Decisions

Saturday, May 15: Not going to Juneau Now
Mom has decided not to visit Mickey in Juneau now, although she promises she'll go soon.  The big reason for staying home now is that Gale will need her when she won't be able to go to Sunset Center 5 days per week.  Another reason is that she doesn't want to do anything that would disrupt the progress she's been making with her amyloidosis and other medical conditions.  In particular, she wants to keep getting her shots as she's getting them now.


Sunday, May 9: High Tech options
For Skype, Esther went with the option of getting the microphone and camera for her HP.  Works great, and she has a really cute photo ID.    She's already talked to Terrye in Israel, and when Terrye gets her camera working they'll share video in both directions. 


She hasn't decided what do do about the phone, but it's possible Mickey may be able to get her a Moment at a discount.


Monday, April 26: High Tech options
Esther is deciding how to access Skype, so she can have free video phone calls, and when to upgrade her cell phone to a smart phone. 


For Skype, she's inclined just to use her HP laptop, purchasing the required microphone and camera accessories.  This is definitely the cheapest way, and suits her tastes better than the alternatives she's considered:  getting an iPad (which has no camera anyway), or getting a modern laptop with camera and microphone built-in.  Unless persuaded otherwise, she plans to go shopping for the aforemntioned accessories next Sunday, April 2nd.


As for the phone, the issue is saving money vs. living fully now.  The model she wants is a Sprint Moment, a smart phone a with slide-out key board (she tried it), video camera and Web access.  This would make it very convenient for her to email pictures and movies, and Google stuff for her current events group.  If she waits until December, her contract stipulates that she can get it for $100. If she gets it now, it will cost $425.  What would you advise?