We’re having my dad over for dinner this afternoon. For dessert, I made the new Boston Cream Pie by Duncan Hines. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I haven’t tried the other two desserts, but they look absolutely divine.

Then you absolutely must visit this Web page.

{Discovered at and “borrowed” from Tom Becka’s Web site. Thanks, Tom!}

Jobs I Have Had:
1. Newspaper reporter
2. Free-lance magazine writer
3. TV news intern
4. Receptionist at a trailer park sales center

Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Omaha
2. Lincoln
3. N/A
4. N/A

Four TV Shows I Watch:
1. “Sex and the City”
2. “Seinfeld”
3. “60 Minutes”
4. “Sunday Morning”

Four Places You Have Been on Vacation:
1. Fullerton, Calif.
2. San Francisco, Calif.
3. Denver, Colo.
4. Chicago, Ill.

Four Web sites I Visit Daily:
1. Omaha.com
2. Pitchforkmedia.com
3. CNN.com
4. MacNN.com

Four Favorite Foods:
1. Chocolate cake
2. Cheese
3. Steak
4. Alcohol

Four Places You’d Like to Be:
1. On a book tour, promoting my first novel
2. Visiting my sister in California
3. Any Apple Store
4. Rocco’s Italian Kitchen in Los Angeles

*Inspired by marq_manner

Apple files ‘Mobile Me’ as US trademark

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Computer has filed to trademark the phrase “Mobile Me” for use in a wide range of businesses, furthering speculation it could introduce an iPod phone.

“We believe this is further indication of (Apple’s) strategic direction to extend its iPod + iTunes and Mac franchises into new business areas including smart phones, value-added mobile content services, and the broader consumer electronics space,” American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu wrote in a note on Thursday.

Apple made the filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office on 5 January.

There has long been speculation that Apple would ultimately introduce an iPod that also works as a smart phone, extending its brand and functions as more content becomes digital and mobile. In addition to music, one model of the iPod also now plays videos and purchased content such as TV shows.

The areas that the trademark covers include computing devices, mobile devices, and mobile services including digital music, video, games, email, and messaging across internet, intranets, extranets, television, cellular, and satellite networks, the filing shows.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

This week, at Apple’s annual Macworld show in San Francisco, chief executive Steve Jobs announced the MacBook Pro, which will replace the PowerBook line of its high-end notebook PCs, and a new iMac all-in-one computer.

The two machines are the first that use Intel’s Core Duo microprocessors. Apple said in June it would move to Intel chips from the PowerPC chips it had used for years, made by International Business Machines and Freescale Semiconductor.

There has also been speculation that Apple would, along with an iPod phone, resell cellular phone service provided by a cell service provider, becoming what’s known as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO.

“We believe this would be a successful strategy, given the type of content and markets Apple has had success in,” Wu wrote, referring to mobile music, video and the youth market.

The Lincoln Journal Star deserves a gold star today for Best Headline.

A small graphic on Page 1 of today’s issue describing the different nickles issued by the United States Mint over the past three years reads “Pocket change.”

So very clever!

EDIT: A closer look at the graphic reveals it’s the work of the Associated Press. OK, then. Two gold stars today: One for the LJS, the other for the AP.

Her first “solo” album, on Team Love, hits stores Jan. 24.

Here are more details: http://www.team-love.com/bands/jenny/news.html

Two songs from the forth-coming album can be downloaded here: http://www.team-love.com/

One of the best costumes I’ve seen in quite some time, my friend Tony as R2-D2.

A cinnamon latte from Caribou Coffee = pure love.

{However, it felt odd ordering a hot drink when it’s nearly 50 degrees outside and I’m driving around town without my winter coat.}

Here’s yet another example of the klutz I am. While running at the Y Tuesday morning, my hand accidentally hits the keypad that controls the treadmill: the speed, the incline, etc.

A few seconds later, I notice that something feels off as I’m running.

I look down to see the treadmill has completely stopped. I unintentionally turned off the damn thing.

Now how weird must I’ve looked, running in place without the treadmill’s track moving?

I should mention that I was listening to my iPod and didn’t hear the track slow down, or even stop.

As I mentioned earlier, Macworld always get me a bit misty-eyed. Thanks to iPhoto, I was able to grab a few of my favorite photos of past Macworlds. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I loved taking them — and being in San Francisco.

Me in the Macworld press room with my oh-so-adorable 3GB Blueberry iBook. Call it what you will, that was my first Macintosh and I loved it.

Herds of Apple fans rushing to their seats before the Steve Jobs Keynote.

The Macworld the short-lived Cube was introduced.

A Macworld staff writer (Peter Cohen, I believe) covering the keynote from his PowerBook.

Recognize this Apple employee?

I truly left my heart in San Francisco.