Last week I achieved my goal of becoming DRM-free before the end of the year. I have purged all the DRM tracks from my music library and replaced what I couldâthanks to the Amazon MP3 […]
Long May You Run
I continue to mourn our two rabbits, which went to a new home on Sunday. We can’t take either of them with us to California. đ I’ve been thinking about Daisy and her romps around the backyard; how happy she would be. For some reason, I find Neil Young’s “Long May You Run” coming to mind when I think of the bunny.
My basement office is a desolate place now, and the backyard is a field of dread. Something about the rabbitsâand their simple tranquilityârepresents a lifestyle lived in this house. Their departure has taken away part of our home. I loathe coming down into the basement to work now. I count the remaining days to our departure. We can’t leave this place soon enough.Â
Bye Bye Bunnies
Today we sent our two beloved bunnies, Daisy and Mayflower, to a new home. I’ve referred to them on this Weblog as Bun Bun and Little Bun, respectively. Daisy was hardest for me to let go. She and I shared my basement office for more then four years. She was a delightful companion.
For weeks, we had been looking for a home but with no success. Last Monday, my wife posted to three home school lists, with no promising response from anyone. The week ahead would have been one of desperation, with the rabbits going to an animal shelter on Saturday if they had no takers. We didn’t want to put them in a shelter.Â
Daisy Days
Today was another cleaning day, as we prepare to move to another city. I took Daisy out in the backyard to chomp on clover. For years on this blog, I referred to her as Bun […]
My Math Team Memory
One of my best friends (there were only two) from my senior year of high school tracked me down over the weekend. I had wondered about her for years. She’s back in Maine, although she […]
Nerd Test 2.0
This afternoon, I took the revised nerd test. I scored a “0” on the original test, which indicated that I am not a nerd. I always thought that maybe the test was too limited to […]
In My Dreams, 33.8 Hours
New Labor Department jobs report is out. Average work week is 33.8 hours. Geez, I easily work twice that some weeks, and never fewer than 50. What a life to work only 34âor even 40 […]
Moment of Second Guessing
Penn Camera called today to say that the Canon EOS 40D had arrived. I was No. 38 on a waiting list that wasn’t to be fulfilled until October. Unexpectedly, days after I sold all my […]
The 80-200mm Nikon Lens on Parade
Today, marked an important test for the Nikon AF NIKKOR 80-200mm 1:2.8D ED lens, whether or not I would keep it. I got the lens as part of a trade for use with my new Nikon D200. Field test was dramatic: Kensington, Md.’s annual Labor Day parade. The newer model 80-200mm lens costs about $1,000, while I got this older 80-200mm for a fraction of the price. I don’t mind a used, older lensâas long as it performs.
I wasn’t disappointed, but I also wasn’t overly impressed, either. Maybe having used a Canon 135mm Prime lens had spoiled me, raising my expectations about clarity and sharpness. More likely, from looking at the photos, I needed a lens hood. More time with the D200 (I hadn’t used one for almost a year) would have helped.Â
The D with One More Zero
This afternoon, I completed a 180-degree turn with respect to photo gear. I completely abandoned Canon and moved to Nikon. I had made a kind of switch before; this one is permanent. All my Canon equipment is gone. Timing is strange, because I passed up opportunity to buy new dSLR models from both companies.
I have used the Canon EOS 20D since 2004âwith a break in-between with the Nikon D200. I eventually switched back to Canon, because of my daughter’s ice skating. A good friend had my old Canon f/2.8 L lenses, and he was willing to trade my Nikon gear. With the 20D’s lower noise at higher ISO and the amount of light captured by the f/2 and f/2.8, I got better pics from the ice rink than with the D200; I had f/3.5-5.6 lenses, and the Nikon camera produces more noise at higher ISOs.Â
A QPC-860 Story
They don’t make cell phones like this anymore.
Yesterday, as I was cleaning the basement, I found a personal relic: A Qualcomm cell phone from, looks like, 1999. The phone carries the Bell Atlantic Mobile brand, which existed until mid 2000, when the company became Verizon following the merger with GTE.
I hit the “pwr” switch, expecting no response. But, miraculously, the phone powered up. Keep in mind, this phone has collected dust in my basement for about eight years. Disturbing, however: The phone comes up with my old phone number and it makes calls. I did one test call, then stopped. It’s not my number, anymore. I’m not sure how best to dispose of the phone, because of the active number.
Wild Water Ride
Here, my wife and daughter ride the water at Sea World. We spent most of the day there yesterday.