This and that, here and there

My new camera, let me show you it.

So, I bought myself a new camera.  It's a Nikon D80 and I am in love with it.   Our cute little point-and-shoot is still quite useful for carrying around in my purse and taking self-portraits in hotel mirrors, but my Nikon, it is my baby.  And now, just imagine!  Instead of seeing crappy pictures of my cats, now you'll be seeing crappy pictures of my cats in 3872x2593 pixels.  Like this!

Plus, the in-camera processing is pretty much The Shit.

Oh, yes.  I foresee many good times ahead.

Oh, crap.  I have to go to class tonight.

The impetus to finally up and buy this new camera, which I've been salivating over for months (ever since I realized that our cute little point-and-shoot did not have the ability to adjust f-stops manually) was that I'm taking another photography class.  It's noncredit and not a big deal at all, but it's already 100 times better than the last class because the teacher is not insane.  One week down, and so far that hasn't been a single picture of a stuffed pig dressed up in an Attila the Hun costume! 

Hey, guess what!  I went to Utah!

I got to try out my new camera in Utah this weekend.  I had a meeting in Salt Lake City on Friday, and I got to meet the fabulous Heidikins on Saturday.  I am on a roll with meeting up with bloggers lately!  Heidi took me on a whirlwind tour of the SLC area, and dudes.  It's pretty out there.   We went up to Snowbird (where my little brother worked for approximately one week earlier this year) and on the way down we saw a storm passing through the canyon below.   It was awesome and scary and beautiful.  We also saw a sphinx with the face of Joseph Smith and the famous Temple Square and topped it all off with lunch at Cafe Rio.  Now, I've carefully considered the statement I'm about to make, and I want you to know that I take food very seriously.  The burrito I had at Cafe Rio was the best I've ever had.  It was better than Chipotle.  As I said to Heidi while we were eating (at 11:30am, after we'd already made trips to both a Starbucks AND an Einstein Brother's Bagel shop earlier in the morning), the only thing that could have made that meal better is if I had been really, really hungry.  Is there anything better than eating something truly delicious when you're really, really hungry?  I think not. 

Boob tube

I think I'll need to dedicate an entire post to my thoughts on the return of TV, because my thoughts.  They are many.  But it's nice to actually have new shows to watch!  I sort of forgot what that was like.  Now I'm back to bemoaning the terrible decision to get the Tivo that only records one show at a time.  But still!  New stories to watch! Also: Wild card, bitches!  YEEEEHAW!

I don't know if I'm becoming even more cranky now that I'm nearing twenty-eight or if commercials are really stepping out on a limb nowadays, but there are three commercials on right now that not only annoy me, they offend me.   The first one might only be a regional commercial, and in that case you should feel very lucky if you don't live in the Baltimore metro area.  If you do, though, have you seen that Comcast commercial that's on EVERY FIVE SECONDS singing Get what you want!  Get what you need! while a series of attractive, hip-looking people (mostly women) jump on a trampoline in the background, whipping their head around like they're having the time of their lives at a rave?  Does it make you want to kill something, too?  Because I hate that commercial so much that I can't even fast forward and ignore it.  I have to watch it, every time, and every time I come to hate it that much more. 

The other two shit-list commercials are the two variations of the High Fructose Corn Syrup is Actually Quite Good For You Campaign. 

I think that these commercials are personally offensive to me because they are so well done.  If they were just filmed in someone's basement with a camcorder, they wouldn't be so goddamned convincing.  And the thing is, I consume my fair share of High Fructose Corn Syrup.  But at least I KNOW I'm making a Poor Food Choice when I do so, and I sort of feel bad about it for a second or two before enjoying that delicious cinnamon frosted Pop Tart!  Now I'm all kinds of confused.  I should go on a high fructose corn syrup boycott, just to protest this ridiculous campaign, I think to myself whenever they come on.   But how is that fair?  I don't WANT to give up cinnamon frosted Pop Tarts!  NOW I AM CONFUSED ABOUT POP TARTS, THAT'S WHAT THESE COMMERCIALS HAVE DONE TO ME.   I hope those bastards burn in hell, that's all I'm saying.

And on that note, I think I'll get back to work.

Or break something.  WILD CARD, BITCHES!

Comments

[abbersnail]

I am jealous of your camera. And I cannot stop laughing at the HFCS commercials. As someone who deliberately doesn't eat products containing HFCS, I just have to wonder one thing:

Are there REALLY enough of us out there that we're damaging the income of corn farmers? REALLY??? Because even in San Francisco, I'm something of a weirdo with this obsession.

[Lara]

Wow, you've been busy! You are SO RIGHT about the corn syrup commercials - I completely agree and can't believe I haven't thought to blog about it, too!

Also, I really hope you choose to break something instead of going back to work.

[nancypearlwannabe]

Oh, THANK GOD. I thought I was the only one who found those HFCS commercials completely disturbing. Why not try ads that say cigarettes are healthy for you, too?!

[Erin]

I hate those commercials! And the girl in the first one was Buffy's creepy demon roommate. Freaks me out every time.

[Sarah]

I hate the HFCS commercials too. HATE. I also hate all comcast commercials on principle simply because comcast is evil and provides the worst customer service EVER. That is all.

[heidikins]

Ditto on the corn syrup ads, and I hate hate HATE the Guilt at is tossed around in those suckers....gaaaaah, don't get me started. (Or perhaps DO get me sarted, I could rant about it for weeks of posts!)

I'm so so SOOOOO glad you came to visit, and I am excstatic that you love Cafe Rio. It really is one of my favorite things about Salt Lake. :o)

xox

[Mary]

Good choice with the D80! Your pictures are lovely! My first DSLR was a D70 and I loved it so. I have since upgraded to a D300 which I love even more. Nikon makes awesome cameras, I glad you picked one, I would've had to stop reading your blog if you bought a Canon.

[Cassie]

SWEET! HFCS is GOOD FOR ME. I am totally convinced by those commercials. My diet will now consist solely of artificial fruit juice and pop tarts (I love the cinnamon ones, too) so I can maximize my intake.

Speaking of commercials...I've never seen the Comcast one, so I have no opinion on it. But there is one for Safe Auto car insurance that portrays a group of high school kids playing "Rock Band" and singing the Safe Auto theme song. I really hate that one.

[Julie]

Did you break something???

[Isabel]

YOU WENT TO UTAH AND YOU DIDN'T STOP TO SEE MY MOM AND DAD?!

But yeah...you went to Utah? I guess I didn't realize that. Isn't Heidi just lovely as crap? What did you think of Temple Square? Are you ready for me to send the missionaries to visit you and Joel?

;-)

[alyndabear]

Loving the camera. So jealous!

[Celia]

If you're the wild card, who's the brains and the handsome one? Loved it! And yes, I want to kiss my DVR every day for letting me slide past those stupid commercials.