I’ve been thinking…

So, I’ve been absent for a stretch. It would be just wonderful if I were able to report back with captivating tales of adventure and exploration – but I’ve no reports at all. I can’t even relate the agony of an Internet outage – there was none. I’ve just been in thought… and feeling quiet.

I don’t have too many interesting thoughts to share in this post, I’m basically writing to stave off the “wellness checks” and pass along a few tidbits about what I’ve been doing so that I’ll have some sort of record.

29-Jan-2009: I got two female dumbo rats for pets. Now, technically, this apartment building has a “no pet” policy, but I figured caged animals ought to be excluded. So I spent a ridiculous amount of money on a cage and supplies – and have been trying to get used to Ruby and Kali ever since. I may post pictures sometime in the future.

?-Feb-2009: I finally made the decision to switch my major to Philosophy. Economics and I simply do not agree. It is a shame really, because I only had a few more classes to take for the major… but I’m only doing this undergrad thing once – so I may as well not waste time pursuing something I detest.

Also in February, I took advantage of a 25% off promotion and bought a camera from Japan – the Canon SX1. I’m going to get rid of my old Nikon DSLR to help pay for the new camera… with warm weather and a new camera on the way I may soon start posting some pictures of Chicago.

So, those are the highlights. If you’re still awake and reading this… you may be as bored as I am. Exams approach, which means my last bought with ECON looms. I’ll be reading, until next time.

3 Replies to “I’ve been thinking…”

  1. Just curious, why did you switch to the Canon? Which Nikon did you have? I just bought a Pentax K20 before Christmas. I was considering a change to Nikon or Canon system but I already had 3 Pentax lenses for my two film bodies. The older lenses don’t auto focus and the focal length is1.5x a digital lens so that was a consideration. The thing that really made the K-20 deal was the price. Adorama cameras had a 48 hour sale and dropped the price to $699 for the camera and lens, none of it gray market. I figured even if I wanted to get out of that system I could recoup most of that. My first digital was an Olympus C-5050 which has quite a few good features and still takes great pics. I really love the flexibility of digital although I tend to be less disciplined because of the camera’s automated features and PhotoShop. I must also admit that I don’t miss the chemical odors from doing my own B&W prints.

    Interesting choice rats, I’m partial to cats, the outdoor variety, and fish. I haven’t had an aquarium in quite a few years. When my 50 gallon tank became infected and I broke it down to clean it, I decided that I’d just get rid of my three tanks for a while. Somehow I’ve just been too involved with other things to get back to it. My outdoor cat died in 2007 at 18 years old. I now have an itinerant that belongs to one of the neighbors. I fed her after coming home the Wednesday after Katrina. She and the house had made it through the storm and the 8-10 feet of water that covered our neighborhood. She visits for attention and the occasional snack. It seems to suit us both quite well.

    I had one philosophy course that I took post grad and really enjoyed it. I think that it’ll be a good fit for you now, even if it’s on the way to something else.

  2. Martin:

    You’re still around… glad to see it!

    About the cameras… I am ditching my old Nikon D100 in favor of the Canon SX1 mainly because the latter has a 1080p video mode. I’ve really been wanting to get a HD camcorder for some family documentary projects I have planned. The fact that the SX1 offers that is a big plus. I also considered the Nikon D90, but it only offers 720p video. That said, I love to travel light – and carrying around a few lenses, a hefty DSLR, and a video camera just wasn’t ideal for me. So, for now, I’m condensing it all into one device – although I am keeping a few Nikon lenses for down the road when I have more time to devote to DSLR photography.

    Cats… I like cats too, but the apartment building’s “no pet” policy kinda nixed that idea for me. On top of that, rats only live about 2.5 years – which is good for me at this stage of the game. Fish? What kind did you have… salt water or fresh water?

    Philosophy… I hope so.

  3. It’s been a while. Life got busy. I can appreciate the traveling light approach though it’s something I’ve always had a problem with. I’m usually carrying much more than I need whatever the occasion. I had to force myself a while back to leave my camera at home for my sister’s wedding. I wanted to be her family and not a photographer, a matter of perspective.
    My fish have been many and varied. Like most my first was a gold fish in a traditional fish bowl. I quickly learned about environmental pollution and its connection to living.
    Later I started a small 10 gal. community tank with Guppies, Platys, and Swordtails and over time more of the usual community fish, Neons, Zebras, assorted catfish and algae eaters.
    One day looking in one of the local ditches I spotted some small minnows among the mosquito fish. They were unusual in that they flashed iridescent blue and some orange.
    I got a net and brought some home to the tank. They turned out to be Sailfin Mollies. I’d had some of the black variety but these were unusual not only in the beautiful color but the body shape was different as well. I thought they had an antique look about them, that strange elegant old look of burnished bronze. From that time on I usually had some in my tanks. When I went to the larger 29 gallon tanks tried larger fish. I really liked the Oscars. The Sailfin Mollies were the beginning of my interest in native fish. My aquariums were soon populated with small Perch, Sun Fish, Bluegills, and small Bass caught with a cast net in the bayou. The Perch were more tolerant of each other but the Bass wanted the entire tank to himself. They all eventually went back to the bayou where they could continue to grow. I’d replace them with younger versions. At one time I ended up with quite a few tiny, about an inch long, crawfish. I’d feed them to the Bluegill, and the Bass. I ended up with a fair amount of water on the floor from them striking almost as soon as the crawfish hit the water. It was really interesting to be able to watch that happen. As interesting was the change in the fish’s demeanor post strike. Their color would change, get darker. They would change their attitude in the tank being what could only be described as aggressive. When I got the bigger tanks the 50 and later 75, I went back for a period to the more traditional community. But I could not resist the lure of the local fish. The 75 ended up being my last tank and I populated it with a Channel Cat and a Spotted Gar. The Catfish I named Uncle Earl as he reminded me of former governor Earl Long. The Spotted Gar was tagged Fast Eddie in honor of the now imprisoned Edwin Edwards. I had them for more than a year when suddenly they both died. The only thing I could attribute it to was the feeder fish I’d brought in from the local pet store. I never ventured into salt water tanks, cost too much for my budget. I have a good friend who did that on a grand scale. He had two large 300 gallon tanks in his living room and several 100 and 75 gallon tanks throughout the house. It was an expensive hobby but the tanks were beautiful.

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