Digital Dilemma

I'm going travelling - finally! - in August and I know I don't want to lug my old SLR film camera around. Time to go digital. I've resisted digital so far because I found the lag when taking photos too frustrating and the cost of a DSLR just too much for my meager means.
After much research I've narrowed down the contenders, any advice would be much appreciated.

1. Leica X1 Digital Compact Camera 12.1 MP

It's so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes - I kid you not.  You know the way some people get all dewy eyed about new born babies?  That's the way I am about well designed things - the perfect marriage of form and function.  (Feel free to think I'm a total nutter).  

I can find no fault with the camera - the price on the other hand... 

$1995.00

2.  Vivitar Digital Camera 8.1MP

I like the styling, but it only has 8MP and from reading the reviews, it's not a bad camera but neither is it that great.  It will suffer from the digital lag I so dislike, but it's a price I can afford - 

$120.00.

3.  Don't buy anything, just use the 3MP camera on my iPhone

It's lightweight, I'll be carrying it anyway, and requires no additional financial outlay.  However, at only 3MPs the photos won't be particularly great quality and as an SLR user I'm used to good quality prints, and prints than can be enlarged beyond the standard postcard size.

$0.00

So, whadda ya think?

Wisdom from the bottom of a wine glass

Why I'm not an alcoholic:

I'm not an alcoholic - and not likely to become one - because drinking alone makes me sad. Well, actually drinking makes me want to be around people and be sociable; drinking alone makes me sad because (obviously) I'm not around people.

Who knows, if it weren't for that I might a raging alcoholic. That, and the hangovers :P

Finally Opened My Esty Store!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade lilythomson.etsy.com

Feed the Homeless Cats

Feed cats in shelters by answering a multi choice question. That's it! A girl from Oregon has put together a website and got donors who will donate kibble for each person who answers the daily question - even if you get it wrong. It's easy and you might just learn something while you're at it! Currently you'll only be feeding cats in Oregon, but as more kibble is donated they'll be able to expand.

I Love My Local Baristas

An odd statement for a self-proclaimed coffee snob, who has all but given up on American coffee, but the folks at my local coffee shop rock. They know what I order (chai, not coffee) - at the beginning I tried to mix it up, not be too predictable, but I like what I like - they'll see me come in, give me a quick look that asks, "The usual?", sometimes they'll have it ready before even I get to the counter. A couple of weeks ago one of the staff called another store to see if they had any croissants left after the last one had been sold out from under my nose while I was waiting in line.
I use a prepaid card to buy my morning chai & croissant, which gets me out of even having to think of tipping, but recently I've been thinking about the tipping thing. As a foreigner who grew up without tipping being commonplace - only if someone REALLY went the extra mile for you, after all what they are doing is their job, its what they get paid to do - I don't particularly like the tipping system. Plus it's another thing that gets added on to what you pay, so the price on a menu is not the price you actually pay. First there is the tip and then the sneaky tax which they add on.
Today however, I reached into my wallet and stuck $10 in the jar. How could I not? They had my order waiting for me when I reached the counter (and as someone who is perpetually 5-10 minutes late for work I really appreciate this), but in the confusion as the staff served a homeless guy who wanted butter and sour cream without having bought a bagel (although he did buy a coffee) they forgot that they hadn't charged me. When I reminded them I got a smile and a shrug, "Ah well, its on the house then".

lily in Lime Laundry

lily, telling it how it is, care of photographer Evan.

Learn the bloody language or get another job!

Oh yeah, I just went there!

It might not be PC, but seriously though, why would you work a "service" job when you can't speak to your customers or understand them when they ask a simple question?! Why would you buy a convenience store and staff it with your entire family, who also don't speak the same language as the customers!

I tried to ask the same simple question in 6 different ways, I spoke slowly & clearly, I tried hand gestures (not the ones I wanted to use by the time I left the store though), and using simple words, but nothing. So frustrating!

Emerald Necklace Photos

Only 3 or so months after they were taken. Not that bad for me really.


Detail from a courthouse facade.


One of the many ponds along the Emerald Necklace.


The only baby squirrel I think I've ever seen.


Detail from a plaque on a bridge built during the depression.

Nice Arse Shot

Thanks Evan!

A cheat post

To read about my walk of the Emerald Necklace in Boston check out Evan's photo post :)

Click on this.

Why I love the British

Well actually, just one of the reasons - humor, and, most importantly, the sense thereof. Yes, they have that wonderful thing commonly known as a sense of humor. Now I'm not saying I always appreciate the humor (Mr Bean for example), but I do appreciate that they use it.

I've been watching a couple of shows on BBC America over the last couple of days, and I’ve noticed that at the beginning of each they talk about closed captioning and how to turn it on. Watching tonight I saw one that tickled my fancy, particularly as I've been living not just in America, but in Boston for a wee bit now.

"The following program contains accents you would have heard a lot more of if you hadn't thrown our tea into Boston Harbor. To find out what on earth anyone is talking about please use closed captioning."

Apparently the BBC reached out to John Oliver, a correspondent on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," to help those poor sods over here that can't understand the Queen's English.

*Tee hee* :)

Fruitiness

Well, according to all the purveyors of doom and gloom, after this weekend Summer will be gone and Autumn upon us. Now I don't believe this for a second. In my opinion it's still Summer until it stops being typically warm and, well, summery and Labor Weekend has not a thing to do with this.

It is at this time of year that nostalgic New Englanders (ie all of them) begin to wax lyrical about their favorite time of year, "Fall". They speak of such things as the innocent joys of apple picking - and here I must pause momentarily for a rant.

For those of you in the rest of the world, people in New England actually pay orchards to let them pick the apples... Yes, I do mean that instead of the orchards paying workers to pick the apples, otherwise sane and savvy people pay the orchards for the "pleasure" of being manual laborers. It makes no sense!

OK, rant complete (on that topic at least). So with fruit on my mind I bring you my list of most nostalgia inducing, most missed, and just plain yummiest fruit from home. In no particular order...

1. Feijoas
2. Cape Gooseberries

3. Passionfruit
4. Rhubarb

5. Tamarillos
6. Hmm, did I say Feijoas already :)

Mmmm, fruit...

Lisa Ormsby - New Zealand Artist

My parents and I share a love for art and often have similar tastes, only they can actually afford to purchase it.

When I was back in New Zealand in March (1st time in 5 and a 1/2 years!!) I saw and loved two of their paintings from this artist.

I looked online recently to see what I could find on her and discovered she has a website and found this painting (which I am coveting - and could even contemplate affording).

New York, New York

Well, it has been more than a week since I last posted (see Getting my arse into gear) , but I do have a good excuse: I just got back after 7 days in the Big Apple.

Highlights to follow...

Stolen, and then stolen again...

Taken from Refreshing Content who in turn took it from Ads of the World .

The difference between Marketing, Advertising, PR, and Branding.



Hmmm, I wonder, is this a "You know you're a geek when..." you find this kind of a cool representation moment?

Although, the Branding one more represents the results of successful branding, rather than the process.

And I think I just answered the geek question there too : )