Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The 8th annual Photoville will be held between September 12 till September 22d.
The first Sunday is September 15th. I prefer the 15th over the second Sunday the 22d.
Unless someone has a reason not to make it on the 15th, let's pencil in the 15th.
Lets "Meet-Up" at the Car-O-Sell like last year.
Cal
The first Sunday is September 15th. I prefer the 15th over the second Sunday the 22d.
Unless someone has a reason not to make it on the 15th, let's pencil in the 15th.
Lets "Meet-Up" at the Car-O-Sell like last year.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
September bump.
Sunday 15th of September for those lazy slackers who don't read the thread.
You and I know who you are.
Cal
Sunday 15th of September for those lazy slackers who don't read the thread.
You and I know who you are.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
"Divine intervention," I say. I found today's Wall Street Journal on the corner of 72d Street and York, a $4.00 value. It was laying in two sections on the sidewalk, and when I read a headine and saw that it was today's paper I picked it up. What does it all mean?
Yesterday's 2-10 year bond inversion is of great interest to me. An 800 point drop on the DOW is a new 2-month low. Economic history is in the making...
Are we heading towards zero interest rates again? Is it possible that we could have negative interest rates here in the U.S.? When will we ever experience hyper inflation from all this monetary policy? How much corporate, personal, mortgage, and government debt can we handle before we are bankrupt?
Meanwhile the music still is playing in this kid's game of musical chairs... When will the music stop? What happens when there is a stamp-peed for the exits.
A week from today is some event where I will be meeting a fashion designer that "Maggie" has a strong relationship with. Could be interesting.
I saw that original 1969 Woodstock t-shirts sell for $1188.00. I wonder how much my 25 year old Woodstock 2 t-shirt is worth considering only 650 were made.
It seems Jono Slack's review of the APO 50 Cron-SL mentions an increase in contrast in the focus zone that is due to the APO. Kinda adds a heightened sharpness to the rendering. Also a comment was made about how the APO 50 Cron-SL outperforms the APO 50 Cron-M.
I'll have to check the trade in value of my 50 Lux-SL. The APO 50 Cron-SL is almost 3/4's of a pound lighter. A 67mm filter instead of an 82mm filter on my 50 Lux-SL.
Cal
Yesterday's 2-10 year bond inversion is of great interest to me. An 800 point drop on the DOW is a new 2-month low. Economic history is in the making...
Are we heading towards zero interest rates again? Is it possible that we could have negative interest rates here in the U.S.? When will we ever experience hyper inflation from all this monetary policy? How much corporate, personal, mortgage, and government debt can we handle before we are bankrupt?
Meanwhile the music still is playing in this kid's game of musical chairs... When will the music stop? What happens when there is a stamp-peed for the exits.
A week from today is some event where I will be meeting a fashion designer that "Maggie" has a strong relationship with. Could be interesting.
I saw that original 1969 Woodstock t-shirts sell for $1188.00. I wonder how much my 25 year old Woodstock 2 t-shirt is worth considering only 650 were made.
It seems Jono Slack's review of the APO 50 Cron-SL mentions an increase in contrast in the focus zone that is due to the APO. Kinda adds a heightened sharpness to the rendering. Also a comment was made about how the APO 50 Cron-SL outperforms the APO 50 Cron-M.
I'll have to check the trade in value of my 50 Lux-SL. The APO 50 Cron-SL is almost 3/4's of a pound lighter. A 67mm filter instead of an 82mm filter on my 50 Lux-SL.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
New firmware for mt SL.
I also have GAS for the 35 Cron SL.
For the lazy slackers that can't read through this short thread, meet-up at noon at the Car-O-Sell on Sunday September 15th.
Cal
I also have GAS for the 35 Cron SL.
For the lazy slackers that can't read through this short thread, meet-up at noon at the Car-O-Sell on Sunday September 15th.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I'm a great salesman. So now it seems like Philly is going to be my retirement destination. My friend Ben mentioned a few neighborhoods to explore, and "Maggie's" response seemed cool to my reporting years ago.
I like Philly because it is not so far from NYC and that the cost of living is a lot lower than NYC, but for Maggie she originally thought it was not international enough and was to small a city for her.
So I played "real estate agent" and for the past few weekends we visited nice and not so nice parts of Brooklyn. The really desirable places in Brooklyn we are kinda priced out, but we did find some areas where we would want to live that we could afford either renting or buying into a co-op.
It was a rude awakening that it would be costly to live nice. Maggie was saddened by the wake-up call and the limitations. My spin is that I went a long for the ride, but like a good real estate agent I had heard of how they show several dives, so that when they finally show a nice apartment or home that the client gets uplifted and sees an opportunity.
I'm not so keen on a co-op because maintenance fees and management could become rather sour.
So in the past when I pitched the mucho benefits of Philly it seems I was disregarded, but because of Maggie's recent trip to Pittsburg she inquired why Pittsburg was rated so highly as a retirement destination.
Pretty much two reasons: retirement income is exempt from state taxes; and a low cost of living especially when compared to NYC. Pensions, Social Security, and even 401K's are not taxed.
So the Philly comes into her mind, and basically the two great reasons mentioned above that I tried to drill home unsucessfully is suddenly entertained by her.
I mention Fishtown a neighborhood that is artsy, and she falls in love with the affordability of some two bedroom row houses that have been updated that are historical priced at a fraction of the cost of NYC real estate. She digs in and sees the obvious when she sees that there are mucho cool nice places to live, even lofts if we want to spend some money, all of them affordable so we could buy.
In reserve I mention today an adjoining neighborhood that is a bit further along in redevelopment that is also artsy; Northern Liberties. Again thanks to Ben I'm aquainted with this hood.
So now I have an excited crazed woman... "Ha-ha," I say. Kinda funny how she had to discover on her own. Yet another reason of why men have shorter lifespans. Only took a time delay of about three years. LOL.
Cal
I like Philly because it is not so far from NYC and that the cost of living is a lot lower than NYC, but for Maggie she originally thought it was not international enough and was to small a city for her.
So I played "real estate agent" and for the past few weekends we visited nice and not so nice parts of Brooklyn. The really desirable places in Brooklyn we are kinda priced out, but we did find some areas where we would want to live that we could afford either renting or buying into a co-op.
It was a rude awakening that it would be costly to live nice. Maggie was saddened by the wake-up call and the limitations. My spin is that I went a long for the ride, but like a good real estate agent I had heard of how they show several dives, so that when they finally show a nice apartment or home that the client gets uplifted and sees an opportunity.
I'm not so keen on a co-op because maintenance fees and management could become rather sour.
So in the past when I pitched the mucho benefits of Philly it seems I was disregarded, but because of Maggie's recent trip to Pittsburg she inquired why Pittsburg was rated so highly as a retirement destination.
Pretty much two reasons: retirement income is exempt from state taxes; and a low cost of living especially when compared to NYC. Pensions, Social Security, and even 401K's are not taxed.
So the Philly comes into her mind, and basically the two great reasons mentioned above that I tried to drill home unsucessfully is suddenly entertained by her.
I mention Fishtown a neighborhood that is artsy, and she falls in love with the affordability of some two bedroom row houses that have been updated that are historical priced at a fraction of the cost of NYC real estate. She digs in and sees the obvious when she sees that there are mucho cool nice places to live, even lofts if we want to spend some money, all of them affordable so we could buy.
In reserve I mention today an adjoining neighborhood that is a bit further along in redevelopment that is also artsy; Northern Liberties. Again thanks to Ben I'm aquainted with this hood.
So now I have an excited crazed woman... "Ha-ha," I say. Kinda funny how she had to discover on her own. Yet another reason of why men have shorter lifespans. Only took a time delay of about three years. LOL.
Cal
MrFujicaman
Well-known
Cal, with the upgrades to NJ Transit's rail system, I think you can now take the PATCO train over to Camden NJ, and catch a train to Trenton and from Trenton to NYC.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
MFM,
NJT is one way to get there, but I find the "Megabus" is only about 90 minutes to 30th Street.
The key with the Megabus is to use a "reservation" to ensure you have a sat on the bus. That and being on time for early boarding is all the culture one is required to know.
Amtrack is mucho expensive, and you know me: I'm cheap.
NJT is also inexpensive, but a little longer.
One thing I'll avoid is the Chinese buses. I can say they are a bit crazy, and I can say this because it takes one to know one. In the past I have taken a Chinese bus to attend the big flower show in Philly. Not worth my life.
Crime is an issue in Philly, not the lowest crime rate, but then again I have always lived and moved around in the rougher areas of NYC. The only thing is that in Philly guns are rather popular.
Center City and there abouts though is pretty safe.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal,
The best way to get to NYC from Philly on public transit is by taking SEPTA from center city up to Trenton then NJ Transit up to NYC. Taking PATCO over to Camden thein taking the River Line up to Trenton is not cool at all. I had to do that one night maybe 10 years ago. I brought my bike up to NYC to ride around then missed the last SEPTA from Trenton back to Philly so I got on the River Line. I thought I was going to get mugged no less than three times during that 2+ hour trip. BoltBus and MegaBus are ok but I ride the bus enough and on top of that, I like being able to move away from whatever unsavory character may be sitting next to or near me. That said, I take SEPTA and NJ Transit. I get cheap but my comfort has value as well.
As for buying in Philly, I think the ship sailed a couple years ago because NYC and Washington DC are now priced out of range for most folks. Get this: Bethanne and I moved into this place in March of 2016. We're renting from a couple that I've known for years as I worked with one of them at Via Bicycle. Anyway, they have since gotten divorced and when the divorce was finalized, this house had to be assessed. That happened December 4, 2017. On December 5th, the value of the house doubled and so did the tax burden for our landlord, so she had to raise the rent a bit. This happened during a time when crime in this really crappy neighborhood has gone up, we've had numerous shootings, stabbings, there is heroin and crack all over, and this house is valued almost $200k. It's a 2br, 1 bath with an unfinished, crumbling basement, no insulation, and about 80sq feet of concrete backyard. For a quarter million, you get one more bedroom in the same hood. NoLibs is way more expensive. One of my classmates and her husband just bought a house north of there for $300k and it is a little bit bigger than ours with more yard and slightly less crime. I'm never going to buy in Philly because I feel like I will be buying high and staying just to stick around until I'm not upside down then selling to get out of Philly. We want to be out of the east coast anyway and simply won't be able to afford a $300k house with 100sq feet of yard, no garage, and a city economy that is stable but not growing at all.
The city council recently had the grand reassessment of every property in the city and everyone's property tax burdens have gone up but nothing has gotten better.
Regarding crime, Philly is certainly not "the lowest," in fact it is one of the highest in the country. 10 years ago we were one of the most dangerous cities in the western hemisphere, beating every other town in the US in both number of murders and murder rate. This is a weird blue city in a red state but still almost everyone in PA owns firearms. Back in 2007, the Philly PD, had a figure that 85% of the residents of this city owned firearms. Don't forget last week's 7 hour mass shooting and standoff just one block from one of the city's largest and main hospitals. (Don't get me started on hospitals either, after Hahnemann in center city closed.) I'm not a property speculator but a good friend of mine is a real estate agent dealing primarily in south Philly neighborhoods and he says not to buy here. There has been a weird inflation in the last 5 years where prices have gone way up, a lot of established businesses have gone under, and nothing has gotten better. It's seriously becoming the 6th borough of NYC without the good water, good pizza, good bagels or any photo support. Just one shop exists anymore for gear and two places have processing but I won't use either, because one shop, owned by a former coworker, screwed up a really easy printing job; and the other I used to work for and know their processing equipment quite well. I just do all my own development, now that Philly Photographics has closed.
We're getting through grad school then we're out. I love this town but not enough. NYC can have Philly.
Phil Forrest
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Thanks for all the insider smut.
I just contacted benefits about my Grumman pension. At 61 1/2 I'm not far away from full retirement age. I'm greatful to have good health and fitness. The numbers are looking good for me financially.
The "woman factor" kinda has me whipped. Fact is I don't see value so I want to go cheap. I'm aware of the gun situation if Philly. Crime is no joke.
What is really weird about retirement is that it is like being 18 years old again in high school where you kinda are yet to build a life, the world is out there, and somehow you have to make some mighty important decisions that if you screw up will effect the rest of your life.
I remember back then wondering, "What am I going to do over the next 4 decades or so?" and being rather bewildered just hoping I don't blow it. Here I go again. Hope I make the right decisions... and am lucky again...
Anyways your insights are very valuable and I appreciate the frankness. If not for the love of a woman I think there would be many other possibilities for me. I'm hamstrung because "Maggie" wants to be close to family and has to be a major urban area. Also Maggie suffers in heat and humidity, and of course I have issues with arctic cold.
Cal
Thanks for all the insider smut.
I just contacted benefits about my Grumman pension. At 61 1/2 I'm not far away from full retirement age. I'm greatful to have good health and fitness. The numbers are looking good for me financially.
The "woman factor" kinda has me whipped. Fact is I don't see value so I want to go cheap. I'm aware of the gun situation if Philly. Crime is no joke.
What is really weird about retirement is that it is like being 18 years old again in high school where you kinda are yet to build a life, the world is out there, and somehow you have to make some mighty important decisions that if you screw up will effect the rest of your life.
I remember back then wondering, "What am I going to do over the next 4 decades or so?" and being rather bewildered just hoping I don't blow it. Here I go again. Hope I make the right decisions... and am lucky again...
Anyways your insights are very valuable and I appreciate the frankness. If not for the love of a woman I think there would be many other possibilities for me. I'm hamstrung because "Maggie" wants to be close to family and has to be a major urban area. Also Maggie suffers in heat and humidity, and of course I have issues with arctic cold.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
We were in NYC Saturday into early Sunday and the humidity was incredible. Simply awful. It was hotter and more humid here in Philly and than in NYC on Saturday. We are in our fourth 90+ heat wave this summer with heat indexes over 100 degrees due to humidity. I hate humidity and Bethanne likes it even less. If you, as a couple, need a major metropolitan area, can't stand the heat and humidity but also can't deal with the cold, the only place in the US you can realistically live in with those restrictions, is on the west coast between San Diego and San Francisco. Philly Winters are just like NYC but the summers are much more humid and hot because we don't have the Hudson River nor a reliable weather pattern which brings cooler air down from the north.
We're actually thinking of moving to Newfoundland because this summer has been so awful. With global warming, you may not have to worry about winter anymore. In the last 5 years, the temperature here hasn't stayed below freezing for longer than a week during winter. Fall and spring seem to not even exist anymore here.
Phil Forrest
We're actually thinking of moving to Newfoundland because this summer has been so awful. With global warming, you may not have to worry about winter anymore. In the last 5 years, the temperature here hasn't stayed below freezing for longer than a week during winter. Fall and spring seem to not even exist anymore here.
Phil Forrest
ChipMcD
Well-known
Amen to what Phil wrote. I live near Philly. I went to college in Chapel Hill, NC in the mid-70s. It was HOT. Summers in this area now are about as hot, humid and long as those in central NC in the 70s. Phil is also right about there being no Fall or Spring here either.
Philly has a great airport for int'l travel now. It has great sports teams, lots of colonial history and, I think, a going arts scene.
It is dangerous; I feel much more at ease most places in Manhattan than in lots of areas in Philadelphia. If you are thinking of moving there, I'd recommend spending an extended period getting to know the city.
Chip
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Chip,
Thanks.
I have done some recon to discover the good, the bad and the ugly.
The problem is "woman factor." When I mentioned the reality that the 90 miles difference in being further south, the way air stalls over Philly, and how the humidity gets even worse than NYC, it pretty much gets unheard.
I also know that Camden just across the river is a very troubled place that is full of bad.
A while back I went to Philly with Philippe and Jean-Marc shooting, and we went to North West Philly where we were told to avoid. Kinda reminded me of Baltimore and scenes from the HBO series "The Wire."
Interesting to note the places where people have been killed and the memorials created with stuffed animals. I know if I want to increase my chances of being shot, Philly is a place to go. Seemed like every few blocks was a pile of stuffed animals where someone died in Northwest Philly.
I am Cantonese, and Hong Kong has tropical humidity like in Havana Cuba. I'm 5'9" and today 152 pounds, so basically although muscular I am also a "girlie-man" who has a body well suited for tropical humidity.
Phil above has gone on one of my "Death Marches" where we hiked deep into the industrial area that separates Brooklyn and Queens during a heat advisory. Understand that Phil and I have training as endurance athletes so we really know our bodies.
Meanwhile my gal is Irish, English and Dutch that has genes for a northern European climate. She does poorly in the heat. For me as long as I don't have to wear a suit or formal wear I'm comfortable sweating.
I know they predict that Toronto within a decade will have the climate of NYC. Climate change is so rapid that Maple trees are unlikely to procreate fast enough as temperature changes drastically change the enviornment. They predict that Maple trees likely could become extinct in Canada.
I love Montreal as a possibility, but there flooding will be a problem.
Currently I live in East Harlem. About 2 years ago a NYPD cop was killed not far from my apartment, a woman was mugged after being assalted with a brick as a weapon, quite a few rapes nearby... I know there are a lot of killings that are gang related that go unreported. I stumble into crime scenes, but I don't see them on the nightly news.
Today on my walk to work I saw a woman being arrested and cuffed by one of the projects. Also know that just down the block from where I live is a halfway house that use to be called the "Parole Transition Institute."
When I lived in Williamsburg it was on the Southside, and two decades ago basically you didn't see people outside during the day. At night Maggie would call me when she surfaced from the subway using her cell phone, and I would meet her on Bedford and Grand Avenue as her body guard to escort her home. Pretty much the Southside was a no-man's-land.
When I lived in Greenpoint, the first week we lived in our row house one of my neighbors was mugged right in front of our house. When I opened the door when someone was frantically knocking this woman barged in who was hysterical.
Later that summer the statistical one murder per year that happenes in Greenpoint happened two blocks away. A young man was stabbed in the temple with an ice pick.
The following year a drunk was beaten to death in McGolrick Park just down the block.
The point I'm trying to make is that living in high crime areas is not new to me, but I for one would rather not. Maggie is 65, but she is not considering the decades ahead, and she is not being realistic about the vulnerability to crime.
I also don't think she understands what it is like having a gun pointed at you and how suddenly life could end. I was unfortunate to have multiple guns pointed at me by the NYPD. Once I was profiled in a case of mistaken identity, and it would of been just another case of "Black Lives Matter" instead it would of been a skinny Asian Teenager in the early 70's.
The second time was during a robbery pre SWAT Teams when the NYPD used 6 shooters (revolvers). The cops entered from every door of a McDonalds where I was working as a cashier. I was lucky because the one of four bad guys, the one who was pistol whipping a manager because he wouldn't open the safe, did not have his pistol in hand when the cops came in.
The gun was on top of the cash sitting in a box he was carrying, and he was standing right behind me when the cops entered and yelled freeze.
Very likely I would of been "collateral damage" after the first shot fired otherwise. I would of been killed at the age of 17. In the event mentioned above of profiling and mistaken identity I was 15.
I'm with Phil. I sick of being around crime. It to me is smart to avoid danger if you can. Understand my gal has a PhD, but she is not so grounded in reality. She is stuck with living urban, and I'm kinda stuck with her.
Also in my work I have been documenting a disappearing NYC. Pretty much I have enough of a sense of home to take with me. I still prefer to live in the lower Hudson Valley and would rather love to live where the air was cleaner.
I still have hope that she will see not only the good, but also the bad and the ugly. Philly has a stagnant economy. About the only change I have seen over the years is that the vacant abandoned houses are now torn down by the city as their policy.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Despite having a girlfriend like Maggie, I measured my blood pressure last night. The lowest reading was 60/100 with a 50 BPM.
Diet/exercise/weight loss. I have all the right stuff to live past 100 if Maggie does not get me killed first.
Cal
Diet/exercise/weight loss. I have all the right stuff to live past 100 if Maggie does not get me killed first.
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal, have you considered living on the "mainland", downstate? Like in Beacon or Newburgh or even farther down maybe Purchase or even Nyack? Less crime, less expense, a few minutes to an hour on the rail.
Phil Forrest
Phil Forrest
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Plattskill has some of the best technical trails in the Northeast but I don't like the taxes in Westchester.
I think Lower Hudson Valley has fresh air and will endure with climate change. It is also blessed with great geography.
Beacon remains attractive. We also checked out nearby Cold Spring.
I happen to like Nyack.
Earlier this year I had another episode of "Don't Tell Maggie" where I used my 63 gear inch single speed and rode up to Lake Rockland on 9W. I did a dumb thing being too ambitious and didn't realize that my legs were turning dead, and the thought of calling an UBER for the ride home came to mind because every hill would be a struggle, but understand that I did not carry a cell phone, so the ride home was going to be all about pain.
It was a struggle to get south of Nyack, but I saw a dirt trail and inquired about where it headed. I would learn that it was an old railroad grade tha descended down to a town called Piermont. This trail saved me. Ha-ha.
I would even go as far as Hudson. It seems Maggie likes only the "Rivertowns."
Of course we would rent a while before any buying. I'm so tired of crime and pollution that I'm actually okay with leaving NYC. For me the romance of urban living is gone, but with Maggie the socialite and celeb she needs her audience and the attention.
For me retirement is about quality of life, but Maggie is not there yet. Meanwhile these urban pursuits exist. My hope is that a trip to the City of Hudson changes her mind. Cold Spring seemed to be too small a town for her, but Beacon just one stop further north on the train is still viable. I like how we are just a long train ride from NYC.
The train fare though is not cheap, although when retired or older than 65 the reduced fare is half and not so steep.
Our friend Christian makes a strong point about having services as we age, so I get going rural might be a shorter term of sorts. This is where Hudson might fit in, but Beacon has legs for the longer term because it is closer to the city.
I'm trying to refrain from owning a car, but now electric vehicles are coming out where owning one with enough range for trips from Beacon to NYC is practical. Cheap-Cheap-cheap...
Tomorrow night I will be attending an event. Pretty much I'm the trophy/accessory that hangs as a backdrop. I get the point that I'm no big deal and am not so special. Kinda crazy because Maggie is at a point where she has handlers and a supplied ontourage for support. Kinda funny how I caught Susan Sarandon at another event feeling snubbed because Maggie had out VIP'ed her.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
September is almost here, and since September is Fashion Month for me, it kinda takes over my life.
Granted there are some events that provide insider shooting opportunities, but somehow I will always feel like an outsider. This is not a place where I really fit in.
"Maggie" already is booked to be a model at some event for a brand that will be held in Nolita. BTW sometime in September "Maggie" will be billboarded in NYC and L.A. for this same brand. How cool is that for Fashion Month.
I am told that the GoDaddy commercial is still ongoing. Because I'm a CF I do not stream or pay for cable so I have not seen it broadcasted myself.
So call me shy, but I'm just trying to lay low. "I'm just trying to mind my own business," yet I get swept into an other universe where I feel like a refugee.
Maggie is unsure if she will make the trip to London for their Fashion Week. I could use the break.
Tonight is an event that involves an important designer. This designer BTW does men's street and sportswear. The performance artist in me wonders could this be somewhat an audition because this designer already uses Maggie a lot to promote his brand. Not much of a jump to also dress me to attend "Front Row Seating" with Maggie.
There is talk of marketing Maggie and me as a "Power Couple."
Cal
Granted there are some events that provide insider shooting opportunities, but somehow I will always feel like an outsider. This is not a place where I really fit in.
"Maggie" already is booked to be a model at some event for a brand that will be held in Nolita. BTW sometime in September "Maggie" will be billboarded in NYC and L.A. for this same brand. How cool is that for Fashion Month.
I am told that the GoDaddy commercial is still ongoing. Because I'm a CF I do not stream or pay for cable so I have not seen it broadcasted myself.
So call me shy, but I'm just trying to lay low. "I'm just trying to mind my own business," yet I get swept into an other universe where I feel like a refugee.
Maggie is unsure if she will make the trip to London for their Fashion Week. I could use the break.
Tonight is an event that involves an important designer. This designer BTW does men's street and sportswear. The performance artist in me wonders could this be somewhat an audition because this designer already uses Maggie a lot to promote his brand. Not much of a jump to also dress me to attend "Front Row Seating" with Maggie.
There is talk of marketing Maggie and me as a "Power Couple."
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I was walking home, "minding my own business" when about a block from my apartment in downtown SpaHa, when I found a Manfrotto light stand that cam with a brass lighting adapter.
I have to check to see how tall it is, but folded it is about 30 inches, and as I remember I believe it is a three sectioned version. Perhaps/maybe a 7 footer.
What does it all mean?
Cal
I have to check to see how tall it is, but folded it is about 30 inches, and as I remember I believe it is a three sectioned version. Perhaps/maybe a 7 footer.
What does it all mean?
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Been busy fixing a broken Cyclotron by myself while my boss is on vacation with technical support from Vancouver. I'm in the process of conditioning the machine after it lost vacuum. Very interesting using a "Data Highway, the Internet and talking with technical support in Vancouver three time zones away to fix a 3 1/2 million dollar machine that about twenty years old.
The Manfrotto light stand measured to be a ten footer and is without the adjustable leveling leg. Seems like an odd size because the current light stands at B&H measure 9 and 12 feet that are like mine.
Last year I got a luxury trip to Mad-Rid. Got picked up in a Mercedes Limo, slept in the Palace of the Dukes, and received an obscene VIP treatment.
Looks like I get to go on a "Plus-One" excursion with "Maggie" again, but this time it is some luxury river cruise that begins in Germany and ends in Switzerland. We are doing the shorter 8 day trip: the others offered are 15 days. Trip will be sometime in early December.
Thanks to MFM's advice I already own a Paul Smith tux that will likely get used again.
While I was writing this I just got spammed by Leica Rumors that a M10M is...
Cal
The Manfrotto light stand measured to be a ten footer and is without the adjustable leveling leg. Seems like an odd size because the current light stands at B&H measure 9 and 12 feet that are like mine.
Last year I got a luxury trip to Mad-Rid. Got picked up in a Mercedes Limo, slept in the Palace of the Dukes, and received an obscene VIP treatment.
Looks like I get to go on a "Plus-One" excursion with "Maggie" again, but this time it is some luxury river cruise that begins in Germany and ends in Switzerland. We are doing the shorter 8 day trip: the others offered are 15 days. Trip will be sometime in early December.
Thanks to MFM's advice I already own a Paul Smith tux that will likely get used again.
While I was writing this I just got spammed by Leica Rumors that a M10M is...
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Smut: It is rumored (we know that rumors tend to be true from past experience) that the new M10M will have a 41-42 MP sensor.
A step towards medium format for sure. Crazy resolution due to no Bayer filter array.
I hope this rumor is true.
Cal
A step towards medium format for sure. Crazy resolution due to no Bayer filter array.
I hope this rumor is true.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Everyday I walk past a "Rat-Pancake" because it is in the road just outside my "luxury" apartment building in downtown SpaHa (Spanish Harlem). LOL.
It seems I have to learn some European geography because December's "Plus-One" luxury cruise vacation starts in Ansterdam and follows the Rhine inland and somehow ends in Switzerland.
What makes this trip a luxury is that it is highly improbable that I would ever spend this kinda expense and do a trip like this if it were not because of opportunity. Kinda cool to visit several cities and there are layovers in various cities along the way.
Part of the package if we want is a guided tour of the Mercedes Benz plant. This is of interest to me because I have fond memories of having worked at Grumman for over 17 years which pretty much had a German culture.
I remember this manager call D-Trick who had a thick German accent. The smut I learned was that during WWII D-Trick was a U-Boat Captain. D-Trick was very particular and would specifically request me to fix and repair his electron beam welders that had vacuum chambers big enough to fit airplane wings.
He would call me "Carl" and when I corrected him and mentioned that my name was Cal and not Carl, he said, "I will call you Carl to make you German."
I just passed my 20th year of service at the hospital where I work. One thing I will say is once you pass 50 it seems like by the time you hit 60 you kinda figure out that a decade is not so long a time. I'm 61 and 3/4's so full retirement is a little more than 4 years away or less than 5 years. A 25 year pension is considerably larger than a 20 year pension in my case.
If I'm able to keep working til 66 pretty much I'll have a very rich retirement with many possibilities. I will have enough money to maintain my lifestyle into my 90's and past 100 where I think I will end up.
If things don't work in my favor I'd be alright perhaps into my mid 80's. Most recently I called my pension benefits and added up the numbers to see where I stand. I was unaware that a good portion (16 years) of my Grumman pension has a cost of living increase and that pretty much was more money than I originally thought.
Pretty much I hope plane "A" works out, and so far continuing to work is the most likely possibility. My boss, "Mister McGoo," is already at full retirement age, and his plan is to work two more years.
Cal
It seems I have to learn some European geography because December's "Plus-One" luxury cruise vacation starts in Ansterdam and follows the Rhine inland and somehow ends in Switzerland.
What makes this trip a luxury is that it is highly improbable that I would ever spend this kinda expense and do a trip like this if it were not because of opportunity. Kinda cool to visit several cities and there are layovers in various cities along the way.
Part of the package if we want is a guided tour of the Mercedes Benz plant. This is of interest to me because I have fond memories of having worked at Grumman for over 17 years which pretty much had a German culture.
I remember this manager call D-Trick who had a thick German accent. The smut I learned was that during WWII D-Trick was a U-Boat Captain. D-Trick was very particular and would specifically request me to fix and repair his electron beam welders that had vacuum chambers big enough to fit airplane wings.
He would call me "Carl" and when I corrected him and mentioned that my name was Cal and not Carl, he said, "I will call you Carl to make you German."
I just passed my 20th year of service at the hospital where I work. One thing I will say is once you pass 50 it seems like by the time you hit 60 you kinda figure out that a decade is not so long a time. I'm 61 and 3/4's so full retirement is a little more than 4 years away or less than 5 years. A 25 year pension is considerably larger than a 20 year pension in my case.
If I'm able to keep working til 66 pretty much I'll have a very rich retirement with many possibilities. I will have enough money to maintain my lifestyle into my 90's and past 100 where I think I will end up.
If things don't work in my favor I'd be alright perhaps into my mid 80's. Most recently I called my pension benefits and added up the numbers to see where I stand. I was unaware that a good portion (16 years) of my Grumman pension has a cost of living increase and that pretty much was more money than I originally thought.
Pretty much I hope plane "A" works out, and so far continuing to work is the most likely possibility. My boss, "Mister McGoo," is already at full retirement age, and his plan is to work two more years.
Cal