WiseArts

Yay! I finally got a new camera! After much comparing of features and prices, I decided on the Canon EOS Rebel XSi! It weighs in with a whoppin’ 12.2 megapixels! It has a 3in LCD screen! It’s lightweight and quick on the draw! I’m so excited to have so much more resolution to work with. My old camera was only 3.1mp, so this is a big leap for me! I can’t wait to get better acquainted with all its features.

I used to get kinda mad at my husband for “stealing” my old camera, but he can just hang on to it now. haha I’m hoping I’ll have some time to take nice outdoor photos soon.

In other news… my iPod died! It’s a 40gb 4th gen iPod, and it was giving me the “sad iPod” icon and a URL for Apple service. It wouldn’t connect to PC or play any songs. I sure as heck wasn’t going to send it in for service. I found a post somewhere about loose cables inside causing this problem, and that a proper slam could bring the iPod back to life. It couldn’t get any worse, so I bashed it on my desk a few times. Sure enough, it’s back to its old self again! So I saved a couple hundred bucks there by not getting a new iPod. haha More money for new camera lenses!

Here are a few more pages from the Girl Scout Scrapbook!

When I first glanced through this scrapbook I had a tough time understanding it until I realized that the author’s lowercase “t” looks a lot like an “r” with the crossbar only on the right side.

I’m working furiously on a cool dynamic Flash viewer for my scrapbooks that will load up the images and info using XML. It will allow navigation through the books using the “page flip” and hopefully zooming! It might not be done for a little while, but I have big plans!

As for physical preservation of the books, I think I am going to try a de-acidifying spray to stop the breakdown of the pages. I’m going to take apart the books and put each page into a sleeve made of Dura-lar (an archival clear mylar-type material) and then reassemble. Hopefully, this will reinforce the pages and protect from handling damage. Also, in the Family Trip Scrapbook, there is a lot of icky old tape holding in the postcards and things, so I’m going to try to carefully remove it as it causes yellowing (and it doesn’t stick anymore anyway!). I’ll use photo corners or an archival adhesive to reattach the goodies.

I found a box of Polaroid 779 at a thrift store for 50 cents, and with the current state of Polaroid film being discontinued and soon to be gone, I decided I better pick it up! Expiration date was in ’02, so it seemed to have potential, although I had no idea how that box had been stored. I loaded it up and took a few kitty shots this evening, and the results were unfavorable. It would help if the little darlings would stay still… I’m wondering if the camera’s rollers might not be a little loose. I just don’t think the film is old enough to be that dried out. I don’t know. It is interesting though. See the kitties in there?

Here’s Ziggy! He’s quiet, but sweet and playful. He’s always asking to be picked up, standing on his hind legs and leaning on me, stretching his front legs up as far as he can reach. If you don’t obey his wish, he’ll attack your feet or find some sort of trouble to get into.

Here’s Hayashi

We also call him Beepers because he has a rather high-pitched meow and he never shuts up.

Beepers is obsessed with food, and I’m in the kitchen, so that is why he allowed himself to be photographed. The first time the camera clicked and whirred as it ejected the film, he freaked out a little, but would not be put off from a potential feeding.