Kris, Jessamyn, and Abigail Milo

I realize that most bloggers blog about current events. And … well …basically I can’t stand the news – I don’t watch the news – and I have no idea what events are current. That kind of makes me a poor blogger, huh? So what to blog about? I don’t know … I’llthink of something.

In other news, I broke my own code and bought new chess pieces. I told myself I wouldn’t buy another chess until I was ranked 1600. I’m around 1485 at the moment

I bought the set cuz it’s on clearance and I was afraid they were going to sell out. I love the set … very stylish.

Tags: abi

It’s been a few years in the making now, but I’m deciding more and more that I just don’t like nature photography. I think I’m good at it, but it’s just not too much fun. All summer long I load up with long lenses, macro extension tubes, brackets, and flashes and go out to shoot. It’s fun, and sometimes successful … but not as fullfilling as I’d like it to be. So now what? Good question, I don’t know.

… I’ll have to give it some more thought.

Most every evening, Jessamyn and I can be seen surfing the web on our laptops in front of the TV … at least for a little while. Problem is, the laptop that I use is terrible … dark screen, practically useless keyboard, and a slow burning 256mb of RAM. So for my birthday present this year, pro helped me buy the sweet beauty you see above. It’s a netbook, there’s no CD drive … and it’s only got a 10″ screen, but I think it looks cool, and it’s portable … it’ll be useful on vacation. I can’t wait to get it.

These are my two garmin gps devices. One is for running, one is for hiking … but the number of things you can actually do with these things is awesome (if, like me, you’re a bit geeky). Pro and I have been geocaching, which is kinda fun, but not really awesome – We’ve used the venture as an automobile gps – Obviously, I use the forerunner for running stats and info. This summer, I plan to use either (or both) as speedometers for our biking excursions … and I really want to figure out how to use them for geotagging images, which would be usefull for vacations (think of a large map with all image thumbnails scattered around in the location the image was taken). I’d like to also get one for my car, but that’s kind of overkill as the venture can be used for that. Still, it’d be cool

I’m feeling philosophical tonight, not sure why. Anyway, somehow I happened upon that question … what are you? I think if you put a thousand random labels in a list and asked people to pick the one’s which define me, you get a list very similar to this one:

• Husband
• Father
• Photographer
• Runner
• Ipod-er (cuz that’s a thing)
• Video Gamer
• Chess Player

This list is ok, but it’s not my ideal list, even though it sums me up pretty well. Truth is, there are things missing from this list, and one thing which I often wish wasn’t there, but it’s right that it be there.

Video Gamer … I’ve always loved video games and I still have a great time playing video games, but I’m not all that happy about the label, even though it suits me. Strange right? I know. I have a Nintendo Wii and an X-Box 360 … too much for a 35 year old man with a wife and kid. I’ll always be a video gamer, but I want to be less of one (at least, this is how I feel right now).

Missing from the above list, and rightfully so, are the following:

• Blogger (which for me, is the same as saying writer)
• Reader
• Cook

These items are absent from the list because I don’t do them enough to merit the label, but I wish I did. So I decided to do one right now

So what about you? What would your list look like … be honest … does it match what the list should look like? If so, I envy you. Think about it for a while. Write them down. Post it here if you’d like. You only get one YOU.

I’ve been mentally consumed lately by what chess sets I like and want to buy. I’m not in love with the one I bought. I’ve saved enough money to buy another set, but I’m nervous that I won’t be happy with that either. I don’t have enough money to buy the type of set that I really want, so I’m left trying to decide which compromises are ok. I’ve decided to self impose a new rule … I can’t buy myself a chess set until my www.chess.com rating jumps up a class:

The United States Chess Federation (USCF) classification of players:

• 2400 and above: Senior Master
• 2200–2399: Master
• 2000–2199: Expert
• 1800–1999: Class A
• 1600–1799: Class B
• 1400–1599: Class C
• 1200–1399: Class D
• 1000–1199: Class E

In general, 1000 is considered a bright beginner. A regular competitive chess player might be rated at approximately 1750. I’m currently a class C player (1457 right this moment). So, I will not buy a new chess set until my rating is 1600 or higher. That will give me time to think about what I really want … and will encourage me to get better at chess.