Well while I was in San Fransisco I had a chance to play with Nikon's new VR lens, the 18-200 f/3.5-5.6. Needless to say my plastic took a hit that day. I am very happy with this lens and suspect that it will be my new walk about lens. It is fast, sharp and very versatile. I often struggle with being able to get close enough to my subject due to rough terrain or physical barriers. This lens will solve some of those issues.

The combination of the new lense and the new software has re-energized my photography. I am semi-patiently waiting for the course work to arrive from the New York Institue of Photography as well. I think it is time for me to add some formal structure to my knowledge base. I know myself well enough to know that I will not buckle down to learn some of the basics unless I am forced into it by some type of formal framework. I am also a bit pathological as a student and will work hard to be 'the best'. It is probably good that there are no other students against which to measure myself as I can be hard on myself and demanding of others in that setting.