Why we buy nice things

Since I got my new camera a few weeks ago, I've been short of chances to play with it ...

Must get out more and get snapping.

But before I dive into "why isn't an iPhone camera good enough ?" I need a different pic for the thumbnail ! Excuse me while I dive into the archives ... Hmm. I'd really like to put in a picture of a Pretty Lady smiling because that always cheers me up but :



I hope I resist that temptation today :-) Ok : iPhone pic from a little while ago (ok, the last full moon when I was constructing a reaaally bad Jade Rabbit pic) :

You'll agree that's caught none of the definition of the moon. Not much of anything actually. I'm kinda surprised you can see definition on the trees.

Camera on auto :

Ok, that's still pretty bad, even when you zoom it in.

Camera on night portrait mode ?

That's better than Mk1 Eyeball. From the sounds of the clicks and whirs inside the camera, it took one frame with flash and quickly followed with a series of extra exposures to catch the low light stuff.

I'm impressed. Must try and find more excuses to play. I'd have liked to try and snap some fireworks but I don't think I'll get to a display. The most local ones were actually last weekend and I'm planning to watch Interstellar either Sunday if a mate comes along or I'll watch it first opportunity Friday if I get the chance.

Could be a busy week for cinema actually :

Friday last week - Maze Runner. Impressive. Both the film, which I'll definitely get on blu-ray and the cinema, which was the new(ish!) Showcase Cinema De Lux. First time there and the popcorn was ... ok. Film was better.
Monday - Fury. This is a World War 2 film about a tank crew. Very gritty, earns its 15 certificate for sure. It captures the mood for sure, both the terror of battle and the desperation of trying to stay alive.
Tomorrow - could be Frankenstein (more below).
Friday / Sunday - Interstellar, depending on that mate's availability.
Not actually sure about a movie for birthday week (13th and I'll add another tree ring) but Hunger Games 3 will be out on the 20th. That's a must see.

Frankenstein ? I know someone who is deeply into watching and playing horror stuff. She's also deeply in love with a certain Benedict Cumberbatch (have to admit, if I were a girl, I'd be fighting people off for him too). And ... the Frankenstein theatre show where he plays the Creature is being played again tomorrow night.

What better way to drown the sorrows ? I have to admit I'd feel very inferior next to the Cumberbatch but it would give this amazing little lady the chance to get to know an adoring admirer a little better. I think she'd like me, it's just having the chance to check out the owner of the Dwagon Pics and the Grin.

Oh and there'd be a dinner in it too. Our little lady's fans were much amused by a twitter exchange where she told us she'd been grounded for having the instant noodles again (the entire exchange reinforced that "100% adorable, 100% of the time" impression). I think she'd get a pass to go out if it involved a good meal.

And I'd be more than happy (overjoyed in fact) to buy dinner for the Pretty Lady. Perhaps a bit late though seeing as it's tomorrow evening. Maybe Interstellar ? Sorry Mr Mate but the Pretty Lady would win every time !

This has gone beyond pictures and cameras hasn't it ... Perhaps. But there's more currencies than just cash. There's the currency of being nice to people. I give out my Grin for free and I get smiles in return. I like that. So while money can buy you flowers and chocolates, it's being nice to people that I hope makes them happiest. Sometimes that's the superficial things like the flowers and the chocolates, they show being nice in ways that you can sometimes be too awkward to express. I know I get rather awkward around Pretty Ladies.

But a better way of being nice is to show as much respect as you can. To be polite, say nice things (and mean them!) and generally do the things that get you the good karma.

One last pic :

There's two people I have my eye on for that Player Two. One I know way too much about from the videos, the other is on Okcupid. Not spoken to the second for a bit but she is another incredibly busy girl. I wonder if that's a type that's catching my eye - someone who has a definite purpose in life and an energy that keeps them fully involved with Kicking Butt And Doing Stuff.

It's a comfort actually - one of the potential Player Two's engaged in a highly amusing twitter exchange and the other seems to like what I put in the messages.

Hopefully one of them will be that Player Two. Perhaps if we move real fast (here's my mind jumping to conclusions again and running through scenarios ridiculously prematurely quickly) I can solve someone's lonely over Xmas problem. Nothing would make me happier.

Ok - one more pic.

Sometimes I think I resemble a tree when my thinking speed goes to treacle. Oh ! Only 3 more weeks till this comes out on bluray :-) Prepare the pre-order.