Winter Photography
We had our first "snow" today. It's not going to stick on the ground, but it came down, a sure indicator that winter's well on it's way. The weather this year has been really strange here, with the way things were acting in October I really thought we were going to have an early winter, but for all the show, mother nature's been really easy on us so far.
I went back and edited my christmas list, because I realised I neglected to put a camera tripod on there. Photography is something of a hobby of mine - sort of, but not really. I mean I enjoy it, I'm just not particularly good at it and I don't really do it enough to call it a hobby I suppose. Probably more of an "interest" I guess?
We've been through three digital cameras so far, each one better than the last, and the last one was actually brand new. You can see from browsing my flickr that I'm not fantastic at it but I've definitely been getting better.
One of the things I would like to do this winter is get out and take some really dramatic shots of the woods when there's snow all over. I've seen some people take fantastic shots and doing weird things with the composition and truthfully I have no idea how to do any of it - but I'm hoping to learn. I just need to find the motivation to get out and actually take some photos when it's about 10F out. 
My Christmas Wish List
My darling wife Sabriena is absolutely sick of hearing about the things I "want" for Christmas, but I thought I'd list a few things here anyway, for my family's reference.
Up to about a week ago, the number one thing I wanted this Christmas was a Playstation 3. I'm a Sony fanboy - though not rabid, I can actually see the flaws in their systems, it just happens that I favor them more than the competitors.. speaking of which my wife, when she gets mad at me, often threatens to buy me an Xbox 360 for Christmas, citing the lower price and "I thought you said you wanted one."
Anyway, that changed recently, when one of the lower items on my list, Left4Dead, was released in demo form, and I learned that my computer won't play it. 
So now I've decided to strip anything above about $20 off my list, people can buy me these things if they wish, and then I'll wait patiently until after christmas and build a new PC. Maybe.
Some of the smaller things I would like?
A Nokia CA-42 data cable, so I can put ringtones on my crappy little cell phone.
A Karambit Knife, something cheap but not too cheap (the Smith + Wesson hindged variety look pretty nice).
I would love a camera tripod. Anything cheap, I don't even care if it's not full height (but that would be nice) as long as it keeps the camera stable.
A 4GB+ Memory Stick Pro Duo, because it would be nice to actually use my PSP as an MP3 player, since I can't really afford games for it... unless...
You want to buy me a PSP game! I don't want much, pretty well anything will keep me occupied for a little while, so something cheap like HotShots Golf, the Madden games, Ape Escape, Death Jr or SOCOM (*squeals*) all of which can be had for around five bucks.
Finally, though I can't seem to find them on eBay... I would greatly appreciate a few extra MSP 430 Target boards, for the MSP430EZ kit. They're cheap too, if you're looking at something that's above about $15 for three of them you're looking at the wrong thing. I don't even know why I mentioned this because probably none of my family members will know where to buy them from.
Time to be morbid for a bit
The subject of mortality has come up around me a surprising amount lately, much to my wife's dismay. The very breath of terms like "living will", "term life insurance", "cremation" is enough to bring tears in my poor wife's eyes, but these are important things to think about.
The first thing to touch it off was a thread on our gaming forum about what happens after you die, at which point I reiterated my view on the subject - much to the depression of the people around me. I don't get it, why is the thought of there being no afterlife so terrifying for people? I think it's liberating, but at the same time it rams home the tremendous responsibility we have to enjoy what we're given now, instead of hoping it'll all be better after we croak.
Then my thoughts moved to considering what will happen when I die, which is a double edged sword because of the fact that I can control much of it. "Life support", "Code", etc are all phrases that bring with them hard questions. Personally, I don't want life support unless there's a clear light at the end of the tunnel. Why lengthen the grieving process with machines, when there's clearly no hope? Let my family start the process immediately by dispensing with as much of the machinery as possible - if I'm braindead, let the rest of me go too.
I made the decision to be an organ donor, though I don't presently carry any form of identification of that fact (Australian licenses do not have an organ donor field, and I don't have my Red Cross card any more) my wife knows my wishes. I also try to donate blood when I can, but the blood bank refuse to send me that card either.
As far as disposal of what's left, hey, whatever's cheapest. When my grandfather on my mother's side passed away, he had long prior requested a sailor's burial. For those that don't know what that entails, it's when they wrap you in a sail, typically with something heavy, then it's roped around and dropped off the ship. It's terribly expensive, and harder than hell to get permission for if you're not actively in the military. The compromise was made to have him cremated and spread the ashes at sea, so I'm making sure to be intentially ambiguous so there's plenty of options for my family.
Whether there's an afterlife or not it's perfectly clear that we're done with the body when we die, I see no point in fancy coffins or anything of that nature. Cremation's cool, it doesn't waste space in the earth and it's typically cheaper than a burial plot. If someone feels compelled to keep the burnt up bits, let them, otherwise just dump the pot in the pacific ocean so I can float between the USA and Australia as I please, if that's what you believe happens.
Now I'm done being morbid for a while. 
