Mishmash Musings

I don’t have a camcorder, but I really want one in order to take videos of our vacations, my son’s sports events, etc. I’ve just been using the video mode on my digital camera or cell phone for these purposes, but the result isn’t nearly as good as it could be with a dedicated camcorder.

Anyway, I’ve been doing some preliminary shopping and have narrowed down my choices to one of three sony camcorders, including the HDR-CX360V model pictured here. I have to continue reading up on features and stuff so I can make a better decision about what I actually need and what I can skip, but so far Sony looks like my best bet.

Well now that it’s the end of October, I guess it’s okay to start shopping for Christmas presents. I was browsing around a bunch of different sites this morning and came across this heated vest that I think would be perfect for my husband since he likes to ride his motorcycle even in the winter.

The vest has carbon fiber heating elements sewn into it and runs on a lithium-polymer battery. It also comes with a wall charger so he’ll be able to make sure it’s fully juiced before a long ride.

Anyway, this is just an idea. I’m going to have to read more about the product to see how well it actually works before I go ahead and buy it.

I’m in the middle of a 7-day Crest Whitestrips Premium tooth whitening treatment. This is the second time I’ve used Crest Whitestrips. I was impressed enough with my first treatment a couple years ago that I didn’t even balk at the $35 price tag this time around. It’s worth it, IMO.

The only thing I forgot, however, was how terrible the Whitestrips taste! They taste like what I imagine dirty, sweaty gym socks to taste like. I mean, it’s just plain NASTY!!! But it’s only for an hour total each day for seven days. That’s tolerable, I guess….

My dishwasher is suddenly making an alarming rattling noise whenever it runs. It does this even without any dishes in it (I did some tests after first discovering the noise), so I think it’s some kind of internal problem. I’m going to have to call first thing Tuesday morning to set up a service appointment, but if the cost of the repairs is too high, I’ll have to buy a new one.

This is sooooo NOT what I need right now!

My netbook feels slow as molasses these days, which isn’t surprising since it was one of the cheapest models around even when I bought it new four years ago. I can’t stand using it though, so I’m thinking about getting a tablet instead. Obviously the iPad 2 is something to check out, but I’m getting kind of tired of Apple products and want to see what else is out there, so I’m also going to give the Blackberry Playbook a test drive.

Both tablets are pretty expensive, which means I’ll have to save up for a while regardless of which one I ultimately decide to buy. Still, the expense will be worth it since I’ll presumably be a lot more productive on a snappy tablet than on my dinosaur netbook!

I’ve been looking for a great organizer for my desk at home, and think I’ve just found it! It’s the one pictured right here, and comes from a place that sells office supplies online. What I like about this particular organizer is that it comes with 14 compartments — yep, 14!!!– for things like paperclips, rubberbands, thumbtacks, and other assorted odds and ends. Plus, it has built-in dispensers for Scotch tape and sticky notes, two items that I use constantly. The organizer rotates for easy access, and will generally give my desk a neater appearance. Can’t wait to buy this!

My 8-year-old loves recording videos with our digital camera. Unfortunately, it’s not a very expensive model, which means that he can only make clips that last about 60 seconds or so. He would like something a bit more sophisticated, and since I’m all for encouraging artistic endeavors that will keep him away from video games, I’ve been checking out some digital camcorders online.

I was expecting to have to pay $500-$600 even for entry-level models, but that’s not the case at all. I’ve found plenty of high-quality camcorders from brands like Sony and Canon for less than $300, which is well within our budget. Our family needs a camcorder anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone here? I want to buy a digital camcorder before all of our summer activities like Little League games, camping, and family vacations start, which means I better move on this soon!

So I’ve mentioned to a few friends that I’ve been experiencing some bone/joint pain after I exercise. I know I should go to a doctor for these kinds of things, but really, unless it’s life-threatening, I don’t like to pay for doctor’s visits. Anyway, a couple people have said that maybe I need to add calcium supplements to my diet since I don’t drink milk or consume other foods that are high in calcium.

I started looking around and found something called Lifessence Joint that looks promising. The product description says the pills help rebuild and repair joints, which would obviously be beneficial to someone in my condition. The reviews and testimonials sound pretty good, so maybe I’ll spring for a bottle in the next few days.