Olympus PEN E-PL2

I finally bought a new camera! I decided to get the Olympus E-PL2 over the Fujifilm X10, even though I like the retro style of the X10. The E-PL2 has a bigger sensor and once I buy a telephoto lens has a much better range. And it was over $100 cheaper, because Olympus just released the EP3 and EPL3 this summer.

I love it and after a week learning the basic controls, I'm getting proficient at getting good shots. I went over to Martha's for dinner, picking up Korean food from Manna. Looking at my pictures of Grace and Haz, I think that this camera takes portraits at least as well as my old Olympus Stylus Epic (film camera). It was disappointing getting unreliable results from that camera after paying a small fortune to develop rolls of film. I only got a few decent shots from my time in Europe. It took forever to focus, and didn't always work, though I think I probably wasn't a good enough photographer to get the most out of the camera.

Here are a few of my favorite shots so far. My next big step into the world of photography will be to explore picture editing software. But I have a lot of other things on my mind now, so that will have to wait.

     

The Future Is Scary

I just signed my lease agreement and am sending it to the landlord later this morning once the post office opens. You know you have a weird sleep / work schedule when you're always waiting for things like the bank to open. I'll be glad when I can sleep through the night again.

I also finally managed to get myself to study music history. I will have entrance exams over music history, theory, ethnomusicology (which I never expected), aural skills, and major field, which is about violin schools and pedagogical methods. I'm mainly concerned about music history and theory, though. I know my aural skills are incredibly weak and would like to take more classes to help develop my ear. Never having taken an ethnomusicology class, obviously I would be surprised if I passed that exam. And I'm not quite sure what to make of the major field exam, or how to study for it.

I've talked to Chris and Jeff about the future, and just tonight I laid out my hopes to Amelia.

Ideally I'd like a full time job in an orchestra, probably in the 2nds. I'd live out of the city and grow my own vegetables. and I'd save most of my money for travel. Hopefully friends will be around and we can do quartet stuff for fun. No such thing as too many drunk chamber parties. 

• I'd like to get married, too, but we'll see what happens.
  and where ever I settle down, I want there to be mountains and trails
  I want a simple life.

The one good thing about this year is how I've been able to gain perspective, and really dig deep and discover who I am and what I want out of life. And having to pay more bills and make budgets and take on more responsibility, I realize how much work it's going to take to carve out my dream life and make it a reality.

My greatest fear is that I have to spend all my life working a 9-5 job that I don't care about, paying off one bill after another, and never getting to do the things that I want to do. One of my last posts was a list of my top 10 places that I want to visit before I die. Can I save enough money to travel while still saving for retirement? What if I get married and have kids? What if I can't get a job in a place that I want to live?

Although I have fairly traditional and conservative values, I'm a bit of a free spirit. Life is more than working to pay the bills and saving so that you don't starve once you can no longer work. I want to find work that's interesting and engaging and have it be something I can pour myself into, and be proud of my efforts. I want to be passionate about my work. But I also want my work to make it possible for me to live life on my own terms. At the end of my life, I don't want to look back and have too many regrets.

Places to Go

Obviously there's only so much I can predict about my future, and a bit silly and rigid to plan my life out right now. There are so many things that could end up happening. The biggest unknown is where I'll end up getting a job. I would love to settle down in Colorado, but there's a definite chance that I won't get into the orchestras there and I'll travel around taking auditions. It's crazy to me how little control I will have over such a huge decision, except that I need to practice and prepare like hell. But just as a fun exercise, I was thinking about where I would like to travel during my life. Assuming I could save money for a trip every five years, I guess I could have ten real adventures. If I am lucky and saved properly, maybe I could get a motorhome like Tutu and Papa and road trip around the country after I retire. But I'd like to drive across the US before then, regardless of when I retire.

1. Austria. Without question, I want to go back at least once. If I could live there again, I would. As happy as I am to get to move to Boulder, I'm sad that I wasn't brave enough to move back to Wien. Besides Wien, I'd see Heiligenblut again, and finally go to Hallstatt and Innsbruck. I suppose I should learn to ski before then, but I still haven't decided if I'd rather go in the summer or winter. The Christkindlmärkte are lovely, but I prefer hiking in the Alps. Actually, I'll go back twice if possible.

2. Switzerland. Switzerland definitely deserves it's own special trip. I would probably go to Interlaken, but there are plenty of great cities there. Brian says it's the most beautiful country he's been to, and since I love the mountains so much, it sounds like my kind of paradise.

3. South Korea. I choose Korea over Japan simply because it's part of my background. I've always wanted to learn Korean and go back. It's a beautiful country with a unique history. I'm not sure where I would explore besides Seoul, but it is one of the top ten largest cities in the world.

4. Norway. It's a dream of mine to see the Aurora Borealis. Plus, they have fjords, and Scandinavia in general is an intriguing place.

5. Peru. Machu Picchu. Enough said. I've heard fascinating things about Thailand as well, but Peru barely edges it out. More touristy, to be sure, but probably a bit cleaner and I'd like the food better. I could go to Patagonia instead, following Bruce Chatwin, but I think Peru is close enough. Brazil also has it's own mountain range (which I think Dani is near now) but Machu Picchu is definitely something different.

6. Australia. Speaking of something different, there's no place like Australia. Beautiful beaches and the Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock, and amazing animals. Melbourne looks like a great city to visit, and once I read The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin, I will probably find my own spiritual journey there.

7. Kenya. It's not all about mountains. After seeing Westrey's pictures of Morocco, I would love to visit there, but Kenya's safari's win out. Like Jeff, I'd like to visit all the continents (except Antarctica). Lake Victoria is there, too. If I go to Tanzania instead, I'm sure Dani could help me make the most out of my trip.

8. Nepal. Okay, so mountains are really important to me. I don't fancy myself a serious climber, but I wonder if I could make it to base camp of Mount Everest. If not, seeing the highest mountain in the world from afar is okay, too. If I forgo the mountains, the green hills of Ireland or Scotland look like a place my soul would be happy.

9. Germany. I loved Berlin and need to go back, if nothing else to find the Berlin Wall. I can't believe I missed it. It was one of my favorite cities to visit, with some of the best museums in the world. I'd also like to go back to Munich. Maybe for Oktoberfest, and I could try not to black out this time. But there's something magical about the Black Forest, too. But since I've already been to both Berlin and Munich, if I wanted to explore a new country, I'd probably pick Iceland. Maybe France.

10. Italy. The Italian Alps. Rome. The Mediterranean. World class food and a relaxed attitude where people seize the day. Plus all the Renaissance art. No one I know has gone and regretted going. (Except maybe my aunt, who had her passport and money stolen from her on the subway.) It's a super popular vacation destination for a reason.

There are too many places to go. Prague was my favorite city to visit when I was abroad, hands down. Of course, it wouldn't be nearly the same without my friends. I also heard wonderful things about Poland, and as a less touristy place it's definitely on my radar. Japan and Thailand were barely edged out, while I wish I could also squeeze in Ireland / Scotland. I definitely hope to see the American Northwest, but I wasn't sure if it would count as a big trip. Maybe Alaska. Croatia is where I would go for beaches (besides Australia), as it still seems to be under the radar of most tourists. I really wish I could fit Iceland in, as well. France, Spain, Russia, and Brazil all have their wonders, but I'd rather go to German speaking countries. If I practice my German, I think I could get further off the beaten trail / big cities.

There's so much to do and so little time and money to do it! The UNESCO World Heritage Site list isn't making my dream decisions any easier.

Fujifilm X10

At first I thought this camera was out of my price range. And it is, but I'm willing to wait. Not only does it take much better pictures with a larger 2/3" sensor than the Nikon P7100, but it looks so much better. Dad had an old Yashica SLR for his first camera, and the X10 is definitely a throwback to that great style. Plus, there's plenty of good manual controls, so the only advantage of the Nikon is it's zoom range. I'd like to get a 1.6x teleconverter which will bring the X10's range out to 179mm (compared to the Nikon's 200mm telephoto (35mm equivalent)). If nothing else I should have enough money to buy it by my birthday, if I save correctly this semester. Then I can ask for other camera accessories for my birthday.

I was really hoping to be able to visit Ashley at Jackson Hole, or to meet her at Yellowstone National Park. And of course I want a good camera for that trip. But we'll see when we can make that happen. I'm still hoping to get to go to China over Christmas break with the Vandy orchestra.

Anyway, I've watched an incredible number of camera review videos and read more reviews online the past few weeks. I'm still considering a micro 4/3" camera that I can upgrade. But the solid build quality of the Fujifilm X10 probably makes it a great long term camera choice.

Here's a silly DigitalRev review video. I've learned a lot about cameras and the art of photography just by watching these videos. The Internet's Best Photography competition was quite good, with lots of professional critiques of photos.