Tulip

IMG_5591, originally uploaded by cs.traveler.

at the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden

little C

C - with Sky, originally uploaded by cs.traveler.

This is a picture of little C at the park today. I was talking with one of the guys around the office on friday about having a kid and how they keep reminding what really is important in life.

Today as a part of our long weekend we took c to the park for a picnic. It was tons of fun and I made sure to take LOTS of pictures.

Lose it! - my new favorite App!!

SO we have an iPod touch and I have been playing with it more lately in contemplating the move from a Blackberry to and iPhone and in the course of doing it I have been looking at apps and have found a few new ones that I really like.

I will start that I use my blackberry for many things aside from Phone calls and email. I email myself recipes, use it as my grocery list, my to-do list - you get the idea. The reason why I think I am going to love the iPhone so much is that I can do all of my usual things AND have games. Additionally - when ever I say "gee I wish there was something that did X, Y or Z" I consistently get told "there is an app for that" and well there is.

SO the long story short - I was looking for something to track my food intake, weight, and exercises and I came up with the app "Lose it" (here are some screen shots from the website)

I just love all of it - I love that you can add breakfast, lunch, supper or snacks and then go back to previous days and then just copy something

I love that you can create your own food (such as my morning smoothie) and then having there instead of having to reenter the food each time.

I LOVE that it is on my iPod and that I can literally take it anywhere with me and add what I am eating to it.

While there are some usual downsides (e.g., that it doesn't have every food in it) it is something that was very easily over come.

I can see this being a WONDERFUL tool. I know from my experience a couple of years ago the best tool that assisted in my weight loss was journaling. However, it was not something that I could realistically keep up with the method I was using (pen and note book) for long term.

This is the perfect replacement!!

The app was very simple to use - I put it my current weight, my goal weight and how much I wanted to loose each week. It then suggested a daily calorie limit. As I entered my daily food intake it would show me how many calories I had left and them take into account how calories I burnt through exercise.

I will continue to update as I use it for a longer period. For now, I only put it some test data and then todays information but I must say I love it and highly recommend it!

Orchid

IMG_6487, originally uploaded by cs.traveler.

This picture was taken in April of 2008 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. By far this picture is one of my most favorite pictures.

Cameras

One of the questions that I frequently get asked is what kind of camera I use.

All of my pictures posted here thus far (and unfortunately for the foreseeable future) have been taken with one of three cameras: the Canon Powershot A610, Canon Powershot SD900, or the Canon G10.

First about camera type - I think I am a die hard Cannon fan I think that they are the best cameras in the non-DSLR camera group. I specify that only because I have not had the opportunity to use the Digital SLR cameras. I would also add that the three cameras that we own have enough functionality in them to be able to use them just like SLR cameras without having to go to that price point and almost retaining the practicality of having a point and shot camera.

I also love the extras and features that the Canon lines offers, including: underwater housing (a major requirement for us), the availability of presets on the camera for different situations (such as underwater, fireworks and snow) which works well for using it in quick situations when I just want to snap quick pictures.

I also love the durability and ease of use. My daughter, C, manage to use our A610 and our SD900 all the time - she is only 3 years old - and she has taken some good pictures.

The PowerShort A610 (yes I know the picture is of the A620 - close enough)

Canon PowersShot SD900

Canon G10

My largest comment with respect to the cameras is that they are great for every day use but they offer so much more for the money that you spend on them.

For example we have underwater housing for the SD900 and the G10 (I believe that they were around $200 for each case) and they are well worth the money. While I believe that they are designed primarily for use in the water - we also use the housing when we are at the beach and when we are playing in the snow. I can say that some of the best pictures we have from the winter months are us making snow angels or throwing snow balls and having pictures of it all without concern for damage to the camera. This also extends to the use on the beach - I never worry about the sand getting into the camera or damaging parts of the camera. Add to that the fact that we can take our camera in the pool to take pictures, or into the ocean when we are snorkeling we are sure never to loose a moment.

The availability of this option is even more attract for two reasons:

(1) The camera is fully functional in the housing - meaning that you can easily use all of the buttons to adjust the camera. (I would note my only critique on the G10 housing they did not include a way to use the scroll dial on the back which is a slight downside).

(2) Unlike the "waterproof" cameras that are sold out there there is little chance of something going wrong. I say this because I have heard countless stories from people with waterproof cameras having problems with the seals on the cameras, not closing a compartment properly and then using the camera entirely or using the ability to use the camera for an extended period of time.

Sounds really good right - because I would think that most families are looking to get the most of what they can out of a camera. We only own cameras and use them for both pictures and video. My only concern was the ability to manipulate the camera in taking pictures and adjusting the settings. All three cameras have the ability to change the settings. The G10 is really a the single step below the DSLR's and it won out over the DSLR because of the cost of the underwater housing.

Now I know that Canon has already come out with the G11 - I don't believe that they would have moved backwards at all in the things that make their cameras among our top choices.

I would also note that before buying any of our cameras we played with a large variety of cameras at the store and considered the features that we knew that the Canon offers. We looked at how long it takes for the camera to turn on and be picture ready, how quickly you can take pictures and how fast you can switch between preview and picture taking. The canon was by far the best in all three categories.

Blackberry vs iPhone debate

So my cell phone contract is up in the next month or so and I am debating what my next phone should be.

I have had a blackberry pearl for the last two years and I have also had a second bberry (world edition) for the last year. I have to say that I am generally not pressed with the pearl. I frequently have to remove the battery to clear the cache completely and when I don't (like yesterday) I loose all of my emails and call history. The world edition didn't seem to have the same problem but that could also have to do with the fact that it was hooked to an enterprise server.

Now mainly will use the device for talking and emails. However, I have been known to send myself recipes and use it in the kitchen. I also highly addicted to blackberry messanger to communicate with my friends.

I am using our iPod touch right now to type this post. I like it although I am no sure if I really like they key board that you can't feel (old school I guess).

If you have any insight you'd like to share I would be willing to accept it. Right now I can say that the touch has been a great value to our life and adding a phone feature would be amazing. My only other issue is I would have to switch service providers.

Catalina Island

IMG_4774, originally uploaded by cs.traveler.

This is a picture from the beach on Catalina Island. We took the trip there from our resort in Punta Cana. It was an amazing island and great place to visit. Although, we weren't a fan of the overall excursion because of the drunk individuals spilling drinks and bad music the island itself was amazing. The snorkeling was so-so compared to Puerto Plata but some of the best in the area.