Why this die-hard Samsung (and Android) fan may be going back to the iPad

(You could also subtitle this post "What I think Samsung needs to do to get their shit together.")

So I had an iPad mini, sold it, and went to the Galaxy Note 8 tablet, which I loved.  Perfect size, Android, Samsung- the perfect combination for me.  Until I broke the screen.  I could just pay to get the screen fixed, but being a gadget girl I like to buy new phones yearly, and new computers every couple of years, and I saw this as an opportunity to get something new.  Despite being a die-hard Samsung and Android fan I am seriously considering going back to the iPad mini, for several reasons.

1) Software updates.  I prefer Android to Apple's iOS hands down.  I love my widgets, multi-window capabilities (is that a Samsung only thing?), and more.  But what really sucks is how each phone manufacturer, and then even each mobile carrier dictates when a phone gets the newest update-- if at all.  So my Soror Brandi who has the same phone as I do, the awesome Galaxy S5, could get the next update weeks prior to me, or weeks later.  And someone with a different phone may not get it at all, even if their phone is a relatively new model.  I think this is an issue for a lot of Android users and may be the main thing that makes some of us leave.  Google needs to put its foot down and come up with a way for everyone to be able to get the new updates at the same time.  I understand that some older phones may not always be able to be updated, but for the phones who have the specifications necessary, everybody should get them, and there should be one release date.  This is something that apple is doing right.

2) Accessories! I'm an indecisive girl who loves to shop and loves to accessorize her gadgets.  I have two very colorful Otterbox cases for my Galaxy S5, and for the defender case I can buy different parts and mix and match and the idea of doing that makes my heart sing.  Let's face it, when looking for accessories, it may be easy to find exactly what you want (or even what you didn't even KNOW you wanted) for Apple products, or even for the more popular Samsung phones like the Note or S series phones.  But try to find an Otterbox in a cute color for a Galaxy Note 8 or Galaxy S 8.4 and things get interesting.

In my head I have worked out that the reason for this is because Samsung just has too many damn products!  If you count size variations Samsung has released more than 5 tablets in the past 12 months.  It would be easier for accessory makers to provide a wider variety of styles and colors if they were working with 2 tablets instead of 10.  What I think Samsung should do instead of trying to make 92098347 versions of everything is remember that quality counts more than quantity.  Keep the Note and S phone lines, and maybe have one less expensive entry-level option, keep the Galaxy S tablet line because the screens are awesome and then throw in the S pen to give it the capabilities of the Note tablets, and again maybe offer one less expensive option.  With out all those devices to keep up with maybe accessory makers can offer more choices for Samsung (and other companies with Android phones but let's face it, I currently don't care about those) devices.

3)  Variety.  This reason isn't anything Samsung or anyone else can change, just a personal quirk.  As much as I love Android and Samsung, currently I have most of the same apps on my phone and my tablet.  It seems as though I have my home screens set up in a similar matter on both devices.  It makes it feel like a giant version of my phone and I kind of just want something different.  I couldn't ever go to the iPhone but I think going back to the iPad mini may give me the change I need.

Wait! I was about to publish this post when I thought of a 4th reason.  Bloatware! Even iOS devices come with some apps pre-installed.  It's generally stuff folks really use-- Facetime, iTunes, etc.  Well Android manufacturers tend to take that way too far.  There are apps on my phone and tablet that I never use like Flipboard, but unless I choose to root the device (Apple users-- think jailbreak) I can't delete them.  Being able to hide them on my S5 has made things a little easier but they are just sitting there taking up space on my phone. At some point these manufacturers have got to stop this!


So as I get ready to replace my broken tablet, this gadget girl may be switching back to the ipad.

So So SO Funkdafied

Can we take a minute and talk about grown ass women with bad hygiene? Like seriously, why is this even a thing?  We all had the various health class talks about deodorant and body odor, right? I just don't get it.  There is no reason for a woman to be walking around smelling like a fermented onion armpit and asshole sandwich.  Someone who just got done running 10 miles? Might stink.  Someone who was just wrestling a wild boar? Might stink.  But what about doing nothing makes you stink? It shouldn't!  What is going on in your life that you smell like this?  You ever have a person pass by you and you automatically envision a green cloud following them?  I'm talking about a smell so bad it lingers for several several SEVERAL minutes after the offender has left, and you're nauseated and just want to puke on everything?  Like I feel like I should call these types of folks Pepe Le Eww.  Or Funkmaster Flex.  I hope women like this are single because I feel like they have the toxic snatch like Zoe from AHS Coven.  Let them panties drop and so does your date.

Bitches walking around smelling like they need an autopsy.  I feel like only a doctor can fix this type of funk, and maybe a bath in bleach and a dusting with baking soda.  I just don't get it.  I have so many questions.  Can you not smell yourself? Do you not bathe? Are you trying to use fancy soap? Because I think Maybe just a bar of the original orange Dial is what you may need.  Are you anti-deodorant? Trying to use the fancy natural stuff? Go get some Secret Clinical Strength, for the sake of us all.  I'm just appalled that a woman can smell like that.  And if your body smells like this what is your house like?  Maybe this is what watching Hoarders in smell-o-vision would be like, and I don't like it.  I just pray that the cilia in my nasal cavity and upper respiratory tract are not damaged so they can continue to do their job.

Single (But not Bitter) on Valentine's Day...

You know what I'm tired of? (Excuse that preposition at the end of the sentence) I'm tired of people assuming that ever single woman is bitter about love... or just bitter in general.  (Why single men aren't thought of in this manner is probably another issue for later.)  I don't talk about it much but you know what? I LOVE love.  Have I been hurt? Hell yes.  Was I mad about it? Damn straight.  But in the end I've always been that hopeless romantic who believed that "the one" was out there for me.  I see my cousin my bestie my sister, Delisha, preparing for her upcoming wedding day and I am happy that she found someone to love her.  I look at my parents and their nearly 43 years of marriage and I long for a relationship that can stand the test of time.  I have many cousins and sorors and friends who have found love and I love it!  I know that God has a man out there for me who will love me the way I deserve to be loved and I can't wait.  But for now I'm single, and to some people that automatically equals bitter.  Would I like someone special to give me flowers and a gift and do something super romantic for me? Of course I would.  But at the end of the day I'll be alone tonight, but I'm not bitter about it, because my favorite person to spend time with is Me.  Maybe next year I'll be able to annoy my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter friends with my 27345098.7 posts about my "bae."  But until then Happy Valentine's Day to the rest of y'all but especially my single folks.

Touch My Body

Something I heard today made me start having all these weird random thoughts and I really just need to get it all out of my head.  So there are people out there in the world who don't like to be touched.  Some are "germaphobes" and others just don't like for other humans to make physical contact with them.  Okay, got it.  But what always pops into my head when I hear about people like this is sex.  Yep.  Sex.  Often these people are single, but not always.  Sometimes they are married or in relationships and I just wonder how sex works for them.  If you don't like to be touched does that mean that you don't like sex? Do you just lay there like a ragdoll watching the clock tic by, hoping that it's over soon? And what about foreplay and kissing?  I know that physical intimacy isn't the only type of intimacy, but is the sex just cold, awkward robotic jerking or does your disdain for physical contact go away when it's time to get down?  And I guess cuddling and spooning is out of the question? Okay.  That's it, I'm done.  I'm just thinking "out loud."  

Farewell

Today is the last day of my 20s.  Bittersweet really.  Since 2003 I've had my biggest heartbreaks, met some awesome people, had some big losses.  I've grown, I've changed, I've matured.  I've gained weight.  I've cried many tears and had many laughs.  But as scary as the BIG 3-0 feels, I definitely wouldn't go back to the me I was 10 years ago.

So here it is. The last blog post of my 20s.  Hoping that my 30s brings lots of fun, good memories, laughs, and a man (lol but seriously though).  I don't have any big profound statement, I'm just ready to say goodbye to this decade and get on with the rest of my life.

Shit That's Offensive 101: Blackface

It happens every year at Halloween.  A white person gets the idea that they want to be a black character from a movie, tv show, etc.  It never occurs to them that people would get who they are without panting themselves black or dark brown.

If you want history about blackface click here:  Blackface on Wiki  Long story short: blackface is offensive to black people and it is not ever ever ever ever okay to do it.  Never.  So far this season we've seen a start dressed up in blackface as a character from Orange is the New Black, (She apologized- but she had to have known this wouldn't be okay.) then a girl standing in a picture between a guy who was dressed as George Zimmerman and a guy in black face was dressed as the teenager he shot, Trayvon Martin.  Knowing that this case had already made racial tension rise in this country, the disrespect of a white person using this dead child as a source of amusement was outrageous. Apparently to many the death of a black teenager was a source of amusement but it was not funny. Not even slightly. I've seen several other pics of people in blackface, and considering that there are still 2 days until Halloween I'm sure there will be more to come.

Yeah, some people claim to NOT know that they are being offensive, and may not have bad intentions but it is what it is.  I don't get how you wouldn't know, but apparently some people are still very sheltered and naive, or live under huge rocks, and so the last line of this blog is just for you!








So let me leave you with this.  If you ever want to know if it is okay to dress in black face, just ask the magic 8 ball:

Shooby Doo Bop I Wanna Love You Shooby Doo Bop Computer Love

Maybe I need to be thinking about something other than love because I've been writing about it a lot lately.  But I have to talk about this one.  Computer Love. Online dating. Even with the problem of catfishing going on, I tried it.  Signed up for a couple of sites.  No need for specifics or details.

Can I tell you what the issue with online dating is though? People are crazy.  Yep.  And they can't read. And the sites need better filters.  So let's get into the problems I've run into.

1) Race/Ethnicity issues.  This is where I feel like better site filters would be useful.  If my profile shows that I am black, and John Doe says he will date any race or ethnicity BUT black, why even show him to me?  I'm looking at matches, see a cute white guy.  Profile is looking great.  Then you get to what they want in a match and under race/ethnicity they've chosen white only, or they have checked every option listed but black.  That's John's preference. Good for him. But why show me someone who wouldn't even give me a second look?  That's a waste of time.

2) Religion issues.  I consider myself more spiritual than religious but I do identify as Christian.  While I respect other religions and a person's right to believe what they want, I feel like maybe someone of another religion wouldn't vibe well with me for very specific reasons.  (If you watch Love & Hip Hop think about Consequence and Jenn the Pen.  Yep.  I want to avoid stuff like that.)  So just like number 1, I need the filters to be better.

3) AGE.  It's nothing but a number they say.  BUT I have to draw a line at some point.  For some reason I attract old men.  Even though my profiles say I accept a certain age range guys who see that and are WELL over that range contact me anyway.  Sir. I'm not looking for a father figure.  I have a dad.  If something serious were to come from this (Match.com commercials say more of their users get married than any other dating site, woo hoo!) I would want kids.  And I want my kids' dad to be able to run around and play with them.  Not be sitting on the couch drinking his prune juice with his feet up because he has "the gout."  Nah homie.

4) Creeps.  Yep I attract those too! There's one guy who has messaged me at least 6 times, usually from a different account, but with the same picture- as if I wouldn't notice.  Who does this? Why do I feel like some episode of SVU was based off of your antics, sir?  Why do I keep waiting for Chris Hansen to come out and tell his creepy ass to have a seat, and offer him some tea? Why the hell are you so creepy and why do I attract creeps?

So needless to say right now I am not renewing my match.com subscription. We'll see how I feel later.