Sony NEX-3

A good friend of mine got himself a nice Christmas present this year - a Sony NEX-3.

It's a pretty small camera, and even the lenses are surprisingly light. It seems to take nice night shots, something I wish my camera was better with (well, let's be honest.. I'm sure my camera is fine, I could benefit from better skills in changing the settings).

I guess all cameras have a learning curve to them, and my friend is working on getting the hang of his. Most of these photos are from Sunday night at Capital Alehouse in Richmond.

The Perils of Dog Ownership at Christmas

Quite an expansive haul this year...











Biscuit is also enjoying his gifts...

Philly Trip

After my last exam on Friday evening, I packed up for a whirlwind trip to Philly to visit a good friend.

I was pretty exhausted the first day of the trip, so it seems I didn't take any photos (I'll blame coming out of exam mode). We went to a brewery and did a brew tour and tasting, and then later we tagged along with our friend to a birthday dinner/bar night for someone. This also coincided with some kind of Santa bar night, where everyone dressed up in Santa suits and got obnoxiously drunk. That part was a little ridiculous!

The next day we started off with an awesome brunch at Fitzwater cafe, where I enjoyed the best fruit bowl I've ever had at a restaurant among other things.



We did a little driving tour of Philly as well.









And stopped at a market to buy ingredients to make a salmon and veggie dinner.



Our friend was rockin' an adorable Colonial-style Christmas tree.


No one was particularly hungry after the awesome brunch mentioned above, so we had a leisurely dinner party.




Kristin is either very interested in what Morgan is saying or very bored... you decide!


At some point the cooking devolved (or maybe evolved!) into a dance party, and after that I insisted on some group photos. My friends are very patient with me.








The next morning we had to leave early so that our friend could get to work.. but not before I took a photo of another DIY project - a t-shirt quilt! This one has been on my list for a few years, but lack of a sewing machine makes it close to impossible.


Thanks for a nice weekend, Philly!

Bake-a-Thon 2010

There were a few things about Bake-a-Thon this year that were very different from the past. For example, we seemed to be much more productive than usual. However after looking through some of these photos, you may or may not agree...

Jane tried to pull up her recipe on her iPhone, despite insistence that this seemed like a less than optimal idea.


We started off energized.


There was a bit of a shuffle when we realized we didn't have candied cherries, we had maraschino cherries.. which you can see Jane then deciding whether or not to just eat them with chopsticks.


She sat down with our veggie tray instead. I seem appalled.


Jane's husband Tye came back from the grocery store with a candied cherry substitute (dried cranberries) and some caffeine sustenance.


Edwin's Sour Cherry and Walnut Chocolate Hermits were among the first batches to come out. We were on a roll.


I rolled peanut butter balls in granulated sugar for Peanut Butter Blossoms.


And Jane helped.


Jane and Edwin have started a band? So this year we had a musical interlude.


The drum set has replaced the kitchen table.


I used this as an opportunity to enjoy the Peanut Butter Blossoms fresh out of the oven, when the Hershey kisses are still deliciously melty.




I had to stop eventually so that Lindsey wouldn't see my true colors. This is her first batch of Iced Anise Cookies.




Tye saved us again with some lunch - a loaded veggie pizza.


And after lunch Jane could finally get her first batch of Ice Box Cookies in the oven. She hadn't realized beforehand that Ice Box Cookies actually need to chill in the ice box for several hours before baking.


I believe this was Lindsey's butter. I'm not sure why I was creeping around.


I really like this picture because I think Jane looks like a cartoon character.


Edwin had a mishap and wasted delicious chocolate. Rawr.


The Ice Box Cookies were well worth the wait.



Lindsey churned out a batch of Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies.


Satisfied with her batch of Ice Box Cookies, Jane rewards herself with another break - this time with Wii.


After they cooled, Lindsey drizzled a frosting and some tiny sprinkles on her anise cookies.



Edwin pulled himself away from the Wii to work a second batch of Chocolate Hermits.



Now we're running out of space.








Christmas is the best cookie day of the year, and Bake-a-Thon 2010 was a tasty success. Merry Christmas!