Happy Friday
Monthly Archive for June, 2006
Last night was a good night. The plans for the night were : go home, go to the gym, go to bed. What actually happened: Berto got a kitchen pass, so we got pickled, puffed on a few cigars, and went to see Superman Returns with Blake and John.
I really want to write this review because I was happily surprised with the movie. All of the reviews I heard on the radio and TV were very negative. All I heard this week was: The movie was terrible, it was too long, and too many religious overtones. I’m not sure what these guys are smoking, but I didn’t find any of that to be the case.
The basic acid test that I use to recommend a movie is this: was it worth my time, and was it worth my money? That is, did it entertain me enough to be worth the green and the time? This movie was worth both to me.
I was happy the way the movie was made, and how it kept true to the classic “SuperMan” style. This movie was the first movie of this type in a long time that I’ve seen that reminded me of watching the original movies/shows when I was a kid. The studio’s didn’t kill it like they have some other classics by taking a great movie or character and make an ultra modern interpretation that becomes removed from the original. This was a Superman sequil that felt just like old movies. For the most part the special effects were pretty good. Some of them tried to go too over the top and looked too animated (like some of the Spider Man scenes). It was long, but kept me engaged. I wouldn’t say that it is a must see film, but it was a good movie by my standards. The people who are freaking about the religious overtones have too much free time on their hands to find things to bitch about. There were 2 lines in the movie that discussed the world needing/wanting/needing a savior. It’s a super hero movie….what is it without someone who saves the world from the bad guy? 
I wanted to get a new all around lens for my camera before we went to the Mexico trop . My goal was to replace the standard lens with something more capable. I wanted a lens that was a good all around lens to keep on the camera the vast majority of the time. I was looking for modest zoom ability coupled with good wide angle shooting. Most of all I wanted a faster lens because I don’t like using a flash when I don’t have to. On top of all of this I didn’t want to spend a grand to achieve this.
After snooping around on the web, I found the Sigma 28mm-135mm f-2.8. So far I absolutely love this lens. It is 2 stops faster than the standard lens (the 77mm filter size helps that out also), and has just the right mix of wide angle and zoom abilities for the majority of my shooting. Even at 135mm, it is as fast as the fastest setting the stock 18-55mm canon lens is (f 3.5). In low light situations, you can really notice the speed difference. I’m able to shoot without a tripod and without a flash in conditions that the standard lens would laugh at and ask me for a 1/5th of a second shutter speed (can you say blllluuuurrrrrr?).
I was surprised at how harsh some of the reviews for this lens were online. The more I read into them, the more it made sense to me though. Most of the guys slamming the lens were comparing it to high end ultrasonic and image stabilized lens. Well, yea, this thing is going to focus more slowly than your $1500 ultrasonic. If you are an architecture photographer shooting a $2000 wide angle to make sure your lines have zero distortion, you won’t like this lens either. My point of reference is from the stock lens, and this thing focuses faster, and takes better pics than the stock lens by a long shot. I don’t notice any barell distortion, but I’m not a structural photographer. If you are a pro photographer comparing this to a pro lens, then you will probably not be happy. If you are like me and want a great all around lens that takes great pics for less than $350 bucks to replace your stock lens, you will love this Sigma
Other reviews with pics from the same lens:
I’m not sure that I’m going to handle this review the same way that I have my previous music reviews. I think I would prefer to give credit to the people who played and quick kudos and thanks for the music. The show Saturday night at Bend Studio was a little bit different because it wasn’t just a show, it was a tribute to a friend of Bend Studio who recently passed. So this show was about more than just the music and I don’t want to detract from that.
If Ally or anyone else would like to elaborate on Anju, please do so in the comments of this post. I was not fortunate enough to know her; all I know is that she was a friend of the studio and a tremendous supporter to the artists. Ally put together a bill of three of her favorite performers to come and play “Anju’s Dream Bill”.
The show opened with Salim Nourallah , followed by Kacy Crowley, and concluded by Billy Harvey. All three performs entertained the crowed as they shared their craft. The audience requested songs, sang along, snapped on queue, and had a fantastic evening listening to the dream bill. Salim made sacrifices of his own just to be there (including the promise of sleep), while Kacy proved that big voices hide in little women, and Billy Harvey kept the crowd smiling with his music and his antics. I enjoyed the night very much, and I think that the show achieved its purpose of celebrating the life of a friend who has passed with music and friends.
Updated: more pics from the show here
After a lovely day of cleaning out my closet and discovering that I have at least ten thousand coat hangers, I headed up to Bend Studio to enjoy another of their Intimate Evening shows and take a few pictures. Ally set me up with a great seat to snap some pictures from, and I was looking forward to some mellow live music to help me through the weekend. I hate to admit to my naivety, but I really had no idea that I was in for a truly amazing show. I had listened to some of Patrice’s music on her myspace but didn’t realize she was the same Patrice Pike of Sister Seven fame. Who know that such a huge voice could hide inside such a little person?
The show was just as you would expect from a Bend Studio show. Thirty or so audiophiles filled the studio to hear the music. Simple yet refined music with just Patrice and her acoustic guitar for the majority of the show. As the show progressed she became more conversational and relaxed. Half way into the show, you really start to get the feeling that you were invited to a private show for her friends to enjoy, and forget that you are at a public music venue. The audience also relaxed as the show went on; the girls on the front row and the rest of the room loosened up tremendously after a few glasses of wine (amazing how that works!). Patrice’s voice, and her music was top notch. If you enjoy scat, you would have loved this show. She went wild on a few of her songs with the best live scat I’ve ever heard. Her play list was a great mix of old and new, fast and slow. A few songs were fantastic adaptations of songs usually hammered out with an electric guitar and a full band. Her show was fantastic, and I would defiantly recommend that you go to see her play if given the chance. If I had to sum up her show in once sustenance it would be this: Patrice is a little lady with an enormous voice, an acoustic guitar and an electric smile.
More pics from the show can be found in my gallery here.
Gordy Quist was the opener for Patrice. Gordy’s sound is hard for me to describe. If I had to take a stab at it, I’d say that it is a little bit of Nashville, a little bit of folk, and a whole lot of mellow. He has several of his songs on his MySpace that you should check out. He reminds me of someone else, but I can’t put my finger on it. Either way, he sounded great and I would recommend his show to anyone looking for some clean mellow live music. If you have ever had one of those long weeks at work, and you want to just sit down with a cold beer and listen to some mellow music that helps the stress and BS slide off of your shoulders with every sip, Gordy Quist’s music would aid you in your quest.
