Tuesday, January 15, 2008

be still...

This is the Gorillapod. This was a little something that my boss Nancy got me for Christmas. I was always curious about the item. But, since I do have other tripods, I didn't feel right about picking up another one just because I was curious. But, once I got it, its really been a very handy option. I really like how flexible the Gorillapod is. I can't say that I've used this on a tree branch or a door knob like its advertised to be used. But, for quick adjustments as you are taking pictures, I haven't used a better tripod. And, you can pose it in cool poses!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

back pains?

I can't say when my lower back pains started. It's not constant. Only when I push it too far. Things like working out too hard, sleeping too long, or carrying a bag that may be too heavy. When I was in school, I would carry all my books on one shoulder and have no problems. I'm sure that didn't help my present pains. But, in the past couple of years, I've noticed that my back started hurting more. I went from a single shoulder bag to a double shoulder back pack. Still wasn't light enough. So, recently I decided to find the lightest alternative I could find. And, that is what you see here. The bag is a Manhattan Portage bag. It's a stripped down bag with no heavy padding on the back of the pack or even on the shoulder straps. It's the lightest sturdy bag I've come across. It's been working very well, but there was something missing. The stripped down feature left the bag with no features. So, with nothing to separate items, the contents of the bag became a mess very quickly. And, in comes the second bag. It's called a bag in a bag. My girlfriend picked this one up for me at the Muji store. It offered all the compartments I needed. And, most importantly, it was made light. And, it fit perfectly into the larger bag. So, with these two bags, I've lighten the stress on my back and am still able to carry all that I need for a long day in the city. Not bad for a total cost of under $50.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Dry enough for ya?

So, one day I woke up and started choking. The disturbing thing is that I was choking on nothing. My mouth was just dry. But, not only my mouth, but partly down my throat too. It's quite an odd feeling. But, basically, my place was too dry. I think a lot of apartments in NYC are. So, I went and did some research on humidifiers. And, found that this one is rated really high. It's the Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic Digital Humidifier. I picked it up from Bed Bath and Beyond. They have a great return policy. Heh heh. But, so far its been working fairly well. It's still a little dry, but no where near what it has been in the past. The only complaint I have about the humidifier(which also true for many other models) is that you can't refill the water from the top. Not sure if this done on purpose or not, but its annoying to have to take the whole tank off the base everytime I have to fill it. But, all in all, its working very nicely. I don't wake up choking. Always a plus!