The Yates Family in Japan

My latest app download, one I am really impressed with, goes by the name of Tanzaku.

The light version is a good download to try the app out, but know this, nothing you create remains there the next day. In other words, everything you create while testing the app, notes, folders and/or drawings will all disappear at the strike of midnight. So don’t put too much time into what you create. Test it and either buy it or move on!

What I love about the app is I can write with my finger, which enables me to get down more on paper so to speak than in typing mode. Sure there are other apps out there that allow this same feature but this one is more feature-rich compared to other apps.

The screen goes portrait and landscape with the better layout being landscape. This enables you to write longer words on the screen unlike other apps.

If you make any mistakes, all you have to do is double-tap a word and select backspace then rewrite the word. Or you can do the same double-tap and then write in the second writing area and add onto the sentence or paragraph; two things other apps don’t offer.

It’s great for taking notes, drawing and organising everything you write into folders. You can create folders and folders under those folders and so on down the line for a limitless hierarchy.

If you don’t like using your finger you can always opt for one of the writing pens now available for iPhones. It may improve your writing if you generally have chicken scratch. But that depends on how bad your chicken scratch is!

Today, Mia and Noah played hooky because we had such a long day yesterday and were all very tired. Too bad Denise and I couldn’t do the same and stay home from work. I am drained and need a nap. And if that is true about me, Denise has got to be dead tired since I usually have lots more energy than her.

Mia and Noah playing Wii Music

Instead of going to school today, Mia and Noah have been making Wii music pretty much the whole day after watching the Mariners games with me.

Our highlight for the morning was watching Ichiro hit his 199th and 200th hits to become the only player in baseball history to ever hit 200 hits in 9 consecutive seasons.

Now, if Ichiro hits another 200 next year, not only will he beat his own record, but he will also tie Pete Rose’s record of hitting 200 hits in 10 seasons. Pete, however, did not do it consecutively. So if Ichiro hits another 200 next season, which I find hard to believe he won’t do, it would be an even greater milestone because then he would have tied Pete Rose but become the first player in MLB history to have done it consecutively.

Gambatte, Ichiro!