Mac owners of the world rejoice

For you have a new member!

That's right, I bought a macbook pro spontaneously the other day - it arrived this morning and it looks absolutely stunning. 

Now, I was a bit dubious at first. I have previously not been a huge fan of mac. I mean, you can get a much better spec machine for the same price, if not cheaper. There's something that appeals about them though, whether it's the backlit keyboard or the illuminated apple sign on the lid - it just works!

Photo: http://bit.ly/18Q7mNJ

The thing with a Windows machine is that Microsoft don't make the hardware, other companies do. It's for this reason that I don't believe the operating system/hardware make 100% use of each other. With mac it's different. Apple make the hardware, Apple make the software. The two go together like peas in a pod. 

Don't get me wrong, I still love Windows. I have 3 other laptops at home all running Windows and I love them. Both Windows and Mac have their advantages.

I'm still getting used to Mac. I'm so used to using Ctrl+C/V to copy & paste for example, and there's no DEL key on the Mac keyboard. I'm learning though - these multi-gestures are a pain to keep up with but equally fantastic.

Keep an eye out for more Mac related posts. Now I have more room to play with apps I should be able to start pumping out reviews again - they were some of my best loved posts and were responsible for bringing in over 90% of my views, so it would be nice to return the blog back to that state of high audiences. Sure, I don't get the largest traffic in the world but to me over 1,000 views is insane and I certainly don't plan to stop now.

Restaurant service

Photo: kennethgmorgan.com

At some point in your life, I am sure that you have paid a visit to a restaurant. In fact, I am sure you have visited a restaurant many times. I can also quite confidently assume that 99% of these visits are pleasant ones.

I fit right into this category. Tonight, unfortunately, I experienced service that falls into the other 1% of visits - extremely poor.

We had a table booked for 9PM and turned up promptly. We stood by the typical "please wait to be seated" sign and waited. Waited. Waited, and waited some more - the place wasn't even that busy. 10 minutes of the waiter walking past us multiple times and he finally opened his mouth. "Are you here for the 9PM Valentine's dinner slot?.. we'll just prepare your table, please take a seat". It took the best part of 20 minutes to prepare this table and all it consisted of was a cheap cloth and paper napkins.

Fast forward to ordering, which took a further 15 minutes to produce the waiter. We ordered our food and proceeded to wait again. We requested a jug of water and never received it (we were actually handed a fresh jug from another dining couple because they could see we had clearly been forgotten).

The food was sub-par. I ordered the chicken stuffed with brie and wrapped in parma ham, whilst Sam opted for the carvery. Our meat was tough, vegetables were soggy and I couldn't even taste the brie!

When it came to dessert, we decided to choose our own from the counter which was in the other section of the restaurant. Upon entering this section we saw around 7 other waiting staff hoovering and setting the tables for breakfast, leaving our waiter on his own in the Valentine's room with about 6 other full tables.

We ended up returning to our room at 11PM - a whole 2 hours after our original booking. We don't take that long to eat. If we had been served promptly then we'd have been up and out by 9:45. This meant the rest of our night was unnecessarily cut short. 

Sam is now tucked up nicely in bed and I'm rambling. Just another day at the office.

Valentines Day

I have a mixed opinion regarding valentines day. On the one side, I think it's a great time of year to spend some quality time with your other half. On the flip side, I don't see why valentines day is needed to show your other half that you love them. Surely you should be showing them this on a daily basis.

Photo: cms.ccps.us

There also seems to be this aura of money grabbing for valentines. Restaurant and hotel prices go up, flowers become more expensive, people are deliberately cashing in on people who are loved up. Now, whilst I appreciate that they're businesses who are in the game for profits but surely there's something not quite right when they raise their prices so much just because they know people will be "forced" into buying.

Photo: zoelifemagazine.com

This leads me nicely onto my next statement. Money does not equal love. I don't see why we should have to buy something for someone to prove we love them. If your other half expects something to be bought for them on valentines then you are with the wrong person, plain and simple. Of course, a card is a different story. I think everyone should at least pick up a card. They're an inexpensive little token of affection for the day.

At the end of the day, valentines day, just like Easter, is there for the big wigs to count their profits. It is something we just have to deal with but is something we can avoid. Why not, next year, agree to not purchase anything. Why not just spend some quality time with your other half, whenever you are both free, to really show the meaning of valentines day - expressing your love for the person you hold dear.

Quick poll

Just a quick post to tell you that I have now added a short poll to the blog, on the right hand side.

I'm wondering if people want to see me review more products such as gadgets, games, apps, electricals, etc. Please take a moment to vote, it'll help shape my blog to one that people enjoy reading.

If you want to contact me, you can do so via Twitter (@NathanCashman) 

If you want your app, game or product reviewed, you can always contact me via email (innaterambler@gmail.com) I will get back to you as soon as possible, most likely within 2-4 hours (I am in the UK, so if you are in a different timezone please be aware of this. Don't expect a reply at 4am)