Now that's a big file!

I'm still workin' on the various reports here at work and I've come to realize why my system basically ground to a halt... the first of the two reports that I was runnin' finished this morning as I was chattin' with Jim on the phone and it ended up at 400MB! Oops... I guess I should have only run one at a time... oh well. The second is still runnin'... I hope it finishes soon so I can get my computer performance back.

Jim's hoping to get up to the paddle... um... factory. He was given a paddle through a connection he has to the family that owns Red Tail Paddle Co. and he's hoping to trade it in for one of the "bent shaft" paddles that they have which, as Jim wrote, can really help with fatigue and efficiency in certain conditions. He's gonna pick one up for me too so I'm really excited about the prospect of the performance on our trip. As you can see inthe image, the price is reasonable too considering the quality of the product. I saw the straight paddle Jim had over the Christmas break and it was beautiful. The darker wood inserts really look sharp and the resin tip is a good design for long life/durability.

I think I said this before but, I really should write more about my algonquin experiences and plans. I posted a bunch of pictures up to flickr and, as you can see in the new design to my page here, I have a "badge" link to the right. Please take a look and feel free to comment. There's one exception to the comment request... DO NOT mention the date stamp on the pics... let's just say it's a sore point with me.

I feel I should give some background on that situation... at some point after we'd started out, I remembered that I hadn't set the date and time on the camera after puttin' new batteries in (I had all the batteries in the charger so the camera had lost the setting). When I was settin' the date, I somehow turned the date stamp on and I never noticed until it was too late. That date stamp has ruined quite a few great pictures. I'll have to mess around and see if I can get them to "disappear" without it being too obvious. I've since learned about EXIF data that shows all the details about the picture which is really cool 'cause it records the camera settings for that picture which is good for amateurs like me so we can learn how to take better pictures by venturing beyond the "auto" setting on our cameras.

Speaking of cameras, I was lookin' at a used package that someone in Montreal is selling and it's *very* tempting to spend Mastercard's money on it. It's a Canon Rebel which is very similar to my 35mm Canon. The package includes:

-Canon EOS Digital 6.3 MegaPixel Body (with Manual and genuine Canon EOS DIGITAL Neckstrap). Also includes High Speed 256MB CF Card.
-Canon BG-E1 Battry Grip containing a 2 (original Canon) battery packs.
-Canon 420 EX Speedlite E-TT Flash (with manual).
-Canon EFS 18-55mm Zoom Lens.
-Canon Ultrasonic EF 55-200 II USM (1:4-5 * 5.6) Zoom Lens.
-Canon ET-24 Zoom Hood.
-Canon CB-5L Battery charger.
-USB Digital Cable and analog Video Composite Cable.

I really like the looks of that package. I think Marie would kick me out if I bought it. What she doesn't understand is that I really enjoyed takin' pictures with my old 35mm but the problem was the cost of the developing and when you're learning, there's a lot that you don't want to print. With the whole digital thing, you only have to print what you want and the rest is either archived for future or is deleted 'cause it was a learning experience. Yeah, not a lot to merit to the "reasoning" that I'm doin' in my head right now. Jim says I can talk myself and others into or out of almost anything. I usually involves some fairly twisted logic. I'm sure you remember that song lyric by Thomas Dolby "She blinded me with science!"... for me it's more like "He blinded me with bullshit!" LOL!

Okay, it seems like the reports are both finished... now to see if they're what I'm lookin' for or if I just wasted a lot of time. :}

Have a great day!

g.