The Good & The Bad That Turned Into Good

THE GOOD:
My books for two of my first three classes were suppose to arrive here today, but I was very happy to see the UPS man yesterday leaving a box by the front door!! Yes, that box had my books in there!! I was very excited!! Last night, I even started to read the first chapter of the art history book!! I haven't gotten to any of the incredibly interesting stuff in the book yet, but I'll get to it soon enough.

THE BAD [that turned into GOOD]:
Yesterday, I was getting ready to go outside with Michael while Brayden napped. Just like I always go, I grabbed my camera to take outside with me. I saw that my lens was a little smudged, so I wanted to clean it real fast. Now, I normally don't do this, but I was in a hurry to get outside because Michael just flies out the door the second he's asked if he wants to go outside - but I grabbed the bottle of Windex and lightly misted my camera lens, went to get a paper towel, then wiped off the lens. Everything looked fine, and I went outside after Michael. About 10 minutes later, I look at my lens because something seemed a bit off. Yeah, the Windex got in my lens!! I was so upset!! The Windex wasn't even on my lens for 5 seconds after I sprayed it!! I called the Geek Squad, then went to Best Buy to get it replaced. I get to Best Buy with my sister, and I go to Customer Service. After 5+ minutes of standing there, waiting for them to tell me what's going on, they inform me that I didn't have the protection plan and replacement plan!!!! I was FUMING because I definitely told the guy when I bought the camera that I wanted every little bit of protection/replacement plan and the longest warranty possible for my camera and all of the extra stuff!!!! They then told me that I would have to pay out of pocket for a new lens, but I might be able to get up to 30% off on that new lens. I go back to the camera section of the store, talk to someone who's working in that area, and they tell me that they don't sell my lens separately there, but that I'd have to go through Sony to get a new lens!!!! Are you kidding me?! I was about to lose it - right then and there!! My sister and I just decided to walk around Best Buy and look at pretty much everything else there. About 5-10 minutes later, I take my lens cap off to look at my lens, and guess what - my lens had completely dried out!! There was no more Windex in my camera lens!!!! OMG! I was so excited!! I was so excited that I decided to look at the iPods and accessories. [I've never had my own iPod. I've always borrowed Mark's, but can't now since he took it with him on the deployment. I told him I'd get my own while he was gone.] As I was looking at the iPods, some guy there was buying an iPod and talking to a worker at Best Buy. The worker told this guy about this iPod bundle deal that they have going on. I only heard bits and pieces of it, so after they were done talking about it, I asked the worker what the deal was. The deal was amazing!! It was an 8GB iPod nano, $15 iTunes gift card, iPod wall charger, and iPod arm band for just $179.99!! Yeah, pretty effing amazing!! The 8GB iPod nano is $149.99, the wall charger is $24.99, the arm band is $24.99, and the gift card is obviously $15!! So how could I pass that deal up?! I ended up getting that stuff, and I was so excited because they had only one blue 8GB iPod nano left!! Of course I got the blue iPod because blue is absolute favorite color!! I was so pumped though because that deal was absolutely amazing!! Also, I bought season three of "How I Met Your Mother" while I was at Best Buy. "How I Met Your Mother" is my favorite show!!!! I now have the first three seasons on DVD, and can't wait till season four is on DVD!! I have been watching that show since the very first episode aired on TV. I am a huge, die hard fan and know just about everything about that show!!

I'm just so happy that my camera lens dried out!! I don't know how long I'd have to wait for a new lens to come in and how much money I'd have to spend. I would be a major crab till I got the new lens if I had to get a new one!!

Sony a900

Not too long ago, I got a new camera. It's a Sony a300. Nothing too, too fancy, but it is a nice camera - especially for a starter. It's got 10.2 megapixels, 12 different modes to shoot in [including AUTO], a lot of nice features, and I got two lenses when I got it. The camera came with a 3.5-5.6/18-70 lens, which is your standard. But I also got a 4.5-5.6/75-300 lens since I got the "bundle package" at Best Buy.

The camera [a300] is really nice and I am always using it. I take at least 75 pictures every day! I will take pictures of anything and everything. I don't care how many pictures of one tree I already have, I'll take another picture of that tree. I don't care how boring it can be for some people to constantly see pictures of my kids playing outside, I am going to take lots of pictures of them. I just love taking pictures!! And that, my friends, is why I am going to take photography courses and/or join the photography society back home - once I get there, of course!! I'd like to "step up my game" when it comes to photography and get super serious about it. Why not?! It'd be nice to add something else to the list of things I can do - and be good at.

It's also nice that I want to take the photographer route because in Mark's family, there are three photographers. One of his uncle's is a photographer, one of his cousins is a photographer, and his cousin's wife is a photographer. So I have other people there that could kind of help me out and we could talk about photography.

But back to my camera. In the last week or two, I have gotten 4 lens filters for my camera. I have a Diffusion filter, Neutral Density filter, Ultraviolet filter, and Circular Polarizer filter. My favorite lens filter to use is the CP filter. I love it!! It's like sunglasses for the camera! HA. It really is though. I want to go to the beach one day and test it out there. Ii just love using the lens filters now, that it makes it difficult sometimes to not have one on my camera.

Now, onto the Sony a900. Since I have a Sony DSLR camera, I am constantly going to Sony's website to check out the things I can get for my camera. Yesterday, I decided to just look at the other cameras Sony has in the Alpha series. Let me tell you, I am in LOVE with the a900!!!! I want it so bad - even if it is $2,999.99!! HA. But Mark and I made a deal. When he reenlists later this year, I can get the a900. If I get very serious about photography [like I intend to] and do photo shoots and people buy pictures from me, I can get a SECOND a900!!!! But he said my parents don't count - they can't buy pictures from me for the deal to work. HA. [Another part of the deal is that I will only get one cosmetic surgery procedure done. I'm the one who came up with that part, which was the first part of the deal that got things "rolling" with the rest of the deal.] But that's awesome!! TWO a900 cameras!! OH YEAH!! And it's cool because the lenses I have for my a300 are compatible with the a900. Also, Mark and I have been looking into lenses for my camera because I'd like to have a nice variety/range of lenses. I kind of want to get into sports photography [because I LOVE sports], so I'd need a nice, big telephoto zoom lens. Of course, I won't get the biggest one Sony sells - that's $5,999.99 alone!! HA.

Well, here's a picture of the Sony a900. If you click on the picture, it'll take you to the page on Sony's website that's about the a900. It's AMAZING!!

Who wouldn't want to upgrade to this camera?!