Yep, I need help figuring out what phone to get. Before I get to that? A link appetizer!

• Surprise Gift from Warehouse 23 – If you like Munchkin or Zombie Dice from Steve Jackson Games, I strongly encourage you to consider placing an order from December 13th through the 17th. We’re randomly giving away five pre-release copies of four different games months ahead of schedule. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll get the games even before distributors and retailers will.
• The Ten Happiest Jobs – Apparently writers are happy but broke. Same with artists. So we get job satisfaction but we struggle to make a living. See: the reasons why we’re often miserable. Oy. (HT Greg Stolze)
• Introductory E-Mail Doesn’t Have To LOL – In my latest installment of Adventure to Dice Castle, I talk about e-mails to game publishers. I had fun with this one!
• Holiday Gift Guide: a Very Cthulhu Christmas – Tor.com continues their annual Cthulhu Gift Guide series. I wonder how many people recognize octopi are short for “Cthulhu?”
• Nerds and Male Privilege – Yes, it’s 2011 but we’re still dealing with issues of sexism. No, I’m not a whiner because this behavior is precisely why women are afraid to embrace their geek side. Yes, it’s frustrating, even for a professional in the industry, but it has gotten better over the past ten years. The internet has helped highlight that men are not the only geeks out there. (HT Charles Tan)

On With The Phone

So, if you’ve been following me on Twitter, you probably know I’ve been lamenting nay agonizing over which phone to get. I’ve since narrowed it down to a micro-tablet phone in the form of a Droid or an iPhone. I have an iPod Nano (LOVE!) but the rest of my equipment is all PC-based. I’ve tried out the Blackberry and I don’t like it. Prefer the touch screen and will probably get a stylus for it, too.

I’d say I’d have moderate-to-heavy usage. Here’s what I need a new phone for:

• To work when I’m traveling
• Texting
• Internet and Google Docs
• Photos
• E-mail
• App testing
• Sync my iTunes account
• eCommerce testing
• GPS
• Angry Birds
• Twitter
• Actual telephone calls

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

Mood: Calm yet twitchy.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Well, it started out good. Then quickly devolved into three pots of coffee and the stars-know-what-else.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Short walk
Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): 500 and no home for [redacted]. Sucks. I feel a weekend writing marathon coming on…
In My Ears: Kingdom Hearts opening refrain
Game Last Played: Word on the Street
Movie Last Viewed: Harry Potter on Blu-Ray
Book Last Read: Last Call by Tim Powers
Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with pink/iris green/black rings
Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem