Costco in the USA

I keep reading that Costco is the cheapest place to fill your prescriptions and buy booze so this weekend James and I decided to hire a Zipcar this weekend and check it out. Incidentally James is definitely getting better at driving on the right side of the road. The only thing that gets us (aside from occasionally missing our freeway exits) is that when we get on the freeway we have to instantly change about 5 lanes because they all suddenly turn into exit-only lanes and it freaks us out.

But anyway, here is Costco!

We arrived somewhere around 9:45am and there was a lot of space in the parking lot. When we left at around 11:15am it was a lot more crowded, so I think getting there early was a good idea.

There’s a lot of crossover between the Australian and US Costcos. It all looked pretty familiar – they had the same 12 pack of croissants ($6 here – I think I remember them being more expensive back home) and enormous take and bake pepperoni pizzas ($8.99 plus they have a $3 off coupon at the moment). So yeah, similar but cheaper. And with a lot more stuff that we don’t have back in Australia.

Like coffins! I’m kind of covering the most ornate one but it was pink and had all kinds of fancy swirls. You can see me trying to look sad but actually looking like a weird sea creature.

image from discovery.com

The technology section was a lot larger. Unfortunately they did not have my coveted Vitamix – apparently they’re doing a demo in early November so I’ll check it out then.

Oh! I just remembered one of the biggest differences between Costco in Australia and the US – they don’t take Visa and Mastercard here. How weird is that? You can pay with cash, debit card or cheque but the only credit card they take is Amex.

Also when I walked by this packaging for Asian sauce I stopped and was like “OMG no way!”

I think the prices in the food court are actually the same as the prices in Australia – about $2 for a slice of pizza or $10 for the whole, and $1.50 a hotdog. The eating area in the Docklands is much larger, maybe because comparatively it’s a much better deal.

(Edit: I just looked up my blog post about the Docklands Costco and the pizza prices were actually $3 or $4 for a slice and $15 for the whole)

We spent $282.70 and this was our haul: (plus some salami that I forgot to include in the photo)

It would have been a lot cheaper except except for the booze. The Seattle liquor laws are weird – I think if you buy hard liquor they charge sales tax, a litre tax and also a 20.5% liquor tax. We were hoping to find some Glenfiddich but their scotch selection was pretty limited so we just got Glenlivet (which came to something like $39) and Macallan (about $50). The Veuve Cliquot was maybe $5-10 cheaper than you can get it at Dan Murphy back home.

A lot of stuff is a little bit more expensive than Safeway but you get so much more of it. Like the tortillas, vinegar, sponges, yeast, olives, crackers and spices. Other stuff like the salami, beer, coke, cetaphil and pop tarts are about the prices you can get them on sale.

But anyway after all that it turned out that I left my prescriptions at home! So I have to go back sometime next week to get them filled but that’s OK I can pick up some Mach 3 Turbo razor blades for James. We didn’t get them today because we weren’t 100% sure whether they would fit his Mach 3 handle, but a quick google tells me that they do.

So anyway that was our little adventure at Costco. I don’t know how viable a strategy it will be to take the bus there because everything there is so huge and it seems dumb just to go and buy a pack of pop tarts. We might rent a Zipcar every 3-4 months and do a big stock up. Of course this means that I now have 5 concurrent shopping lists – Whole Foods, Trader Joe, Safeway, Uwajimaya and Costco.

Getting Settled (Also How To Get a Great Discount on Roomba 770)

This is the wall between the kitchen and the bedroom. Mouse is quite partial to it.

He walked along the top of the sliding doors, panicked because he couldn’t find his way down, then howled and howled until I dragged the scratching post within jumping distance.

Also here is Kyoto with 2 days’ worth of packages. From memory they are fancy linen sheets, cleaning supplies, a steam mop, kitchen knife, dustpan and brush, modem and router, and a box from Comcast (which has a modem and router they weren’t supposed to send us and that we’ll now have to return on our own time grr).

We have an insane number of things coming in the next few days. Probably in the next few weeks. Buying everything is a fairly involved process, primarily because I feel the need to get the best possible deal on the best-reviewed item. Shopping is kind of my thing. So every purchase involves:

1. A search on Amazon to find the most highly-reviewed items
2. Sifting through the reviews to decide which item I’m getting
3. A web search for the best price for that particular item (James assumed Amazon always had the cheapest price but he is WRONG)
4. Checking the Bed, Bath and Beyond price because I have 20% off coupons (I started with one, but every time you buy something if you fill out an online survey about your shopping experience you get another 20% off coupon and I’ve been buying one thing at a time)
5. If another store is cheaper, doing a search for online coupons
6. Checking that they don’t charge sales tax to WA (a 9.5% difference in the price)
7. Checking if I can get a cashback via Fatwallet

Sometimes it’s a bit silly – do I really need to find the BEST EVER dustpan and brush? (Yes I do) But other times it really pays off – like when I got $112+ off the price of a Roomba 770 (retail $499.95 plus sales tax – the cheapest I can find it is in the low $480s). A shopping noob like James would just buy it off Amazon and get his 10% staff discount (which has a ceiling and is also negated by the 9.5% tax). Here is what I did:

• 15% off coupon code for new customers at HSN = $75
• No sales tax from HSN = $40
• Unfortunately had to pay shipping = +$15
• Went through Fatwallet and got 3% cashback = $12ish

And that is how I got a new model Roomba for heaps less than everyone else is selling it for. I have high hopes that the cats will ride around on it like the cats on YouTube. I can imagine Kyoto sailing majestically around the apartment but in reality he’ll probably smack it lots then run away.

Mud Australia

Sorry about the lack of posts. Getting ready for the US has been kicking our butts – there’s been no time for gym or BJJ; just a whirlwind of socialising (yay!) and bureaucratic stuff (boo!) The latest development is that Australia Post has LOST JAMES’ PASSPORT (and the US visa that was attached inside). They are searching for it and hopefully we’ll get an update tomorrow. But basically we can’t organise anything without our visas. We’re supposed to fly out next Monday and it’s still not done!

But at least my passport and visa have arrived right? NO. Because the consulate addressed it wrong and Australia Post returned it, and we only figured it out today because that’s when the consulate gave us the tracking number for the passport; 4 days after it had already been returned to them. At least we (theoretically) know where mine is – it’s James’ passport that’s the real worry. So yeah, that’s where we’re at right now.

Anyway, I thought I’d post about some gorgeous crockery I bought from Mud Australia at 181 Gertrude st in Fitzroy. I’ve lusted after their stuff for ages, but never got around to buying them because I knew I’d be paralysed by all the colours and shapes on offer. But with our trip to the US I realised that I should get my butt into gear and buy some before we left!

We wandered around Fitzroy for awhile. I found some socks that made me laugh.

Finally Mud opened and we toddled on over.

James and I aren’t the sort of people to have fancy plates that we use for special occasions, but I love the idea of having amazing everyday plates. Mud Australia plates are handmade (so every piece is slightly different) and are gorgeous and simple. I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them online. They are NOT cheap though – I think I paid $60+ for the large noodle bowls and almost $50 for the plates. Oh yeah, in addition to being microwave and dishwasher safe, they are also oven safe. So you can bake eggs in the bowls and stuff, which I thought was pretty cool.

As predicted, as soon as I walked into Mud I was overwhelmed by all the colours. I loved the red and tangerine (both of which cost about 20% more), and I knew I wanted multiple colours for a bit of a mix and match look. I didn’t just want to go white/cream either, cos that’s boring.

I spent something like 2 hours picking colours and shapes/sizes (don’t worry, I did this without James a couple of days earlier and we were just going to pick them up).

Actually, that reminds me, when I was choosing plates, I knew they were expensive so I called James to ask the maximum amount he was comfortable with me spending. I told him they were expensive and he was like “how expensive?” There was a long pause (and I deliberately didn’t say anything in that pause because just the week before James had said that when he negotiates salary he never wants to be the first one to name a figure) and finally James said “a thousand dollars?” And that is how I found out that I could spend at least a thousand on plates.

There were some colours I eliminated immediately (like the pink and green) and then I kept putting different pieces together on the table in the middle, deciding on what I wanted. I preferred the bolder colours to the pastels. There was a lovely blue/grey colour called Slate that I fell in love with. You can see it in the bottom shelf of the photo below.

I ended up buying 6 plates, 4 bowls, some cups and saucers, and some of those little bowls for sauces and dips. The 3 colours I chose were bright yellow, blue/grey and a sort of greyish white colour.

James is worried that I’ll kill him if he breaks one (and he is especially worried because we are missing at least one plate from our current dining set, so there is a precedent for clumsy plate-breaking). They are pretty sturdy though, so hopefully they will stay intact. And anyway, they make me happy every time I see them. =)

Ergonomics!

Talking to Joan a few weeks ago, she told me that laptops are supposed to be really bad for you ergonomically. Basically either the screen is too low or the keyboard is too high, and it’s supposed to be really bad for your posture.

I bought the Coolermaster Ergostand, which came recommended by Howie. He paid $38 for it at MSY and was sad when they reduced the price to $35. Then I found it for $32 at CPL and he was even sadder.

image from Coolermaster

It’s multifunctional – there’s a fan to keep your laptop cool and it enables you to raise your laptop screen to eye level so you’re not hunched over. There are also 4 built-in USB ports, so instead of losing a USB port you actually gain 3! James was very jealous, and said that if he could do it again he would have bought this one instead of the cooler he did buy. His laptop cooler is just a laptop cooler.

Apparently the rule of thumb for using your laptop as a desktop is that you need either a separate screen or a separate keyboard. Cos if the screen is at the correct height then your hands are too high, and if your hands are at the correct height then you’re hunching over to look at the screen. So I bought the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000:

image from Microsoft

I bought the UK version so the left shift key is a bit smaller. That’s irritating me a bit right now because I keep hitting the \ key that has taken the other half of the shift key, but I expect that I’ll eventually get used to it.

You can’t really tell from any of the photos, but the keyboard is actually really weird looking. The plush wrist resting pad is raised up (though you can change that if you prefer your wrists to be lower) and the keys are pointing inwards. Supposedly it’s a better position for your hands. Also all the keys are pointing inwards. I’m not sure what the technical reason for that is, but I am finding that my hands have to move a lot less to type, so maybe this shape is better at mimicking the natural curve of your hands when you rest them on the keyboard.

Also the middlish keys are larger than the others, which makes them easier to hit. You can see that the keyboard is split in half (the thing in the middle is a zoom slider so you can zoom in on your screen – it’s actually a really useful addition). The split keyboard has made me realise that I’ve been touch typing incorrectly. I’ve been hitting the b key with my right pointer finger, but I guess you’re actually supposed to hit it with your left.

Mouse has totally been eyeing my new keyboard and I’ve seen suspicious tufts of fur left on it. I’m especially worried because he has a bit of a history of inconveniently draping himself on stuff.

Grid-It Organiser: A Great Companion to the Red Oxx Airboss

My post on the Red Oxx Airboss is probably one of the most accessed pages on my blog (I think the other popular ones are the Louis Vuitton agenda – that one is a monster, a Nigella Lawson recipe, and the Dyson handheld vacuum). So I thought I would post an update on the Airboss since there are obviously lots of people looking for information about it.

Although he is travelling less frequently now (2-3 days in Sydney every 3 weeks and 2 days in Brisbane every month or two) James still loves his Airboss. He no longer uses the pouch organiser from eBay – instead he upgraded to the extra large Grid-It organiser. It retails for $29.95 USD (but we picked it up slightly cheaper on eBay).

Originally we weren’t sure what size to get, but then I had the bright idea of laying out all of James’ stuff, then measuring how much room that took up to see what size we needed.

The Grid-It fastens everything securely so it doesn’t fall out during transit like they did with the pouch he used to use. It’s easier to get at, and slips neatly into one of the Airboss’ side pockets. It also takes up less horizontal space (which can make the Airboss bulky and not fit under plane seats) and takes up more vertical space (which, in the side pockets, goes largely unused).

So if you have the Airboss and find that all of your cables, chargers, etc are hard to find, the Grid-It is a great way of organising everything. James is a packing machine now.

My Kindle 3 Arrived!

I ordered a refurbished Kindle 3 (now called the Kindle Keyboard) from Big W on December 30 or 31st and have been hanging out for it ever since!

image from Wikipedia

Big W had it for $99 plus $10 cashback from Paypal, and $89 is an awesome price. Also there have been reports that Big W/Woolworths are actually selling new Kindles as refurbished because they’re trying to offload discontinued stock, which is pretty cool. Even if that’s not the case, my Kindle arrived looking perfect, and came with a comforting 1 year warranty. I was considering the Kindle 4, but there were some reports of the screen not being as good. It also retails for $139 in Australia, and I didn’t think it was worth the difference.

The first thing I did was jailbreak it so I could load custom screensavers using the instructions from this website (that was my new experience for this week, by the way). I spent most of yesterday looking for suitable photos, resizing them and converting them to grayscale. I went for an animal theme, and found a lot of the images on forums where people posted their favourite wildlife photos. =)

James: If I had a Kindle it would be robot themed. All the pictures would be of robots.
*sees a picture of a lion on my Kindle*
James: Ooh I like that one

Here is the picture that James liked enough to abandon his robot dreams. You can click on it for the 600×800 version if you want to steal it for your own Kindle.

You have to be careful with the images because if there are too many gradients in the picture then you get ugly splotches on the Kindle version. I also found that images that were very dark and also very busy didn’t look good – I had a gorgeous photo of some deer in a creepy-looking forest that I had to reluctantly delete.

This one is my favourite. It is a little splotchy on the Kindle screen (and because I had to stretch the image to get it big enough) but I love the picture enough to put up with it.

Loading all those images makes me feel like the Kindle is now mine. =) A side benefit is that I won’t have my soul eaten by Emily Dickinson.

Emily: I’m coming for you anyway Kaye
Me: /sleeps with one eye open

I was quite proud of myself for jailbreaking the Kindle. This stuff normally gets delegated to James, but I thought it looked fairly straightforward, so I gave it a shot. The only part I missed was having to create a blank reboot file every time I changed the screensaver, and luckily for me James had picked up on it. But I still count it as me doing the jailbreaking!

I’m loving everything about it so far, and am enamoured with the idea of carrying my whole library around with me. The screen is easier to read than James’ iPad – it looks so much like paper. James was also very approving that the Kindle came with the manual pre-loaded (I can’t remember exactly what he said, but it was something along the lines of “it makes a lot of sense”). The only thing I don’t want in ebook format is recipe books – I prefer flipping through cookbooks by hand. Also, since the photos aren’t optimised for the Kindle, they look gross and blotchy.

I’m going to get a case from The Office of Minor Details to match the case for my Vaio Z. I don’t want to bulk up the Kindle by using those covers that stay on it all the time, but I want something to protect it when I’m carrying it around. I’m a little worried that it will be too matchy-matchy, but I do love the case and I don’t want to buy my Kindle inferior clothing.

James suggested that I call it the Kayedle but I don’t think that’s going to catch on.

Week 1: Made vanilla extract
Week 2: BJJ day camp
Week 3: Used Myki and went to Beatrix
Week 4: Tried new skincare
Week 5: Competed at the Pan Pacs
Week 6: Joined Kiva
Week 7: Tried durian and frog fallopian tube
Week 8: Attended a chicken auction
Week 9: Graded for my BJJ blue belt
Week 10: Went to Isthmus of Kra
Week 11: Makeover at Mecca Cosmetica
Week 12: Tried the Melbourne Bike Share
Week 13: Picnic at the Carlton Gardens
Week 14: Johnston Street Fiesta
Week 15: Sydney getaway
Week 16: Helped James do a fresh install on the Vaio Z
Week 17: Tried Evernote (and loved it!)
Week 18: Rock climbing
Week 19: Baking Day with Cat, Scott and Alex
Week 20: Went to the beach (I don’t do this often. It was a Big Moment)
Week 21: Jailbroke my Kindle

Sony Vaio Z Sleeve From The Office of Minor Details

I thought I should update my previous post with actual photos since I’ve been getting a bunch of searches for Vaio Z sleeves. There isn’t much out there about the one from The Office of Minor Details, so here is a detailed review in case people want more information. There are pre-made sleeves for Kindles, iPads and Macbook Airs, but you can get custom sizes to fit any gadget.

The sleeve is made in New Zealand from New Zealand leather. It is completely handmade – the seller Iain cuts the leather from a pattern and hand stitches it (which apparently is the most laborious part). The process took about a week and a half from ordering to finish, and shipping to Australia was 4 business days during the Christmas season. The sleeve cost $155 USD and the monogramming was $10 extra ($5 for every 3 letters).

Here is a photo of the Z in its case. The laptop looks a different colour from the leather, but they’re actually very similar (go by the photo of the sleeve, not the Z in this photo).

The leather is about 1mm thick, and fells all plush and buttery.. Apparently it will develop a nice patina with use. The stitches are tight and the thread is substantial, so zero worries about it falling apart. It has a lovely leathery smell to it as well.

Awwww. =( Just then I was smelling the leather, and James looked at me suspiciously and said “are you hugging it and kissing it?”

The measurements we gave Iain were 33cm x 21.3cm x 1.9cm (instead of the official measurements of 33cm x 1.6-2.5cm x 21cm) and this is the fit we got. =) It’s snug enough that the laptop doesn’t move around, but not such a tight fit that you need to work to get it out. There is no lining, but the underside of the leather is gentle against the surface.

The only slightly loose measurement is the thickness of the sleeve – I was initially a little disappointed at the extra room (which you don’t get unless you pull it out like I am in the below photo) but now I’m quite pleased with it because I’m pretty sure it will fit the case with the sheet battery if I ever get that. Normally it just sits flat against the laptop.

Although the leather is quite thick, this is not a shock protection case. I have a padded laptop sleeve built into my backpack so I just wanted something that would protect the surface from scratches.

I had mine personalised for an extra $10, and I think it looks better in person than it did on the website (the photo of the leather is lighter than it is in real life).

I’m really thrilled with this sleeve  – when the store re-opens in the second half of January I’m going to buy a Kindle case too. There are minor imperfections, like the occasional stitch that is ever so slightly off-kilter, just enough so that you can tell it was done by hand. So much stuff is mass produced and crap, and it’s such a pleasure to hold something that is beautiful and luxurious.

I also like the idea of wrapping my Z in a sleeve that is opposite to the laptop in many ways. Made by hand, not at a factory; custom made, not mass produced; natural, not electronic; and it gets better with age instead of deteriorating! This is a sleeve that will not only outlast my Vaio Z, this is a sleeve that will outlast me. 

(Well ha! Nobody else can have it cos I got it personalised!)

A Sleeve For The Sony Vaio Z

I need a case for when I take my Z away from home – it seems a pity to buy an ultraportable laptop and not take it anywhere! So far I’ve just carried it from the study to the bedroom and also to the kitchen. I’m not really a fan of the official Sony sleeve – the high end one is $179.95 but I’ve heard reports that the leather feels quite cheap.

image from Sony

The 13″ Macbook Air and Pro cases are similar in diameter, but the cases don’t fit exactly right. I don’t need something with a lot of shock protection because my backpack has that built in, but I want something that provides some surface protection while being carried around.

I like the Nero from Hard Graft but they don’t do custom cases.

image from Hard Graft

Plus, the grey felt and leather look is a bit played out now that everyone is copying Hard Graft. And the Z is a laptop that deserves a case as awesome as it is. =)

I ended up going with an Etsy seller called The Office of Minor Details. It was $155 USD (including shipping) for a custom sleeve, so it’s still cheaper than the Sony Case. It’s handmade in New Zealand, and according to his feedback everything is really well made and the leather is great quality. I normally prefer natural coloured leather, but went with black to match the laptop.

image from The Office of Minor Details

Also when James and I measured the laptop it turned out the official measurements weren’t quite right. Sony’s measurements are 33cm x 1.6-2.5cm x 21cm, but our measurements (multiple times with different rulers) were 33cm x 21.3cm (to account for the pins at the back) x 1.9cm. Weird.

image from The Office of Minor Details

James: Nooooo you have to stop buying things.
Me: *shameface*
James: (accusingly) It’s almost Christmas! You have to leave something for the cats to get you!

Louis Vuitton 2012 Agenda Refill

This afternoon I headed to the Louis Vuitton on Collins street to buy the complete refill for my agenda. Louis Vuitton always makes me nervous. There is a guy that opens the door for you, and the sales staff call me “madam”. =/

James bought the small agenda in orange epi for me for Christmas about 5 years ago, and I feel guilty because I’ve hardly used it. But then I saw online that some people use their agendas as wallets, so I thought I would give that a go. It involves buying the Filofax clear zip lock pouch (to fit coins in) – I picked up a couple of them so I could put my excess cards in the other.

Here is my shopping bag with a festive fluro ribbon.

The receipt is packaged in a little envelope, and the box has my agenda refills inside.

And the contents of the agenda. From left to right: the cover, ruler, and 1st quarter of the year, then the next 3 quarters of the year, some random note paper, and an address book.

There were a lot of useless filler pages which I culled, like the dates of various world holidays, and international conversions. This was possibly the most useless page though (even more useless than the one that listed all the Louis Vuitton stores in the world).

Wow, a page to write down my favourite web pages. Thanks LV.

Incidentally, I was mocking this page to James, and he said “I don’t think someone who buys a paper diary has any room to talk”. Aw. =( But then he relented, and said that he understands my love of useless stationery.

The edges are gold-tipped which is nice and fancy, and looks nice against the orange leather.

You also get a bunch of stickers. I may stick these in random places.

The agenda-as-wallet is not completed yet since I’m still waiting for my zip lock pouches to arrive. The 3 cards you can see are my NAB Amex (the NAB Visa is such poor value for points that it is stored at home and never used), the Citibank Signature, and my Everyday Rewards card. Those are my most-used cards, and the rest will be stored in the pouch.

The funny air balloon bookmark came with the agenda.

I love stationery. I feel all happy and organised now. =)

My New Sony Vaio Z! Squee!

I am typing this blog entry on my lovely new laptop, the Sony Vaio Z227.

image from Sony

Originally I was going to get a desktop computer for performance and a netbook for portability, but as soon as I realised you could get both in the Z2 I was hooked (or as James phrased it, “you imprinted on it like a duck”).

I wavered, because I could get a good desktop for $1000 and a good netbook for $500, so I was basically paying a lot extra to have everything in one (gorgeous) package. Sony wanted $4000 for this, and I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous. Luckily I picked mine up for $2800 on eBay – earning 5600 Virgin Velocity points and 4200 Citibank rewards points in the meantime. I know $2800 is still expensive, but at least it’s no longer crazy.

The laptop is pretty much brand spanking new. It’s 2 weeks into its warranty, comes with the original receipt, and basically the owner just changed his mind and sold it for what he paid. He bought it from Hong Kong, which is the cheapest place you can buy the Z2 and still have it covered under Australian warranty. James checked out the laptop and it’s fine, and even if anything goes wrong we can get it fixed locally.

I can’t believe how hard we get ripped by some companies. How can Sony justify selling the same laptop for $1200 more in Australia? Even New Zealand got the Zs for $700 cheaper than we did.

The Important Stuff

• Intel i7-2640M Processor
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB SSD storage
• 13.1″ full HD screen

It’s 33cm x 2.5cm x 21cm and weighs just under 1.2kg. =)

It comes with a docking station that contains a blu-ray disc drive and a Radeon 6650M graphics card. I can plug it in at home when I want some extra graphics power (like when I play Diablo 3 when it comes out, wheee!) but I have the option to just leave it and carry the laptop around. Since the dock is separate I do wish they’d included a graphics card with a bit more oomph – maybe that’s something they’re saving for the next generation.

image from Sony

First Impressions

This thing is tiny. Too tiny? Possibly for most, but not for me (although I did have to increase the text size because the resolution is so high and the screen is so small). I was originally going to get a 10″ netbook, and now I’m really glad I didn’t because it would have been way too tiny for everyday use.

The keyboard is island style and the keys are quite shallow, which takes a bit of getting used to. They feel softer, less “clicky” than I’m used to. At the start I was skipping some keys, but now I’m typing properly. =)

I read some reviews complaining about the size of the touchpad, but it didn’t bother me – it was so responsive and smooth that I didn’t care it was small. What was annoying was that I kept accidentally brushing the touchpad with my hand while I was typing, which caused me to finish typing in the middle of a previous sentence. Since I use a mouse anyway, I just disabled the touchpad.

I say “I”, but it was James who did all the work. The Z had a whole bunch of bloatware installed and we got rid of most of it, which was several hours of backing up, downloading drivers, and looking up advice on the internet. James is such a computer hero! Pretty much the only thing I did was remove the stickers on the laptop, and even James had to help with that. Sony mustn’t want you to remove them because those stickers were stuck tight. Seriously, we had to use tweezers.

It’s also incredibly fast. Everything is instantaneous. I used to put my old laptop to sleep instead of shutting it down at night because it took way too long to boot up. This one boots up much faster than James’ Macbook Pro. Maybe 10 seconds? I haven’t timed it – maybe I should!

Oh, one thing that does seem a bit crap – when the screen is black you can see a band of pink at the top and bottom of the screen. I only see it when the Z is booting up (soooooo fast) but still!

I haven’t played games or anything on it yet, but my old laptop used to get hot just web browsing (sometimes so hot it would be painful to hold my hand there), whereas the Z gets only mildly warm. If I put my hand to the vent on the left I can feel lots of hot air blowing, which is oddly reassuring – I guess it’s like what they say about diarrhea; better out than in!

The biggest con has to be the audio quality. I’m someone who is OK with the crappy earbuds that come packaged with mp3 players, and hadn’t expected much of the Z, but as soon as I heard the sound from the speakers I actually laughed they were that bad. They’re not just bad for a high-end laptop  – they are possibly the worst speakers I have ever heard. The noise-cancelling headphones are supposed to help, but they were the one thing that the seller couldn’t find (though I’m not too fussed cos I have the laptop plugged into some speakers, and also they threw in a free mouse and are trying to locate the earbuds).

That’s all my nitpicks done. =) Overall I’m thrilled to have everything I want in one tiny, powerful, portable machine.

This is a photo that James took of me transferring some files from my old laptop (background) to the new one (foreground) and trying to look clever. Look how huge my hand is compared to the Z.

(Also check out pillow on my lap)

I’m very carefully installing everything onto the Z – it’s like moving into a new house, I want everything to be pristine forever!

Incidentally, I can’t believe I didn’t start using Evernote earlier – before I would have 30 tabs open in Chrome and a whole bunch of bookmarks and random notes everywhere – now everything is streamlined and together in one neat program. Love! It will be even better once I get an iPhone and can sync it across everything.

I’m so excited. I love this laptop so much! =)