While removing my tiny, expensive digital camera from its soft, leather case, I dropped it on the pavement. Upon inspection, I determined that the camera was still in working order, but the latch on the film compartment door had broken off, so the door wouldn’t stay closed. And for some reason, the camera only works if the door is closed, so I couldn’t just take it off and go for that “exposed” look (like those clear cell phones and such).

I decided that if I used tape to fix the camera, I would be too embarassed to take it out in public and use it. Having tape on my camera would be like having tape on my glasses. Not to mention the fact that it would be terribly inconvenient having to retape it every time I wanted to insert or remove the memory card.

So instead I decided to fix it.

I went to Home Depot (otherwise known as “The Place Where Only Professional Contractors Can Find Anything”) and looked around for quite awhile before finally asking where to find super-glue. Of course, it was in the paint aisle. Silly me.

Anyway, near the super-glue was some other stuff called “QuikPlastic.” It claimed to be useful when “repairing or rebuilding anything made of plastic.” I decided that would be more useful, considering that I didn’t have the broken-off piece and therefore didn’t have anything to super-glue back onto the camera.

When I got home, I kneaded the QuikPlastic according to the instructions (it had a consistency similar to synthetic clay), and then I applied a very small amount of it to the spot on the camera where the the broken-off piece had… um… broken off.

Just thirty or fourty minutes later, it was dry and hard. At first I had trouble getting the door to close (because the QuikPlastic piece I had fashioned was a bit larger than the original piece), but I used some sandpaper to sand it down to size, and then the door actually worked again! I could snap it shut and then use the release button to open it. Woo-hoo!

So thankfully I won’t be needing a new digital camera just yet, which is almost too bad because I already had one picked out. But more importantly, I’ve restored my faith in my ability to fix things. Now one of these days I’ll have to muster up the energy/testosterone to replace the light bulb in my porch light and the handle on my toilet.

We had a meeting at work today to learn about our company’s Code of Business Conduct, which includes rules like “always say please and thank you” and “don’t launder money.” The meeting was led by Robin, who is the head of Human Resources for our parent company.

While discussing the rule of “no violence,” Robin mentioned that part of her job is to fire people, so she specifically requested an office with no windows because she was concerned about disgruntled former employees trying to “get” her.

I wanted to ask, “Does it have a vent?” but I restrained myself.

It just occurred to me that unlike Peppermint, Spearmint, and Doublemint, the flavor Wintergreen (or Winterfresh, depending on the product) doesn’t actually contain the word “mint.” I’m pretty sure it’s still a mint-based flavor, so I think that “mint” is implied subconsciously when we say “wint.” They could have just named it “Mintergreen” to avoid confusion, but that would sound silly.

I bought a box of Nestle “Mini Marshmallows” hot cocoa mix because I believe (as I’m sure most Americans do) that hot cocoa is at its best when served with marshmallows.

Upon opening the box, I discovered that the packets contain both the cocoa mix and the marshmallows together. Due to this premature combination, when I add hot water, the marshmallows dissolve instantly. In the past I’ve seen similar products in which the marshmallows and cocoa mix were in separate packets, so you could add the hot water to the cocoa mix, stir it, and then pour the marshmallows on top. That way the marshmallows stuck around for a little while and you could enjoy trying to catch them with your upper lip while you sipped your hot cocoa.

So to anyone interested in purchasing hot cocoa mix with marshmallows, I advise you to stay away from the Nestle brand packets. They are simply not well thought-out. I believe that Swiss Miss puts them in separate packets, so you might consider that as an alternative.

I’m disgusted with my mouse at work. At home I have an optical mouse, which always works smoothly and perfectly on any surface. At work, however, I’m still using an old-fashioned mouse, and I don’t understand how I could have put up with these crappy input devices for as long as I did. It constantly sticks, it always needs to be cleaned, it only works on a perfectly flat surface, and it’s horribly inaccurate when I’m trying, for instance, to draw a straight line.

This afternoon I’m going to go buy myself a nice new optical mouse for work. Hopefully they will reimburse me for it since the point of it is to increase not only my morale, but also the quality of my graphical work.

Would you describe Bowling for Columbine as “liberal commie bullshit”? Do you believe that gun-death statistics are fabricated by the media in order to infringe upon your God-given right to bear arms? Will we have to pry your Smith & Wesson from your “cold dead hands”?

Then please, whatever you do, do not visit the National Rifleman Association’s Kooky Kidz Korner (or “NRA-KKK”).

I read an interesting blog on kottke.org about how images of war in the past half-century might have affected public opinion about war in the past half-century. This guy makes some very thought-provoking points, so anyone who’s concerned about the idea of a war in Iraq should read it.