Wish List Thoughts...

I don't expect any presents this year, but I thought I'd update my mental wish list. My needs have morphed a little since I got my job, and I want to get my head straight on what I really need versus what's a nice fantasy versus what I want.

On the need list is mainly new clothing. I've got enough shirts to last for a bit, but by next spring I'll want to get more. The real urgent areas are pants and shoes. I've been wearing jeans to work, but I only have enough pairs to last a week. I'd like more variety and more security.

As for shoes, well... I've got good ol' walking shoes with mesh sides which won't do me much good in the coldest winter, nor are they really that useful for visiting dairy farms with the attendant hazards of such places. No, I really need a good pair of shoes or two. To complicate matters, I've been wearing men's shoes for the last few years because my feet are too wide for normal women's shoes and finding the wider sizes can be tricky. So I get to pick from men styles, which is a plus and a minus. I also ought to find something I can use in the snow, because the odds are good I'll need to walk it in soon.

I think those are the only things that fall into the really need category, and Eric and I will be taking care of them as soon as the finances allow for it. So as far as real needs go, I think I'm in pretty darn good shape. On to the nice fantasy!

My biggest fantasy item now is a camera. Not just any old camera, as I've got a decent little Nikon CoolPix that works in an absolute pinch. No, I need a digital SLR camera that I can use for work with at least two lenses, one for normal photography and one for sports, and an external flash. And while I'm dreaming I would also want a nice case (like a sling bag) to put it in.

See, the problem at work is that we've got five reporters. Two of those reporters have their own cameras, while three use the in-house cameras. And there are only two in-house cameras. Leading to a lot of juggling schedules when all three of us need a camera on the same night. As I said, my little Nikon works in a pinch (for non-sports), but I'd love to kit myself out with a decent camera of my own so I wouldn't have to worry about camera availability.

The in-house cameras are both Nikon D50s, a model that has been superseded. But the cameras and their lenses work well enough for our jobs. I've considered looking for a used D50, but even used they are around $300, and that's out of my league. The newer version, the D3100, rings up at about $600 with only a normal lens. And it's considered a lower end camera. The sports lens could be upwards of $200, and I haven't even found an external flash for it.

In short, I know I'm not going to get a good camera, but I continue to fantasize about it.

Moving on to just regular wants... well, there's all the normal stuff. I have couple of Amazon wish lists full of junk that would make me temporarily happy. My regular wish list has a bunch of books and other merchandise I want. My Kindle Books wish list has a lot of Kindle books I hope to get, most of them I'm just waiting for price drops on. I also have a Longshots wish list of stuff I don't expect to ever get. I also have the normal wants of chocolate and such, but honestly, most of my wants and needs are actually met. I don't want much, so I don't expect to get much.

In fact, looking at what I've just written, I realize I'm in pretty good shape. Sometimes just stopping to count your blessings makes everything seem better.

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Young Justice: "Terrors" - Not much Aqualad in this one. In fact, it's pretty much all about Superboy and Miss Martian figuring each other out. I really liked Icicle Jr in this one.
• Young Justice: "Homefront" - Again, not much with Aqualad. This is a siege story with the focus on Robin and Artemis. There is an intriguing bit about Aqualad trying to find the mole on the team, and I wanted a little more of that particular plotline. Maybe next episode.
• Young Justice: "Alpha Male" - Aqualad's leadership of the team is questioned as they recover from Red Tornado's treason. I liked that he's got self-doubt, and I like better that the team finally got over their anger and listened to him. Oh, and Captain Marvel was a kick, too.


• Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Powerless!" - Captain Atom is a jerk, but I'm not sure that he deserved a serenade by Aquaman. I don't think anyone deserves a serenade by Aquaman. Still, fun little episode, even with the singing.

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This week's movie was The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Chapter 10: Phantom Train of Doom (Africa, 1916). Indy and Remy arrive in Africa but miss their train and end up having a series of adventures. This is slapstick Indy style, in the best way. Remy makes for a good straight man when they are together. And when they aren't, the story still rollicks along thanks to the frontiersmen. As usual, the extras are educational. This is a pretty good one.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Oct 5th
• Grimm Fairy Tales: The Library #2 - Well, not what I was exactly expecting. I thought the various folks would remain divided in different stories, not come together so quickly. That's a positive. And the final splash reveals why Eric wanted this series. Yup, Oz-related.
• Justice League International #2 - Booster just isn't that great as a leader in the best of times, so I'm not sure I like how this is leading to him growing into the role. Then again, we're always complaining that the super-heroes never get to evolve, so I guess this opens some possibilities.
• Stormwatch #2 - Still not liking this book. I just haven't got a grip on the characters, and J'onn isn't the man he used to be. So I'm just a little lost. We'll have to see if it builds into something I enjoy.
• Oct 12th
• Mister Terrific #2 - Confusing and more than a little disjointed. I'm following the book, but there's so much more this could be, it's a constant disappointment.
• Green Lantern #2 - I do not like Sinestro, but he's got a point about Hal. And he's way better at being a Green Lantern as well. It'll be very interesting to see how Hal deals with this situation.
• Resurrection Man #2 - I'm really curious to see where this is going. No memories, fine, new powers each time, fine. Body Doubles back in action, fine. Where's the rest of the backstory? I hope it starts to come out soon.
• Northlanders #45 - Well, that was a interesting time jump and a dangerous twist. But wouldn't there be more than just a brother and sister? I mean, there must be cousins and such that also lay claim to the name. I swear, this book always makes me want to do research.
• SpongeBob Comics #5 - No Mermaid Man. Overall, cute and funny.
• Oct 19th
• Justice League #2 - Still no Aquaman, and the whole thing is a bit too X-Men for me. Persecuted heroes, boo-hoo. That isn't the DCU I like.
• Green Lantern Corps #2 - Um. Ok. Still not enough information for me to know whether or not I'll like this story.
• Tiny Titans #45 - Aqua-Cow. Playing soccer. But not Aqualad, not even any Aqua-ohs. *sigh*
• Young Justice #9 - Why is Captain Atom sending the team to investigate his own past? Still, fun little set up for what promises to be an interesting mystery. I liked reading about Kaldur's father. Makes everything fit just a little better into the world of DC. And confuses things a little more, too. Still, a neat touch.
• Fables #110 - I bet I would find this a lot funnier if I knew what a Yoop was. Still, pretty funny. I like the characterizations of the other cardinal winds.
• Doctor Who #10 - If a Time Lord's consciousness cannot survive in a human body... of course we know that already with Donna. So this is going to be strange. At least we don't have to listen to some ridiculous switched voices.
• Sergio Aragones Funnies #4 - I love the whole Hallowe'en theme of the cover, and how Sergio pretty much dismisses it right off in the book. I admit my favorite bits are the "Young Sergio" stories, and while I'm not a big marionette fan, Sergio almost made me one with his lovely tale. His enthusiasm and joy shine through the pages to the reader.
• Oct 26th
• Aquaman #2 - I love seeing Aquaman in civvies. And out of civvies. Er. That didn't sound quite right. Ahem. Aquaman is called in by someone who clearly believes in him, which is interesting. The reactions to Aquaman vary a lot. Some think he's a joke, but the deputy clearly understands his abilities, and the diver in the water has the same feeling I have: "I'd kill to breathe underwater without this gear." A very strange finish though. Does the spit paralyze?
• Green Lantern New Guardians #2 - Everyone is annoyed at Kyle. That's nothing new. Not good news about Ganthet, though.
• All New Batman the Brave and the Bold #12 - All the spooks come out for Hallowe'en. And Batman admits to not liking it. No surprise there. As for the bad guy, had him pegged right away.
• DMZ #70 - Wasn't really expecting that to happen. It makes a great deal of sense, but I still wasn't expecting it. Huh. Not much more to go now.
• Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz #2 - Ah, I remember the picking of the queen. And the piglets. I seem to recall the Oogaboos once dressed up as the piglets. Sort of. Anyway, the Wizard and Dorothy make the logical choice at the time. I think I remember what happens next, though.
• Nov 2nd
• Justice League International #3 - Progressing nicely. I like the team, overall. Ok, not a big fan of Guy, but you can't have everything. Once again I'm confused by how much of the old universe is still intact in this reboot. I guess at some point we'll all have it figured out.
• Stormwatch #3 - Nope, still not feeling it. I don't know any of the characters, which makes it really hard to jump in. I'm beginning to get a sense of them, but it's slow. I liked the city avatars. Gotham fit particularly well.
• Legend of Oz: The Wicked West #1 - I really hope this is mostly set up, because as a plot there's not a lot there yet. We enter the story three years in, with Dorothy and her trusty horse Toto trying to find the remnants of the yellow brick road so they can make their way to the Emerald City. And shoes? No, six-shooters in this one. Possibly a great deal of fun, but there wasn't much plot-wise in this issue. Just a lot of scene setting.
• Usagi Yojimbo #141 - It's the 200th issue of the stand alone comic book! And the back cover of this issue is rather impressive. Making the layout work with the wraparound covers must have been quite a job. As to the story itself, I enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed how the jizo eventually did play a part. A good story for the 200th. Here's to 200 more!
• Peanuts #0 - Um. It's peanuts. I wasn't sure I'd like someone else doing strips, but it's not too bad overall. I'm curious to see more.

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My library book this week was The Curse of the Wendigo (Monstrumologist Book Two) by Rick Yancey. Young Will Henry travels with the monstrumologist to Northern Canada to find and bring back a fellow monstrumologist, and in the process learns a lot more about his master. The first book was all about fighting monsters, very clear and obvious monsters that had specific goals and were battled with specific methods. This book, which is more divided into pieces than the first book, is much more about the monsters of the mind. Whether or not the Wendigo is real the process is real, and Will's documentation of it is chilling. In the end, I was not as pleased with this book as with the first, but I'm still interested enough in Will's story and the amusing framing sequence to give the third volume a look. Not a book, or series, for the faint of heart. I would not even classify it as young adult, as the events are fairly nasty and graphic. But definitely a good horror tale for people who enjoy the genre and like some mystery in their Victorian style reading. Just read the first book first.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist

I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Sep 7th
• Grimm Fairy Tales: The Library #1 - Fun start. There's a great deal of potential in the "poor little rich girl" story alone, add in the mystical and we've got ourselves a possibly fascinating mini-series. If the series ends with daddy realizing he hasn't paid enough attention to his kids and trying to be a good father... well, that's how this sort of series always ends. Maybe we'll get something more creative. Probably not. For the record, we picked this up because of the potential for Wizard of Oz content.
• Justice League International #1 - Despite attempts to create a new universe, this still feels like we were dropped into the middle of a story. I don't know all these characters, but I guess I'll get used to them.
• Stormwatch #1 - Well, finally we got our J'onn. So he's part of a shadowy group that is saving the world from the sidelines now. Nifty. I'm going to take a wait and see attitude on this book.
• Usagi Yojimbo #140 - The finish to the mystery tale started in the last issue. I loved it, as usual. I don't think there's been any issue of this book I didn't like, and very few that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.
• Sep 14th
• Mister Terrific #1 - A bit of a mess. The art is weak in places, the story seems to hold together but never really gels. So it's a mild disappointment. I hope it gets better. Fingers crossed.
• Green Lantern #1 - Ok, so some of the old universe is still in place in the new DC Universe. The whole adventure with the darkest night and brightest day apparently happened, and the war of the lanterns. I'm not sure I like that, because it starts the book out as a resolution to a cliffhanger. I guess we'll wait and see.
• Resurrection Man #1 - A new twist on the old story. I think I'm going to really enjoy this series. I hope it goes on for a long time.
• All New Batman the Brave and the Bold #11 - A time travel adventure. I love the cover, and in fact enjoyed the story as a whole. Fun stuff.
• Sergio Aragones Funnies #3 - I honestly haven't got anything more to say about this series. I mean, really. If you like Sergios work you absolutely MUST get this. If not, eh.
• Sep 21st
• Dark Horse Presents #4 - I only got this for the Beasts of Burden short. I've only skimmed through the rest of the stories. I enjoyed the Beasts tale, and I'm glad I pre-ordered the next one that will have them in it. Pity there isn't a regular Beasts of Burden ongoing.
• Green Lantern Corps #1 - John and Guy dealing with Earth not being their home anymore, illustrating why super-heroes have secret identities. Not too bad. Didn't like the final splash... or rather non-splash.
• Tiny Titans #44 - Crosswalks of doom? I love this book. You know it. It just keeps me happy when I'm not sure what to think of things.
• Young Justice #8 - Artemis. Learning a lot about her, but I'm still not sure what to make of her. I want to rewatch the series so far and reread the comics... not going to happen. Not enough time, but it's got me interested.
• Fables #109 - I admit I'm much more interested in the Oz side of the story than the winds side, but finding out that Ozma gave the prophecy was a nice touch that tied them together. I think we should have been getting this book from the start. Hindsight is 20/20.
• DMZ #69 - Matty continues his tour of the Five Nations while a bridge, literally and figuratively, is blown up. Huh. Not sure what to think of this one.
• Northlanders #44 - Brutal as usual, along with the strange bits of slavery and not slavery. When is slavery not slavery? Hard to say. But this is a brutal book and not for kids. Wow.
• Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #17 - Fun as usual. Some strange stuff in this one. Overall, a good issue of the ongoing series based on the ongoing series of episodes of the very ongoing animated series.
• Stan Lee's Soldier Zero #12 - And so it ends, with a fight and a discussion. I'm not sure if I liked it. I know I didn't hate it, so that's something. Maybe I'll get the continuation, if there is one.
• Sep 28th
• Aquaman #1 - Yes, I finally read it. It took me long enough. I enjoyed it too. The art is sweet, the expressions on Aquaman's face perfect for each of the situations he is in. The storyline has a little bit of promise, but alien underwater creatures popping up from under the floor of the ocean only to discover the new world above has been done a couple of times already, both poorly and not so poorly. The twists need to be big for this one to work for me. I'm going to just cross my fingers and hope for the best, but I can say that I really enjoyed this issue and I'm looking forward to the next one, which is already in my pile waiting to be read.
• Green Lantern New Guardians #1 - Kyle's getting a little too much, isn't he? I'm surprised that everyone would assume he's a thief, though. Very strange.
• Doctor Who #9 - Kevin just totally cracks me up. And his appearances here are great. The whole mind control aspect was mildly annoying, but it all worked out better than I would have expected it to in the end. Fun stuff. I like the tourist aspect of the whole thing as well. Heh. Kevin. Heh.
• Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz #1 - Good start to a book I hardly remember. I do recall liking Jim and Eureka, so I'm hoping for some fun as this gets going. Actually, I seem to recall the start of this book being rather creepy. So far, my memory is correct.
• Futurama Comics #57 - I normally don't bother to read this book, just let the hubby enjoy it. I'm not a big fan of the show. But the steampunk aspect was just too funny a twist to pass up, and I actually mostly enjoyed the book.

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My Kindle book this week was Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb by MJA Ware. This Kindle book, currently available for free, is a zombie romp for young adults. The story is about a couple of teenagers who run away from home just in time for a zombie invasion to cause their hometown's evacuation. On their return, they have to clear the town of zombies before the government decide to sterilize the town by other means.

The characters are fairly strong, but they are typical teenagers. They aren't quite old enough to drive, they snap at each other and don't understand each other, and they take over the local Walmart as a fortress against the zombies. Fortunately for them, the zombies aren't too smart, as I wouldn't rely on any Walmart product to keep a zombie out. The adventures the kids have are logical. We follow them from their first discovery of the zombies to their eventual attempts to return to normal life.

What was interesting is how the main character grows and changes through the book. He's a typical teen at the beginning, but rapidly figures out that he doesn't know much, and yet manages somehow to deal with both his ignorance and his embarrassment at his own ignorance. When the initial pair are joined by a nerd who has all the answers, the main character defers to him when needed and is gratified to get respect back. The relationships between the characters took this book from a typical zombie romp up a notch.

The only big downside I found was a lack of distinctive voice for the second character in the book, the lead character's best friend. There are times when I confused their speeches because they both spoke with much the same voice. The nerd had a nicely distinctive way of speaking, and his growth was decent as well, but he was still the nerd.

The science in the book is also a joy. It isn't complicated science by any means, but it is nicely explained and would be enough to inspire some kids to try making their own little zombie bombs, I bet. All in all, I really did enjoy the level of fun and sophistication in the book, and found myself satisfied at the end.

But wait, there's more! Once you reach the end of the book there are two bonus stories added for your reading pleasure: "Hobgoblin Horror" and "Bloody Mary". The first is about two boys visiting an old man at a nursing home, and listening to the war stories he tells. The second is about a popular sleepover game that maybe isn't as innocent as it seems. The first story was better than the second, if only because the ending of the second story left a few questions about what had happened. Anyone unfamiliar with the game might be left clueless despite the exposition delivered in the story. But both were good horror tales to read on Hallowe'en night, which is when I read them, so I'll give them credit for that. Definitely a book worth checking out if you have a chance.

I've read a couple of other stories by Ware, and was offered this book for review before it was offered free at Amazon.com. So far I've enjoyed all of Ware's efforts to some degree, and I look forward to reading more.

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Agatha Christie this week was Elephants Can Remember from 1972. I got this one. I got the whole thing, motive and everything. It's the first one I can honestly say I figured it out as soon as I had the hints, and not at the reveal. Anyway... Poirot is asked by the mystery writer Mrs. Oliver to investigate an apparent suicide pact from over a decade ago. I love reading Christie's MarySue character, and this was a good one for her. The insights into society and how a person was expected to act were lovely to read about. Reading some Christie again after a break was like putting on a warm winter coat during the first freeze. I want to read all the rest right now, but kind of want to save them for later as well.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist

Fixing Stuff

So my recliner broke. It's an old recliner, needs to be reupholstered, but I enjoy it and I liked reclining and getting my feet up. When it's not reclining, it's a rocking chair, and what broke was the piece that keeps it from rocking while you've got your feet up. The result was that I'd put my feet up, and the chair would tip forward because the weight was now concentrated at the front.

Now, I've had a little success fixing things. I fixed the legs on the couch, and repaired a hatstand. I also fixed the legs of a coffee table. And most recently I fixed the doorknob of the front door. So I thought, what the heck.

I turned the chair over and looked at the mechanism. Most of the thing is really solidly built, but it was fairly clear what was wrong as there was a comparatively tiny wire hanging loose from a, er, ratchet thing. I looked at where the chair had been sitting, and there was more of the wire. Ah. Broken.

So I took the wire, both pieces of it, down to our local Ace Hardware and showed them to the first guy I spotted. He walked over to a bin and pulled out an identical sized wire. Same width, same bendiness, a bit long for what I needed. But otherwise perfect. $2 for the wire, and I headed home.

Shaping the wire into the spot where the old one had lived was easy. Cutting the wire... not so easy. In fact, even with our wire cutters I was unable to cut the stupid thing. I called Eric down to help, and he was unable to cut it. So I looped the wire around a second time.

Then I tried out the chair. The ratchet clanked as the wire pushed it against the gears, and the chair held. I had fixed my chair!

I'm not a handyperson, but I have my moments.

Kindlation!

So. I got my new Kindle yesterday. I ended up getting a Kindle Keyboard with Special Offers. I found, from the basic Kindle that I got as soon as it was announced, that I didn't mind the special offers at all. And I realized, eventually, that I wanted a Kindle with a keyboard, and not the new Touch, so I canceled my order for the Kindle Touch and got myself a good ol' Kindle 3 aka Kindle Keyboard.

Have I lost you yet?

As long-time readers of my blog know, I was given a 1st generation Kindle by Eric's grandmother (THANK YOU GRANNY WHO!) and I love the thing. I mean, I adore it. It's a fantastic device with a handful of design flaws that were later worked out. I literally used it once a day for the first six months I owned it, and then at least five or six times a week after that.

But I knew I would want a new version of the Kindle eventually. I just couldn't justify spending money that we didn't have on the thing, not when I had a perfectly good first generation Kindle. So I tried not to think about it. Until somebody introduced me to Swagbucks. At first I thought it was a scam, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. At that point I didn't have much to lose.

Swagbucks is a service that rewards people for doing marketing-type stuff for a variety of companies. The marketing-type stuff includes watching ads, filling out surveys, completing "offers" and more. Spending money earns you the bucks faster, but the neat thing is that it's possible to earn bucks without spending real money on it. Which is what I did. I started doing Swagbucks on March 17th, and by the end of the month had earned enough bucks to get a $5 Amazon.com gift card (AGC). I quickly earned more, and every month since then I've gotten the maximum five $5 AGCs I can get in a month. That was $25 a month in AGCs, and one month I also earned a $50 AGC.

That was how I got my two new Kindles. If you want to learn more about Swagbucks, please feel free to register via my link (yes, I get a little credit for referrals) and then check out Swagging 101 for information on how to get going. I strongly recommend using a throwaway e-mail account (I use one from a free service) and don't complete any offers that require a mailing address (I gave my address to Swagbucks, though, just not to outside companies).

Anyway, getting back on topic, once I had a method of paying for the new Kindle, I decided to wait until Amazon.com announced the 4th Generation Kindle, as the 3rd Generation had been out awhile. That gave me time to build up a nice nest of money with the AGCs, and it gave me plenty of time to think about what I wanted. When the new Kindles were announced, I considered my options very carefully.

I didn't want the Kindle Fire because it is backlit, and the biggest reason I like the 1st Gen Kindle is that I can read it without eyestrain. Computers eventually make my eyes hurt. The Kindle is more like a book. So the Fire inspires zero interest in me as an ebook reader.

So, I had well over $200 in my account, and I had the choices of the Kindle Touch, the new basic Kindle, and the Kindle Keyboard which had already been out for a year. I decided to get a Kindle Touch, and pre-ordered a 3G version. Then, after some thought, I realized I didn't need the 3G, and ordered the wifi version instead. I suddenly had more money left over, and I used that to order a Kindle Basic with the thought that now Eric would have his own Kindle, and I could have one, and we'd both be happy.

The Kindle Basic arrived, and I loved it. I got the original 1st Gen Kindle set up for Eric, and played exclusively with the new Kindle. I had named the original Kindle "Box" after the handheld computer in Star Cops. After getting a new one I renamed it "GrannyBox" and named the new, basic Kindle "BabyBox".

BabyBox has a lot going for it. It's TINY compared to GrannyBox, and it's able to use Active Content (aka Games!). It has collections, so I can easily view and store a lot more books. In fact, keeping with the idea that all my Kindles are for Eric's use as well, I created collections called "Laura's Reading" and "Eric's Reading" to make sure we could keep our stuff handy.

After playing with it for awhile, though, I realized I really missed the keyboard. The pop-up keyboard just didn't cut it for me. And I knew the Kindle Touch would have the same issue. I also read a scathing review of the basic Kindle that basically pointed out that for $20 more you can buy a Kindle Keyboard with Special Offers and get a lot more functionality. While I didn't entirely agree, I eventually realized that I didn't want to the Kindle Touch anymore. At the very least, I could re-order and save myself $40 by getting the version with Special Offers.

Ah, the Special Offers. Instead of the pretty woodcut "screensavers" like the original Kindle, you get ads. But they aren't terrible ads. In fact, some of them are quite creative. In addition, some of the offers are pretty good. One of the first offers was for a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card for $25. In addition to the advertising on the screensavers, the Special Offer Kindles also have an ad banner on the main book list. This reduces the number of books or collections you can see in the main screen, but it's only there. It doesn't show up if you are looking at books inside collections, and there are absolutely no ads inside any book.

So I was seriously considering just getting the Special Offers version of the Kindle Touch. But then I suddenly realized that if I got the Kindle Keyboard I could get it immediately AND have the keyboard that I was missing so much with BabyBox. So I canceled the Kindle Touch order and instead ordered a Kindle Keyboard with Special Offers. Considerably cheaper, and it arrived in less than a week.

Anyway, to make a short story long, I love both my new Kindles AND my old one. I have been enjoying the ability to play games on the new Kindles, and also have GrannyBox with another book or two on it to read elsewhere. I have the ability to take notes on the new Kindle, Keybox, with Notepad. Pretty sweet. And I'm still earning more Swagbucks so I can get the 5th generation Kindle, whatever it turns out to be.

So, I plan on doing a picture comparison of all three Kindles soon. As soon as I can get myself to take all the needed pictures.

Went out today...

...visited this place and have now updated the directions to our house to have people stop there before coming to our place to get chocolate-covered bacon strips for Eric and I. If they are out of the bacon though, I should suggest people get a piece of fudge, or a death by chocolate, or something else for Eric and I to share.

Anyway, we stopped there on our way to Costco and each tried a chocolate-covered bacon strip and a truffle. I was really really pleased with the bacon, and the blackberry truffle I had was excellent.