It’s a good thing I got all those photos back because, boy, look at those gems you would have missed.
It’s a good thing I got all those photos back because, boy, look at those gems you would have missed.
A new trailer for the Internet’s favorite movie. EVAR. So what if it hasn’t been released yet?
As a nice surprise, Nikon sent back my D70 yesterday. The blinky green light of death is gone, and the CCD has been cleaned. So, considering the pristine condition the camera was in when I bought it secondhand, I consider myself to have a brand new camera.
I’ve shot point and shoot for so long now that it feels good to go back to adjusting filmspeed, aperture and shutterspeed. Of course, the camera can do a lot of that for me, but at least I can manipulate those variables on this camera. My Canon AE-1 was not so forgiving and I had many a roll developed that was not viable. Of course, the beauty of shooting digital is that I can change ISO from shot to shot.
Thank the maker for EXIF data. So beats writing down the focal length, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO in a spiral notebook so long ago.
So now, my photographic education begins anew. I’ve already ordered a 50mm prime, since I wanted something closer to what the human eye sees for composition. Thankfully, I was able to find one just over a hundred dollars which is a relief to me, considering the going rate for any accessories for this “hobby.”
Nice rain we’re having, yes?
Watched Spamalot last night at the National Theatre.
Theater.
Whatever.
I had a fantastic time, it makes the transition over to musical format well intact. The humor is, well it’s Monty Python, so there’s a lot of repetition—but I like Monty Python. To try and describe some of the best scenes would obviously be spoiler material, not to mention futile, since a lot of it was cunning linguistics and timing.
It’s quite a bit naughty, and while it’s different from the movie, it does contain the good “bits.” The Lady of the Lake is now a principal character and the actress that played her last night was fantastic. Some of the newer jokes are over the top, I felt like scanning the playbill for Mel Brooks several times during the show.
The fourth wall did not survive intact.
One of the interesting things I saw that night was grown men, in suits, banging coconuts together and cantering about while their families looked embarrassed. Coconuts were ten dollars.
The other interesting thing? Cans of SPAM masquerading as theater memorabilia. SPAM was eight dollars.
Rockland’s doesn’t have much table space. Actually, they only have one large table, a huge slab of slightly curved wood with some stools around it. On the table is a large bowl of peanuts, a just as large ashcan for shells, and a small wooden pedestal with half a dozen bottles of different hot sauce. Their labels contain words like “Scotch Bonnet,” and “Habanero.” These words promise warm sensations and a little bit of pain for the adventurous. The total scoville units ensconced in little bottles on the hot sauce wall number in the millions.
If you face Wisconsin Avenue, you can watch the lunch crowd roll in just after noon but you would miss the smokey wonder of the kitchen. The grill is wood fueled, and the cooks will stoke the fire every now and again through the doors. Once the orders start piling up, the grill starts piling up, and the scent and smoke of barbecue fills the entire restaurant.
Yesterday was sunny, and the light from the skylight lit the smoke from the kitchen just wonderfully. I’ll have to come back with a camera.
Oh, and the food is great. The sandwiches are full portions and the ribs are fantastic.
Rocklands’s is conveniently located near JP’s and Good Guys, two bars of local repute. If that’s not your flavor, then it’s also conveniently located by Max’s Best Ice Cream, an ice cream parlor of local repute. The Mexican Vanilla comes highly recommended.
That’s the ice cream.