A quick update from Stockholm

ActeryxThetaAR.png, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I picked up an Arc'teryx Theta AR jacket at REI on the way to the airport yesterday and I've already put it to good use. The weather is nasty here in Stockholm, with gray skies and cold drizzle dominating the forecast.

Despite the weather, it’s good to be home. Tonight is the night of the Nobel Prize ceremony at Stockholm City Hall, so that’s the topic on all the morning news programs. I’m looking forward to Lucia on Thursday. I plan to go to the concert at Storkyrkan in the old city. I’ve attended that concert several times, and it’s always a rewarding experience. Beautiful music and candlelight are excellent antidotes to the melancholy of a Stockholm winter.

Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens

_MAL0016.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Here is the most recent addition to my camera bag, a Zoom-Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. This is my first ultra-wide zoom lens, and after just a month on the market, it's getting rave reviews, besting most other ultra-wide zoom lenses on the market and matching or surpassing many wide-angle prime lenses.

The lens is a monster. It weighs a kilogram and the bulbous end of the lens protrudes quite a bit, especially when zoomed out to shorter focal lengths. I’m going to have to be extra careful with this baby to ensure that the glas does not get scratched.

I've taken a few shots with the lens and I'm very pleased with the results so far.

New hiking boots

_MAL0018.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

A couple of days ago I finally got around to replacing my old Merrell boots, whose soles kept coming off. The helpful folks at REI took back the old boots and knocked a big chunk off the price of a new pair. I opted for a pair of Asolo Power Matic 200 GV boots. The leather boots have Gore-Tex, Vibram soles, and neat little brass pulleys for the laces.