Hey, June!

Ah, June. The sixth month of the year, on the very threshold of summer. A time for lemonade and ice cream and picnics in the park, for lazing away the afternoon in a hammock watching butterflies and listening to the gentle purr of the neighbors' lawn mowers and the spontaneous symphony of birdsong and bee-buzz...

Or for panicking when you realize the year's almost halfway over and you're hopelessly behind on your projects, not to mention your life in general.

But, hey, sometimes you just have to kick back and do something just for yourself. Even if you're way behind on your projects. Even if you're on a budget so tight that walking around the yard counts as a vacation. Even if you need more toys like a hole in the head. (Though, you know, we humans actually have several holes in our head, all of which are useful - nay, essential - in everyday life. Unless you're viewing this through your fingertips or listening to those birds via your armpits while sipping coffee directly through your epidermis or something... in which case, you're probably an alien, and no doubt have better things to do with your existence than browse my blog. But I digress...)

So, what is this about?

I got myself a Nook tablet.

I already have a desktop computer, and my old faithful laptop, still chugging away on Windows Vista. But sometimes I just want to pop online quickly, or jot down some story notes without waiting for a computer to boot up (and, as often as not, decide that now's the perfect time for a major software update.) Mom's been in love with her Kindle Fire ever since she got one (well, ever since she got one that worked - she had issues with the first one they sent her, but the replacement's been great), but the price was out of my range. Then Barnes & Noble sent me a coupon for a very significant discount off their entire line of Nook tablets. And there I was, having come off a month of significant overtime...

Well, dang it, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

I've only just gotten the thing - quite literally, as in I just opened the box about two hours ago - but I'm already intrigued. Setup was very easy, not much more complicated than setting up my Kindle. The screen's very sharp, though with backlighting I can see eye fatigue becoming an issue if I read on it for long stretches. I'm not sure how to go about writing anything on it - I know about touchscreen keyboards; I'm just unsure about apps or software - but I've seen posts on writing boards from people who write stories, even parts of their novels, on their smartphones, so there has to be a way. This is, after all, the HD+ model - I splurged on the top-end item, for once in my miserable existence.

I really shouldn't be playing with the thing too much right now. I have two logos to finish still, plus a writing backlog half a mile long, not to mention other projects clamoring for my attention.

But, if I can't have that idyllic little hammock in an idyllic summer getaway, at least I can have my shiny new toy this summer.

(Oh - for the curious, Dad's appointment with the specialist went very well; they got all of that evil skin spot removed in a single go. So that's good, at least...)