Camera innards & nerd jewelry

Jeff and I went to our friend Scott's housewarming party yesterday, at which one of the activities was dissecting his old Nikon Coolpix. Turns out the repair costs needed to keep the camera working weren't worth it...and of course if you can't fix something, why not take it apart before you throw it out?



Fascinating to see what some of the innards looked like. I asked to keep a few more interesting pieces to turn into nerd jewelry. If I come up with something half-decent, I promise I'll post pics. Speaking of nerd jewelry, looks like the HTML Head earrings ("Make sure you don't walk around without a properly formatted Head!") I was lusting over a while back are available again! I immediately ordered a pair, and it looks like the seller still has one pair left. For those interested, there are other nerd earrings in the seller's collection, too, like these Pi earrings and even C/Alto Clef earrings for music geeks!

But back to the housewarming: one of our friends brought Beef Lahmejune (sp?), also known as Armenian Pizzas, topped with ground beef and spices; I've never had these before. They were quite thin, and we rolled them up to eat with our fingers. Yum!



To all you cat people: thanks for all the feedback re: reading cat expressions! Holy toledo. Some of you are clearly half-cat yourselves. :-) I'm finding the discussion fascinating; it's also making me wonder how difficult it would be to learn "squirrel body language."

There's a grey squirrel that's gotten into the habit of lounging on a tree branch outside our kitchen window, and he stares at me meaningfully when I'm cooking or washing up. Exactly HOW meaningfully, I'm not exactly sure, but I'm sure he's up to no good.



I'm going out of town to visit with friends this week, so Blatherings and my e-mail contact will be sporadic.





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Engagements, friends and photos

In case you missed the update to my post yesterday: my friends Rand and Erin are engaged! See Erin's entry for more info. Rand's a dear friend, and it makes me very happy that he's found someone so clearly a soulmate.



I'm looking forward to visiting with R. and E. in a few weeks; it's been too long. Erin's generously agreed to let me take pics of her with my new camera. Rand's more like Jeff; I'll have to be somewhat more stealthy (or obnoxious, as is more often the case) in my approach.

Speaking of friend and photos...



Jeff and I went to Riviera Restaurant with our friends Luisa and Reid last night. I took some food pics, but will have to go back to the restaurant before I can do a proper review. All photos on today's Blatherings (except for the engagement card :-) were taken using my Sigma 30/1.4 lens.

I *love* this lens.



Several discussions about cameras and learning resources have sprung up in my LJ comments section as a result of some of my posts, so I thought I'd share some of these useful links here:

Bob Atkins Photography (from the-magician): lots of info about the Canon EOS system - film and digital - camera and lens reviews, the Canon EOS FAQ, Canon rumors and news, articles on photographic optics, image galleries, photography book reviews, film and digital photography news and guides and articles on photography and digital photography, with a particular emphasis on the Canon EOS system and its use in nature and wildlife photography.

Canon EOS Beginners' FAQ (from the-magician): Part of PhotoNotes.org. Offers tips on which camera to buy, terminology, lenses, flashes, etc.



Learn Photography: How to Take Photographs, Cameras, Lenses, Film: tutorials and tips from Photo.net.

Understanding Histograms

How To Use Histograms: by Ken Rockwell.

Using Histograms To Get The Exposure Right





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Happy birthday, Walter!

It's my friend Walter's birthday today. He inspired an Urban Tapestry kids' song; you can hear it here. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WALTER!



Some more cottage pics...

I took the following photo with my Canon 70-300 lens, leaning it again the deck railing:



A close-up of the moon via my Canon Rebel XTi:



Our friends' cat, using the Sigma 30/1.4 lens:



Deer skull found in the forest, also with the Sigma:



So much to do, too little time. Hoping to actually SEND OFF MY REWRITTEN NOVEL to my agent at last tomorrow (!).

Getting together with Allison and Jodi tonight to polish up some repertoire to perform at a private house concert in Rochester this fall.





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Wetstock

Thanks to Luisa and Reid for hosting Wetstock. This year, their watergun party was also a send-off for their son Michael, who is off to Italy and Greece for four weeks.



This year, Scott, Jeff and Ray came equipped with Super Secret Weapons (see above). Those not interested in joining the fray could get sucked into the whirlpool vortex instead:



Or take badminton dancing lessons from Scott Murray:



Be dipped by David Barker:



Lose their life earnings to Harald in poker:




Pose with Michelle Sagara West in adoring fan photos like this one:



Be inexorably drawn to the mysterious light from outside, lured by the siren call of alien voices:



Practice catching badminton birdies in their mouths:



Watch Luisa do her famous triple double-twist aerial flip (sadly I took the picture a moment too late to catch my friend's trademark move):



Have their life force sucked out through their forefingers by purple alien worms in the pool:



For more shocking pics, please see my Watergun/Michael party Flicker set. Thanks, Luisa and Reid!





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Nicholas Kennedy, neighbourly bbq, Relay For Life

Photo courtesy Nicholas Kennedy.

In an earlier Blathering, I mentioned meeting Nicholas Kennedy from Trip Print Press at Doors Open. Since then, I've been researching more about the letterpress process and have also interviewed Nicholas for blogTO. Do check out the interview, which was posted online this morning:

Nicholas Kennedy and the Black Art Of Letterpress

Jeff and I both had fun at the annual neighbours' bbq/picnic last night. It's our third year; the first was after we got possession of the house but before we officially moved in. I remember how nervous I was, meeting many of the neighbours for the first time! Would they like us? Would we like them? The answer was yes to both questions, fortunately, and I feel tremendously lucky to be part of this little community.

We set up tables and chairs on the street, with everyone contributing something to the meal. Last night, I discovered that one of my neighbours, professional musician David McLachlan,
used to do gigs with Lloyd Landa. It looks like David's going to be performing at the Renaissance Cafe, the same venue as Heather Dale last month. I'm hoping to go, depending on cottage plans.



Above: Scott Murray and me, photo by Walter. As I mentioned in yesterday's Blathering, my pals Walter and Scott kept me company during the wee hours of the morning during Relay For Life. You can see more of Walter's photos in his Flickr set.



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