three links.

For Three Things today, we have links!

Thing 1: This just in...
Wonderful, wonderful news. I know it's just a first step and there is a lot more research and work to be done before this is a widely-available treatment option. However, the way I figure it is I have about ten or fifteen years before I start having children old enough to get diabetes and need the treatment anyway. (While I realize that our children may very well not inherit Casey's diabetes, I should go ahead and start preparing for our kids to get my nose and his health problems.) That's ten to fifteen years for this treatment to advance, and ten to fifteen years for me to take good care of my pancreas so that I can lovingly donate cells to my children just as I lovingly donated the shape of my nose.

Thing 2: Pretty, pretty.
Look what I bought! I've never had a digital camera before, but I feel like I would take pictures if I had one. When you travel around the rural South, you are likely to run into some very photo-worthy objects at any moment. So I decided I wanted a camera, set a $200 budget, and started looking around. I found this camera, I blew my budget, and I bought it. All online reviews were glowing. I had asked around, heard a couple of pretty good reviews, but the clincher was the graphic designer at work who answered "What kind of digital camera would you recommend?" with simply "Canon." I'm not too upset about the extra money I spent, as I feel I'm getting my money's worth. Be sure to notice the saucy way the LCD monitor can be moved around. The biggest reason that I bought this camera, though, is the fact that most reviews mentioned the fact that it is a camera that "grows with you." So while it's simple enough for me to take pictures right now when I don't know anything, it has features that will allow me to play and experiment as I learn more. And that's just lovely.

Thing 3: Saving money is sexy.
A coworker told me about this site. I used it to get a great deal on the aforementioned, also sexy camera (MSRP is $400, I paid $260, tax and shipping included). I'm also using it to find accessories to make my camera even sexier, if such a thing is possible. The best place to find deals is to search the forums for whatever you want. There are posts listing amazing combinations of good deals that combine to make a Great Deal. Sales! Special, little-advertised promotions! Rebates! Coupon codes! My coworker was telling me about all the deals, and I swear, it was like dirty talk to me.