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Last week, I got a new video camera. I got the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, in pink. You know what? I didn’t want to like this camera. I really didn’t. But I can’t help myself. I LOVE it. I really do.

Over the summer I got a different portable video camera, and I got it because it has several advantages over the Flip. One, it stores video to a memory card, which means you can swap cards on the fly without worrying about filling up the memory. Better for a full day of shooting, right? Also, it shoots video in full resolution, which could be better for showing on TV than the Flip. It was small, but a bit awkward, and the video quality wasn’t that great. In addition, and perhaps most important, I had a hard time holding and operating it.

What do I like best about the Flip? Well, for one thing, it’s flippin’ cute. And it matches my Namaste Malibu Bag. But the camera is SO lightweight, it doesn’t weigh the bag down. It’s easy to hold and carry, to just whip out and take a quick little video just about anywhere. It also has its own on-board USB connector, so there are no cables to mess with and keep track of, either. This is a HUGE plus.

I have the option of saving the video files as is to the computer, and then opening in my fancy video editing software to create fairly sophisticated movies. But, the option to take the easy way out is amazing. Plug in the camera, it launches its own software. Do a couple of basic editing tricks, save, and upload right to YouTube. Easy-Peasy! I hope maybe I’ll be able to add a couple of knitting related videos sometime soon, but I have to figure out what to do that hasn’t already been overdone. Stay tuned on that one!

Yesterday morning we had an unexpected snow squall in the area. For some reason our town was particularly hard-hit. People not from the DC area always laugh at us and how we can’t handle the snow here. But the fact is, it’s warm here most of the time, so we’re not used to it. And, when we do get snow, it’s usually the heavy, wet, icy kind that makes for especially dangerous driving. Because yesterday’s snow was not predicted, the roads were not treated with chemicals in advance. So we got a light dusting, which turned to a thin glaze of ice on contact with vehicle tires. Accidents were everywhere in our neighborhood. Sometimes it’s the small snows around here that are the most dangerous, because in the really big ones, people have sense enough to stay home. Not so yesterday, so it was slow going.

And thus, the occasion of yesterday’s snowfall was the reason for my first posted video from my new little Flip-friend:

Not the most exciting piece of cinema in the world, but I really thought we’d be in for it since the sky was so dark. But, as quickly as it came, the sun came again. We wound up having a short day anyway, on account of a kid deciding to get a fever sometime between chapel and snack time yesterday. This morning I had to schlep him to the doctor in weather that was something-teen degrees. Sick kid with high fever and extreme cold are a bad combo. Steven has informed me that he would like everyone I know to cross their fingers on his behalf, because his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese is set for this weekend, and he’s hoping we don’t have to reschedule. His dad and I, on the other hand, are hoping that we don’t get sick instead. So, either way, cross your fingers! We’re going to need all the luck we can get.

It was so cold today that Tegan re-discovered her Cozy Cushion. She has spent this entire day curled up under my desk, at my feet.

Poor thing, she’s so old and thin. She has been a wonderful companion her whole life. She follows me like a puppy. Everywhere. And she’s the noisy, fussy kind, so I feel like I always have someone to talk to. Something tells me the day will be here soon that I will be missing her very much, so for now, I’m trying to appreciate every moment.

I wish I had a cozy cushion, too! I’m cold.

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