Shame on me. I spent eight hours at the Apple Store waiting to get an iPhone 3G. Karl and I got there at 8am, and I thought I could make it out by 10am. No chance. But once you’ve waited somewhere two hours, you’ve got a strong incentive to stay. What kind of materialistic, selfish, foolhardy, spendthrift, oafish, uber-trendy halfwit am I? I am so embarrassed.

Shame on AT&T. From my perspective, their red tape is the reason there are such long waits for these phones. Once Karl and I got to the front of the line, we were ushered upstairs where an Apple rep helped us activate our phones. But when he brought up the price, it was $499, not $299. We weren’t eligible for an upgrade. As I pleaded for their help getting my account set up properly so I could start paying them twice the price for their lovely service, I looked around and noticed that many of the people I waited in line with were also on their phones, also wrangling with AT&T.

Shame on Apple. It is not at all clear from their web site that the phone is subsidized. Nowhere do they mention $499. The only prices they talk about are $199 and $299. And Apple doesn’t advise current AT&T customers to call AT&T and check upgrade eligibility. Apple’s what to bring page is silent on the issue. It seems as though they’d rather have me find out only after a long wait, at which point I might buckle and get the phone anyway, even at $499. So beyond the six hours we waited in line, I spent two more hours making three phone calls to AT&T to discuss eligibility. Then I was told I would have to wait 72 hours for an answer from AT&T. Apple gave me a “golden ticket” in lieu of a phone and sent me home.

Flash forward 72 business hours, 5 days later. AT&T approved me for the lower pricing. But the store I waited in line at is now completely out of iPhones. So I took my golden ticket up to the 5th Avenue store—practically the only store in the country with the phone in stock at this point—and got into another battle. This time, thankfully, I was able to skip the entire line. And I found an employee who worked for both Apple and AT&T. The entire time we talked, she had two iPhones up to her head, both connected to AT&T customer service on behalf of different people in the store. Even though she works for AT&T, she only has access to the same customer service number that customers do. She just knows the right keywords to say if she wants things escalated.

Two hours later I emerged, iPhone in hand!, having paid the full price because Apple’s system still wouldn’t recognize that I was eligible. The AT&T rep told me I have to call AT&T and ask for a $200 refund, wait another 72 hours, then call Apple and ask for my money back, then wait another 5 days, and I should get a refund.

Flash forward another week and a half. AT&T hasn’t done anything yet. My call with them was escalated up to the VP’s office, and they called me a couple times just to confirm what was happening. One person asked if they could call me back in 30 seconds, and didn’t call back. I missed two calls from them over the weekend, when I was on vacation. And of course they don’t leave a direct phone number, so I called back this morning, to the general customer service number, and the guy said he’d put in a reminder that I was waiting. We’ll see if that works. So far at least AT&T acknowledges that I am owed money, but who knows how long it will take for them to proceed.

Long story short, it will be a while before the conveniences of this new phone defray the time and money I’ve already spent on it. Oh, how the materialistic, selfish, foolhardy, spendthrift, oafish, uber-trendy halfwit suffers.

Finaly, I’ve found my internet twin! Actually, Cameron spotted this on FFFOUND! and sent it along.

When I read David Leite’s article about the 36 hour chocolate chip cookie in the Times, I had to try it. The theory is that giving the batter 36 hours in the fridge results in a much better texture, because the flour has time to fully absorb the egg.

The Times cookies are 5 inches in diameter. I’ve generally been skeptical of big cookies like this, but their explanation was reasonable. With a bigger cookie, you’ll ideally get to experience three different textures: a crusty edge, an interior ring that’s somewhere between crusty and soft, and a soft, less-than-done center. A smaller cookie might allow for a more consistent texture (all crust, or all soft), but as Winnie said, variety is the spice of life! And besides, since chocolate chip cookies are a classic American invention, they must be immense (and suitable for eating while driving).

Here’s the dough before the 36 hour resting period, and before I added chocolate chips. It’s not exactly wet, but it’s not exactly dry either.

After 36 hours, and with chips, it’s definitely dryer and sandier and darker.

And here comes the first batch! Frankly, I’d rather wait 36 hours for one of these than for an iPhone. The texture was wonderful (neither gritty nor cakey), the chocolate was great (I stole Winnie’s Scharffen-Berger). There was a tinge of baking soda or powder (I couldn’t tell which) that blocked some of the flavor, but this went away in subsequent batches (a day later). Winnie suggested I try making my own baking powder next time, but given the intimidating statistics behind this recipe (2.5 sticks butter, etc.) it’ll probably be a while before I have the appetite for more of these monstrous handheld desserts. And by “a while,” I mean approximately 36 hours from now.

Last weekend, Karl took me on a birthday trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Lo and behold, he also invited our friends Greg, Emily, and Lauren to join us!

Here we are driving on the highest road in the country.

At the top, walking in the tundra at 12,000 feet.

We hiked, we did some white water rafting, we toured New Belgium Brewery, we napped beside alpine lakes, and, of course, we experimented with campfire cuisine and open flames. Everything tastes better at high altitudes.

Lauren with smores

Karl found a smore technique that yields the most beautifully browned morsel of marshmallow. Put the smore close to the cinders, but away from the fire. Rotate.

Greg is always eager to make blueberry pancakes, eggs, and bacon for a pre-hike breakfast.

And, in an act of McGuyver genius, he took the pancake mix and some leftover beer and used it to deep fry chicken the next night.

Evidence of its finger-licking goodness.

I tried and failed to make a bloomin’ onion.

So I took the Chris Schlessinger route and grilled some chicken instead.

This is what happens to a bag of La Choy chow mein noodles at 7,000 feet!