Bernanke gave us $1,200 (Economic Stimulus Act of 2008) so that we bought Canon EOS 40D + Sigma 30mm F1.4 and we *loved* 'em. At the beginning of our research Rebel XSi (which called "EOS digital Kiss X2" in Japan) looks like enough for us which is a new cost effective entry-level dSLR camera. But I was thinking that buying a bit more expensive camera will make us more motivated. If we don't use it, we lose money. negative thinking though. Moreover, friends are using 40D. Those were good enough to decide what to buy. deal. Specially I liked its high speed shooting capability.

For the lens. Actually, I'm a big fun of shots on a photoblog "dacafe". In those portraits, the subject is isolated from the background amazingly. He, a blog owner, posted a page about what he recommends (you might notice affiliate links on it :).  According to it, points to take such a photo are low F-number and single focus. I didn't know what those means at that time. But using the recommended lens and try to copy his way could be a good start to be a SLR owner.

More photos are available on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sekimura/

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My parents' 40th wedding anniversary is coming up and I have NO idea what to get them. They're driving up to Michigan with my Grandma that weekend, so they can visit her sister and the rest of my mom's family. I was thinking about just giving them money for gas and whatever but that's not really thoughtful. I honestly can't think of anything they actually need and if I ask them what they want, I won't get any kind of useful response. I was thinking about gift cards for restaurants, maybe.

What the hell do you get people who've been married for 40 years?

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赤坂サカスにて

CA3A0158.JPG

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Scotch was sorting the vinyl this weekend and came across a killer compilation that I bought a while back. We put it on, and this sweet gem got lodged in my head, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I dare you to listen to this and not be feelin' a whole lot better than before!

01 - Bam Bam

Byron Lee And The Dragonaires

I'm pretty sure it's a Toots and the Maytals song, though, and the mp3 is just mislabeled. It could have been covered by Byron Lee, as he is awesome, although most of The Dragonaires stuff is sort of new wave synth ska. Thinking about Byron Lee, though, reminded me of this song:

Jamaica Ska

Byron Lee

And this awesome cover by Fishbone, with Annette Funicello on lead vocals, as performed in the CLASSIC film, Back to the Beach:

Jamaica Ska

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216_TravelCubaCar1

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One month from today, I'll be in the most beautiful location of the most beautiful place, eye to eye with the most beautiful girl. We'll vow (in two languages even) to stand by each others' sides for the rest of our lives, which is pretty fucking awesome. Some people are freaked out by such a commitment, but I've never been more sure of anything in my life. As cliche as it sounds, Miss Scotch is truly my best friend and my favorite person to be with. I miss her when we're apart, and every time I see her or hear her voice I'm like a puppy dog whose owner just came home from work. Marrying her is like signing up for free massages, on rollercoasters, with chocolate fondue between each ride, for the rest of my life. I'm ON FUCKING BOARD.

Stick by Me

John Holt

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15-12-12-10-(14)

The jump from Week 2 to Week 3 was bigger than I prepared for, and my confidence was pretty low after completing Day 1 last week. That, combined with overdoing it at practice with Plyometrics and a 4 day weekend got me off my push-ups schedule. So, I'm calling last week a dud and starting again this week at Week 3 again. It was difficult not to just blow the whole thing off after feeling bad about getting off schedule, and I was tempted to go back to Week 2 but for now I'm going ahead and putting trust in to the program. Anyone move to Week 4?

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P1020158

Last Wednesday Stef called with an offer that I couldn't refuse, purchase a ticket to Vegas and everything else would be covered for the 4th of July weekend.  Her manager was flying there with a high roller friend and apparently two hotels were covering all of their expenses.  Crazy!  They put the two of us in a suite one floor below the penthouse at the Palazzo, the new Venetian towers, with a fantastic view of the strip.  We treated ourselves to lots of pool time, the spa and several decadent meals.  It was fabulous.

I've known Stef for a few years now but this was the first time that we've done a solo thing together. I feel kind of special that she thought of me for the trip.  It was a great time and we got along so well.  We're more alike than we first realized and I know this is the beginning of a close friendship.  Here are highs and lows from the weekend:

• Our suite came with three flat screen TVs including one in the bathroom, remote controlled curtains and a walk-in closet
• The lounge chairs directly in the pool were awesome. Who needs a cabana when you can sit in the water all day?
• Ran into a friend's bachelor party and got to hang out with friends that I haven't seen in years
  
• A very drunk girl fell into a friend’s birthday cake and then wiped her hands on my dress
• Went to Jet at Treasure Island as a favor to Stef's manager and discovered it was the "5’4 and under" club
• Pulled an all-nighter on Saturday to fly out at 7:30am on Sunday.  I felt a little crazy at the airport but well that's how Vegas is done I suppose
  
• My feet still hurt from dancing in heels all weekend. Heh.
  

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He doesn't put the drill out, not surprisingly.

What's next for me

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Do you live in or around Cincinnati, Ohio? If so, you're in luck because Scott and the Queen City Voxers Group have organized a Vox user meetup!

Ault Park Map

If you do attend the meetup, have a great time and please take lots of pictures and send them to me so I can post them in Team Vox for everyone to see!

Thank you so much to Scott for organizing this meetup. Wish I could be there!

~daisy

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