what juicer do you suggest?

I'm ready to invest money in a juicer to make it easier to make quick meals that are healthy and cheap.  The Jack LaLanne model has been recommended to me as one that does not roar loudly.  Unfortunately, it is not truly a food processor, and it does not allow milk products or ice to be added.

Can anyone recommend a product that "does it all" to make smoothies or hot soups?  If there must be a trade-off between noise level and versatility, then I'd much rather use the quiet product.  There is always the Vitamix that can grind up just about anything, but it certainly costs a lot more than I can justify spending, and the demonstrations I've seen have always been very loud.

I'm not yet ready to commit to a Primal diet (no seeds of any kind), but I keep learning more about how unhealthy modern foodstuffs can be.  I want to consume a few less carcinogens.  Maybe the nutrient-rich diet would help boost my energy level too, while I'm recovering from B12 problems.

car repairs

Today did not go as planned.

I was driving merrily along my way to work. The roads are still mottled with packed snow, so the ride was rougher than usual. Suddenly, I have no engine power. I manage to turn onto a side road before I lose momentum.

Battery? Check. Dashboard working? Check. Gas? Check. Warning lights? None. I spend a minute or two trying to start occasionally. The battery turns over the engine just fine, but nothing catches. So either there's no gas (the gauge says I do) or there's no spark to ignite the fuel. I look under the hood, but there's no obvious gas leak from a broken line.

Ugh! As usual, I don't have the cell phone on me. I knock on a nearby house that has the garage door open, but nobody answers. I walk 2-3 blocks to a school that I see nearby. They break a Yellow Pages book out of the plastic packaging for me. I call the repair shop near where I live, then I call work to let them know I won't be in today. I wait in my car for an hour for the tow truck to arrive. At least today was warm (translation for non-Minnesotans: it was almost up to freezing).

I watch the auto mechanic at the shop examine lots of wiring underneath my car. I eventually see him use a cigarette lighter to shrinkwrap some tubing onto the wiring. Eventually they show me a sample of what happened. Somebody did a terrible job of some wiring in my car long before I bought it. They wrapped wires together.  Wrapped around, not twisted together.  Then they taped them up. They eventually corroded.  Today, they finally broke apart.


(click to embiggen)

I spent too much money on repairs last year, and here's another $350 that I really wish I hadn't spent. *sigh* I wish my energy would pick up so I could start bicycling again without dreading the idea.