iPad 2

The Apple iPad is truly an awesome device.  Running Apple’s iOS operating system, it’s like a big iPhone, and then some.  I was given one this past Christmas, and turned on the 3G access for the first time this weekend.

I have been using my iPad in the house since Christmas.  With WiFi, I’ve downloaded a number of magazines, books, newspaper apps, games, etc.  It’s been a great “couch companion” to go with watching TV or Podcasts.

After almost a month of having it, the time finally came for me to turn on the 3G access.  It really was a simple matter, after just a few minutes, I had setup a 1GB per month account.

This was very useful for my fiancé I this weekend while we were house hunting.  Victoria was my navigator, leading the way and pulling up listings on the Internet.  We were on the web all day long, and still only used 1MB of data.  Not bad at all.

While Victoria used the iPad, the boys were in the back seat using our iPhones to play games.  Seven year old Jacob was playing Plants vs. Zombies and three year old Christian was playing Angry Birds, listening to Music, and shopping in the iTunes store.  Yes, three year old Christian.

I know my experience was nothing special, but it shows one of the many ways that the iPad is a truly awesome device, that definitely has a place in our household.

Almost immediately after filing for her tax return, Victoria began working on looking for a place. She has already done the math for our budget, and came up with a figure that tells us what we can afford per month for rent.

We looked at a few houses she found on the Internet, but quickly found out that what we want to live in is going to cost us a little more than we first wanted to spend per month.

After a long day of searching, we have found a handful of great houses on our side of town. One in Coral Creek… a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with huge kitchen, living room, and back yard. It’s a tad old looking, but with that space it’s great! I love the kitchen and living room especially with this house. Plus, it keeps the kids in the school district we want them to be in.

We found three more houses in a neighborhood off of Muldoon Rd. All are nice, but 3 bed instead of 4, and a bit smaller overall. If the house in Coral Creek falls through, these are great options as well.

Also, I found a two story house in The Floridian off of Blue Angel Parkway. 3 bed, 2 bath, and a bit of a terror of a back yard, but it’s a nice house in our price range and a very acceptable option.

All these were found after we ate a great lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s. I really like that restaurant. I had steak and shrimp, Vic had buffalo chicken sandwiches and the kids had chicken too.

On thing that really worked out was the iPad. I turned on the 3G for today and it was awesome. Victoria used the iPad to look up houses on the fly, and we gave our iPhones to the kids to play games. Thank you Steve Jobs (RIP).

As a vow to our fans to continue the web’s best short track racing coverage in 2012, Speed51.com has added three new positions to its staff for the new racing season.  Three regional Editors have been named and will provide in-depth race coverage, regional stories and columns and much more.

Mike Twist has been named as the Northeast Editor for Speed51.com and has already re-introduced his “Northern Exposure” column this week and has more in the works from his Maine headquarters.  Twist has been an integral part of Speed51.com’s growth over the years and the fans in the Northeast and beyond can expect even more great things in 2012.

Matt Prieur joins the staff of Speed51.com as the Midwest Editor in 2012.  A periodic “Midwest Minutes” column will be introduced soon from Prieur and he will be the hub of information for 51 throughout the Midwest.

Also, Daniel Vining, who led 51′s coverage of the Blizzard Series and more in 2012, will return as the Deep South Editor.  Vining will continue to hold the Blizzard beat, as well as cover many events throughout the Deep South and more with periodic columns and feature stories.  More announcements on new and returning Speed51.com staff for the 2012 staff will be made soon.

The 2011 Snowball Derby was by and large the greatest battle in the history of the storied race. A late race caution setup a thrilling five lap battle between Chase Elliott and Snowball rookie DJ VanderLey. The two drivers raced side-by-side each lap… some thinking that VanderLey was going to pull off the upset victory by using the momentum of the high line. Elliott was able to edge past on the final lap, and score his first Snowball Derby victory, at only age 16. Ted Baber, owner of Ted Baber Video Productions and Five Flags Speedway videographer captured the final moments of the race, and has shared them with the masses. For a full copy of the race, shoot him an email to ted_baber@yahoo.com. Enjoy!

Holiday Spoils 2011 | DanielVining.com

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