I’m in love, people. In love with a thing that itself cannot love. I love my new cell phone.

We were due for an upgrade, since our two year contract was finished, so we were looking around. My dad said I could more or less get what I wanted as a late part of my birthday, so that was cool. Well, I would have been fine with what my sister and mom have – the LG VX8300. It’s a pretty good music player, and can do everything I want. Plus, we’ve upgraded to a plan that includes unlimited texting in and out of network.

However, I had eyes for one other phone (if you count the Chocolate, but I’d take 8300 over it), the LG enV (VX9900). I love the flip open keyboard on it, which makes it good for texting and mobile web. It also seems to have pretty decent audio, so far. In addition to the texting plan, I’ve got mobile web (which I’m going to pay for – $5 a month isn’t bad, considering the price for internet on most PC-based internet providers). So, basically, I’m going to be addicted to this thing. As long as it doesn’t make me late for class or something! And once I find a mobile optimized version of WordPress’ admin panel, I’ll be able to moblog.

Also, I’m uncertain on this, but I seem to have access to the GPS-based navigation system. My sister thinks this is part of mobile web, but I’m unsure myself. Seems to be a very good commodity for only $5. Maybe it’s just a one month thing? If anyone has the low down on the nav service, let me know. I like it very much, but it’s not a necessity if it’s either not supposed to be enabled, or it’s a promo thing. I’ve can do Mapquest or Google Maps on my computer or Mobile Web. But hey. At least this phone has GPS navigation. Can’t say that for another newer phone. *cough*iphone*cough*

Anyway, back to playing and texting with my phone. For anybody who’s heard me tell them not to text my phone in the past, disregard that, since texting is now fair game.

I’ve always had an active, hobby-like interest in genealogy.  I enjoy finding out where I’m from, and who my family members were.  So, it surprised me a year ago from last month, when I was at a family function, to see the name of former United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a family tree made by my uncle.  Given that he’s pretty distant from me (7th cousin 7 times removed on my mom’s side), but I enjoyed knowing that somebody who had so vastly changed this country and led it through a war was in my family.

Because I like to re-invent the wheel, I’ve been trying to retrace that line myself.  Alright…wanting practice is the real reason!  I’ll never get good in this myself if I can’t even recreate what someone else has done.  I’ve also been trying to look back in time for the other surnames in my family.  While on this quest the other day, I came across a name that intrigued me: Laura Ingalls Wilder.  You know, the author of Little House on the Prairie?  Somebody with my last name mentioned being descended from her on their website.  So, I started my search.

I was intending to find a connection to Wilder through my last name, and didn’t expect something else to come up.  However, while I was searching, I noticed another last name to which one of her ancestors was connected: Delano.  Well, you can see how quickly this would pique my interest.  I immediately abandoned my attempt to find some connection through my name, and started trying to find the dotted line connecting FDR and LIW.

I’m happy to say I did it!  Here’s the connection:

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s father was Charles Ingalls, who’s father was Lansford Ingalls, who’s father was Samuel Ingalls.  Samuel was married to Margaret Delano, who’s father was Jonathan Delano, who’s father was Jabez Delano, who’s father was also named Jonathan Delano.  Jonathan had another son named Thomas.  His son was Ephraim Delano, who’s son was Warren Delano, who’s son was Warren Delano, Jr., who’s daughter was Sarah Delano, the wife of James Roosevelt.  The two had a son named Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who would go on to be the 32nd President of the United States.  By a quick calculation, they are fifth cousins once removed.

But that’s not all!  Ingalls Wilder is also related to yet another President.  Good old Jonathan Delano (the brother of Roosevelt’s ancestor Thomas) also had a daughter named Susanna.  She married one Noah Grant (can you see where this is going?).  They had a son named Noah Grant, Jr., who had a son named Jesse Root Grant.  He had a wife named Hanna Simpson, and together they had a son named Ulysses Simpson Grant, the Civil War general, and the 18th President of the United States.  To Wilder, Grant is a fourth cousin twice removed, and to Roosevelt, he is a fourth cousin once removed.

On a sidenote, after wandering aimlessly around rootsweb up through the Delano line, though many marriages, and back to like 1650, and forward through the name that showed me, I found another President: Richard M. Nixon.  He’d be so far away though, I’m not even going to try and look up the generations and times removed.

In all, it’s not so surprising.  The Delanos and the Ingalls are both apparently very wealthy families, and wealthy usually marries wealthy.  Anyway, back to my search!

I would like to say that my weekend was pretty awesome.  Well, not weekend, since it all happened on weekdays, but I digress.

On Thursday, as I’ve been mentioning for the past couple of entries, I went to New York City to see The Colbert Report.  It was awesome because though we had to stand to see the show, we were able to go backstage.  It gets better.  I got to meet Stephen Colbert, who is just as energetic off the camera as he is in front of it.  Didn’t do too much talking, but got to shake his hand and complement him on a good show.   He seems to be a very nice guy (some people can be real asses when they get off camera).  Given that he took the time to greet the people backstage both before and after the show says a lot about him, I think.

Besides Colbert, didn’t actually do much in the city.  Walked around Virgin Megastore before having dinner before the show.  Got to sample this wine at Olive Garden, which was not very good, to be honest.  Then, after the show, we’d planned on going to an ice-cream place, but ended up at McDonalds, since the others of my party were hungry for food.  I just wanted dessert, so I got a hot-fudge sundae.

The next day, ate at a local diner called MaryBill.  Good food, but a little greasy, and I’m not sure my Crohn’s agreed with that.  Of course, could have been the chicken parm from later that day.  Speaking of which, got to meet my friend Adam’s friend Adam again, and we had dinner at the restaurant I was supposed to go to almost two months ago.  It was pretty good food I must say.  Afterward, I viewed a finished episode of Expedition Season 4 (freakin’ awesome!) and helped edit another one (well, provided suggestions).

Then today, not so much.  Came back, went swimming, perhaps drank one too many with the Mike’s Hard Lemonade I had, since I feel kind of strange right now.  Never had three drinks in one day before, though I tried to space them apart.

Today, I just have a graduation party for a family friend.  Should be good, though I’m not paying $5 to swim in the lake.  I can do it for free at my grandparent’s house.

P.S. Final day at 3 was great!  Got to go out with one of the photogs again, and this time, he let me shoot footage!  Not sure if what I shot aired, since the only VO I was able to catch, I’m not sure if any of the footage was mine.  Still, had an awesome last day.