OK – So, if you’re on Facebook, you’ve probably had at least 1, if not 1,000 invites from your friends to play FarmVille, no need to be ashamed. I was sucked into the game last summer, and found myself spending more time than I should have been spending, plowing, planting, milking etc.. It wasn’t so bad, because you could plunk away at it while you watched TV or ate lunch at your desk.

Recently, You’ve had to become fans to get a bigger farm, and play some of the other Zynga games in order to get upgraded farm stuff. Sorry, I’m not playing Mafia Wars for a reason, I DON’T WANT TO.

I gave FishVille a try, because I like fish tanks. After about a week of feeding my fish, I tired of it, and currently have sold all my fish, and assume I have a very green tank.
Also, with all the recent upgrades, added stuff etc, it’s taking longer and longer to load, and now that I’ve upgraded to the largest possible field, and you cannot doing any farming function in mass *plow all* *milk all* etc, it’s becoming far too much of a time eater than it should.

I’ve started ignoring most of the requests and gifts I get, because, honestly, while it was fun in the beginning, The appeal is gone. It’s more of a task now than a fun thing to do on FaceBook. Also, with spring on the way, and warm weather activities, the last thing I want to do, is be tied to my computer on a nice day collecting chicken eggs.

What is your take on FarmVille, and the other Zynga games?

My Verizon contract is up coming in June, and I’ve started to get the upgrade offers from Verizon, and I’ve been really debating on what device to get. I started out, way back in the day with a basic analog phone on Ariel like most other people, which became Voice Stream, and now T-Mobile. I’ve used Nextel service in the past, and have had an array of devices like the Sidekick family, Treo and currently the Blackberry Curve circa two years ago.

While I do admit I have very high standards for my mobile device and what it can/cannot do, I don’t think I’ve wanted too much from a carrier. – Transmit calls, email and data in an efficient manner. Yay. So, I’ve got the Blackberry. As a device, it’s not too bad. Granted, I’m using a three year old set of hardware, I can admit I do a lot with it. On any given day, I’m using Google Maps, UberTwitter, EmpowerEmail, http://www.beejive.com/, FaceBook, SalesForce, as well as SMS/MMS, http://foursquare.com/ and my Alarm providers app for Blackberry along with SMS/MMS messaging. It’s taken quite some time to get the Curve setup just how I want it, and working well. However, now with that much crap on it, its slowing down. Also, during the summer I use the data tethering quite a bit, since I’m out of town on weekends, and need more efficient web access than the BB browser provides (or other browser on the device)

Poking around at the Verizon store a few weeks back, I looked at the new http://tinyurl.com/m27otd, and was impressed with the much better screen, browser rendering and overall speed of the device. I wasn’t as sold on the keyboard, as there was less definition between the keys, but with any change, it’s something you acclimate to. Also, I was impressed by the better camera quality. I was slightly turned off by the new UI on the device (as with all the new BB devices) it just didn’t do it for me, and seemed a little sluggish to respond (which is something I noted in the original release of the Storm) – Granted, it’s something to get used to, and mostly just appeared to be how the navigation worked vs. the speed of the device, but something to consider nonetheless.

I figured it would be a good upgrade, just based on the browsing and camera upgrade, so I kept poking thru the store killing time. Stopping at the Moto DROID, I thought I would just tinker with it. I had given no thought to the DROID up to this point, based on a few things;

1) I have lots of apps purchased for the CrackBerry
2) I need to be able to simply sync a device with my Mac
3) I need to tactile keyboard for the amount of typing I do
4) I need to tether the MacBookPro to the device in the summer

I decided to poke around at the Motorola version vs. the other Android phones, because the DROID does include a full slide out tactile keyboard. While not as nice as the CB or Sidekick in terms of button separation, it seemed like something I could get used to in a short amount of time.

The user interface seemed very responsive and quick, including full multitasking abilities. I looked at the Google Map app, and it was much quicker than the CrackBerry, as was basic web browsing. I think not having the BlackBerry network in the mix of data transmission really helps. There are a number of free apps out on Android to handle the apps I’ve already paid for on BlackBerry, so little duplicate purchasing will be needed. I’ll miss out on my Security app, but they provide a mobile interface for monitoring as well. My big question which I need to have answered, is “will it tether” I’ve found out, that syncing my Mac with the GoogleSync platform, I can handle the updating of my phone/address book/calendar without much need to plug it into my computer anymore, other than to backup. I’m currently using this now on the Curve, and seems to be working well.

Also, I liked that the DROID has WiFi in it, which would be great at home, or elsewhere I have access to WiFi vs. eating bandwidth/battery and having less lag than on the 3G network.

However, my Devils’ advocate to this is, I can do so much more on this browser than the CB, where I might not /need/ tethering (or just sign up for the mobile broadband USB dongle and return it in the trial period)

I will be returning this weekend for more in-depth, as the GF’s contract is up for renewal as well this summer.

Pricewise, – The DROID is a little more expensive up front than the new Tour, however, the monthly service on the DOID would be about $10 less than I pay now, so that would recoup itself shortly.

Also, I’ve heard rumor of the iPhone coming to Verizon this summer. That sounds like it would be a cut-and-dry answer for me to switch, HOWEVER. – The iPhone does not have a tactile keyboard, nor does it allow multi-tasking between apps. While I believe the iPhone would be the easiest to integrate and sync with my Mac at home, I don’t see it being a viable option for me on a daily basis, just based on how much I use the device during the day. Also, battery life, iPhone battery life sucks. I’d need to charge mine pretty much most of the day with the amount of activity it gets, vs. the CB for sure, possibly DROID have extra battery packs with higher capacity (also key when I go on weekend long bike rides, without access to power)

In short, I have a little more research to do, and just more face time with the device. I realize I have a month to return and get a different phone, however, it’s a hassle, and I’d like to get something and know it’s going to meet my needs.
If you have any comments, I’d love to hear them. That being said, – I’m not open to moving carriers due to phone availability, nor am I open to a phone without a QWERTY tactile keyboard on it.

I was looking for a good pizza joint to go and meet up with Mike at, and dropped Aaron a quick line to get his suggestions. Based on our target area near North St. Paul, he said we needed to go to Randy’s Premier Pizza. He thought the idea sounded good, so he joined us as well. If you’ve never been to, or ordered from Randy’s, I can assure you that you’re missing some of the best pizza on the East side of the cities.

While primarily a take-out pie shop, they do have a few tables in the back if you care to dine in. They have a cooler with various non-alcoholic beverages in it, and Mike and I chose the classic Orange Crush in the glass bottle and placed an order while we waited for Aaron to show up. Mike ordered a pizza with spinach and artichoke on it, and I ordered a pepperoni pizza for Aaron and I to split. Soon after, an order of Italian Bread Sticks arrived, which is listed as an Italian crust with garlic. We dug into that, and made short work of it. Randy dropped in on us to see how we’re doing, and since Aaron is a regular there, they caught up on life for a few minutes, and then he returned to his post behind the counter making pies.

Shortly after we finished the bread, our pies came out and they both looked delicious. Not being a fan of the veggies like Mike, I didn’t try his, but just the presentation alone was enough to confirm that this was indeed a good pizza. His pizza was smothered in cheese, and fresh ingredients. Both pizzas were ordered with the hand tossed crust, and I could see that the edge of the crusts were proportional to the different size of the pizza, but both were plump and inviting.

The pepperoni pizza arrived and I noticed that it too was covered in cheese, which had a good amount of pepperoni tucked underneath. When we pulled out our slices, the cheese was plentiful and stringy between the slices. My impression after the first few bites was nothing less than stellar. The blend of the cheese and pepperoni and sauce was an excellent blend, and none of the ingredients over powered another. The sauce had a slight zing to it, and left me waiting for the next bite. The pepperoni was tasty, bold, but not to detract from the rest of the pizza. The crust was a bit limp towards the center, but not in a bad way, it was what I had expected. The closer you got towards the end the more flavorful the crust became. The crust is made fresh, not frozen like you might find at some other pizza shops, which I feel can make or break a pizza experience. If your crust is bland and soggy, overpowering or crackle thin, it will turn me off. If I want a thin crust, I’ll order it. The hand-tossed crust I ordered was right on the mark.

Partway thru our meal, Randy brought out some Pizza Fries. Aaron wasted no time on digging into these tasty morsels. It’s the garlic crust, loaded with cheese and cut into strips with dipping sauce. The three of us made short work of these and went back to our pizzas. We were getting full, but I didn’t mind, I was able to stuff another slice of this great pizza in before calling defeat and boxing up about 1/2 the pizza to take home.

Randy dropped by again to ensure our meal was OK, and we assured him it was with full mouths! He noted that he was going to be adding a wood-fired oven in the spring, so I will sure come back to check that out. Randy’s also offers some larger pizzas, from 30″ up to 48″ and also a pizza challenge to eat the 30″ pizza in 30 minutes.

The bill for for pizzas and drinks came to 37.50 + tip, which split across the three of us, was certainly an excellent value for the meal. I’ll certainly return and check out more items on the menu in the near future.

Have you eaten at Randy’s? What was your experience? – Check out what my friends Aaron and Bill have to say about Randy’s from their prior visits.

Randy’s Premier Pizza
6030 50th St N
Oakdale, MN 55128
651-777-1400