Having received an email from my son notifying me of the Windows Phone Challenge at Microsoft stores, I drove the 13 miles to Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall where I often go with my daughter, a high school senior, for a burger at 5 Guys.

At the Microsoft Store I told one of the Microsoft shop assistants that I wanted to try the Windows Phone Challenge and I was directed to a short line. There were only two people in front of me.

When my turn came I was asked what phone I had (it had to bear some semblance to a smart phone), and  I said ”a Sony Ericsson.”

My challenger, an attractive, young, blonde woman, leveled her gaze at me and said, ”Okay, what you’ll have to do is find the weather for two cities starting from a locked phone.”

I locked my phone knowing that all I really wanted was an upgrade to my circa 2005 smartphone.

When she said ”go,” I fiddled with the two buttons that would unlock the phone and while I was still fumbling I heard her shout ”got it.”

I was truly smoked. She showed me the features of the Windows phone, and they were impressive. I was ready to move on but she continued to explain the Windows Phone features for another couple of minutes and then had me pose for a photo with an ”I got smoked by a Windows Phone,  photo.  She then said I could take my pick of five phones if I wished and trade in my old one for a free upgrade.

So, for 5 minutes of effort I received a free upgrade from a 7 year old phone to an HTC Titan that boasted 16 gb of memory, an 8 gb camera, a 1.3 gb front camera, and a 4.7 inch screen.  Not bad for a short stand in line.  I will have to unlock it though.

The windows challenge continues at a Microsoft store near you until April 5th.

If you own a Kindle reader, don’t neglect to check for free books in the Kindle best-sellers category. Periodic browsing will reveal the 100 most popular current including a large number of freebies.

Right now you can find ”Still Life with Murder,” by P.B. Ryan; ”Freaks,” by Tess Gerritsen;  ”The Art of the Commonplace — Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry”; ”The Bible: ESV,” and of course, the attention drawing collection of travel anecdotes, ”A Stingray Bit My Nipple,” by Erik Torkells.

One morning in May, an insurance salesman on his way to work on Wall Street was standing near the open doors of a New York subway car that had stopped at a station, when a short, well-dressed man entered the car, bumped into him, then abruptly left again. The insurance salesman instinctively felt for his wallet and, finding it missing, reached out and grabbed the short man by his jacket collar.

The subway doors closed with their rubber edges around the salesman’s wrists, but he held on even after the car started moving, and managed to drag the other man several feet along the station platform before the ma- terial of the man’s jacket tore, leaving him holding a few inches of tweed in his hands.

Ten minutes after the insurance salesman reached his office, still fuming at the incident, his wife called to tell him that he had left his wallet at home. New York Times (M. Nichols)

True but Odd from the National Lampoon – 1972

As a new voter I’m challenged to make sense of the American system and to effectively evaluate my choices of ”Democrat,” ”Republican,” ”Libertarian,” ”Green,” and ”Independent.”

I’m wary of the Democratic Party for it’s characterization as the ”Tax and Spend” party. I’m especially wary of the Republicans because of the sad legacy of Reagenomics and the fallout of their platform plank of de-regulation. Sadly, tax cutting and de-regulation are still at the top of the Arizona Republican platform.

Much of the Libertarian approach makes sense yet strikes me as unrealistic and impractical. In a sense, Libertarians, Greens, and Independents may amount to little more than ”ticket splitting.” Studies of Independents have variously characterized them as either a party realignment in process or as a values and beliefs voting block who are strongly anchored on one issue and who choose candidates according to that issue.

My preliminary considerations clearly suggest that I am most strongly aligned with Democratic policies at this point. The current economic detritus brings the imperative of appropriate financial regulation to the political forefront. It is also clear that budgets cannot be balanced by forever rolling back taxes. Nobody likes taxes but current levels of services cannot be funded without anteing up increased rates of contributions to the public purse at all levels of individual and corporate income.

Jag kom hem från Salmon Arm, British Columbia på Mondag efter vistas med min brör och svägerska för en vecka. Det flyg var bra utan förseningar eller turbulens.

Jag hade mycka roligt med min släkt. Tony tillagade en stor mängd rökt lax en kväll och Jenny förberett en fantastisk potatissallad. Båda var de bästa jag någonsin har haft. Vi gick till en driving range, till en powow, till Revelstoke, och vi gjorde mycket shopping. Vi också spenderade tid i samhället på lokala butiker, på torget, och på restauranger. Mer än så dock, vi pratade, ibland fram till två på morgonen. Jag haft inte sett min brör för tio år även om vi naturligtvis har talat i telefon. Jag haft inte sett min kusin Greta för fyrtio år ock jag haft aldrig träffade sin make Gustav eller hennes son Tony. Det fanns mycket att ta igen.

Det var mycket trevligt att se min brorson och brorsdotter igen. De haft blir härliga ungdomar.

Jag ser fram emot att se dem alla snart igen…

Tony, Jenny, Greta, Gustav, från Finland.

Perry och Kathy.

Min brörsdotter Katrina med sin pojkvän Ryan.

Ryan, min brörson med Kathy, min svägerska och Katrina, min brörsdotter.

From the Oath Ceremony in Phoenix

I first applied for permanent residency in 2003 through my employer and became a permanent resident in 2005 along with my immediate family members.  In January I applied for citizenship and today I was sworn in with 98 others from around the world at an oath ceremony in Phoenix.  It was a moving ceremony in many respects with elements of solemnity, exhortation, and celebration.  Several new Americans spoke including an Iraqi Priest who expressed thanks for religious freedom, a Mexican woman who found speaking at all a challenge because of her strong emotions relating to her joy at being granted US citizenship, and a Romanian woman who expressed profound gratitude in simple words and strong emotions.  As for me, I’m very glad to have been granted full rights of participation in American society and I look forward to making a positive contribution in whatever way or ways that I am able.

My family moved to the Phoenix, Arizona area in July of 1997.  Since then we have become permanent residents with the help of Banner Health, my employer since 2000.  My eldest son, and my wife recently became US citizens and this Friday, June 4th I’ll be appearing at the Phoenix USCIS center for my oath ceremony.

So why did I decide to apply for US citizenship?  I think the decisive factor for me was the fact that having been raised in the USA, most, if not all of children will be making their permanent homes here.  Should I one day return to live in Canada, I’d like to know that I could come back to the USA and both work and live here for as long as I wished.

I came across this story via ”Finland Live.” This new trail winds for 35 km through the boreal forests of northern Finland and Norway.  A complete description of this trail and others can be found in English at ”Outdoors.fi”  www.luontoon.fi/news.asp?Section=5715&Item=17766  One fascinating aspect of hiking in Finland is ”everyman’s right,” which allows passage through all property and forests providing that one avoids the immediate property surrounding a private residence.

”The Piilola Trail, which connects the Vätsäri Wilderness Area in Finland and the Øvre Pasvik National Park in Norway, was inaugurated on 16 June 2009 at its northern starting point of Sortbrysttjern in Norway. An opening hike began at the same time, ending on 18 June at the end of Kessintie Road and the village of Nellim, where the closing ceremony of the hike was held. Some two dozen hiking and nature lovers from Norway and Finland took part in the opening hike. The Piilola Trail is the result of cooperation between the parties to the Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park: Finland, Norway and Russia.”

Here is a piece by Finnish Poet Risto Rasa

For more of his work visit his Finnish Poets page

You may also find contemporary Finnish poetry with translations into multiple languages at Electric Verses

Koira tulee illalla kotiin. Kun se kiertyy paikalleen ja nukahtaa, alkaa sen sydänlämpö levitä huoneisiin - Risto Rasa -

In the evening, the dog comes Home. When he curls up in his spot And falls asleep, His heart’s-warmth starts spreading Into the rooms. - Risto Rasa -