Old Ladies Need Toys Too

This is truly "The Winter Of The Toy" for me.  Three wonderful new toys to get me through the winter.  None of them essential, but all of them quite enjoyable.   First was the new camera, the Nikon L120 which has a terrific zoom lens, something I have always wanted for taking outdoor pictures.  Because my old camera was dying, or rather was wearing out, this was a justifiable acquisition.  I take LOTS of pictures, and red eye is often a problem when taking shots of liver-spotted Dals using a flash.  It's a bit less of a problem with this camera, though not by any means perfect.  The camera was a Christmas gift from Ron, and he gave it to me before Christmas because HE was interested too.

For Christmas I got my Keurig coffee maker which we are both enjoying.  My old coffee maker still works, but it now lives on the top shelf in the kitchen closet and plays "back up".  Of course I am drinking more coffee now, partially because it is so GOOD, and partially because it's fun to sample the different K-cup flavors.  I love this toy, especially in the morning.  It certainly lives up to it's billing.  I don't drink flavored coffee, but will probably buy some of the teas that are available, and will definitely use it for iced tea in the summer.

And yesterday my first smart phone arrived, my iPhone 4S.  Such fun!   I've wanted a smart phone for a very long time, and often feel as if I am the last person on earth still using a regular cell phone.  My cell phone contract was up last summer, but the contract for my little modem (used on my Netbook) is not up until next month, and I did not want to spend much more than my current monthly bill.  Assuming my data package is sufficient for my needs, this should work out about right, and for approximately the same amount of money.

The learning curve seemed a bit steep when I first tried to set up my phone, and I was overwhelmed at first.  Set up never goes quite like the instructions say it will, but I got through that. First I had to update iTunes, which I normally only use for downloading books to my iPod Nano, and read about QWERTY keyboards since I hadn't a clue how to do capital letters.  My hands seem enormously huge and clumsy when I am typing on my phone, and I miss the "real" keyboard on my old phone, but practice should make the difference.  Today I need to download the instruction manual - something like 165 pages - argh.  Hope there is a way to make the font size larger on my email, or I'll probably go blind trying to read the messages!

The most impressive part of the phone (to me) is the camera.  First thing I did was take a picture of Argus, looking right at me.  No red eye!  Amazing!  The camera gets raves, and my first attempt to use it sure impressed me.  I was able to crop the picture and post it to Facebook without much difficulty.

The number of Apps was one of the reasons I went with an iPhone rather than a Droid, and perhaps also the fanaticism of iPhone users.  The only Apps I have downloaded so far are Angry Birds (which I have never played but which is apparently a Must Have), and Facebook.   I can check my email, find my messages, text, useFacebook, and take pictures.  A good start, I think.  Tonight I want to download one of the photo editing software Apps that is available for an iPhone.

Wonderful toys!