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I finally have my camera! (I know, the image above is a touch overexposed. But I made it!)

I tore open the box as soon as I got out of the post office yesterday and started taking a few test shots even though I didn't have a memory card in it. I shot some more after getting home from the Iron Skillet after putting the 512MB card I have into it. (That's where the picture above comes from.)

Today, I ran out during lunch to shoot an abandoned barn on Allegheny road north of Peterson in Libertyville, just a few minutes from where I work. I spend about fory minutes walking around, about, and through it, crouching at the side of a silo and lying down on my belly in the dandelions. I have about sixty from that set, including some that have really nifty depth of field tricks in them.

I realized, upon looking at them on a real monitor, that, while they look really good, they aren't quite as crystal clear as I would have expected them to be. I think the answer is that the lens I am using is universally reviewd as having mediocre optics at best. It's one that comes packaged with the EOS camera bodies and isn't that great. I may bring my camera over to the local photo shop and ask if I can show them pictures from my camera or even test-shoot a couple of pictures with a nice lens and see if it looks better.

I'm in a tech-frenzy of rearranging my desk tonight because, on top of finally having my camera, posicat gave me the dongle I needed to make the Nvidia Quadro NVS PCI I brought home from work talk to two monitors, and I finally have my third monitor working on my system, and can even connect a fourth if I can figure out where to put it. Thank you Posi!! I'm seriously considering building a wooden frame onto the back of my desk with a shelf above the 21" that Posi gave me so I can mount another monitor up there.

I'm also making room so I can put my TC-1100 tablet down on my desk and use it for picture editing once I get a copy of Photoshop that will work with the RAW format that the 20D produces. I'm so excited!!

I have non-geeky things to write about too, I promise. I'll try and do that soon!