From Black Creek Pioneer Village.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Stuck in Las Vegas.
I knew I wouldn't make it. I had only 30 minutes to connect from my flight out of Atlanta to my flight to Vancouver in Vegas. Aircraft problems and paperwork delayed the flight out of atlanta by an hour and lo and behold, I'm now stuck in Vegas for a day. I guess there are worst places...
I'm going out to the casinos in a few minutes...
Here's how I spent my birthday yesterday, starting at midnight to today, all time is in ET:
12:00 - 1:30am At the hotel bar, celebrating the last day of training with 30 others...
1:30-2:30am Packing
3:00am - 7:15am sleeeeeep
7:15am - 8am road travel to our training facility
8am - 12pm final exam (ugh)
12pm - 1pm lunch
1pm - 3pm final conference
3pm - 6pm road travel to airport with a stop at wendy's for a crappola dinner
6pm - 10pm check in and wait at the gate
10pm - 11pm flight delayed
11pm - 2am travel to vegas
2am - 5am missed the connecting flight, booked hotel for night and rebooked flight
6am - 11am sleep.....
11am - 12pm breakfast in the hotel
12pm - 1:30pm relax, internet
1:30pm - going to casino....
I'm going out to the casinos in a few minutes...
Here's how I spent my birthday yesterday, starting at midnight to today, all time is in ET:
12:00 - 1:30am At the hotel bar, celebrating the last day of training with 30 others...
1:30-2:30am Packing
3:00am - 7:15am sleeeeeep
7:15am - 8am road travel to our training facility
8am - 12pm final exam (ugh)
12pm - 1pm lunch
1pm - 3pm final conference
3pm - 6pm road travel to airport with a stop at wendy's for a crappola dinner
6pm - 10pm check in and wait at the gate
10pm - 11pm flight delayed
11pm - 2am travel to vegas
2am - 5am missed the connecting flight, booked hotel for night and rebooked flight
6am - 11am sleep.....
11am - 12pm breakfast in the hotel
12pm - 1:30pm relax, internet
1:30pm - going to casino....
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
From Toronto to Boston to Atlanta to Rome
It's been forever since I've blogged. I'm in Rome, Georgia right now and there's absolutely nothing here. We're staying about 30 minutes away from the firefighting training facility and it's that far only because there's nothing closer. I swear, I'd go crazy if I had to live here...
I was in Boston last week and this week, I'm in Rome, Georgia for practical training. On monday, I did firefighter training!! Crazy isn't it!??? Pictures of me and others fighting a propane tree fire are below. After fighting the propane fire, they put us into a closed room with one sprinkler head and started a fire. Man, when that sprinkler head went off, it pushed 400 degree heat down towards the floor where we were and you could just feel the heat through the firefighter gear. Visibility was 0, I couldn't even see my hand right in front of my mask. Crazy!!
At the end of it all, I can't believe i got paid to have fun that day....I also have the utmost respect for firefighters. Putting on all that equipment in 40 degree heat, then running towards a fire when everyone is running away demands appreciation from all of us. So to all you firefighters out there, thank you, you guys are crazy.
I can't wait to go to Vancouver this friday to see Chris and go camping. I love holiday...
From Boston to Atlanta to Rome
It's been forever since I've blogged. I'm in Rome, Georgia right now and there's absolutely nothing here. We're staying about 30 minutes away from the firefighting training facility and it's that far only because there's nothing closer. I swear, I'd go crazy if I had to live here...
I was in Boston last week and this week, I'm in Rome, Georgia for practical training. On monday, I did firefighter training!! Crazy isn't it!??? Pictures of me and others fighting a propane tree fire are below. After fighting the propane fire, they put us into a closed room with one sprinkler head and started a fire. Man, when that sprinkler head went off, it pushed 400 degree heat down towards the floor where we were and you could just feel the heat through the firefighter gear. Visibility was 0, I couldn't even see my hand right in front of my mask. Crazy!!
At the end of it all, I can't believe i got paid to have fun that day....I also have the utmost respect for firefighters. Putting on all that equipment in 40 degree heat, then running towards a fire when everyone is running away demands appreciation from all of us.
I can't wait until friday to see Chris and to start a week's holiday camping out in Vancouver....
I was in Boston last week and this week, I'm in Rome, Georgia for practical training. On monday, I did firefighter training!! Crazy isn't it!??? Pictures of me and others fighting a propane tree fire are below. After fighting the propane fire, they put us into a closed room with one sprinkler head and started a fire. Man, when that sprinkler head went off, it pushed 400 degree heat down towards the floor where we were and you could just feel the heat through the firefighter gear. Visibility was 0, I couldn't even see my hand right in front of my mask. Crazy!!
At the end of it all, I can't believe i got paid to have fun that day....I also have the utmost respect for firefighters. Putting on all that equipment in 40 degree heat, then running towards a fire when everyone is running away demands appreciation from all of us.
I can't wait until friday to see Chris and to start a week's holiday camping out in Vancouver....
Thursday, June 16, 2005
So I'll be in Vancouver again in August. Our camping trip in BC has been planned! We're going to hike the Juan de Fuca trail. It's a 48km four day hike along the west coast beach of Vancouver Island. It should be beautiful and I already can't wait!
I'll also be spending a few days in Vancouver! The best part about all this is that I'll be going straight to Vancouver from my business trip to Boston and Atlanta. That means I'll be away from home from August 8th until the end of the month! Woohoo! Another holiday to look forward to. Samurai Sushi here I come.....
Coming on the trip: Joe, Karyn, Rob, Christina, Cheryl, maybe Matthea???
I'll also be spending a few days in Vancouver! The best part about all this is that I'll be going straight to Vancouver from my business trip to Boston and Atlanta. That means I'll be away from home from August 8th until the end of the month! Woohoo! Another holiday to look forward to. Samurai Sushi here I come.....
Coming on the trip: Joe, Karyn, Rob, Christina, Cheryl, maybe Matthea???
Saturday, June 04, 2005
D70 vs. F80 (indirectly film vs digital comparison)
A few people have told me they're surprised I bought a digital camera and they wonder how good my D70 is and if it's worth it. This blog entry will be a comparison of my D70 Digital SLR and my F80 film camera. Many of you won't care, so don't bother reading, but if you're interested, here's a short comparison:
Benefits of F80
- In general, better quality pictures are possible with proper technique, film, etc.
- more reliable
- amazing bright and large view when looking in viewfinder
- able to use AA batteries with add-on vertical grip
- so easy to use, almost intuitive controls
- will never go out of date
- no menus to fiddle around with. Changing settings is quick, direct and easy.
- I love the sound of the shutter when you push the trigger. It sounds solid and professional
Drawbacks of the F80
- film is expensive in the long run compared to digital
- cannot meter with manual lenses
- not the colour 3D matrix meter that D70 uses, only 10 segment matrix meter (not a big deal)
- need filters to change look of pictures
- Flash sync is a slow 1/125 sec. Big drawback compared to the D70
Benefits of D70
- immediate viewing of pictures allows for correcting framing, exposure, etc.
- Uses Nikon's Colour Matrix meter. This is the most advanced metering system in the world, my camera can actually distinguish colours! It measures reds, yellows, green and blues to make them appear as they should
- 1.5X crop factor makes telephoto lenses longer (eg a 200mm lens becomes a 300mm lens for free!)
- ability to change appearance of pictures to simulate all sorts of filters, film types, etc.
- Best flash system in the world. Wireless flash capability when used with Nikon's newest flashes - Can sync to 1/500 of a second with Flash. This is a huge advantage over the F80 and over almost every other digital SLR out there, even the $5000 Nikon D2x
- I can hold 1,200 shots at basic quality or 179 shots in RAW mode on my 1Gb card. That's like 50 rolls of film!!
- unbelievable battery life. I think I can shoot like 2000 shots or some crazy number like that before the battery drains. Lithium Ion rules!
- most important settings are changeable without having to go into menus. (eg. iso, white balance, quality)
Drawbacks of the D70
- doesn't feel as good in my hands as my F80
- learning curve. White balance, colour mode, iso, quality, shutter, aperture...settings go on and on. If you don't understand photography, it'll take you a long time to learn to use the D70 to it's fullest potential
- 1.5X crop factor makes expensive wideangles, not wide (eg. breathtaking 18mm becomes boring 27mm)
- cannot meter with manual lenses
- will be out of date in a year
- post processing necessary to get best quality pics
- no vertical grip available from Nikon (3rd party is available but not an ideal solution)
- some settings are buried in menus. (eg. switch from continues autofocus to single is an option found only in the menus. Can't change it directly.)
- seems to be more susceptible to electronic problems sometimes (not mine, but i've read of some people having problems requiring repair)
- The shutter doesn't sound as refined as the F80
Conclusion
In the end, both cameras are great and they are intended for different uses. If you want to learn the intricacies of photography, go with the F80. it will force you to pay attention to composition and lighting. Digital makes us lazy because if a shot isn't what we want, just press delete and reshoot. If you want to shoot lots and lots of pictures but aren't happy with your dinky point and shoot digital, the D70 is great. I'll explain in a later post why it's so much better than point and shoot digitals.
In my opinion, the D70 is still the best low-end digital SLR on the market. The only other camera that is close is Canon's 20D which might even be better. However, the canon is also significantly more expensive than the D70.
For me, I use both the F80 and D70. For an important stationary scene, the D70 takes the initial shot, allowing me to see how it would look on film and then the F80 takes the money shot.
I like variety and tend to use both cameras a lot.
Benefits of F80
- In general, better quality pictures are possible with proper technique, film, etc.
- more reliable
- amazing bright and large view when looking in viewfinder
- able to use AA batteries with add-on vertical grip
- so easy to use, almost intuitive controls
- will never go out of date
- no menus to fiddle around with. Changing settings is quick, direct and easy.
- I love the sound of the shutter when you push the trigger. It sounds solid and professional
Drawbacks of the F80
- film is expensive in the long run compared to digital
- cannot meter with manual lenses
- not the colour 3D matrix meter that D70 uses, only 10 segment matrix meter (not a big deal)
- need filters to change look of pictures
- Flash sync is a slow 1/125 sec. Big drawback compared to the D70
Benefits of D70
- immediate viewing of pictures allows for correcting framing, exposure, etc.
- Uses Nikon's Colour Matrix meter. This is the most advanced metering system in the world, my camera can actually distinguish colours! It measures reds, yellows, green and blues to make them appear as they should
- 1.5X crop factor makes telephoto lenses longer (eg a 200mm lens becomes a 300mm lens for free!)
- ability to change appearance of pictures to simulate all sorts of filters, film types, etc.
- Best flash system in the world. Wireless flash capability when used with Nikon's newest flashes - Can sync to 1/500 of a second with Flash. This is a huge advantage over the F80 and over almost every other digital SLR out there, even the $5000 Nikon D2x
- I can hold 1,200 shots at basic quality or 179 shots in RAW mode on my 1Gb card. That's like 50 rolls of film!!
- unbelievable battery life. I think I can shoot like 2000 shots or some crazy number like that before the battery drains. Lithium Ion rules!
- most important settings are changeable without having to go into menus. (eg. iso, white balance, quality)
Drawbacks of the D70
- doesn't feel as good in my hands as my F80
- learning curve. White balance, colour mode, iso, quality, shutter, aperture...settings go on and on. If you don't understand photography, it'll take you a long time to learn to use the D70 to it's fullest potential
- 1.5X crop factor makes expensive wideangles, not wide (eg. breathtaking 18mm becomes boring 27mm)
- cannot meter with manual lenses
- will be out of date in a year
- post processing necessary to get best quality pics
- no vertical grip available from Nikon (3rd party is available but not an ideal solution)
- some settings are buried in menus. (eg. switch from continues autofocus to single is an option found only in the menus. Can't change it directly.)
- seems to be more susceptible to electronic problems sometimes (not mine, but i've read of some people having problems requiring repair)
- The shutter doesn't sound as refined as the F80
Conclusion
In the end, both cameras are great and they are intended for different uses. If you want to learn the intricacies of photography, go with the F80. it will force you to pay attention to composition and lighting. Digital makes us lazy because if a shot isn't what we want, just press delete and reshoot. If you want to shoot lots and lots of pictures but aren't happy with your dinky point and shoot digital, the D70 is great. I'll explain in a later post why it's so much better than point and shoot digitals.
In my opinion, the D70 is still the best low-end digital SLR on the market. The only other camera that is close is Canon's 20D which might even be better. However, the canon is also significantly more expensive than the D70.
For me, I use both the F80 and D70. For an important stationary scene, the D70 takes the initial shot, allowing me to see how it would look on film and then the F80 takes the money shot.
I like variety and tend to use both cameras a lot.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Women...
Christina's family bought a kitchen-aid yesterday and now they're baking up a storm in the kitchen as I'm typing this. Seriously, the whole house smells like sweet bread and cakes. If I liked sweets it would be heaven!
It's funny how Chris and her mom were so excited to get the montrous mixer. Seeing Chris' eyes light up as she assembled it made me realize how different us guys are. I got excited the same way the first time I picked up my Nikon D70! Women...I guess we are just wired differently, because i could never imagine getting excited about something that allows you to watch as it beats eggs at lightspeed.
Whoever invented the kitchen-aid is a genious. Not because it's a cool machine, but because he could fetch hundreds of dollars for it. Think about it, attach a motor to piece of clean bent steel and voila, you have a kitchen aid. I swear the first one was probably made from junkyard motors and metal....
Genious...Mr. Kitchen-aid is just rolling in his millions of dollars.
It's funny how Chris and her mom were so excited to get the montrous mixer. Seeing Chris' eyes light up as she assembled it made me realize how different us guys are. I got excited the same way the first time I picked up my Nikon D70! Women...I guess we are just wired differently, because i could never imagine getting excited about something that allows you to watch as it beats eggs at lightspeed.
Whoever invented the kitchen-aid is a genious. Not because it's a cool machine, but because he could fetch hundreds of dollars for it. Think about it, attach a motor to piece of clean bent steel and voila, you have a kitchen aid. I swear the first one was probably made from junkyard motors and metal....
Genious...Mr. Kitchen-aid is just rolling in his millions of dollars.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
I miss holiday...
It has been awhile since I posted those NY pics. Thank you to some of you for your kind comments about the pics. I must say, for every one good pic, there are tens of bad ones. Hopefully as I shoot more, that ratio gets better...
Some of you know, those pics were taken with a Nikon D70 DSLR. Yes, that's right, a digital SLR! I got it when I was down in Boston for training. So far, I'm extremely happy with the camera. It's fast, easy to use, gives me complete control and takes great pics. If any of you are ever going to spend $500 on a camera, forget the point and shoots and move up to Digital SLRs. I promise your picture quality will go up tenfold and so will your creativity with it! Man, Nikon should hire me to do their PR or marketing.
I'm revamping my photo equipment and i'm getting rid of one of my film bodies and a couple lenses to make room for the D70. If any of you are interested, I'm selling a Nikon F70 body, a manual-focus 135mm lens, a AF-d 28-105mm lens /w macro, a 18-70mm DX lens (came with the d70 but don't need it) and some filters. There's probably some other stuff too in my kit that i'm getting rid of...i'll put those up here later.
Anyhow, can you tell that I've been involved with photography lately? I can't seem to get enough, I love taking pics, reading about cameras and places to shoot!
Moving on, Vancouver was a great trip. I couldn't believe my eyes when I got off the plane. There are MOUNTAINS around the city. MOUNTAINS! We went kayaking/hiking only 30 min from Vancouver and I swear, it was just as nice, if not nicer than Lake Superior here in Ontario which is like 8 hours away!
I think I'd move to Vancouver if Chris wants to. My only concern is my job. We have an office out there but the nature of the work in BC is travel. I'd be flying out of town for 3-4 days a week. It's fine now but if I want to have any sort of family, it doesn't sound so appealing. Neither does hearing that living costs in vancouver are 10-15% higher than Toronto. Can you believe they charge for new houses PER FLOOR? I heard in some areas it's like $200,000/floor. Ridiculous. No mountain scenery is worth that money! I guess it's boring T.O. for the next while.
I'll be working from home all week. Actually I'm working from home right now as I'm typing this, hehe. There are some perks to this job. I better get back to report writing though.
I want to create a picture gallery instead of posting each pic individually here so if any of you can help me with making one, i'd really really appreciate it!
Some of you know, those pics were taken with a Nikon D70 DSLR. Yes, that's right, a digital SLR! I got it when I was down in Boston for training. So far, I'm extremely happy with the camera. It's fast, easy to use, gives me complete control and takes great pics. If any of you are ever going to spend $500 on a camera, forget the point and shoots and move up to Digital SLRs. I promise your picture quality will go up tenfold and so will your creativity with it! Man, Nikon should hire me to do their PR or marketing.
I'm revamping my photo equipment and i'm getting rid of one of my film bodies and a couple lenses to make room for the D70. If any of you are interested, I'm selling a Nikon F70 body, a manual-focus 135mm lens, a AF-d 28-105mm lens /w macro, a 18-70mm DX lens (came with the d70 but don't need it) and some filters. There's probably some other stuff too in my kit that i'm getting rid of...i'll put those up here later.
Anyhow, can you tell that I've been involved with photography lately? I can't seem to get enough, I love taking pics, reading about cameras and places to shoot!
Moving on, Vancouver was a great trip. I couldn't believe my eyes when I got off the plane. There are MOUNTAINS around the city. MOUNTAINS! We went kayaking/hiking only 30 min from Vancouver and I swear, it was just as nice, if not nicer than Lake Superior here in Ontario which is like 8 hours away!
I think I'd move to Vancouver if Chris wants to. My only concern is my job. We have an office out there but the nature of the work in BC is travel. I'd be flying out of town for 3-4 days a week. It's fine now but if I want to have any sort of family, it doesn't sound so appealing. Neither does hearing that living costs in vancouver are 10-15% higher than Toronto. Can you believe they charge for new houses PER FLOOR? I heard in some areas it's like $200,000/floor. Ridiculous. No mountain scenery is worth that money! I guess it's boring T.O. for the next while.
I'll be working from home all week. Actually I'm working from home right now as I'm typing this, hehe. There are some perks to this job. I better get back to report writing though.
I want to create a picture gallery instead of posting each pic individually here so if any of you can help me with making one, i'd really really appreciate it!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
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