Embarrassing Moment #3

High School. A friend's house. Sitting on the couch, I go to hug one of my guy friends. . .and end up toppling over and landing on the floor. On top of him. Awk-ward.

Poor guy probably thought I had a thing for him. But it was an honest mishap of equilibrium and balance. Given my doltish frame, it's kind of amazing I don’t fall over more often.

The New Camera

My camera was so old, the largest memory card it accepted was 256MB. And to my dismay, when I tried to take pictures at a very important event, they were all blurry. Clearly, a new camera was in order.

I poured through the Consumer Reports and CNET Buyers Guides before going to a local camera shop. That didn't have any of the recommended models on my list. Unwilling to wait, I settled for the salesman recommended Sony Cyber-Shot. For the price, I chose the WX50 model.

As touted, this is a true point & click. It automatically adjusts for backlighting, indoors, night-time, etc. There's hardly a need to go to the menu.

Which is a good thing. Because you need 30 minutes and the User Guide to understand the menu. Though the Instruction Manual is good for setting the date and time, and figuring out where to put the memory card.

I could plug my old camera into the computer, open the appropriate folder, and cut & paste photos to my storage device. I could right click on an image and select "rotate clockwise" or "rotate counterclockwise". I only needed to remove the memory card from the camera when it was full.

Not so with the Sony Cyber-Shot. If I plug the camera into the computer to move images, they're protected. I can only copy. I have to edit the photo to rotate it.

Now, according to Sony, "Images stored in the internal memory of the camera are protected so they cannot be deleted from a computer. Images store in the internal memory must be deleted from the camera directly."

Um-Hm. I'm using a memory card, not the camera's internal memory. Even the camera recognizes I'm using a memory card. So. . .

For the convenience of cutting, deleting, or rotating using my computer, I must remove the memory card from the camera and put it into the computer. No big deal.

Except the way my laptop is physically configured on my desk, the memory card slot is obscured. My problem, I know. But since I never had to remove the memory card before, it's off-putting to have to do it now.

The camera uses a rechargeable lithium ion battery - no more buying souped-up Duracells or Energizers twice a month. But would it be difficult to recharge while on a trip to Budapest or Lake Victoria? Yes, you are welcome to help pay for me to research to the answer to this question. I'm on PayPal.

Would I recommend this camera? Nah. It's a good point & shoot, but it's taken me six months to resolve my out the cut/paste/rotate photo issues. I may be a technology late adopter, but I'm not dumb. It shouldn't be so difficult to do simple things.

DIY: The New Old Chair

It started like this

The bits of brown are what remain of a brown vinyl dark faux wood grain. I believe the chair is older than me – we've had it for as long as I can remember.

Then, came spray paint

This is the first item I've sprayed painted that's more than 1" high; the drips aren't a total surprise. But holding the spray can did a number on my hand. When I tried to write, my six looked like a zero; I couldn't properly hold the pen. It took at least an hour to regain the proper muscle control.

Finally, the seat cushion

I second guessed myself and ended up using less foam than I should've. Oh well.

Nonetheless, I'm pleased with the results.

The Invisalign Chronicles 5: Bye, Bye, Braces

After confirming I was happy with the results (I am), the buttons came off. These are small, tooth-colored studs that locked the succession of teeth-moving trays into place. Sort of like Legos, now that I think about it.

As cold as the water was, it was the cold steel (or aluminum) that shocked, hitting my teeth in surprisingly sensitive spots. Is that a sonic reaction with my fillings or is something else going on? Then came the acrid smell of burning metal. Is the instrument failing? If I open my eyes, will I see curling wisps of smoke? Hands clenched as discomfort seeped into pain. The procedure was too short to need a local anesthetic.

But once the buttons were gone, I could return to the days of grazing with impunity. My lips would no longer feel chronically dry. I could wear lipstick without it smearing on the plastic covering my teeth. Because there would be no plastic covering my teeth.

Except

As with all orthodontia, after the braces comes the retainer. In my case, a set of four retainers, the first of which will arrive in a week or so. Over the next six months, I am to wear my retainers 24/7. Except when I eat.

Just like my braces.

So toothbrush, floss, and paste stay in the purse. And continuous eating remains on hold.

<sigh>

Blue Nail Polish

Seems like stunning blue nail polish is all the rage. Stark, bold color, akin to the eye shadows of old. Wanting to be like the cool kids, I went to the store to buy myself some polish. I was drawn to this color, Precious Peacock

That's right. (poor photography aside,) It's green.