Small places.

Sometimes Josh likes his privacy.

Batter-y Up!

“No battery power remains. Please connect iPod to power.” I was getting sick of seeing this pop up often on the display for the last year, so I decided to do something about it.

I have the 3^rd generation iPod, I purchased it in 2003 and have been using it daily ever since. About a year ago I started to notice that it wasn’t holding a battery charge as well as it used to. It’s a mechanical device so I really wasn’t that surprised. So I decided to look into replacing the battery.

I came across a site (www.milliamp.com) that sold replacement batteries and decided to investigate. They offer two different models for my iPod model, rated in milliamp hours (mAH). Generally speaking, the higher the number of mAh, the longer the amount of time a battery will last between charges. Of course, I chose the higher of the two.

The process took me about 8 minutes. The battery comes with detailed instructions and a plastic tool to open up the iPod. There are also many YouTube videos that show how to do it. I watched this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Um4fH7rMk) and decided it seemed like a piece of cake.

It was.

The company said I should get 9-10 hours of use from the new battery, and it comes with a 10-year guarantee … all for $29. So, after a week of use, I charged it up and let it run. It gave me almost 11 hours of use in shuffle mode with the EQ mode off. What a deal! It’s like a new iPod for $29. I highly recommend this product. The company also offers replacement screens and you can mail-in your iPod for repair as well. Check it out!

Fall Camping … Another Success!

The weather was great. Even though it did get down to 36 degrees, Josh’s second camping trip was perfect. Hardin Ridge, just south of Bloomington, IN in the Hoosier National Forest, is one of my favorite places in Indiana to camp. The overnight excursion turned out perfectly. We arrived, picked our spot, unloaded the vehicle and set up the tent. An evening filled with fire-poking, hotdog-eating, marshmallow mouth-stuffing, dirty hands and a million questions was truly a memorable occasion.

A “seasoned” camper, and having just turned three, Josh said this second camping trip was “funner than before.” This trip featured a breakfast of sausage, eggs and chocolate milk. After a hike and more questions, we headed home. Once we arrived home, Josh filled Woodford (our dog) in on the whole event saying “Woodford, you can come next time.”

Don’t worry, we’re still planning that Everest trip.

Tags: Hardin Ridge, Hoosier National Forest

Hurry Up and Wait

Somedays it seems like it takes forever to drive home from the office. Unfortunately, I really only have two different routes to take. There’s that one spot that I get to that helps me determine which route I’ll take.

Today I made the wrong choice.

Come on people, move your ass!

Some Day …

He’s bummed he can’t go with me. I’ll bring him a shirt. He asked me
if he could listen to the Atlanta ’77 Fox Theatre show (one of my
favorites) while I was gone. How could I say no? He’s my pride and joy.