Like our first kiss. Though we were attracted to each other, our difference in faiths prevented us from moving beyond a friendship. However, I went against her wishes and gave her kiss. Her commitment to God prevented us from kissing after that day. She did not want a kiss without a relationship with her and with the Lord; she wanted a man to kiss her when he loved her and her God.

Perhaps it seemed very serious to some, but we had different faiths, and we were both sensitive to each other’s feelings and not wanting to jeopardize our friendship.

Thank God that we only endured one month before kissing again. And it was like a first kiss again because, by that time, I had fallen in love with Jennilyn, but more importantly, I had discovered the source of love, Jesus.

I tried to feel for it from under the car with Jenni’s help. Then I had the bright idea to look for something flexible that I could stick down the path where the socket fell. My silver bullet was a fly swatter. I felt pretty resourceful as I jimmied the flyswatter down until it couldn’t go any further down…and it couldn’t be pulled out. Jenni laughed. Would it be safe to leave a flyswatter stuck in the car?

I did manage to get the flyswatter back out after some aggressive pulls. I took a chance and started up the car, hoping the socket will just drop out magically. Instead, Jenni and I heard a few clunking sounds. I guess I’ll have to buy another 7/16″ socket and be more careful next time.

See our recent family portraits »

I took the picture at Jenni’s cousin’s house as a test shot with a new telephoto lens. I’m very impressed by the sharpness and color given that this shot was handheld and no flash. I wasn’t blown away when I got my previous high-end wide-to-medium-telephoto lens, but this new telephoto has made a great first impression.

See more pictures from our visit to Longview »

The hype around the iPad was incredible. All the way through January, the web was chattering about when the announcement would come and what the device would be like. Not surprisingly, with the extreme level of hype, I was underwhelmed when the iPad was officially announced.

Several blogs and web sites I frequent put in their two cents about the iPad and its implications. The editor at Lifehacker.com discouraged people from buying the iPad because Apple has too much power in controlling what software can be installed. I hadn’t thought about the issue too much, but I knew of the Google Voice debacle where Apple rejected the app because it competed with one of iPhone’s core functions.

Later, I ran across a different perspective, which got me thinking more about Apple’s closed system with the App Store. I talked it over with Jenni during dinner and drew similarities between a closed system and marriage: you lose a few freedoms but also gain a few freedoms.

I think the tinkerer and computer enthusiast in me was underwhelmed with the iPad because it did not offer USB ports, camera, and the ability to multitask third-party applications. As a poweruser, I’m accustomed to doing multiple things at once on a computer and losing that freedom on an iPad seems harsh.

However, Apple doesn’t target the powerusers, but the everyday user. And as the iPhone clearly showed, the everyday user does not need multitasking. In an age of A.D.D. and over-extending ourselves, it’s actually refreshing to focus on one thing at a time. And to someone who isn’t as tech-savvy, the lack of multitasking can be a blessing. It makes the device simpler to use and learn.

The iPad has the potential to bring computing to people who have been afraid or felt ill-equipped to use computers. Some of the vocal iPad critics are powerusers who take on the ideology of the house of Slytherin. They oppose the “dumbing down” to bring masses in. They believe quality or integrity will suffer like a crappy house will bring the neighborhood value down. By making the tools of their trade accessible to any person, they feel their trade has become less valuable because now anyone do it.

Some of those fears are stemmed from selfishness. I find that making tools accessible to be a huge boon. I draw similarities to how blogging and the internet has given people chances to become known writers that otherwise may never have been known.

Tools to make things simpler doesn’t negate the need for experts still. Just making desktop publishing software easier doesn’t mean everyone is now a great designer. But it gives an opportunity for people who normally are unable to be designers to excel.

Coming back to freedoms, using the iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone does require the user to give up the ability to legitimately install unauthorized applications. However, what the user gets in return, is a pretty stable device because the software has gone through approvals. You are, in fact, married to Apple’s ideology and system with all its benefits and flaws.

Ultimately, what makes me believe that the iPad will be successful is that it shifts computers from being a complex device with a steep learning curve into an appliance that serves its purpose well and can be used with little training. It focuses on simplifying using the web, watching movies, reading e-books, and listening to music with its multitouch interface. While it won’t be able to run photoshop or video games that I play, it may well be a great mobile internet device for grandma and parents, and get them onto facebook, see photos of their family, and even simplify their e-mail experience. That’s something to get excited about, even if it sounds funny that we’re all changing over to pads.