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Thanks guys. Unfortunately, after the baby shower today, I don't think there will be enough room in there!!!

After a trip to Ikea yesterday, I was able to get the closet in the nursery all set today. Tough to beat their closet organizing stuff... Solid pine so it's easy to customize and fit in a 100+ year old barn without a straight, level or plumb surface at a fraction of the price of the particle board crap at the big box stores. She certainly won't be suffering from a lack of space for a while!

Finally got around to starting The Americans. I thought the pilot was pretty fantastic.

Great ride with Nate today. It was a little cooler in the woods, but it was still f'ing hot! Here is the ride info. Hopefully Nate got some decent video on the GoPro! Still recovering.

Hahaha... Good to hear! Hopefully we're still a few weeks away. Carpet came out great. I got the whole thing put back together about 30 seconds before the in-laws arrived. Good day.

Low key day waiting for the carpet installers to arrive. They're just finishing up... Very excited to have this project close to finished and my living room back!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Postjack FTW! Congratulations!!!

It is a business investment. And she's had a few paying clients, so she was trying to decide when to pull the trigger. I'd have to agree that for what she's doing, the best course of action would be to hold out for the piece she really wants knowing it will get her the best shots straight out of the camera. I was concerned about the Nikon 24-85 vs. the 24-70 just because it's such an old lens and it sounded like the trade-offs wouldn't be worth it. And neither of us had any experience with the Sigma or Tamron pieces. But holding out for the best piece (and being able to write it off!) isn't a bad way to go.

Happy Birthday Justin!

That was a discussion we were having last night... Trying to find that balance between renting and buying. At $1,900 for the Nikon 24-70, renting a few times has made a lot of sense, both due to the high cost and to get an opportunity to play with it to see if she really wants it. She's used it for a maternity shoot, a newborn shoot and a wedding and loves it. IIRC she pays around $40 for a weekend through Glass and Gear and picks them up at Hunt's, which seems pretty reasonable. She can pick it up at the Manchester, NH store with no shipping charges, and I think it's another $10-15 if she wanted to pick them up in South Portland, ME. Both are about the same distance from us, so in the past we've made a quick run to Manchester on Friday after work. For the wedding she shot a few weeks ago she rented almost $4,000 worth of glass for $80. Tough to beat!

Thanks for the input. At this point, she's comfortable up to about $800, and if it's more than that, she'll save up for the Nikon 24-70 2.8 which she knows she loves. And if she has to rent a few more times between now and when she can pull the trigger, than she's comfortable with that. It was more if anyone had experience with the lower priced ones and if they'd be adequate stop-gap measures until she could swing the higher priced glass.

So, Lauren is looking at picking up a new lens. She's rented the Nikon 24-70 2.8 a few times and loves it. Unfortunately upwards of $2,000 isn't in the cards right now. So she's looking at other options, including the Nikon 24-85 2.8-4 ($670), Sigma 24-70 2.8 ($825) and the Tamron 28-75 2.8 ($500). It seems like all three have benefits and drawbacks, so it's hard to tell what would be the best option. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with any of the three? Thanks!

Thanks everyone. Our anniversary evening was thwarted by severe thunderstorms delaying our dinner on the grill. But we had a great day none the less.

Celebrating my 2nd anniversary!

Day 4 of the living room renovation. Slower progress than hoped, but things are going well. The floor was 7" out of level in 16'. You read that right... 7"! The joys of living in the loft of a 100+ year barn. But it's one of the last things I need to do before the baby comes. My father has, as always, been amazing to work with. Can't wait for things to wrap up.

Yeah, I don't think it applies to this one. There's a significant growth between albums, and while there's a lot in common between them, there's definitely a difference in sound and mood. If the label applies to anything, it could be the first. But it's also a label applied by the more mainstream music media, so while it may well not be actual goth it probably captures the mood of the first album.

Just finishing up my 2nd listen this morning. It's fantastic, and I have a whole new appreciation for what I'm hearing and the differences between the albums after reading that article. I the album, for sure. It's pretty damn amazing.

Well, my riding partner bailed on my planned trip out today. The plus is it gives me more options where to go. The negative is I'll be heading out alone. I'm doing some reasonably heavy work around the house, including some demo, so maybe not pushing to get out after work is the smart thing. We'll see.

Austra - Olympia

Thanks for posting that. I didn't get a chance to listen to the new album today, but after reading, I can't wait to give it a listen at work tomorrow.

Austra - Olympia came out today. You had me at electro-goth. I Feel It Break, and Katie Stelmanis' vocals are great.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. I'm looking forward to joining your ranks in 10 weeks!

Touched up a few spots on my front bumper that got nicked up over the winter. A few bolts had also developed some surface rust. And a seam in the bumper that's well known for catching crap and developing some rust also got some much needed attention. It looks much better.

Yeah, I picked up a couple of tickets for her show in Boston. If Lauren and I are ready to leave our by-the 10 week old with family for the evening, it'll be a great night out. If we're not ready, I'm sure I can rope Nate into joining me!

Lots of rocks and roots, steep climbs and descents, tight squeezes between boulders and trees and ramps over large downed trees. It's great!