From Katie:
Election results could not even break that block?
Bah humbug. I am so tired of having no political voice. I feel very political, and can’t do a damn thing about it. Grr….

Still want to know house progress and how the short commute for Sam is working out for you guys.
Um.. House progress…yes – well, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?

Alas, this is the Sam and Jeanette story, and our little-house-that-could apparently couldn’t – or hasn’t or didn’t. It sits on its lot – not a change made (other than the fact that we’ve killed what I suspect was a lovely peach tree in the middle of the backyard) since we bought the place.

The project is apparently jinxed, and every time we think we see light at the end of the tunnel (or heck, even an empty but functioning light socket inside the tunnel) something else happens that leads us right back to where we started. This has been partially bad luck, partially bad choices and a whole lot of good, old fashioned flakiness, procrastination, disorganization and poor planning.

You want to hear the best part? Sam pushed hard to move directly from our old house into this one. I pushed back even harder. I thought we were going to start work right away, I didn’t want the hassle of moving into a house only to move out a month or two later, I was worried it would be difficult for the girls, etc, etc. Well – turns out Sam was right (ooooohhhhh, you’ve no idea how much I hate it that I have to say that) and that my decision cost our family more wasted money in rent than I can think about without feeling like throwing up. Yes, I’m feeling incredibly guilty; I try not to dwell on it.

Consider yourself warned – if you are ever house hunting and you see a little gem of a house and you imagine how perfect it would be if only you… (fill in the blank with appropriate project, addition, improvement, etc) – take my advice and just. walk. away.

From Nino:
1. Still using the 50mm exclusively? (I am)
Yes, it is. I sometimes feel the limitations of it (shooting my brother’s wedding was a little tough) but I love the lens. I’ve got a bad copy and need to send it in for a second time, but aside from that I just love that lens. My wish list includes a Tamron 28-75 2.8 (although I’d love the Canon 24-70L it is even more expensive) but that will have to wait.

Meanwhile, all the other lenses I bought are gathering dust. Any MWACs out there in need of a 50mm 2.5 Macro, a 75-300 zoom or a good old kit lens? I’ve got some to sell:)

2. Can you give a brief tutorial on f-stops, aperture in different light conditions? (My neighbor has given me some tips but I figure since you use a Canon, you might have some camera specific ones.
Hmmm…now that’s a big question. Are you looking for general information on how ISO/Aperture/Shutter speed work together? The mechanism is the same no matter what sort of camera you use, and I would recommend Bryan Peterson’s book “Understanding Exposure” as a good starting point. As I’ve mentioned before – the forums at ILP are where I’ve learned just about everything. Search the archives and you’ll find threads on everything you could possibly want to know and more. If you tell me more specifically what you are looking for I’ll be glad to try and answer.

Are you shooting in auto now? Manual? If in auto, try moving into either Av Mode (where you control the f-stop and your camera chooses the shutter speed) or Tv Mode (where you choose the shutter speed and your camera chooses the appropriate f-stop). Don’t be afraid to shoot in Manual - the great thing about digital is that all that trial and error is free!

For myself, I try to stick to shutter speeds above 1/200th (I’ve got shaky hands) and f-stops above 3.5 – using the lowest ISO that will allow me to meet those minimums given the lighting conditions.
Anyway, before I ramble on telling you things you already know – ask me some specific questions and I’ll do my best to answer them!

From Mani
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Sheesh – ask a simple question, why don’t you?

Well - I had a pretty damn happy childhood. I’m lucky. Way lucky. I like my family, even my extended family, we’re crazy close, we’re a little odd, we’re loud and obnoxious and we love each other more than you could know. We ate supper together every night, my friends loved to come to my house. We always laughed a lot. My mother was born to be a mother, and she always put playing with us and having fun above having things perfect. Sure, we fought and I went through normal adolescent angst and made everyone miserable – but my memories are overwhelmingly positive.

That being said, I have a crappy memory, so my specific memories (especially of my early childhood) are few and fuzzy. I honestly cannot pick out any one event as happiest, but anything to do with my summers in Cheverie (my own personal heaven on earth for those who have not heard me wax poetic about this little pocket of land by the sea) stand out as just about as good as it gets.

I can only hope my own children have as many good memories when they look back at their childhood as I do when I look back on mine.