…but, shortly after I took this picture, I wanted to slap myself upside the head. I had just switched lens and grabbed my bike to head to my next location. I lost my grip on the bike for a moment and in my haste to re-establish it, I must have forgotten the camera in my other hand. Instead of the bike falling, my 5D slipped from my hand, slid down my leg, and hit the asphalt from about 2 ft up. My heart stopped.

After I started breathing again, I picked it up and examined it. It looked like everything was fine. Everything seemed to be working. No major damage. Just a few small scratches on the corner. All the electronics appeared to be working correctly. I thought I had gotten lucky and rode off. When I got to my next destination however, I discovered I hadn’t been. When I took my first picture, the mirror flipped up and down three times in quick succession and an error appeared on the display. It did take the picture, however. I power cycled it and tried again. Same result. I turned it off, removed the battery, waited a bit, and then tried one more time. Same result. Crap.

Looks like I’ll be visiting the local camera repair shop on my first day in Missoula. There probably isn’t enough time to get if fixed here before I go. I guess it’s a good thing I bought the 40D. At least, I can keep shooting in the meantime…and the strap will be around my neck at all times from here on out.

On a lighter note, tomorrow is my last day of work. You may be excited for your three day weekend, but I’ve got a six month weekend coming up. :)

I officially have an apartment for the summer.  I talked to my future landlord tonight and confirmed he had received my check for the security deposit and rent so it looks like everything is set.  The apartment is located in downtown Missoula, just three blocks from RMSP’s office/classrooms.  On days when we have classes there, I’ll be able to walk.  RMSP also uses some of the University’s facilities, which are about a 10 min bike ride away, so with any luck, I won’t have to drive my car most days. 

My apartment is pretty small, only 290 sq ft.  It’s basically an old motel room.  The owner converted a motel into an apartment complex.  The unit I will be in doesn’t have a kitchen, but the rent is so cheap that I can afford to eat out more often and still spend less over the summer than if I found a place with kitchen and cooked for myself.  I’m pretty lazy when it comes to cooking anyway.  Luckily, there are a number of small cafes/sandwich shops in the downtown area.  I should have plenty of options to find a relatively quick and inexpensive meal.  Otherwise, I can live on sandwiches and cereal for the six months.

I love going barefoot. I never wear shoes at home, even in the winter. But it’s never been very practical when I go out. Now, it is. These are one of my new pairs of Vibram FiveFingers. They have very thin vibram soles on them so they feel like you’re barefoot, but you still have some protection. I have a second pair with mesh uppers that I plan on wearing when I hike. I’m also considering wearing these when I run.

I had a little bit of discomfort when I first started wearing these. My little toe likes to curl under its neighbor (probably a side effect of having to wear shoes), but was forced out by the material between the toes of these "shoes’. After wearing them a while, my little toe on both feet would start to ache. But, now that I’ve been wearing them on and off for a few days, that discomfort seems to be disappearing. I wore them for 4-5 hours today with only minimal discomfort near the end.

They do look a little weird, though.

This is my birthday present to myself (a month early). I’m such a giver. :)

The rationale for these purchases:

The gorillapod: Because sometimes you just don’t want to carry a full tripod.

The 50mm: I’m always reading about how great these lenses are for portraits, especially in low light, so I had to have one.  This shot was taken with this new lens.  The DOF will take some getting used to.  My face is slightly out-of-focus and I’m only at f3.2!

The 12-24mm: I’m moving to Montana at the end of the month.  Is there a better reason to get an ultra-wide?  This lens should rock on my full-frame 5D!

The 40D: Why get a 40D when I already have a 5D? Three reasons. 1. I wanted to have a back-up body when I’m at photography school.  I don’t want to be in the situation I was in two winters ago at a photography workshop in Maui where my camera (my old Digital Rebel) broke and I had to tape it back together in order to keep shooting. 2. I also own the Sigma 50-500mm lens.  I was happy with this lens on my old Digital Rebel with the crop sensor, but was really disappointed with it on the full-frame 5D.  It shows significant vignetting on the full sensor.  The 40D has a 1.6X crop sensor so I should be happy with it again.  3. I like wildlife photography and wildlife tends to move, often very quickly.  The 40D can shoot at 6.5fps while the 5D can only shoot at 3fps.  I figure the 50-500mm will stay on the 40D most of the time.  I’ll use the 5D for everything else.

I also purchased a couple of polarizers and some camera bags to carry all my new gear.