Due to metacritic’s across the board negative reviews of this show, I almost did not watch it…but thanks to crappy repeat-o-rama Monday night TV, I got to watch an episode.

Patrick Warburton hasn’t been this funny since Seinfeld.  The chemistry among the characters is top-notch.

Of course, it’s stupid to judge the whole series by just watching a single episode.  I’ll update this post as soon as I download and watch a few more episodes.

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I am almost certain that my kid has a future as a comedian. I have countless anecdotes I can share that proves this point, but I only have the recent ones because these are the only ones I remember:

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She bolted out one afternoon while we were driving home that to earn money for the summer, she would start babysitting stuffed animals.  And then she laughed.

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Just the other day, she saw me tinkering with my iChat account with a custom status, instead of the canned “Available” when online.   My custom status then read:

“If you ask me about work, I will stab your left eye over the internets.”

She asked me if she can change that to something “better.”  I told her to knock herself out while I do something else.

When I went back to the computer 10 minutes later, I see my custom status now read:

“Please don’t ask me about work.  I am busy gaining weight.”

Later that day, I saw my custom status change yet again to:

“Hi.  Go away.”

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Just this morning, we were eating at a restaurant with a family friend who’s bald.

My Kid: You are thinning.

Friend: Really? I am losing weight?

My Kid: Well, not really.  That’s just my nice way of saying you’re bald.

Only my kid can pull that off without offending anyone.  He laughed and told my wife about it.   My wife explained to my kid that the reason he’s bald is because he shaves his head.  Then the conversation went further.

Friend: Do you want me to shave your head, too?

My Kid: No, thanks.  I don’t want to look like Britney Spears!

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With the announcement of the long-rumored Nikon D3 almost imminent (redundant?), here’s my take on what should be in Nikon’s next DSLR:

• WIDER dynamic range.  Manufacturers keep increasing MPs, when the real issue nowadays is dynamic range that is no better (sometimes worse) than your typical slide film.  I would love to see the day when I would not fumble with expensive ND filters.
• More cross-type AF points on the D200 replacement.  Having so many focus points is, um, pointless if only the middle one is cross-type!
• LCD display that you can view on broad daylight.  Come on, now.
• Automatic Depth of Field calculation (found in some Canon DSLRs).  I tell the DSLR the nearest and farthest subjects i want in focus, the shutter speed and ISO, it automatically sets the most optimum aperture.  That can’t be difficult.

Do I care if the next one is full-frame?  No, not really.  If I want a bigger frame, I would have gone with Large Format cameras. 

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Here are a few rants about what worked and what didn’t during my week-and-a-half trip to Europe:

• I only brought three lenses: The 10.5, 17-55 and the 70-200.  The 17-55 was my most used lens; it’s probably on 90% of the time. 
• For camera support, I chickened out by bringing along my crappy Gitzo G1157 + Kirk BH-3 instead of the more manly 3530s + Arca-Swiss Z1.  I regretted that decision.
• I could not help but express extreme disappointment on the 70-200VR.  This is my first heavy outdoor use of this lens.  It flares so easily even with the hood on.  It also inconsistently cause at least one stop overexposure on the D200.  I could not nail down the cause and it is very, very annoying…so annoying it ended up on the camera bag most of the time because of this.  It’s so ironic for a $1500 lens.  I never had these problems with the old-school 70-210/4 lens.   I will do further testing within the next few days and will decide if it needs to be sent in for repair.
• The Nexto device was great.  I only had one failed transfer…but this was mainly due to my stupidity (removing card during transfer). 
• I probably overused my 10.5 fisheye lens. 
• My Hi-Tech ND Grad filter is my new best friend.  When we were at Matterhorn, the sky was so clear and lighting was so contrasty. It would have been impossible for me to capture the images with the D200 sensor’s VERY limited dynamic range without the ND (2-stop soft-edge) filter.  The filter flares easily, though.  I wonder if the more expensive Singh-Ray is better at flare control?
• The Cokin P holder vignettes at around 20mm or wider on the 17-55.  I am still not sure, though, if it’s worthwhile to invest on a more expensive filter holder.
• I need a wider lens.  I guess the 12-24 is next on my list of purchase.
• I need one of those LCD hoods.  It’s almost impossible to see the LCD outdoors on a clear day.

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