I can haz iPhone!

My iPhone arrived today. The activation process was painless. I'm a bit surprised that it doesn't know its own phone number (although the correct phone number popped up when I was activating the phone and creating my AT&T account). At some point, I will have to call someone to make sure that it actually does phone-like things. (Also, I need to call someone with the old phone to see that it doesn't work. I want to make sure that I have, in fact, transfered my phone number over.)

Mostly, I've been playing with the apps that come with it. (At some point, I will go to the app store and play with more apps.) Since I'm running the Apple suite of software on my desktop, the whole set up process was also painless. e.g., iTunes pulls all of my email account info from Mail.app and puts it into the phone for me. At the first chance I had to use the phone, email was already set up for me.

The keyboard experience, so far, is better than I expected. I'm not error free, but it's easier to use than some thumbboards I've tried. Also, I love love love the Chinese handwriting recognition. If only I were more fluent...

Of course, the bits I've found the coolest are the bits that I have absolutely no experience with: the camera, compass, and GPS. I'm still at the "Hey, I am here!" stage. Sooner or later, I will have to play with the camera to see if I can turn it into the input module of an ebook maker. (i.e., make an ebook by taking pictures of the pages. Software exists to unwarp the pages back to flat.)

However, it may have to be later. I saw the details of this year's ReaderCon Private Writers' Workshop at their website yesterday. Submissions have to be in by the end of the 27th. I have a story that I can send in now. However, I'm in the middle of revising another one, and if I finish it in time, I may want to send that one instead. This means I really ought to finish it.

I hadn't realized that they picked only four or five stories to workshop. In retrospect, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. This gives everyone just over five minutes to comment on each story. (My first thought, of course, was "But the more stories they accept, the better my chances that they'll workshop my story!")

Just because everything happens at once, I found out the dates of the improv auditions. I've emailed them back for an audition slot. It'll be some time on the 6th or 7th. Callbacks are the morning of the 11th. (Yes, during ReaderCon. If they call me back, I will gladly miss some part of ReaderCon. If they call me back though, Mary Robinette Kowal's workshop, "How to Give an Effective Reading" will sure to be scheduled during the callback audition. It's a truism that I will miss some portion of the ReaderCon program that I really want to attend.)

The ReaderCon Private Writers' Workshop is the morning of the 12th. Yay, they don't conflict. I don't have to choose. Otherwise, I'd have to pick one or the other now. Auditioning implies you're free to be called back. Submitting implies you're free to attend the workshop.

I'm not expecting that the theater will call me back, or the pro writers will critique my story. I do think I have a chance at either, and I'd love both. I'm totally ok with getting called back on the 11th, then having my story workshopped on the 12th. We'll see how it goes...

[ETA: At some point over the past 5 hours, my iPhone has magically found its phone number. Fortunately, it's the correct one.]