Hostile Traveler

[Okay, I know I said I'd be doing something about North Korea in the last post, but I'm still getting my act together so it may be awhile longer.]

About a month ago I got it into my head that the reason that I was a poor photographer had nothing to do with me, but instead had to do with the inferior equipment I’ve been using. (Yes, I know I’m misguided - it’s all about blame assignment, folks.) While the Sony DSC-T1 I’ve been using for the past few years has served me well, I figured it was time to splurge for a proper digital SLR. So now instead of having something I can slip into my pocket when I travel around, I’m going to have the full-on badge that screams OMG I’M A TOURIST!!!

Warning: nerd pr0n ahead (But there’s cute dog photos afterwards, so feel free to skip by)

We’re finally at a point where digital SLRs have hit the sweet spot of sub-$1000 and quality that rivals a proper 35mm film camera. Or so I’m told…I’m a total noob when it comes to photography, though I’m trying to learn. It seems to involve some math, which makes me cry. But I digress…

The camera I picked up is a Canon EOS 450D, also known by it’s terrible American name - Canon Digital Rebel XSI. I’m not going to even attempt a proper review because I’m still trying to figure out what all the knobs do, but so far I’m really impressed. The photo quality is superb even with the stock lens and my lack of skill, and I’m not dealing with a lot of the noise that I had to deal with on the small cam. Less photoshop time is always a good thing.

Rather than drone on about the camera, let me just show you what it does. I took some semi-willing volunteers (aka my three Border Collies) into the backyard on an overcast day, and took some shots. After you click on the image, click the green arrow at the bottom to see the full 12MP (4272×2848) glory.

This is Rohan (Gaelic for Red-Haired or Red). He’s the youngest of the three, and perhaps the most photogenic. Also a little bit insane…but that’s kind of part of the deal with herding dogs.

Gromit (as in Wallace and Gromit) is the middle child of the bunch. Pretty but…well, not so bright.

Finally, Zydeco (named after a type of Cajun music), the eldest and top dog of the house. He’s scary smart…I’m trying to teach him how to post to the blog. Okay, maybe not quite…

Anyways, should be fun to take next time I go somewhere interesting. I have a 55-250mm lens on order so I’ll look like a hardcore tourist. Now I need to find a hat…

Wanna hear what I sound like? While drinking? You’re in luck. Or something. For awhile now, I’ve been doing a podcast with some friends called Everyday Drinkers, which is basically a small group of folks sitting around and talking shit about some sort of alcohol. We’re not experts, which becomes apparent about 4 seconds into each podcast, but we do try to provide a tiny bit of factual information among the fart jokes. At the very least, we have a good time, and if you can handle reading some of the stupid stuff I post here, you may be a likely candidate to enjoy the cast as well.  Our latest episode is about tequila, my personal drink of choice.  Feel free to check it out at the link above if you have some time to burn.

Here in New England, we only get a handful of really good days a year (the number is actually seven), and today was one of those days. So inspired was I by the weather that I blew the spiderwebs off my mountain bike, gave it a quick tune-up, and went for a ride.

There’s an old railroad near my house that was paved over for biking, equestrian, rollerblading, walking, lurching, sashaying - pretty much whatever use you want to give it, though streaking appears to be frowned upon. Damn Puritans….they really ought to make signs more clear - how was I supposed to know? But I digress. It’s called the Nashua River Rail Trail and runs about 11 miles between Ayer, MA and Nashua, NH.

Fall here is by far my favorite season. Pleasant days, crisp nights, and all of the trees call an end to summer with a show of color. I’m not sure if we’ve hit the most colorful part of the season yet or not, but it’s still quite nice. The rail trail runs along the (not so) mighty Nashua river through mostly wooded areas, and it’s a very nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I’ll have to do it again sometime…preferably before it gets frigid and all the leaves are gone.

After traveling quite a bit over the last few months, I’m home now for a few weeks before I head out to San Jose, CA yet again.  Well, that’s the plan at least…these things change.  One of the problems with being away from home so much is that it’s hard to stay on top of those things that make your life…well, a life.  While I try to balance things out, the constant interruptions make it difficult to establish any sort of routine.  For the most part, I’m used to it, but there are times where it gets to me.

I’m an engineer (and an all-around geek), so my left-brain tends to get a lot of activity while my right-brain stagnates.  To try to balance that out, I put some effort into doing those things that I enjoy that also happen to be music or art related.  I’ve been a guitarist for 20 years or so, and a drummer for slightly less, and escaping into the music for awhile is something that makes me very happy.  Well, that and hitting things with sticks is juts plain therapeutic.  I’m way (WAY) out of practice these days, but I’m trying to fix that.   With some luck, my callouses will come back soon and it won’t hurt quite so much.

About 4 years ago, I started taking classes in glassblowing, which is something that has always fascinated me.  Glass itself is such an interesting medium to work with, and it changes constantly as it cools.  It starts as something akin to thick honey on the end of a pipe, cools to something you can pull with tongs or cut with scissors, and finally becomes a solid that doesn’t move at all.  Artists make incredibly beautiful objects by playing with form, translucency, and optical properties…there’s really nothing else like it.

This past Sunday, I attended a workshop at a glass studio I had never been to before.  The theme of the workshop was pumpkins, which I suppose is appropriate given the time of year.  It’s been awhile since I’ve done anything with glass, so it took me a bit to get back into the swing of things.  Glassblowing is a very physical thing, mostly due to the massive amounts of heat.  It’s very very easy to burn yourself if you’re not paying attention, and simply standing too long in front of the 2000 degree furnace is enough to scorch you.  Most people walk out with something akin to a sunburn, and it takes some effort to stay hydrated enough.

At any rate, I spent about 6 hours in the shop along with some other students.  As with most projects, you make one out of clear class first to get the hang of the shape.

Once that goes successfully, you can start adding color, in the form of ground glass that you add onto the clear base.  This changes the consistency of the glass itself, and you have to compensate to deal with it.  My first one got too thin, so when I gathered glass over it again, it started to deflate and I had to force the form out with more air.  So, it’s a mutant.

Attempt number two went far better, though the color isn’t as consistent as I would have liked.

My last one was what I was looking for -  symmetric form, nice translucent color.  I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s hard to explain just how difficult this is…especially for someone with the coordination of a retarded chimpanzee like me.

And a group photo…

I’m hoping my schedule normalizes a bit more so I can get back into doing this regularly, but I guess we’ll see what happens.  All I know is my right-brain is content for the first time in awhile.