I ventured out to a couple parks this month to take some pictures that turned out a bit better than expected. First Kerry Park:

Hanging out in Kerry Park was lots of fun. I got there early and chatted with some other amateur photographers. One of them had a fancy lens and new Canon he had me look through, recommended a website, and exchanged flickr information. The other gave me some tips on my tripod technique (keep the neck part of the tripod as close to the body as possible to minimize vibrations). Both had Minnesota connections.

Second, Rizal Park:

Rizal Park didn’t have nearly as many people but was equally pretty. I’m still little frustrated by all the dust that’s sitting on the sensor of my camera, so I bought a ‘rocket blaster’ blower (seriously) to try to get rid of it. Hopefully that does the trick for the next time around.

Dear China,
This is a blog. Just curious if you’re blocking this.
Regards,
D

I’m sitting on a bus somewhere on the new jersey turnpike en route to D.C. listening to XX and watching the scenery. I’d forgotten how far the financial district buildings are from mid-town, but it’s a nice view from the bus heading out of manhattan in the afternoon.

I got to see a bunch of friends around xmas that I otherwise wouldn’t have. Mostly one on one, which was especially nice. No visits to the Amherst Brewing Co. this time, but I did make it back to the Moan & Dove several times, The Harp, the Cushman Cafe, and the italian place that used to be called Pinnochio’s. There’s a phenomenal pizza you can order in Amherst that I’d almost forgotten about. It’s made by Bruno’s and it’s their mexican pizza. Super spicy and delicious. For xmas we made an assortment of tasty food: gifte, cookies, bourbon cake, cherry torte, lamb w/ garlic, roasted carrots, beets, brussels sprouts and potatoes.