Erin's Blog

Link/Tip of the day:

There is a nice online exhibit about Einstein at the American Museum of Natural History.

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More boring stuff about my life....

Things have been going well. I continue to work and sleep, mostly, with some cleaning thrown in here and there.

I have been saving up to replace many of the things that were stolen when I was evicted back in July. I have now replaced the Sony Wega 27" with a Sony Wega 27". The difference was I got this one for about 1/5th the price I paid for my original one. CraigsList Is your Friend(tm).

Once I had the TV, I had incentive to setup my surround sound system again. Wow, I really missed it! I just hope I don't piss off my neighbors.... Now I can watch a VHS or DVD movie, and the digital cable is seeming more and more worth the exorbitant fee I am charged monthly.

I also replaced my Canon Digital Rebel. I bought it at a local store (despite being slightly more expensive than online) called Mike's Camera. It was more than $200 cheaper than when I bought the last one, so I was happy about that. I used the extra $200 to buy a 4GB CompactFlash memory card for the camera....

So I get the camera home, and I notice that the grip is scratched a little bit. Then I put the camera together, and look through the viewfinder to see dust and a small hair! Then, I look through the accessories and notice that the user's guide has been well thumbed-through, and even has a bookmark in it! The software was missing, too! Obviously, the camera had been used. I took it back to the downtown location, only to find that they don't have any in stock. They sent me down to their store south of Denver to get a replacement camera.

I met a wonderful manager there (Kim), who I talked with a bit and found out why they sold me the used camera: their sales staff gets a commission and that store only had the one camera left. Looking the serial number up in her computer, she told me that my camera had been a store display model. Bleh. Luckily, I got the new camera without hassle, and even checked it out before I left the store. I told Kim that if I needed anything else, that I would be sure to ask for her, especially knowing that she will get a commission.

I have already taken the camera out on it's first shoot: to Copper Mountain ski resort. I didn't ski, in fact, I was there because of my job. I brought the camera along and got some nice shots, I think. It really is nice to get away and take pictures. To me, it is a great way to not think about daily obligations....

Today was Saint Patrick's Day. I won a VIP pass to a local Irish pub from a radio station. I was driving home from work when they announced the prize. I figured, "why not?" and called. The phone rang the first attempt. They said I was caller 13 and hung up on me. I called again a few times to get a busy signal. Then all I got was a lot of ringing. I figured they'd already had a winner and would hang up on me again when they finally answered. All they said was "Alice 1-0-5-9." I asked which caller I was, and they said I was caller 25 and I had won! Sweet! I don't think I'd ever won anything from a radio station before....

So, I went to the pub this evening. The pass got me in the door for free (a $10 cover was being charged) and let me cut to the front of the (by the time I got there, very substantial) line. Unfortunately, it did not get me any free beer or food -- the beer was $5 a pint (ouch!) and the food was $6 for a cold sandwich that didn't come with fries or chips! Despite the prices, I had a good time -- they had a great live band called The Indulgers that I watched from approximately 9pm - 11pm. After the concert, I was hungry (and wasn't about to pay their prices for the crappy, cold sandwiches) so I headed over to Pete's Kitchen and got a nice, hot reuben.

After Pete's, I came home and watched The Daily Show. I am liking that show more and more each time I watch. Jon Stewart is hilarious and his goofy "reporters" with their made-up titles are pretty damn funny, too. If you haven't seen The Daily Show, check it out when you get a chance.

After a double-dose of The Daily Show (they show the current episode followed by the previous day's), I came in to check my e-mail. A woman named Ly has been e-mailing me back and forth for a few days now.... Hmmm, maybe we will meet soon? She spotted a comment I made on CraigsList that she thought was funny and now we've been bantering back and forth.... Who knows what will develop?

Oh well, it is almost bedtime...

'night!

_erin