A busy Sunday in Stockholm

_MAL1888, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Sunday morning, I went to Café String for my last brunch there in a while. Linda and Anna came, as well as a couple of their friends. It was nice to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere and just relax for a few hours to take a break from packing.

_MAL1858, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

At my insitence, Linda massaged my shoulders a bit. She made me regret having asked! ;)

_MAL1943, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

In the afternoon, Janaki and Lotta came over to help me pack. A bit later in the evening, Patrik and Isabelle came by with Thai take-out food. As we sat and ate dinner together, I was struck by the love of my friends. These are people I will truly miss!

Here are all of the photos from Sunday.

Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G

It’s about time!

Nikon has finally updated its standard 50mm lens. Today at Photokina, Nikon announced the new AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens. It uses an incorporated ultrasonic motor (“Silent Wave Motor” in Nikon-speak) for focussing, so it will focus much faster than its predecessor, the venerable AF-Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D.  It will also allow the lens to work on newer entry-level digital SLRs like the D40 and D60 that lack the focus motor needed to drive AF in older lenses. The new lens also sports a diaphragm with 9 blades; this should result in softer and rounder out-of-focus elements (bokeh).

I will purchase one of these lenses when I visit the U.S. around Christmastime.

Quiz night at Southside

_MAL9664, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

This evening I went down to Söder and put in a quick appearance at Chicago for a bit of salsa dancing. I didn’t stay long though, because my plan was to meet up with Linda at Southside, a pub located further down Hornsgatan, just few minutes’ walk from Chicago. It was quiz night at the pub, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I joined Linda’s team, and we had fun trying to come up with correct answers to the questions posed by the quizmaster.

_MAL9669, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Our team included Linda’s friends Lisa and Anneli (above). We didn’t win, but we had a good time playing. Here are all of the photos from quiz night at Southside.