Back in the saddle again...

I've taken an extended break from posting an entry in October.  A lot was done.  Home renovation.  Moving. Work, work, work.  After all of that, there wasn't much time or topics to get into.  Today I have some time, so I'll recount all things exciting to No Quarter in the last couple weeks.

I've been steadily working on my home.  The bathroom was in dire need of fixing, so we ripped everything down to the studs and built it back up.  Some of the wall needed fixing do to water damage.  Pipes needed to be replaced, as they were as old as the house (~55 years).  The window wasn't very functional.  There wasn't any insulation.  The list goes on.  Hopefully by this weekend the tile will be finished.  The walls are primed.  I'll be painting sometime soon.  The rest of the inside could use a fresh coat, which we'll get to in the next couple weeks.

Moving has been a chore as always.  I don't have much "stuff," but its never easy to pack up your life, move it, then try to unpack it into someone else's house where they have it set up how they like.  I'm not complaining, I just don't like disorder.  Some people who know me may laugh at that last comment, because it may seem on outward appearance that I'm messy, but I have a very specific organization technique.  My desk is always a disaster, but I know where everything is and what is a priority.  Hopefully the chaos will end shortly and I can be back to normal in that respect.

My 9-to-5 has been busy as usual.  I'm trying to wrap up everything before I move to a different position in the new year.  I hate loose ends, but things pop up every day, which have made it take longer than I like. 

I recently wrapped up the newborn job which I discussed here.  I put the photos on flickr and got a huge response.  Either the mom has a ton of friends or people love babies.  I'm sure its a mix of the two, but I'm thankful for all the positive comments that I got from them.  Here's my favorite of the bunch:

As I was editting it, I realized that it was very similar to one of me from 30 years ago.  I think I had thinner hair though.

Tech news: I upgraded to Windows 7, which runs much smoother than Vista on my desktop.  So far, I've noticed start up and home networking are quick and without and problems I had before.  The interface has some subtle additions that add to the experience.  My next big software update will be in the spring sometime when CS5 comes out.  There's a couple videos on youtube that show off some of the upcoming features that are going to make editting easier.

Gear news: Canon announced the 1DIV.  The features list makes my 1DII look like a 3 pound paperweight.  16 megapixel, 1080P HD video, up to 102400 ISO, 10 fps, and a new autofocus system.  Sexy!  As you might have read from me before, the image quality of my camera is great, but the resolution is dated.  Maybe some day.  No Quarter didn't make much of a profit this year after some needed purchases, but hopefully with some new prospects, I can buy a new body of some kind in 2010.  Due to budget constraits, this will probably be a 5DII or 7D instead.  But one can dream.

Now that Wisconsin winter is rapidly approaching, I'm trying to think of some indoor personal projects to work on.  I've asked a couple people and one that I'd really like to do is a picture inspired by Sin City.  If you never saw the movie or read the graphic novels, its a crime/detective pulp fiction storyline.  The art work, in both the novels and movie, has a noir influence.  Often the only colors used are black and white, with red, yellow, and blue used to draw attention to a certain element.  Personally, I love black/white/red, so I'm going to start with that.  If you have an idea or are interested, leave a comment and tell me what you think.  Only 6 more months till nice trips to Target in a tank top.