The Migration Continues...

TO

For the past few weeks I've been slowly migrating pics from my old Flickr account to Picasa. I know, I know...it's a Google product, but I have to say that I really like the photo editing capabilities that are offered thru Picasa. And seeing as NONE of my photos are picture perfect, I like the fact that it's free, intuitive to use, and let's me upload right from their desktop.

Now, they just need to allow me to categorize my pics in a better hierarchy. For example, I'd like a primary folder called "Italy," followed by two other folders, one fore Florence, one for Venice.

Check out the new site!

http://picasaweb.google.com/melburgess

Best Digital SLR Cameras...

A few days ago I posted that i bought a new digital camera, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi. Lo and behold, today on the MSN homepage was a link to an MSN Tech & Gadgets page with PC World's review on the best digital cameras on the market today. Guess which camera was #1? Yup, the one that I just bought...which makes me that much more excited to start photography classes with a kick-ass camera.

A Little Place Called Bistrot Zinc

I had a late lunch today at Bistro Zinc on State St, just a short walk from my apartment. It's one of those places that I've always walked by and thought, "that would be a cute place to eat," but never actually go in. I wasn't actually dressed to the nines, opting for comfy shorts and my Buffalo t-shirt, but I'm glad that I wore it because the woman that greeted me (the owner, actually) asked if I was really from Buffalo because it turns out that she's from there as well! So we had a nice chat about the city, and seated me at one tables in the front of the restaurant looking out on the street.

I brought my new camera along to start reading the manual and give it a test drive over a glass of wine and goat cheese salad. I thought that i'd be all "artsy" and take a few shots of my wine glass when the couple sitting in the next table inquired about my camera. Apparently they have an old 35mm camera with many expensive lens, and wanted to know if I knew if they could use those lens on a new digital camera. No clue, but I gave off the impression that I KNEW what I was doing with my camera...hehe!

AND...as ironic as that was, as I was leaving a gentleman at the bar asked me the exact same question. Said that he saw me reading/playing with my camera and thought that I might know. So, if you look/act the part, you could be mistaken for an expert! ;-)

Anyhoo...it was a great day, and found a very adorable, chic little restaurant that I'll probably frequent more often.

Here's one of my artsy shots! ;-)

Melissa Takes a New Hobby...

I've always admired that my friend Jeremi went to Italy on a photog tour thru Tuscany with National Geographic, and photography has always been an interest of mine, yet never pursued. So, as I enter into the last half of 2008, I finally purchased a sweet digital camera thanks to Microsoft Reward Points (2 $ for every 1 pt! whoohoo!). I am now the owner of a Canon EOS Digital (SLR) Rebel XSi. This time I'm actually going to read the instructions and really master the use of this camera. Chicago is a great architectural city, and, not knowing how long I'm going to be here, thought that this would be a great to a) take up a hobby, b) learn a craft, c) take great shots of the city, d) embark on my own photography tour next year. Plus, I've never really sunk my teeth into learning something new, so why not now? I've got plenty of time on my hands, and it will keep me occupied - and I'll take lots of great pics of Winnie! haha ;-)

In addition to buying the camera, I've also signed up for an all-day Digital Photography Boot Camp at the Chicago Photography Center before committing to a full photography course. The class is a "crash course" in using an SLR digital camera, as I'll be submersed in a few lectures and short shooting assignments that will help me to learn the basics of the camera and dip my toes in how to take stellar shots. I'm looking forward to it, and hope to post a few pics on the blog that are worthy of sharing!

Where Oh Where Have I Been?

Hi Everyone - sorry for being MIA...been a crazy couple of months since I've returned from St. John. Lots of balls in the air with travel, work, personal, etc - you name! So I make this vow to be more dilligent in posting the happenings in my life, and sharing my ups and downs!

xoxo,
Melissa

Another Pic Published

Man, I'm on a role. I had another one of my pics published - this time it was a pic that I took of the NYSE earlier this year. Allan and I packed as much of NYC as we could before I moved to Chi-town, and on this day, we explored lower Manhattan. The pic is published on the East Coast Guide on Schmap.

St. John 2008

I'm back...7 days in St. John was a very nice and relaxing way to spend a vacation. I'll be detoxing for the next week.


Check out the pics here...

St. John Here I Come

Less than 24 hours until I take off for St. John! Can't wait to post pics! :-)

Chi Apt Pics >> Part Deux

Finally...I'm 100% settled in. No more furniture to buy, no more boxes to unpack. Winnie has settled in, and has sniffed out her fav potty spots. Although she hasn't made any friends here in Chicago yet, I'm optimistic that come Spring/Summer she'll fit right in on the beach and in the parks!

Take a peek at the new place, fully furnished!

Solid Gold Baby!

I can't believe that I'm actually posting these pics to Flickr...but rest assured that yours truly DOES NOT prance around in a spandex unitard in public unless under complete duress, or alcohol! :-)

Fun times from our National Sales Meeting...

New Car

Ah...what a feeling to walk into a car dealership and one hour later drive away with a new car! That's exactly what I did last Saturday. I hopped in a cab to the closest Nissan dealer and within an hour I drove away in a 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL. I was tinkering between an Altima and Maxima, and when I really thought about what I would use the car for, drive to work occasionally, and on the weekends for errands, I couldn't reasonable fork over the extra monthly payments. Just wouldn't be prudent (said in the Dana Carvey voice from ages ago...hehe!!)

So what did I get? Here are the specs:

• V6 - duh, obviously!
• Heated leather seats - very nice in the cold Chi winter!
• XM Satellite - eh, came with it, I'm not complaining
• Bluetooth sync with phone - which kicks ass by the way
• iPod Aux port - nice to mix it up a little when I drive the 2 miles to work!
• Sunroof - will be key in the summer
• And a bunch of other options and bells and whistles

I didn't get the nav system because I'm generally good with directions. But we shall see. The paint is precision gray, a mix of blue/gray. Looks pretty sharp...and I love the V6. Did I mention that already? ;-)

New Chi Apt Preview

I've finally gotten around to uploading a few pics of my new apartment in Chicago. Take in the sights of this new, empty place before Winnie and I clutter it all up!

After taking my sweet old time to make a decision, I settled on a one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo near Clark and Division, just a wee bit north of the city. In fact, it's still technically Chicago, but I'm not considered downtown. I'm not really sure where the condo is considered to be; Gold Coast, Old Towne, etc. Regardless, I'm happy with the location, just 4-5 blocks to the beach, and nearby to shops, parks, and of course, Starbucks. And, I'm even within walking distance to Barnes & Noble, which is just perfect!

The condo was completely gutted and refinished; here's a link to a few other pics that i've posted on Flickr. The kitched is equipped with stainless steel appliances and has nice granite countertops, hardwod floors throughout (except the bedroom that has berber carpet). The nice touch is the crown moulding and the track lighting. The views are prety neat too, and I can see the Hancock building to my right, and lake views to my left.

All in all I have to say that I'm pretty excited about my new place, and looking forward to making Chicago my new home!

Reason #1 Why I Love Lipstick Jungle...

YEAH Giants!!

Who would have thought that Eli would pull off the biggest upset in football history and close the door on Brady and the Pats chance to make it 4 SB wins? What an amazing game, kudos to the NY Giants for wowing the nation, the world, with that win! Glad to see two Mannings win back to back Super Bowls!

Someone loved her Giants jersey and slept in it for 2 days straight to give them good luck! :-)

JK Place, Florence Italy

Recently I was contacted to use one of my pics of JK Place in Florence, Italy in a fancy schmancy website for women called, "European Vacation Guide For Women." There's a page on the site dedicated to boutique hotels in Europe, and my shot of the lounge of JK Place was selected to be feautred.

Ah...it was almost 2 years ago when I was fortunate enough to take 8 days off and travel thru Florence and Venice with my friend Jeremi. Jeremi found the place thru TabletHotels.com, a great boutique hotel website. I highly recommend this site to anyone looking for boutique and luxury hotels, rather than your run-of-the-mill Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, etc. A must for anyone who enjoys to pamper themselves!