Point -and- Shoot
The discovery that I could get film developed and put on CD at my local Target for $3 has lead me to start carrying my Olympic Stylus Epic again.
So far I've run a roll of Ilford XP2 through, a 12-frame roll of Fuji Superia (?) 200 I found in my desk drawer (which turned out to have two exposures on it already), and a 36-frame roll of professional Kodak Ultra Color 400.
Having a pocket-sized camera that can produce a shallow depth of field has been one of the benefits of using the Stylus Epic. I love digital and I love what it has done for my photography but I really get annoyed sometimes at the inability to throw the background out of focus with a digital point and shoot. This camera, with it's fast f/2.8 max aperture lens and projection onto a full size 35mm piece of film has allowed me to do just that. With the aperture wide open, the subject (which has, for the most part, been Nate) seems to just pop right off the page or screen.
Weather, Easter, and other musings
Our friends Aaron and Serena had their second child (a daughter) almost two weeks ago. They came down for a brief visit for our St. Patrick's Day party on the 15th (when she was only 3 days old?!). Hopefully they're all doing well.
Last Friday we had about 12 inches of snow in Crystal Lake. I had taken the day off and was able to enjoy not having to dig my car out of the train station parking lot. I pulled Nate around on the sled on Saturday.
Our street was not plowed until the storm was almost over (and, as it figures, right after I finished clearing the driveway) so I was concerned that all that heavy wet slop was going to snap the pole in half. Thankfully, new mailbox survived the pummeling and the wood did not break.
Easter was spent in Des Plaines with 
helloheather's family. The sun did not disappear as predicted and Nate and I spent some time burning off energy outside and soaking our shoes in melting snow.
one for sorrow, two for joy
I've written previously about musician Jeffrey Foucault but I think it's worth repeating. You need to check out his work.
http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/music.html
I was driving out on County N
With my high-beam headlights on
In the late night FM no man’s land
Looking for a Tom Petty song
The Perseids were falling
In that hothouse August night
I saw two come down together
And I thought it looked about rightOne for sorrow two for joy they say
I’ve had my fill of sorrow anyway
(One for sorrow two for joy I know
I’ve been one for sorrow for too long)
The MP3 is here: http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/AcousticCafe_OneForSorrow.mp3
The return of the shantytown
The BBC has a short report on one of the effects of the mortgage crisis: where do families go when they lose their homes?
If you're in southern California you might move to a shantytown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnnOOo6tRs8
A news article here:
http://www.pe.com/localnews/sanbernardino/stories/PE_News_Local_D_tentcity28.2915a96.html
Wordpress 2.5 preview
I've been rather happy with Wordpress as a tool for blogging. Since leaving LiveJournal, I've only found myself missing two features: Friends-Only posts and Voice Posts.
Voice Posts are a novelty item, I admit it, but the lack of friends-only posts has resulting in me simply not posting. Anything I would normally want for friends-only ends up being shelved and stored away.
Now, Wordpress 2.5 does not provide these features by any means, but it is a substantial update (or at least appears to be) to the tools I use to actually create posts. I'm looking forward to trying it out. Perhaps it will reinvigorate me to begin posting more regularly.
Warm Day Revelry
Sunday's unexpectedly warm temps moved us outside for some fun.
Nate seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit.