... I mean, a full-time housewife!
... I mean, a full-time freelancer! :-D

Because my last day at work was Friday. One more milestone down.

On Day 1 (Monday) I did what I thought was the majority of my taxes, only to find out that I was facing almost $2000 in taxes (federal + state) due to having earned almost $7500 in freelance income in 2013. So I spent the bulk of yesterday going back through my 2013 credit card statements to claim Every Single Possible Deductible Expense, with the help of a shiny new OpenOffice spreadsheet, and succeeded in getting that tax bill down to about $700. Go me!

Also, taylweaver had us over for lunch this past Shabbat, and jessruth came over on Sunday to help us start packing (and eat lentil stew and homemade cookies). And we packed another 5+ cartons of books last night, with more to come tonight.

Also, yesterday was Death of Windows XP Day. Sniff!

Oh, help, my shutterbug friends.

My workplace (a K-12 private school) needs me to buy two things:

(1) A starter DSLR camera that will be fast enough to capture action shots. We use crappy point-and-shoot digital ones on a daily basis, but you just can't photograph small children adequately with them. The number of priceless shots I've missed over this year is killing me.

(2) A mid-range camcorder, because the Canon FS200 that I've been using for 3+ years? I just DROPPED ON ITS HEAD and bustimacated. So, um, might as well upgrade. Do I automatically go HD? What can I get for spending, say, $600 as opposed to $300?

So, hivemind, the point is: what should I buy? I have money in my budget to invest in this equipment, but I am kind of at a loss.

(because I don't like link sausage ;-)

I'm currently planning to go see navrins in Harvey on Saturday 1/24, and justom in Intimate Apparel on (most likely) Friday 1/30. Both at 8pm. Anyone?

Especially for c1: Novelty Socks galore! <3 (Found because I was searching for lime green tights, which they also have. And the peace sign and harlequin trouser socks I already have and love. And... oh, holy crap, ninjas. I may be in trouble here. :-)

An article our IT guy recently passed along: Make the Most of Your PC. Aimed primarily at new Vista machines, but contains a link to the entertainingly named PC Decrapifier.

FallingAugust.com is back up (at least, today!), for those who wanted to download the MP3 sets. However, I've also made a bunch of copies of the aforementioned CD, and will cheerfully be handing them out at Arisia and thereafter.

theatreatfirst is taking appointments now for Winter's Tale auditions. I should decide if I'm actually doing this. Hmm.

Also, a PSA: ( Free group voice classes FOR MEN beginning TONIGHT in Lexington! -- No, I don't know anything further about it than what's reproduced below the cut. Sorry, guys, I meant to post about this sooner... )

And now, off to Kinko's to pick up postcards for a mailing that has to go out today.

Earlier this week, I managed to brick my Treo 600 that I've had for almost 2.5 years.

I had a spare Motorola flipphone on hand, so I'm not phoneless. (Not having my library of stored numbers is a bigger inconvenience; callers are one thing, but if you *text* me, I will probably have no idea who the message is from, so please sign it until further notice!) But really, without a web browser in my pocket, I kinda feel like one of my hands has gone missing. :-P

( I don't really need recommendations, but does anyone have a used Treo lying around they'd consider unloading for cheap? )

Conversely, anyone out there still using a 600 that might want a spare battery, HotSync cable, wall charger, and car charger? Naturally, I had JUST bought a car charger for the 600, and neither my chargers and cables nor my silicone skin case will fit a newer model Treo. :-P (At least the skin case is already torn in a few places; I'd been holding out on replacing it until such time as I upgrade my phone... ha!)

Can someone please explain to me how I (or World) could POSSIBLY have managed to FLUSH my ENTIRE new mail queue (i.e., all my unanswered mail, on the order of 160 messages)? I can understand how it might have dumped everything to a received-mail folder, but I CAN'T FIND ONE (the missing mail is NOT in the folder where I think that stuff would go by default, and there doesn't seem to be any other obvious folder that was altered today).

If I can clear this up, I swear I'll move up from elm to pine, just...! Arrgh!