The microphone built into my camcorder is inadequate. I need to be able to record audio without shouting. I also want to be able to record interviews outdoors. That would require the ability to avoid picking up background noise. I first considered getting a decent microphone and an audio interface to connect it to my computer. That would provide the best possible quality sound, but it would cost much more than I want to invest in something like this and it would be very inconvenient to carry around.

The solution that I decided on is a digital voice recorder. This will have many uses:

1) I can talk to myself in public without drawing too much attention.
2) I can record my thoughts in situations that are not convenient for writing.
3a) It has an "extra quality mode" that can record music decently, although I have to adjust the equalization. This may encourage me to try composing again.
3b) I can hum melodies that appear in my mind at random times and transcribe them later for use in composition.
4) Because I become obsessed with new toys, this may get me to activate the part of my brain used for talking. This could potentially have useful social effects.

I went to an office Christmas party today. I am not one of their regular employees, but they invite me to it every year because I service their computers. As usual, I started out feeling uncomfortable and remained quiet. Two people asked me if anything was new. This is a question nearly as difficult for me as "how are you?", but this one can have a planned answer. I failed to anticipate this common question and said nothing was new. I wasn't sure if I should tell them about blog-stalk, or my new internet show, or any other project that I am working on. The first person who asked noticed the awkwardness and escaped by getting a drink. The second person asked before I finished assessing a good answer. This person was a stranger and I wasn't really interested in answering anyway.

I had expected the awkwardness to continue throughout my time there, but it did not. After about an hour, I started feeling more comfortable. I think it was because two groups formed in different rooms. It became possible for me to linger unseen between them. I had a moment to relax and focus. I assessed the situation and decided to join the easier group. They were watching a video. No conversation was necessary. After that was over, I talked to two different people about what we saw. The video gave me a topic to discuss that wasn't one of the standard difficult questions. I talked to a third person later who had not seen the video. After the party, I went shopping and had a brief conversation with the cashier.

Earlier today, I was shopping and the total was $15.05. I paid $20.05, because I did not want to receive coins as change. The cashier gave me $4.95. Realizing that my mind doesn't work well on Mondays, I didn't immediately say anything. I just stood still holding the change with a confused look on my face as I analyzed the situation. The cashier asked if something was wrong and I explained it to him. He recalled accepting a nickel along with the $20 bill and had the problem corrected.

A few minutes ago, the reverse situation happened. I bought some things with a total price of $12.81. I paid exactly that amount, but the cashier misrecorded it as $12.84 and gave me 5 cents change, a double error on his part.

My neighbor's boyfriend now has keys to the apartment. He came by around 10AM today. I didn't see him, but I recognized his voice when he answered a call to his cell phone. I heard the microwave and utensils. He left 15 minutes later. I did not hear any water. He came by just to eat breakfast and didn't wash the dishes.

Over the past few weeks, I have been getting recurrent visions of a show that I feel compelled to create. My recording equipment is inadequate and the topics that I am thinking about covering are not likely to be interesting to most people. This looks like something that I should not pursue, but the compulsion is very strong. I got a special offer from my webhosting company that gives me a whole year of hosting plus domain name registration for only $9.95. The offer was too good to refuse. Now I have a place to host this project. I have to do this.