Kiwi Bills fan

So, how was it??

Well, battery drain is one reason that the LCD (only) viewfinder is a poor design, however my main beef with it is that it's hard to see on sunny days and while using it underwater. I am a serious (amateur) photographer and, I guess, I'm just used to having the "control" of looking through a true optical view finder. While I'm here again, I might as well recommend getting the optional light (with great IR lights) that Sony offers (HVL-HIRL) along with a decent wide angle lens attachment. The HD movies that I was able to capture of our time in Fiordland National Park, with the wide-angle lens, (viewed on our big screen TV) were AMAZING!! It felt like we were back there. (Most beautiful place on earth) Oh yeah... Sony also sells a polarizing filter that helps in certain situations too.

I picked up the Sony HDR-SR5 while I was back in the States last year. I LOVE it! (This is the one with the 40GB built in hard-drive.) The picture quality is outstanding and the hard-drive kicks butt. (You can record up to 15 hrs of hd on it) We went on a 4 weeks camping trip around the South Island last Christmas, and I was able to easily record the whole damn trip without ever having to worry about memory. My only complaint is that it doesn't have a standard viewfinder... only the LCD screen. If you decide to go this route, may I recommend Sony's waterproof housing? I bought it for snorkling/diving and when I arrived in the mail, I couldn't believe how well it was built. The thing is bombproof. (The waterproof housing is also a lot larger than what I expected.)

If they want to be "Green"... why didn't they do the photo shoot in Philly?

Well said.

Thanks for that. I needed a good laugh.

First of all... thank's to all of you of you that are supplying us with your great training camp reports. One player that I haven't heard mentioned is Chris Ellis. Any word on how he's looking? Go Bills!

Great report! Thanks from all of us that live too far away to go to training camp ourselves!

My wife and I went to see it a few days ago. (It just opened down here in NZ) We both thought it was a great flick. (On another note... I can't believe they're marketing this thing for kids. There is no way in hell kids should see this movie.)

Very nice! I feel like it need to dress better before I log on now, though.

I thought the same thing. I actually watched that Larry King episode and couldn't believe what I was hearing. He seemed like a credible gentleman during the interview, but a couple of the critics on the panel (Bill Nye) were talking over him so much, it was hard to gather what he was saying. It looked like the old bugger wanted to tear Bill Nye's (the science guy) head off. Too be honest... I wish he had. There were a couple other old timers on the panel that swore that aliens exist. It was pretty shocking to hear it.

Photography equipment is very expensive down here in the land of the Kiwi. That being said... I do ALL of my purchasing through B&H photo out of NYC. They have great deals and exceptional customer service. Also... be wary of anyone claiming that there are better lenses than "L-series" lenses. There are nice lenses out there, but for the most part, L lenses are the way to go. The build quality is bombproof. Buy the best lenses that you can afford. They can last you a lifetime. Also... do your research. There's heaps of different photography websites with many many people who are very passionate about this stuff very willing to share their advice. My stuff... Canon 30d Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L with Image Stabilization Canon 1.4x extender Canon 580ex II Speedlite and way too much other crap.

Thanks for the good wishes guys. Since we're a day ahead of you down here, I actually celebrated my birthday yesterday...but I still think you should all lift your glasses high for me again today! (Heck, it should be a week long celebration.)

Jeez. How many military people do you think this policy change will affect? It only applies to military personnel that are professional athletes, right? (So it can't affect that many.) You'd think that they'd rather have the positive PR (propaganda) than gaining little extra canon fodder. Goes to show that Bush's Iraq "liberation" has really f'd the military. (What's the total bill now?) What a stickin' mess.

For me, its all about The Poz! as was stated before... he looked like he was part of every tackle last year.

That was brilliant! Thanks a lot for sharing this. It was great to see them perform again. Its been waaaay too long. (The first concert I ever saw was Rush in Rochester for their Grace Under Pressure Tour.) BTW - it looks like YouTube already removed the clip, but you can view the entire episode on Comedycentral.com I had no idea that you can watch entire episodes on this. They don't show the Colbert Report down here in Kiwiland. They show The Daily Show here (which we used to be big fans of) but that's REALLY gone down hill. The writing and Jon Stewarts supporting cast suck. It used to be the best with Colbert and Steve Carrell were on it. Oh well, looks like the wife and I can start watching The Colbert Report now. Cheers!

I believe Real Estate agents are just better dressed used-car salesmen. They're just as sleazy. When I sold our house in Washington, when we moved to New Zealand, our a-hole agent actually let the prospective buyers MOVE into our house before any papers where filled out. He knew we were out of the country so he figured out we would never find out. When I DID find out I contacted a lawyer who basically sat on the case and did nothing. (But charged me a couple grand.) The whole business stinks. When I sold my first home, in Colorado, I sold it myself and it was easy peasy. You can get all the forms online and just need a lawyer to sign 'em.

What was up with the dudes trying to spank each other in D&C? Weird. Fast Times all the way.

Go New Zealand!! NZ's unis

How much of a hassle will it be if I/we can't speak French?

Nice! Sounds good to me! Do you remember where you guys stayed? If looks like we're going to go to "Club Bali Hai" which is located on Cooks Bay.

I'll be flying back to the states with my wife and kids this September/October. Yea! On the way back to New Zealand, we're going to have a 5 day lay-over in Tahiti. From what I hear, Papeete (where we fly into) isn't really the island paradise that you associate with imagining an island paradise. As a result, I'm planning on taking the family over to Moorea Island to stay at a little place on the west coast before we have to return to Papeete to catch our flight back to NZ. If any of you fellow travellers have been to Tahiti, I would really appreciate your advice, if you have any. Just so you know... the big ritzy hotels are not our style at all. Cheers. Go Bills

Thanks again for all who replied. We got a much cheaper deal flying Air Tahiti Nui for our long haul flights to and from the states. (Thanks KD!) We saved so much, in fact... that we extended our 2 hour lay-over in Tahiti to 5 days! Yeah baby! (I'll start another thread asking for any Tahiti suggestions.) Orbitz with the best search tool for all of our US based flights. I can't wait to be back in the good ol' US. (Although I'm a little leary about an "October Surprise." while I'm back there.) Go Bills!

This act is getting way too old. Wouldn't it "suck" if he came back only to experience a major injury. f him

Thanks for that. Best show on TV