The Nysaverse

It’s been so long since I’ve posted… While this past month has had much stress involved — mostly work related — the past two weeks have also seen my first real vacation of this year.

So two weeks ago Jenny and I went to California for the SSP 50th class anniversary. Along the way we met up with my brother (also in town for the reunion), and later with a very good, long-time friend Brad and his wife Katie. While we didn’t have nearly enough time with anybody (only so much you can divvy up four days — including travel), it was nonetheless a good trip and a great break from routine!

My return to work involved a fair amount of stress, partly related to goings-on during the two work-days of the SSP trip. The end result was my burn-out from the long slog of this release cycle got greatly magnified, and it was emotionally a very difficult week to get through.

Thankfully, last Friday I started a week–long vacation with Jenny and her Family to Door County, Wisconsin. Every year Jenny’s family rents a house in Door County and her (almost entire) mother’s side comes to stay for some part of the week! We’re now unfortunately drawing towards the end of the trip, but it has been a very relaxing and rejuvenating week. One thing to mention — tonight Jenny and I spent the evening at Door County’s drive-in movie theater (saw the new Batman and Get Smart), which was quite the experience for me (I’d never been to one). I enjoyed the experience, even though I don’t think I’d want to see every movie at a drive-in — still it has a certain charm you don’t get elsewhere!

I’ve also managed to snag a good set of pictures that will make it up onto the photoblog fairly soon (my current queue runs out shortly), including many I’ve gotten while playing with one of my new toys, an NDX filter for my wide-angle lens (NDX = 10-stop neutral density filter, essentially a solar filter allowing me very long shutter speeds — great for smoothing out water!). My next photo updates will have to include some pictures from the SSP trip, as well, but except for an Arboretum visit in Pasadena the trip was rushed enough that I didn’t get much for photoblog pictures.

Well, that’s all for the moment — it’s time to sleep and prepare for relaxing some more tomorrow. Keep watching my photoblog and you’ll soon see my photos! (the one at the top of the post is a teaser!)