Sunshine and Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome

 

I woke up this morning to sunshine after a few dreary days. It does change and improve my attitude to see sun. This really is one of my issues with Chicago in the winter time - clouds. I can deal with cold better if there is sun to go along with it. I just looked up the stats. On average Chicago gets 189 days a year that are sunny or partly sunny. The numbers are the worst from October through April where Chicago sees sun less than 50% of the time and some months about 30%. Looking at Denver for comparison, it sees the sun 245 days a year. Their worst month is February but even then they have sun over 50% of the month. We are planning two months in Denver in 2016, I'll compare the sun and temperatures and snowfall and report back!

Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome is closely related to Guitar Acquisition Syndrome or Gear Acquisition Syndrome. According to Wikipedia:

Gear Acquisition Syndrome (sometimes Guitar Acquisition Syndrome, both abbreviated to GAS) is a term used to describe an urge to acquire and accumulate lots of gear. This term commonly associated with:

Guitarists (tend to acquire guitars, guitar amplifiers, pedals, effects processors)

Keyboard / synth players (tend to acquire keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, effects units, etc)

Drummers(various drums, percussion, drumsticks)

Audiophiles (amplifiers, headphones, speakers, etc)

Photographers (cameras and its parts - bodies, lens, mounts, filters, flash, etc.)

Bike accessories (racks, lights, fenders, etc.)

The term "GAS" was coined by Walter Becker in 1996 in his article G.A.S. in Guitar Player[1] as "Guitar Acquisition Syndrome". The term started to be frequently used by guitarists and spread out to other musicians who were familiar with similar tendencies. As it no longer concerns guitars only, GAS is now commonly backronym

GAS shouldn't be confused with collection.

I must be serially afflicted because I see in this definition my behavior as it relates to photography, biking, and ukuleles. I also realize I suffer from Information Acquisition Syndrome.

My basement is full of photo equipment dating back to about 1972 and I promise I will wade through it and only keep what I need. My bike has everything it needs, but I can always use new bike shorts or shoes and why not a mountain bike while I am at it? Ukuleles? I've got five and I think I am satisfied. Two sopranos, one koa from Ko'aloha and one plastic from Outdoor Ukulele. Two concerts, a travel Kala and one for home a beautiful Ohana. One tenor from Mainland Ukuleles with a big sound and a low G. Related is the kazoo and the keyboard and a few gadgets and lots of books!

I admit I have a problem. But, the next ukulele is always beautiful or sounds wonderful or.... I can justify all of them, except probably the first one I bought and the last one I bought. My only disappointment is the plastic one from Outdoor Ukulele with a buzzing C string that won't go away.

I suppose this syndrome applies to wine, and cookbooks, and travel, and power tools, and bourbon. I am in trouble.

 

A Short Trip To Davenport

This weekend we drove to Davenport on Saturday night to spend Sunday with the Knoxes. We had a very nice, relaxing visit with Katy, Kevin, and Brady. It is only about a 2 1/2 hour drive so it is easy to do for short visit. Why don't we do this more often? Brady is one of my favorite subjects.

 

Great In Low Light

My new Panasonic Lumix LX100 with a f1.7 lens is great in low light.

 

A New Tool

I got a new camera this week. A Panasonic LX100. Wow have they packed a lot of ability into a small package. I have spent a couple of days reading the manual, setting custom settings on the camera, and taking pictures. I want to have this camera nailed before I head for Sitges. This camera is not intended for the casual photographer, though you can set it for fully dumb automatic and hand it off to someone who will only need to point and shoot. This camera is very capable with features galore. I can easily set it for either full automatic, or aperture priority, or shutter priority, or fully manual. Many overrides are available and easy to access. It has a wonderful lens with f1.7 at the widest aperture. It should work great in low light. So far, two features have stood out - the electronic viewfinder and the level or alignment indicator. My last new high end digital camera, the Olympus Pen EP2 had these but they are much improved on the LX100. Five years of improvements in digital cameras is significant. Bottom line, top of the line lens, great features, great feel in the hands, well laid out, highly configurable, easy to carry.

 

The LX100 will replace the Olympus on this trip and take less room. With the Olympus. I carried three lenses and a flash and the EVF plus batteries and charger etc. The Panasonic has a built in 24mm to 75mm lens. I am giving up a lot on the long end, but I used my short telephoto primarily on the Olumpus. The flash is smaller on the Pana and the EVF is integrated. The battery charger takes less room because there is no cord. This means the Pana is more mobile - it will fit in my murse (barely.)

 

 

 

Writing

I watched a movie this past week that touched me in several scenes. (The Emporer, 2012 - Tommy Lee Jones) Near the end, General Fellers was reading letters written by Aya and saved by her uncle. What touched me was that these were letters, hand written on paper, that could be touched and felt and read and kept. When is the last time you wrote a letter? Received one? A long time for me. How about just writing on paper? These are skills we are losing. I write this on an iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard. I could even dictate it if I wanted and would not have to type. What are the chances of someone saving my writings and re-reading them after I am gone on whatever device they may me using? Photographs are facing a similar fate to letter wrting. We've gone digitl from beginning to end of the photographic process. I've got albums of photographs which include photos of my great grandpartents and other relatives. Some I cannot even identify but I can still hold them, touch them, enjoy them. Not so digital images. They end up in albums on my hard drive and on Google+ and Facebook but all in digital form - not something you can touch and feel.

 

China Photos Now on Picasa

While drinking green tea we bought in China I have gone through our photos and uploaded a large selection to Picasa. Take a look at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/102526380860843893580/2012China?authuser=0&feat=directlink

By the way, after sitting through what was effectively an infomercial at the green tea factory I now firmly believe that green tea can cure all ailments! It's the tea polyphenol you know. I'm drinking mine, and you can reuse the leaves five times. :)

And another note on China. Our best weather and clearest skies were in Beijing and we were very lucky to have that. And, as hot as it was there, the humidity was much lower than what we endured the rest of our trip.

Thank you China Highlights for putting together a great tour and to each of our guides and drivers for getting us here and there while helping us undertand what we were experiening and seeing.

The Week In Review

Insalata Caprese

Spaghetti Carbonara

This has been a busy, interesting, and as usual, wonderful week at Casa Jordan. Food wise our highlights were spaghetti carbonara early in the week shared with Lee who was being a bachelor. We also lamb chops and aubergine casserole on Tuesday and finished the week with another insalata caprese with tomatoes from our garden. Oh, I didn't mention boy's night at Lee's on Wednesday. A little Ouzo, some gyros and lots of conversation with friends. Lee always puts on a good boy's night.

I worried about China plans as I got everything in order so that I feel somewhat under control, Sharon's new camera arrived and I read the manual and took many photos to learn the camera. I've got cameras and memory cards, and batteries, and chargers all sorted and ready to go. I got and tested a travel WIFI router - plug it into wired Internet and out comes WIFI so our iPhones and iPad and Kindle Fire will be connected to the Internet at our hotels. Can't be without WIFI can we? I wonder how Internet access will work in China? Can we get to Picasa? Facebook? This blog? Our e-mail? We shall see. (Sunday July 22nd update - I signed us up with a VPN service for secure WIFI use in China. I might just continue with it when we get back.)

Sharon and I have planned our clothes and shoes for the trip - dressing very light for what will be quite warm weather. I am still anxious about the long flights to Beijing and back from Shanghai. Fourteen plus hours on a plane is an ordeal. I flew to Sidney from LA in 1991 but I don't really remember it except for my layover in LA and going through customs in Sidney. This time we will be in the lap of luxury since we are flying first class so I shouldn't be concerned. Plenty of food and drink and entertainment and lay flat seats for sleeping. From what I have read, we should plan on dinner on the plane one we are in the air and then nightie night for at least six or seven hours sleep. This would mean waking around 6:00 am Chicago time which I think is about noon Beijing time. Then we stay awake until our 11:30 pm Beijing arrival, get our bags, get through customs, ride to the hotel and check in, then sleep until our schedule starts the next morning. We have a full itinerary, but I don't know the specific times of our activities. The planner in me wants to know. NOW! On the other hand I really have no preconceptions of China. Yes, I have some pictures in my mind, but I really do not know what it will be like - except for a totally new experience. We will be seeing things we have never seen, eating things we have never eaten, hearing new sounds, meeting new people. All exciting!

Miata At The Arboretun

Arboretum

The weather moderated this week and it was pleasant to be out side. I spent several hours in the Morton Arboretum walking and photographing on Wednesday. It was warm in the sun especially in the prairie section, it was quite still in the woods, but all lovely. The pine trees on the West side of the Arboretum are not looking healthy. I wonder if our drought has something to do with this.

Colbyetta did housecleaning on Monday and Tuesday - the usual vacuuming and mopping and picking up. No dusting though. Shame on Colbyetta! Then there was the usual work on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I can't wait to get out of the humidor and back onto the sales floor.

Friday night I went to Bistro Monet and sat at the bar waiting for Sharon to come out of the kitchen. I was the only one in the bar until Steve and Marge came in for dessert, but they ate and ran. Sharon joined me and we had a bite and were gone. I had a wonderful salad of grilled tomatoes and spicy diced chicken and then mushroom caps and escargot in a rich garlic sauce. Two appetizers and I am done! Sharon had soup and frites. I brought over a bottle of Owen Roe Pinot Noir that was a Sam's closeout from almost three years ago, It was wonderful.

Tonight we had ensalata caprese and a whole snapper crusted with pesto. Mmmm. It was good, And then now I am blogging and relaxing. I hope to be able to do this daily while in China. We shall see. If I can't keep up or get the blog posted, I'll do it when I return. 

This week a crazy person with multiple guns killed and wounded many people in a theatre in Colorado. It is sickening and sad and will not change anything in this country where the NRA, likely backed by gun manufacturers and sellers convince the rest of this country that guns are good. They are not, and more guns do not make us safer. But, this will not change. The voices of reason have been silenced by the money of the NRA. Read Roger Ebert's thoughts on this. They echo mine. In this country we seem to be willing to live with gun violence. We should not, but we do.

Water Lilly In Our Pond

Shelby

 

Sharon Takes a Picture of Colby!

Shelby and L,C,

Mike

Lindsey

Jared At Binny's

Art from Madrid On Our Wall!

Sharon

Travel Photography - f8 and be there.

I often feel the need to find ways to improve my photography while knowing that the best thing I can do is just get out there and shoot. But just shooting is not enough for me. I want to read. I want to look at photographs. I want think about and ponder how I approach photography. I do enjoy looking at other's photography and reading other photographers. With that input I feel I can enhance my vision.

Photographing while traveling is difficult for me. I want to record what I am seeing, I want to record the people I am with, I want to record what we are doing. And, I feel I can do all that. The problem is that I want it to all look wonderful, with perfect composition, perfect lighting, perfect exposure, perfect point of view, and interesting shots. But somehow I feel I come up short. There is also the issue of being with people who are just looking and not photographing. Sharon is very good at dealing with me on this. She knows that sometimes I will just stop and look and then lift the camera to photograph something - and not just one shot from one view, but several from different points of view. Then after shooting during the day I pull the memory cards from the cameras and load the images onto the computer and critically look at what I have accomplished. There are times I am pleased. But, there are many more times when I wonder what was it I saw and what was I thinking? I find great joy in a image that is "right" and disappointment when I fail.

Today in my quest to practice, I shot a few things in downtown Glen Ellyn while waiting for a shop to open. I should be doing this every day, but I don't. You cannot get the shot if you don't have the camera. In the few shots of Glen Ellyn I had a few I liked and the rest were just O.K. "record" shots. I was feeling bad until I read this Suzanne Williams blog entry found on Steve's Digicams. It spoke to me and told me everything would be fine! Just relax and have fun with your photography.

If you know the basics of proper camera operation; how to hold the camera, how to focus, the basics of composition, the basics of lighting and exposure, you will be fine. Photograph what moves you and delights you.

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. - Ansel Adams

If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment. - Linda McCartney

Summer Fun

This week, Kendra sent an email with pictures of Avery and Anika. I had to share them in the blog because the are great photos of exceptionally beautiful and talented kids!

For those of you who may not know, Avery and Anika are my grand children. Avery is 11 and Anika is 8. They live in Redmond, Oregon which is in central Oregon a few miles north of Bend and within sight of the Cascade Mountains.

Posted with Blogsy

Today I have been moving photos from and old computer to a new one. I've been looking at what I have shot in the past and found that I used be pretty good with flowers. Maybe I should do more.

I stayed home from work today because of upper respiratory issues. It seems that cold can get me going with coughing and wheezing and I cannot catch my breath. Asthma like symptoms and I have never had asthma. I went to see Dr. Ha today and he has ordered an inhaler, a pulmonary function test, and an x-ray. We shall see what is going on. Sharon thinks this may be bleomycin related. Perhaps.