new camera

it happened!!! after figuring out for a month or two what camera to get i stopped at Nikon D90... which i've got yesterday!!!!

i'm a happy girl now!!!

it's my first DSLR!!! the decision was tough - i want this camera to serve me for long, so i was deciding between sony alpha A350, A700, Nikon D80, and Nikon D90. I turned away from Sony only because the Sony lense choice is very poor, and Minolta lenses are difficult to find and very expensive.

so i got down to D80 and D90. D90 also shoots videos (which i didn't care much about) and was more expensive and i really couldn't tell if i needed such a fancy camera. i couldn't understand the difference just from reading specifications online (i'm not THAT pro :D ). then Kirk explained to me in normal terms what was so special about D90, and sent some reference links. The thing is the chip inside D90 is the same as in D300 and next models and there IS much difference. like starting from D90 technology changed, stuff inside got much better, so really it makes more sense to get D90.

here is the reference that also convinced me:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikon_d90_users/discuss/72157610811218121/

i can say it's completely different from my old Sony H7. first of all it's much heavier! second of all there are so many buttons and wheels and things to control! besides since i was used to sony i constantly had to start flipping camera in my hands trying to find the right button. but once i got used to it, it was awesome! i tried to take same pictures with the old camera - needless to say photo quality was of no comparison. I can set ISO to 800 and there won't be any noise meanwhile on the old camera noise appears at ISO 200, so now i can take photos in less light and they will still be good!

here are some test photos from yesterday:

America

some more differences to list.

the way people dress
so no matter whether somebody is going to a bar, out shopping, or to a birthday party, he will wear jeans. and no matter what season most of the people are wearing shoes. people here consider that somebody who likes dressing up, first of all spends a whole lot of money on unnecessary and unpractical stuff, and wastes much time on the way they look, meanwhile "it's better to keep it simple, be more practical, and down-to-earth". there is nothing wrong with jeans i mean, but gah! that's boring :D that way you always look the same, which can be boring not only to others but to you yourself! i don't know. it's not just about having a certain style in your clothes - it's about creating an image of yourself. sometimes i want to look romantic, sometimes professional, sometimes just comfortable, sometimes gorgeous. and it makes the whole dressing and make-up thing fun for me. and that way neither me nor people around me know what to expect from me or how i will look. and what's the difference whether you're pulling on jeans or a skirt or slacks? it takes the same amount of time :) and it actually will cost aproximately the same to have skirts and slack and jeans, or to have all jeans.

i'm just surprised with this kind of attitude because i would be stiff-bored of myself in the mirror was i the same looking character day after day. especially being a girl.

what people eat and drink from
again same attitude - "keep it simple, and down-to-earth". the cups and dishes are just of some color, and are made of very thick glass, so that if you drop them, they won't break. again, to me it's boring because it has to have some nice design that will put me into better mood or just make me feel better when i look at it. and besides! cups should be made of finest and thinest glass so that when you lift it, you will feel the weight of your drink only. though i'm speaking about coffe cups. here in general people use these huge mugs for anything hot. the rest they drink from glasses.

now at a bar when you are doing shots (shot is like when you drink vodka - when you have to swollow the drink at once) you will be given plastic cups, which will be thrown away afterwards. or if you are having food at a fast-food place - like getting a burrito or a hamburger or whatever you won't actually be given a plate. no matter whether you are going to have your meal there or you want to take it with you, it will come wrapped in foil. if you are going to have it there, you will just use foil instead of the plate.

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now the point of everything said is not to say it's wrong or bad. it's a way things are for people here, and that' how they have known things and how they expect them to be. however i personally believe that it has to be a fun part to anything you do, something meaningless and irrational but just nice! let it be a waste of time or money if it is, but it will make you feel nicer, so it's worth it! if you use things that you really like and are happy about your day will be a bit better and your life will be a bit more colorful (literally). it's good to be in love with comfort, but also it's good when comfort looks good. if you are getting a towel or something, let it have a nice print on it. or if it's plane - it's better because you can actually create something yourself! take a white cup, get some special markers and have fun!

------- for Armenian/Russian readers -------

no no i'm not going to wear jeans 365 days a year, don't you worry! and stop asking me about that please! i am not going to change unless i consider it a change towards better :)

oh and by the way - some certain people (let's not say who, even though everybody knows it's the SLONENOK) were laughing at me for buying *jeans* before going to *America*. now i've been kind of looking for jeans here - a second pair. guess what? i can't find what i want! the only difference between models is the color! and the jeans are kind of like... plane jeans, without anything interesting! though i haven't been looking very carefully - i just looked through the stuff at several stores at the mall and maybe someday i will find something interesting :D hehe

Italians and Armenians.. an the rest

yesterday we went out to a bar with people from Dolbey. they were nice and it was much fun for me to talk to them. i've been asked many times whether i like the US and whether it's different from where i lived. i can't really explain to them how different it was... but i remembered about a flash movie i had seen years ago. it was about how things are in Italy and the rest of European Union. it was very funny and it was twice as funny for me, because in my mind i just replaced the italian flag with the armenian one.

so i googled some and found it!

bruno bozzetto - Europe and Italy -
Uploaded by zectarien

italy and armenia have mostly been allies during most times. i think ancient Roma influenced Armenia greatly. and although nowadays the cultures are so different, peoples' behaviour is alike in many things ;).

first month in America

on the list of what to post the last title was "my first several days in America".. but i was kind of falling back with posting and it's been 1 month since i'm here. so i changed the title :D

you ask me what do i do. ok. let's seeeee

so i don't drive and don't have a car, i don't work, and am supposed to be bored while Michael is at work. wrong! i can't be bored :D

first of all there is this game - world of warcraft where you play online. (i'm explaining for older generation who don't know what it is i'm afraid) it's a fantasy world where you are an elf, human, gnome, dwarf, ogr, undead, or smth else. you also choose your main characteristic - rogue, warrior, paladin, druid, mage, warlock, etc. (i'm a night elf rogue :D )



you run around in this world, get quests, go kill monsters, find hidden treasures, rescue people... you can team up with other people (sometimes you can't do without it). you can also choose professions like skinning, leatherworking, mining, etc. you can sell what you make at auction house or to a vendor. you can stay at an inn. every time you complete a quest your level goes up. there are 80 levels for now and probably will be 90 soon. it takes you to reach level 80 from level 70 as much time as it takes you in fact to grow from level 1 to 70 :D so yes i really am enjoying the game. it's fun! it's something between tomb raider and original "warc craft" strategy game.

also i do some housework.. sometimes. yes i know it's unbelievable to you but oh well :D if i do it during the day me and Michael will do smth else later instead of washing the dishes or putting things in order (that's what i mean by housework :D ) ah and yeah - laundry.

i also torture our bird Anoki.. i mean i play with him!! he hates humans and screams when i take him out of the cage. but he loves it when Michael plays the guitar and starts singing with him.



i've finally got my photoshop CS4 (actually it's master suite or whatever which includes like 15 programs by Adobe). only "photoshop cs4 extended" costs $1000 (!!!). but yeah i'm catching up with processing the huge pile of photos that have been just uploaded to the computer. people who don't use photoshop here, use GIMP. it's an ok program especially if you have never used photoshop. it's really cool if you are working on duo-monitor and have linux though. but GIMP sucks if you have 1 monitor. and in general.. i hated GIMP!!! so yes i'm playing with photoshop all day! we also got this DVD on photoshop lessons. so i have much to investigate.

ah and yeah we got married :D. which means we are moving on with paperwork on getting me residencial status which will mean i can drive, work, go to classes, etc. i will probably take some photography classes here which means i will meet people with the same hobby and will probably make friends.



at the moment i've been hanging out with Nicole the most. it was really sweet of her to take me out several times and show some stores, and take to her college. oh she also loves cooking so the day before yesterday we went to do some grocery shopping, then went to her and Steve's place and cooked dinner for our men. well Nicole was telling me what to do, so i didn't mess up :D we made meatloaf (which was awesome), a salad, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. also, Nicole just turned 21 which means she can have alcohol at bars, so we went out that evening and went bowling. there was a long line so we had some drinks at the bar first. then the fun part started. i had never bowled before - just somehow missed it out. bowling was fun! just now my sides and arms are hurting :( everybody said i did really good for the first time. well i either hit 0 or 7-9 :D once i even hit 10! which was unbelievable. the balls were really heavy! and we had to wear special shoes. now american sizes are different. at first i tried #6 and my foot was swimming in the shoe :D. then i tried 5.5 size... i somehow fitted into it and was really happy to take them off!. there is no in between.

also... during bowling i met up Ana and her boyfriend Mat. Michael knew Ana forever and Mat is a technician at Dolbey. they were really a great couple and fun to talk to. Ana also has a cousin who is from Croatia and arrived in the U.S. 2 years ago. he was shocked as much as i was :D so the next weekend probably he will hang out with us and i will meet another immigrant :D:D. the next weekend we will go rollerblading. i haven't done it for a loooong time. i stopped rollerblading when i outgrew my rollerblades (12 years old) and after it rollerblade only once some 5-6 years ago. so it's gonna be fun.

ah and... i kind of decided to play drums :D:D if you fell from the chair you were sitting on while reading this, i'm really sorry and i hope you didn't hurt yourself! yesterday for the first time in my life i sat on the drummer's chair and Jason showed me some things before Ninebit's practice started. then he gave me sticks and a piece of rubber for practice at home. drums are fun! and the complicated thing is that all 4 limbs have to work independently. i was kind of hanging up at first while doing one of the basic beats. but yeah i loved it.

since we got married last year (doesn't matter that it was 20th of december which is really the end of the year), the government is going to return some taxes and we will get a new cam for me and a new laptop for Michael. i still can't decide between Sony Alpha A350 and A700. however Michael knows Kirk who is in his 50s and is a professional photographer. Michael gave him a call and Kirk got interested and we are going to meet up soon and he will help me out. i'm really really excited to meet him because he knows everything about photography and cameras. and it sounds like he is looking forward to meeting "raw material" which he can educate some. people at that age are looking for somebody to share their experience and knowledge with. and well i am definitely looking for acquiring that knowledge :D

aren't you tired of reading yet? too bad if you are not because i think i am hungry, which means Anoki is in danger! my meal is sitting in the cage... yesterday i let him fly in the room and when it was time to catch the birdy Michael asked how to do it. i said "like this:" and the bird was in my hands :D Michael said that i was a zzvanq cat :D hehehe i just have much experience in catching birds - parrots, piegons, sparrows.

...

ok i'm gone hunting.