse: Excellent! I’ve just received a left-click on the notification. I repeat, left-click!
Computer: Left-click! Reactivating the hidden window in 3, 2, 1. Reactivation complete.
Keyboard: Woot! Expecting a new letter sequence any second now. Will send as soon as it’s received. Over.
Computer: Roger that. Computer out.
I’m guessing the actual conversations between the devices might be slightly drier than the one I imagined.
Anyway, when Apple first came out with the wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse, I resisted buying them, believing it pointless to get them when the wired ones I had were still new and working just fine.
What prompted me to purchase them was actually another purchase. At the end of January, I bought a new workstation.

While the new workstation offered all types of benefits (a smaller footprint; shelves to hold books, more books, and a Brian Wilson bobblehead doll; and doors to hide everything from sight when not in use), it had one major drawback: it was too deep. No matter how I positioned the computer, the keyboard cord was too short, so whenever I pulled out the keyboard tray, the keyboard would rush out with the tray for an inch or two before being yanked back by its cord, only to remain hidden under the desktop.
I pride myself on being able to type without having to look down at the keys (much), but having to insert my hands into a narrow slot to type on a keyboard completely out of view threw my typing senses off entirely. It was an elaborate session of trial and error to find the F or J keys every time I removed my hands from the keyboard to reach for the mouse or my cup of coffee or another Skittle.
Over the next week, I tried various arrangements, but nothing worked. I eventually decided a more drastic change was needed. That’s when I went to the Apple store.
The keyboard and mouse were easy to install and both have worked perfectly (so far). I would expect as much for the price I paid. They were on the expensive side, but I felt the wireless technology and aesthetic appeal of their design made them worth the price.
The keyboard is compact and my fingers feel nimble dancing across the keys. The mouse is extremely responsive and I love its sleek look. I’m still getting used to swiping its surface for some commands.
The biggest benefit, though, is the freedom from wires. Without them on my desk or under it, my workspace feels cleaner. Now that I’ve gone wireless, I doubt I can ever go back.
Of course, an entry about going wireless wouldn’t be complete (or completely predictable) if it didn’t end with lyrics from Pinocchio’s “I’ve Got No Strings”.
I’ve got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret, or make me frown
I had strings
But now I’m free
There are no strings on me
(Full disclosure: I wasn’t paid, promised a favor, or given free merchandise to write this blather. Sadly, I gushed of my own volition.)

For those keeping score at home, this is my first blog post of 2010. To celebrate, I’m sparing no expense. This post is going to be packed with italics, links, footnotes, and bullet points. There may even be a few words in a different color. I know, exciting, right?
You may have noticed I didn’t mention anything about including photos in this post. If you did, I compliment you on your sharp eyes. If you didn’t, oh my god, did you just see Taylor Lautner walk by?
Seriously, though, this post won’t contain any photos because, well, these are difficult times and one must stay within one’s budget¹.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about my goals for this year. Usually, I avoid writing them down out of fear of jinxing myself by giving them a place in the “real world”. I now realize this superstitious thinking was simply a way of avoiding accountability. If my goals weren’t written anywhere, there wouldn’t be anything for Future Me to refer to when Present Me’s annual review as a fully certified adult came up.
Since one of my perennially unwritten goals is to “be a more responsible and accountable human being”, I’ve decided to give this neglected blog a good once over with a Swiffer and use it to list some of my goals for 2010.

• Write 750 words every day. This goal was inspired by Buster Benson‘s 750 Words project. His site was inspired by the concept of morning pages, which was introduced in Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” (a project I’m also attempting this year). I hope the daily exercise of writing privately will strengthen my creative muscles so then can break free from the prison my inner editor built last year.
• Write two blog posts a week. It seems counter-intuitive to set a schedule or quota for a creative process like writing, but now that I’ve seen how successful spontaneity and leaving things to chance and inspiration has been, I think a routine and deadlines might help concentrate my creative energies, which have been diluted by distractions. Maybe I’ll set a publishing deadline as well. One post (or article) on Monday; one on Friday.
• Write one short story a month. I don’t know if this goal is too ambitious and I suppose I won’t know until I give it a try. My initial thought is to write stories that are set in the same world with the same cast of characters. I want to write something in the same spirit as Terry Pratchett, P.G. Wodehouse, and Steve Hockensmith. That is to say, I want my stories to be nimble, playful, and funny. Of course, the only way to get them there is to practice, which means reading, writing, rewriting, and rewriting some more.
• Publish one short story. I’m not sure if this means in an online publication or simply on my own site. I only know it means I want to have a full-fledged story out in the world where other eyes can read it before 2011 arrives.
• Learn to cook one new dish a week. This may also be too ambitious, but I believe it will force me to be more active in the kitchen. It’s probably best to start simple. I’m thinking along the lines of thirty-minute meals or five-ingredient recipes.
• Watch only two hours of television a day.² In order to achieve my other goals, I need to be diligent about this one. When I think about the shows on my must-see list (Chuck, Castle, White Collar, Psych, Glee, Bones, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson) and add everything in my Netflix queue, this goal seems impossible. But if I think about weekends and the sheer number of days in the year when nothing worthwhile is on, the goal seems easily attainable.

Obviously, this isn’t a complete list, but it’s a start. Notably omitted are my outdoor goals. I intend to tackle them in a separate post. Also missing are what I consider “background goals” — simple daily goals that will help me reach my bigger goals. They include things like “be more focused” and “drink more tea”.
Alright, enough writing about goals. It’s time to pursue them!
Hmm, upon closer inspection, it seems most of my goals are related to writing. So I suppose what I meant to say was, “Alright, enough writing. It’s time to get writing!”
Also, Happy New Year!
¹ Okay, technically, this blog doesn’t have a budget. And, technically, it costs just as much to insert a photo as it does to type the word “coconut”. I was just feeling too lazy to take a photo. But now that I’ve admitted the truth, I’m feeling guilty, so here’s a photo of the poster I hung on the wall next to my desk on Sunday. It’s “Red Riding Hood” by John Allison.

² For the sake of sanity, I’m excluding The PBS Newshour from the two-hour limit. The daily quota is meant to limit my intake of entertainment, not news.