iPad users - a little advice please?

OK, so this photo doesn't have anything to do with this post. I just drive past this sad little guy every day and yesterday had to stop and take his photo. He looks so lonely and bewildered. If I wasn't afraid of getting arrested I'd paint him a companion on the unpainted barrel.

ANYHOW...
I've had my iPad for a little more than a week now and I love it, but I'm still figuring out exactly what I want to use it for. For starters, as a lifelong Scrabble addict, I've got several games of Words With Friends going and it has reinvigorated some otherwise stale friendships. (I love that there's a place where you can send little chat messages while you are playing.) Cool. I'm learning who among my acquaintances is a good WWF competitor and who I don't really want to play with (it's no fun to totally smoke someone). And I'm dabbling in a couple of sketch/doodle apps, and loving the ease of getting on the internet, and mostly doing a bit of exploring my options. I'm a newbie.

But there are two things I do on my laptop that I would like to be able to do on the iPad, but so far I have not been successful with either: posting to this blog, and visiting Pinterest. I tried apps for both that I think must have been meant for the iPhone, since the profile was small on the screen. If you do either of these things on your iPad, can you tell me which apps you use?

Any other app favorites you'd like to mention that you haven't told me about previously? Or little hints that might make me go "AHA!"?

And if you are a good Scrabble/Words With Friends competitor, and want to play with me, let me know. There's always room/time for another game!

Buying myself an iToy

I've never owned any sort of iThing - no iPhone no iPod no iAnything, and I don't have a Mac. I do not have a smart phone, and I've never downloaded an app. But as a retirement gift, from me, to me, I've decided I want to buy myself what appears to be the ultimate iToy, the latest iPad. My laptop is clunky, and I'd like something that will travel easily with me. I plan to buy it THIS WEEK.
I know, you're probably wondering why I posted a book cover here. Some of you other former hippie-types like me might have also been fans of the author Richard Brautigan (he was a major favorite of mine - quirky and adorable). In this book, In Watermelon Sugar, written in 1968, there's a place called iDeath which is sort of a central gathering location in a communal sort of place. It's an odd little book (not my favorite of his books; if you've never read Brautigan and want to give his books a try, don't start with this one. There's much better introductions to his weird world). Anyhow, I can't help but wonder whether Steve Jobs was a fan of Brautigan, and whether there's any connection between all of Steve Jobs' iThings and Richard Brautigan's iDeath.

But back to the iPad. Here's what I want to know:

• Do you have an iPad?
• What do you use it for?
• Will I learn to use it easily?
• Do you have favorite apps?
• Any advice about accessories I should definitely have and ones I won't need?