Home Video Hints: Ready or Not!

When the peacock strutted into our rural clearing, my wife Sue was prepared for it. (I can only explain this improbable visit by saying that we live in real-life Northern Exposure country, albeit in the Lower 48.) Sue grabbed her Advantix point 'n' pusher and captured a whole bunch of shots including the one pictured here.
As for me, I erupted in a farcical frenzy like a group of circus clowns battling a center-ring "fire." Upstairs for my camcorder. Dresser? No; closet? got it! Whoa: dead battery - where's the spare? Check. Eeee: only ten minutes of juice left. Downstairs and out the door. Line up the first shot and... what's that symbol in the finder? No tape. Tape, tape! Where'd I put the blasted tape??? Back up to the bedroom. Gotcha! Wait a minute: this tape's half-used. What's on it? No label; can't risk paving over old shots. Tape, tape! TAPE!!! By now the contents of my dresser and closet were spraying all over the bedroom. By the time I'd clawed the wrapping off a fresh cassette and pelted back outside again, the peacock was strolling disdainfully into the forest while Sue holstered her little camera like a smoking pistol.
Do I have to point out the moral? If you're a sometime shooter, your gear may lie around for weeks or even months between outings; but when you need it, you need it right now; so like a good scout, be prepared! As a casual hobbyist, you don't need to make a big deal out of it - just prep your outfit once and you'll be ready to start shooting with zero notice.
The ducks you'll need to line up include your camcorder, batteries, tapes and accessories. Let's walk the course together.

Camcorder

Camcorder? Well, Duh! Obviously you have a camcorder; but does it have a single home where you can always find it without tearing up the joint as I did? Rule one is to stow all your gear together in a designated video corral.
Next, is it set to go? To make the camera ready for Shoot #2, the trick is to set it up at the end of Shoot #1, before putting it away. Specifically…