04 August 2009
My beloved Nikon D90 is going on a year old but I just recently took a photography class in hopes of learning how to get more out of it. Although I was already venturing out of Auto mode with the help of Understanding Exposure book by Bryan Peterson, I wasn't totally happy with the way my photos were turning out. PhotoManhattan to the rescue! I took the intensive 5 week Intro to Photography course and found it to be very helpful. While I'm far from an expert, I do have a much better understanding of my camera and photo techniques. Taking the class also forced me to use my camera a lot more, and you know what they say about practice...
I do have to admit that my favorite part of the class was the fact that there is a student exhibition at the conclusion. To see the collection I ended up exhibiting scroll down a bit on this page.
01 July 2009
Our friend Sarah recently took some fine dining cooking lessons and we decided to let her practice her newly honed skills in our uncharacteristically large for New York City kitchen in exchange for a delicious dinner.
I ended up taking care of the appetizers, salad and desert while Sarah cooked the entree. She prepared sautéed pork chops, green beans and potatoes with persillade. It was delicious.
27 June 2009
Running in Central Park is one of my favorite things about being back in New York City. Every other morning, depending on weather conditions, I wake up somewhat early and go for a run around the reservoir. Okay, okay, I've only done it three times so far, but I promise I intend to do it all summer and well into the fall.
Since I generally jump on the train and take it to 86th street I had to come up with a solution to hold my MetroCard and keys. After a quick google and amazon search I settled on the Micropack Land Sport by Amphipod. Love it! It easily fits my keys, MetroCard, cash, etc., clips securely to the waistband of my shorts/pants, and I never even notice it while I'm running. Pretty cool.
26 June 2009
We've been back in the city for about a month now. It's been a strange rainy summer so far of which I do not approve. According to accuweather.com we've more than doubled normal precipitation levels for June - 9.38 inches this month vs. 3.84 average. Aside from that it has been wonderful to be back in New York. We've started exploring the restaurants in the neighborhood and my only wish is that there were more choices.
So far we've been to Mojo (Yelp reviews), Native (Yelp reviews) and Zoma (Yelp reviews). Mojo was surprisingly expensive, especially in the drinks department. Although I will admit that they were delicious and I had quite a few. Appetizers also didn't disappoint but the entrees were a bit of a let down. I had lamb chops, which for one, seemed really small, more appropriate for an appetizer than an entree in my opinion. The flavor was only decent, but then again I am sort of spoiled by my mother-in-law's lamb. We also found the music to be a bit loud in the restaurant making it difficult to carry on a conversation without straining to hear.