To clarify, I'm not getting paid for any of these reviews. I just like to share my good finds!

Paragon CRT
I am SO glad that I did this, people! Admittedly, sometimes the last thing I want to do is mess with contacts when I'm ready to hit the sack, but then I tell myself that it takes about 30 seconds. BIG.HAIRY.DEAL.

I started the process on March 20th and you can read about it more here. My far-sighted vision kicked in within a week, and at last report I was seeing 20/15. It took almost three weeks for the left eye (the one to replace wearing readers) to finally kick in, but I'm now reader free. I am VERY pleased with the results and give it the RisibleGirl seal of approval.


Nokia N800
This is one of my "never leave home without it" devices. I am in L.O.V.E. with this thing. It performed like a champ in Italy, it keeps me entertained on the train going to and from work, and it's great to have if I need information about something on the road because I can hook it up to the Internet, using my cellphone as a modem. I have access to the Internet anywhere I have cellphone coverage. I no longer get my knickers in a twist if I have to wait for an appointment of any kind, because I can do so many things with the N800, I never get bored and can be productive (if I feel like it, anyway).

I got it at buy.com. This is my absolute favorite place to buy electronics, CDs, etc. QUICK turnaround and excellent prices. (I swear, I'm not getting paid for this, so you can trust that I speak the truth!). I'm on their mailing list for their daily deals and have found awesome bargains.

Oh yea, I was talking about the N800. So, in a nutshell, here's what I use it for:
email
Internet surfing (sometimes I use it at home instead of firing up my laptop)
e-books
games
music (it plays all the formats)
FM radio (interestingly, headsets function as an antenna, so you can't use this function without a headset)
Internet radio (of course)
movies and/or recorded TiVo programs
word processing (not the best word processor, but hey- it's convenient!)
translator (woot! it did a great job of that!)

It also has a groovy little camera on it for video conferencing. I've never used it- but think it's really cool. I wouldn't recommend it for taking pictures or video because the resolution of the pictures/video it creates is pretty crappy.

The screen resolution is simply amazing. It's very crisp and clear. Way better than any PDA or cellphone I've owned (and I've had pretty much every one out there!)

The built-in speakers are also very good, again way better than any PDA or cellphone I've owned.

Even though it has several options for text input (graffiti, on-screen keyboard, and even a touch screen keyboard that you can use by typing with your fingers) I bought a little bluetooth keyboard to use with it. MUCH more handy. It folds up so small, that I can fit both the N800 and the keyboard in my purse along with my other girlie stuff (cellphone, lipstick, wallet, UZI semi-automatic weapon, etc.)

Other groovy things about the N800

• It comes with 200MB of built in storage, plus two card slots for external storage. I have a 4 gig card in each slot- so that's a lot of storage.


• The Wifi 'sniffer' is very sensitive. I've picked up signals on the N800 that my laptop wouldn't find.


• All of the software I've loaded is free, because it is a Linux and open source based product. There are lots of developers working on new applications daily.


• I haven't done this because I don't have a need for it, but you can use it for Skype or other internet based phone services


• If you buy a separate Bluetooth GPS unit (I've found them for about 50 bucks) you can use the N800 for a navigation device.

I'm pretty sure I'm missing something, so here's a link to a really good review with some great pictures showing the various functions as well as size.

The N800 gets an infinite amount of thumbs up from RisibleGirl.

Anti-depressants
I am beating myself up for not going to the doctor about this sooner. Wow- what a difference it has made. I think, after some tweaking, I'm on just the right dose, because I feel like my 'old' self again, and I think it shows in my writing. I (and my blog) was really a buzz-kill for a while there, and now I feel that daily gratitude bubbling over as it always has in the past. It's my nature to be optimistic and polly-anna'ish', to an annoying degree I'm sure. I like having the half full glass. It's a better way to live.

I can't say for sure why it took so long to cave in and do something about the anxiety and depression. I'm not ashamed of taking anti-depressants and I've never judged anyone else for having to be on meds. It's just a fact for some people. I guess I just thought that feeling good was 'right around the corner', but I kept going block to block to block and there never was a corner.

Prozac and Wellbutrin? Gets RisibleGirl's rainbows and unicorns (and fluffy kittens!) award.

Our sons and daughters; brothers and sisters; husbands and wives; and moms and dads in the service
I don't like the fact that we are in a war (even though Brother 1 , a recently-retired Army dude, helped me to understand why), but I want it clear that I back our soldiers up 100%. Whenever I see someone in uniform, it's rare that it doesn't bring a tear or two to the surface.

Yeah? So what? I'm sappy and will be the first to admit it.

I appreciate the people who have voluntarily risked their lives to keep us safe in this war and wars in our nation's past. Having two sons the age of some of these kids, it really gets to me each time I hear of a soldier losing his or her life in this war. I wish there was something I could personally do to ease the pain of their families.

Our soldiers get a mighty big salute, an apple pie, and lots of gratitude from RG.

PS Brother 1? I'm awfully glad that I didn't know then what I know now about your military experiences. I would have gone to whatever country you were in at the time and dragged you home by the ear. Love you, bro.

And finally, my last review.

The bearded eye-roller
Perfect in every way, and he's not for sale.

There you have it folks. RisibleGirl, reporting live from her couch, over and out.