Aloha!
I’m quite a bit better. I’ve been set back by the flu for about two weeks. I’m slowly getting over a very rasping cough too, and that’s a little slower to leave. On the first day, I was so sore and so miserable, I tried to sit up in bed and Tamika gave me a small push and knocked me back down! For those of you who know me, I almost NEVER take a day off for being sick. I stayed in bed almost the entire day.
We went over to Jocelyn’s house on Friday for her birthday party. She wanted cookies for her party instead of a cake, so we brought over some cookie dough. 🙂 We played Settlers of Catan. I’m hooked on that game, I think it has become my new favourite. It’s built like an online multi-player strategy game where you take over a small island. My only problem is that (as is typical in settler-type games) the Natives of the island are non-existent. 😛
I went over to Paul B’s house on Saturday and helped him and Natasha lay tile in their kitchen floor. Tamika stayed home to rest and clean. Paul is taking me to start Martial Arts classes this evening. He took me to see some black belt tests a few weeks back, and taught me some stretches. He and his wife are both black belts; she being a 2nd level. Tamika used to compete when she was younger, and achieved brown belt. She was even on the news at one point, and competed in Budapest. You can still find some of her records online.
I’ve wanted to learn since I was a teenager.
I remember Sonny and Yan Vollant and I practicing moves we’d seen Jackie Chan and Jet Li do. We actually took the “theatrical martial arts” that you see in the movies; grabbing whatever was at hand and using it as a weapon, using whatever was available to vault oneself over opponents and along walls… and used them in real life. We often had trouble with bullies, and so these actually came in useful. The lockers in my high school still bear the scars of the battles we had.
Paul and Natalie had us come over after their kids went to bed, and we watched “The Departed“.
Whoa. What a ride that movie is. It’s a movie that really makes you think. It’s pretty gory, and shocking at times, but really really good. Apparently, my mom’s side of the family has some old ties in the Irish mob in Boston.
Nick Machlan and Tim Laux came over that afternoon; Nick is about to fly over to Kenya to marry his fiancee, Monika. He needed a place to store some of his stuff, so we offered up our basement and he cooked us some Ethiopian food (with real Injira bread!).
I finally finished “The Pursuit of Happyness“. Roland, my workplace’s president, lent it to me and I’d been reading it before I got to bed. It’s an interesting book, I’ll give it that. The movie sure isn’t true to it, and in some ways I like the story the movie tells better. I’m not sure how much of it Chris Gardener wrote himself, (as is always the question for me when someone has a well-known writer credited on the cover). Gardener was a bit graphic with his details and attitudes about women.
Tamika and I went for our first checkup for the new baby today. It was a strange experience. I was a little nervous about asking off, but Paul, my manager, very warmly encouraged me to take off, and even commented that he was glad I was going! After a year of working here, I feel like I’m starting to get to know him better.
The preliminary results seem good, though, and they even set us up to have the bloodwork done the same day. Sonogram will be in a week or two.
I may have a wedding to photograph soon; and so have my sights on a Canon 30D; a digital SLR. I did a lot of research on it, and I think this is the best camera out there for my money. If you have any desire to buy a digital camera anytime soon; read on.
Canon has 3 levels of Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs). An Single Lens Reflex camera is typically the kind of camera that you can change the lenses on, and has a small mirror in the body of the camera that flips up when you press the shutter, so that you can actually see through the lens you’re taking the picture through. DSLRs are just like these, except instead of film, they have an imaging chip that picks up the image behind the mirror. The benefit to having one is that all the lenses you use on your regular camera can be used on the digital one.
So, back to the levels. Level 1 cameras come in the 100’s, the past three cameras being the 300D, 350D and the newly released 400D. These are consumer cameras (and come under the name “Digital Rebels” after the Rebel SLR series); they have limited functions, but are often released before any of the other higher level ones are. So, you’ll often have a Level 1 camera that APPEARS to be better than a Level 2 because it has a higher megapixel rate. Level 1 cameras typically have slower processors and lower ISO ranges though, so they’re not as flexible.
Level 2 Cameras come in the 10’s, the past three cameras being the 10D, 20D, and 30D. They are ALMOST top of the line (or “prosumer”), but not quite. They’re typically the best tested cameras because they’re by for the most widely used. Their prices are good too. Because most serious photographers buy them, you’ll often the older models in abundance, which is perfect for the photographer who wants a pro-grade camera for a good price. The much-anticipated 40D is supposed to come out soon, and will be just like the 400D (see the connection?) except with more features. I’m not going to buy one, though, I can wait just fine until the price drops.
Level 3 Cameras come in the 1’s, the past 3 have been the 1D, 1D Mark II, and 5D. These cameras are the truly professionals of the bunch, and typically run in the several thousand dollar range, have enormously wide settings, and the largest megapixel range of all. The largest market for these are scientific communities and photographers with a lot of money. 🙂 The good thing about these cameras is that sometimes when the price drops on them enough, they’re still the best cameras one can buy.
They’ve just released a new 400D Digital Rebel that has a slightly higher megapixel rate, but I think other factors (like the ISO rates) will make the 30D a more versatile camera. Canon will probably releasing a 40D soon, but if they do, I’ll only upgrade when the price drops some.
And now, to open up the floor for discussion. I’d like to start asking questions to you all (this is something I used to do in old journals on Deviant Art).
So, here’s the first.
Do you want to live in the United States?
Never mind if you currently do or don’t, I’m curious about your reasons. Tamika and I are here now, but don’t plan to stay here for an extended period of time, and have our sights set on Australia.
Peace, Love & Chocolate Chip Cookies,
~Benjamin