necessary photographic equipment

We're up in Edmonton this weekend picking up the new family car. So far, we love it! It's got a sunroof, an aux jack for my iPod so I'm no longer using the cassette converter and a ton of oomph. (Remember cassettes? Two wheels and a ton of magnetic ribbon which made skipping ahead a song very difficult. After I turned 16, I spent more time in Stuart's car listening to a tape winding than actual music.) Uncle Bob and Aunt Joan are also in town this weekend and have bought us a crib so we almost have everything we need for the new member of the family. With six weeks to go, we've got some new baby clothes, blankets, a rocking chair, stroller, crib, car, house and visa documents for Ying's mom. With all this new stuff, I'll be hard at work over the next long while to make sure there's enough money to pay for it all. We still have two grandmothers who are doing a good job spoiling the baby before it arrives so we're well taken care of.

I brought my camera to Edmonton and found a little time to do some photography. I'm still hoping to get a picture of a bird washing itself in the bath in the backyard but I got some photos of the next best thing. Some chickadees kept landing on trunk of this old tree in the backyard. They were continually landing just out of my view so I was wondering what they were up to. I was able to circle around and it seems they've built a nest inside the trunk. I've got a few photos of them flying in and out. I'll try for some more later when the Sun is in a more favourable position; assuming they're still at it later. As I'm taking my pictures, I'm realizing some equipment I should have handy next time: a baseball cap and a stool. While using my 300 mm reflex lens, I was also using my tripod since the focusing is so tricky. The Sun was above and behind the nest which is very close to the ground. So, I'm squatting in the backyard, squinting through my viewfinder and trying to get some good shots. I haven't squatted that much since playing catcher in baseball when I was 16 or 17. I'm also trying to shield my eyes with my hand so I can see something out of the viewfinder because the backlighting is quite bad. A little shade for my eyes and something low to sit on would have been very helpful. I'll post the results once I'm home and can get the photos off my camera.

=> We're home now and I've posted a photo of the chickadee. It was using my 300 mm reflex lens and did I mention the focusing is tricky? I botched most of the shots on the focusing and should have taken control of the ISO so that my exposure was shorter. You can see that I was shooting into the Sun and you can notice a bright spot in the upper right.

bikes versus buses

It's official, riding the bus sucks. I took a slightly different route today to cut the climbs off my ride and it worked pretty well. I actually got home faster that I got to work even though home is 100 m higher in elevation. I only saved 14 m in total climbing but the route was a little shorter and the wind was behind me on the way home. Still, as I was leaving work, my normal bus was just leaving my stop. As I was turning in for home, possibly the same bus was just ahead of me again. If it was on schedule, it was the same bus. This is the "express" bus.

Due to traffic, the bus to work takes longer than the one home. Normally, I have a five or ten minute wait for my bus to come. On Monday, I left work just after my last express bus was scheduled. I waited five minutes for the 301 which has limited stops and is supposed to be fast. I transferred buses and had to wait 15 minutes for the 46. Then, I had to sit in the 46 for 15 minutes waiting for it to start since it must have been ahead of schedule. A minute after I sat down, the 146 came and went; it's another option to get home if I take the 301. I would have taken it had I known the 46 was first in but not going to leave for so long. On Tuesday, I waited 20 minutes for a bus which comes every six to ten minutes.

I hope the weather stays nice so I can ride more. Cycling is faster, healthier, more convenient and more fun. I need the exercise 'cause losing weight hasn't been going well. Halfway through our work challenge and I've only dropped eight pounds. I'll be much happier when I drop 20 more and my goal for cycling means dropping 30 more. I now weigh myself everyday when I arrive at work. If I'm down a bit, I'm encouraged to keep it up. Up a little and I know I need to do better.

Fighting traffic, literally

Here's the summary of my commute home from MotionBased.com. If you're using that service, let me know and I'll deprivatize a few of my commutes so you can view them. I'm getting 30 km a day going to work and back and I hope that'll help if I decide to race this summer. I'm thinking about doing time trials and then cyclocross in the Autumn. Maybe I'll do a few criteriums too. Three posts ago I have a picture of my elevation profile for the ride home. The one day I rode my mountain bike, I posted a time of 40 minutes getting to work and 50 minutes getting home. Obviously, a road bike with slicks is much better on the road. I'm actually using my cyclocross bike at the moment but I've shaved 5 minutes going to work and 12 minutes coming home. I was a bit surprised that the difference in time to work and back on my 'cross bike was only three minutes because the difference in elevation is 100 m between work and home. It appears to be because on 4th St. there are some long, gradual climbs on my ride to work. They're barely climbs but while I'm going to work, there are long sections that I'm averaging 20-25 km/h but I come back home at about 40-45 km/h. I'm obviously not a climber so the two big climbs near my home really slow me down. I'm still carrying over 10 kg more that I would like. It seems odd that, for racing, I spent quite a bit of money for a nice, light, stiff bike yet I'm carrying a pile of extra weight on my body. For you skiers out there, it's like the difference between the Birkie and the Birkie Lite but I've got two packs on. Oh well, compared to two months ago, at least I've almost gotten rid of the third pack I was carrying.

Let them eat cake

Just a photo for this post. Sonja invited Ying and me to her daughter's first birthday. Sonja's nephew, Logan, took a cue from Sidney and tried to grab a little cake before he was cut his own piece. He was quickly stopped from helping himself and had to wait like the rest of us. I rather like this picture I got of Logan wondering if the next piece of cake will be his.

Welcome to this world

I'm happy to report that Alex and Bobbi welcomed Felix Robert Julian on Tuesday. This one gets special mention because I happened to call Alex on Wednesday and caught him at home during a brief break from the hospital and I got a demonstration of how much the birth of your first child can really take out of you. Here's a snippet of our conversation, to the best of my memory.

Alex: Felix was born last night at 11:37.
Darcy: let me get this all officially entered into my calendar. So, 27 Feb at 11:37.
Alex: No, 28 Feb.
Darcy: today is 28 Feb and you said last night.
Alex: it was last night. Isn't today Wednesday, 29 Feb.
Darcy: it is Wednesday but it's the 28. Plus, this year isn't a leap year so tomorrow is 1 March.
Alex: are you sure?

Alex was never the best at keeping track of dates and times and I can understand that childbirth is a stressful event so his disorientation can be forgiven. It was also kind of amusing for me; especially the 29 Feb part.

26 down, 14 to go

With just 98 days left (± 2 weeks), things are still changing rapidly for Ying and I. We're settling into our new house and making it a home. We still have lots of shopping to do to prepare for the baby. And shopping for others since Alex's due to be a dad tomorrow or so and I've accepted an invite to a first birthday party. Ying regrets not getting her driver's licence as soon as she got to Canada because we're a little further from everything out here. Still, things could be worse.

Things might start getting worse soon if the Brick doesn't get their act together. Despite my hating the Brick, which isn't completely related to Mike Comrie and the Edmonton Oilers, I found myself purchasing a washer and dryer there. In retrospect, I should have gone to Leon's since the Brick only had that deal on in order to match a Leon's price. I almost walked out except we had the least pushy Brick salesman I've ever met; he only tried to sell me the extended warranty three times! They must have sold quite a few washers and dryers since they wouldn't be able to deliver for a while. That while expired yesterday so I'll be calling tomorrow to see where my washer and dryer are. I need them soon 'cause I'm running low on clean clothes. Don't worry, I'm not down to the inside-out/back-to-front thing with my underwear just yet. My closet is brimming a bit more than usual since Mark's has been putting lots of stuff on clearance which Ying has been buying up for me.

The weather has improved enough for me to get in one bike ride to work. In Calgary's continuing infinite wisdom, it was decided that bike routes should wind through neighbourhoods and climb as many hills as possible. Streets with bike routes are also obviously different from other streets since they have the little bike route sign posted intermittently along them. No marked bike lanes, not even a wider shoulder is to be had in my whole 14 km commute downtown. I also live in the void of bike paths as there are few between here and downtown and the ones which do exist around here are short, useless and go nowhere. I'm sure the little bike route signs will prove effective in keeping me from being struck down by some large SUV as I fight traffic. I notice that all motorists are keenly aware of the signs posted beside the road. The car pool lane down Centre St is normally 60% - 70% filled with lonely people, idling their car in traffic while they drive just themselves downtown. Oh well, I should be in shape soon enough that it'll be faster for me to ride my bike than take the bus.

Moved

It's done! Ying and I have successfully moved from our little condo into a much larger home. We're very happy in our new place and we invite all our friends to come visit us sometime. We'll have enough room when the baby arrives to put up a few relatives who'll be in town to help out.

The move into the new house went great. We invited a lot of people to come help and many of them turned out. I rented a big truck and everything was jammed inside in under an hour. The drive took 20 minutes and then everything was out in no time flat. Our movers were paid in beer, chilli and sugar and they all seemed to have had a good enough time.

Today I rode the proletariat chariot into work for the first time. It was actually pretty good. To and from work, I was one of the first people on and off. It was nice to get a seat for the 35 minutes journey. It looks like I'll be riding all week since we're supposed to get some snow for the rest of the week. It's also a little darker than I like while biking. The sun comes up earlier everyday so I don't think it will be long before I'm cycling in. Good thing too. I'm currently sitting in third in the weight loss challenge. I think I'll spend April and May going over Nose Hill so I get 300 m of climbing everyday.