I never read the instructions first. I'm not opposed to reading instructions first and if that's your thing- I think that's great. It's just not my thing.

I like to push all the buttons and see what happens and then later when I can't figure out how to work a certain feature, I'll refer to the instructions. I think I learn better hands-on.

So it was with little surprise, as soon as the battery was charged I shoved it into the camera and drove somewhere to take some photos.

I wasn't super pleased with any of them but then it was a new camera and I was losing day light all on top of I've haven't used a SLR in over twenty-two years and even back then I don't think I knew I was doing, with f stops and aperture settings and whatnots.

Is white balance important? Focal lengths?

I took to reading the manual later that day but the manual really wasn't made for reading and my usual m.o. is to go buy a book, so the next day I bought a book.

While I was thumbing through the book I thought that there was a lot to learn and then I thought about the features that my new camera is compatible of and thought that that was a lot to learn as well. Then I thought: that's a lot of learning, you'll spend over a thousand dollars on a camera that you really haven't a clue how to use and be willing to invest a bunch of time in learning how to use it but yet you won't make any effort to get better at some of the things you already know.

Then I told myself to bug off; the camera's not going back so I might as well use it.


My hobby is collecting hobbies.


I don't know why it's an issue but I try to avoid issues so I dropped by. I had missed her last two day shifts and she new I was still dropping by during the day so I felt I owed her a visit. While I was there she asked what I wanted from Vegas.

I grinned and looked to my right to the patron sitting there and told her that I would tell her later. "I'm not bringing you back any hoochies. Is there anything you collect?" I thought for a moment, for awhile it was mugs, a different moment it was baseball hats, bottle openers, pins, t-shirts, local currency; there was no one thing.

She told me that I was making it hard on her. I told her "I don't want anything. You should go to enjoy yourself." I've tried to bring back things for my friends from my travels and I've received things from my friends' travels and I appreciate the thought but at the end of the day when there is some trinket taking up room on your desk from a trip that you didn't take - I think it is a waste.

Buy a postcard while you're there and then hand it to me when you get back if you must get something.