New Toys.


Penny and I bought new toys for ourselves yesterday.


Penny has been using a very old (in computer years) laptop computer to run software for her embroidery sewing machine. The laptop was unreliable and she couldn’t be sure that it would turn on if she turned it off. She left it turned on. The laptop is running Windows 95.


With Labor Day sales and back to school going on, the price of a basic laptop had reached the threshold that we were willing to spend. She got a low-end Compaq Presario. Now I will see if I can recover the old laptop (which was a high-end machine when it was bought). The old laptop was originally owned by one of Penny’s close workmates, Bud, and she bought it when he died - so it has some sentimental value.


Last night I was browsing the internet and decided to check out Buy.com. I ended up buying an Mp3 player. I’ve been hesitant to buy one because I didn’t think I would use it enough to warrant the cost. I didn’t want to pay 75 to 150 bucks for something with that question in mind. Penny has been pushing me to get one. Her argument was that it would be more convenient and less time consuming using one to listen to audio books. Considering the rate I went through books when working on the lawn, sprinklers and crib the argument made sense. I was still wary.


What I found on Buy.com was sufficiently cheap (< $50 - refurbished) and quite capable. The Sandisk Sansa e250 is a 2GB MP3 Player, FM tuner, FM and voice recorder with a built-in microphone. It plays video and pictures and has expandable memory. It doesn’t have all the accessories an IPOD has but it should be a fun toy to learn to use. I'll probably start downloading audio books from places like audible.com.


We did get to Fresh Market yesterday - and since we were in the neighborhood ate lunch at Fat Clemenza’s Brick Oven Pizza. This time I had a calzone and Penny got bruschetta and a bowl of pasta fagiloi. All was yummy. Maybe tomorrow I’ll start that diet and exercise program – Yeah, that’s the ticket – and then begin training for a marathon – yeah... So, as Penny sets up her new toy, I wait for mine to be packed and shipped.


Today, Saturday, it’s back to the house and yard work.