tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:51:38 +0000Better than talking to myself.http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)Blogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-6459108851339802042Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:55:00 +00002009-10-20T08:04:39.638-04:00After five rolls of film I have decided to give Snapfish the heave-ho as far as film processing goes.For experimentation's sake I took a roll to the local camera store (Monells in Newburgh) and had them develop and print it.The difference was mind blowing.Snapfish's work looks dull, flat, and lifeless when compared to work done by a place that actually seems to know what they are doing. Also, http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/10/just-little-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-2710944708097012521Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:21:00 +00002009-10-14T22:09:09.053-04:00So....I developed my first two rolls of film today.It's surprisingly easy. I used to help my dad in the darkroom when I was just a wee lad so I sort of knew what to expect and wasn't suprised at the stank-ass odor of the chemicals. Of course color chemicals are 100 times worse and when I worked in the camera shop I made the mistake of sniffing a bottle of something or other and spent the next 10http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-made-me-picture.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-5569756478769717651Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:01:00 +00002009-10-13T08:14:04.324-04:00Ok, just got back from Nashville, TN.I was looking forward to shooting a butt load of pics on this trip but my camera broke on Monday right after I shot two rolls of black and white film. I did procure a back up camera of sorts and shot a roll of color film on it...that will get sent off to Snapfish today.I will attempt to develop the two rolls of black and white myself and then scan the http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/10/some-early-attempts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-6513892959151053527Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:27:00 +00002009-09-28T15:29:07.767-04:00Lately I've been having a torrid love affair with late 1970's Japanese technology. Specifically stereos and cameras. Thanks to eBay, Craigslist, and their cousins, I have discovered that it is now possible to own many of the most expensive and desirable systems of stereo's "Golden Age" and many of the cameras I remember from TV advertising are still available and are now ridiculously cheap.Surehttp://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/09/shooting-on-film.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-5876701230162273723Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:30:00 +00002009-09-21T15:45:51.590-04:00So, while I was away from here, blissfully not blogging or bending my brain into any funny shapes I spent the better part of late 2008 and most of 2009 planning, designing, and executing a project that resulted in my wife and I having our very own vegetable garden. (As evidenced by the pics below)I grew up in a family of avid gardeners and as a child I spent many a long hour processing the bountyhttp://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/09/back-to-earth-end-of-season-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-3517726185262855416Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:32:00 +00002009-09-20T19:34:28.671-04:00Looks like the answer to how the camera will do in more challenging light situations is "Not quite as well"Chrissy snapped this pic on the Salesian property at around 6:45pm tonight.I love the pic, but there isn't the tack sharpness the close ups in bright light posessed. Maybe a little post processing will help. http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/09/looks-like-answer-to-how-camera-will-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-8141095464969620962Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:32:00 +00002009-09-15T09:40:18.036-04:00Ok, I almost forgot this place existed.Looks like the restaurant thing never panned out. The fact is, I have not eaten anyplace inspiring enough to compel me to sing its praises or beat the crap out of it here in quite a while.Anyhoo, I bought the wife a new DSLR for our 10th anniversary (a Pentax K2000 for those who care) and took it out in the garden for a couple of minutes on Sunday to test http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/09/messing-around-with-wifes-new-camera.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-1660309740119044440Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:10:00 +00002009-03-03T10:51:06.205-05:00I am toying with the idea of turning the blog into some sort of restaurant review type thing. It seems that the Times Herald Record has let their boring and self contradictory hack of a restaurant reviewer go and his departure has left a vacancy in world of Orange County restaurant criticism.Yes, I said Orange County. One of my main beefs (ha ha...getting foody already!) with ex-reviewer guy http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/02/lets-get-phoked-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-9157783413551386045Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:54:00 +00002009-02-02T15:48:58.811-05:00I'm no writer.I have not let this stop me from starting this blog and, more excitingly, developing a love affair with those little black notebooks from Italy. I have several of them and use them for any number of notebook related tasks ranging from logging my horse playing activities to sketching ideas for the woodland cabin/yurt/lean-to I am never going to build.I have even taken to carrying http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/02/found-in-my-moleskine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-6768286326479941469Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:59:00 +00002009-01-28T16:21:14.672-05:00I'm planning on doing something ranty and rather long about guitarists and such, but I felt the need to comment on something regarding modern country music and country guitar players.For most of my life, I have been an avowed country music hater, but over the last decade or so I have begun to appreciate the number of seriously talented musicians and singers who play shit kicker music and the listhttp://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/01/sticking-with-guitars-for-moment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-3330080601513872755Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:29:00 +00002009-01-21T14:25:17.253-05:00Well, I got it.It's awesome.It is as well made an instrument as I have ever seen and I am proud, elated, and like totally stoked to own one, dude.The workmanship and attention to detail that goes into a guitar like this is something I truly admire and I found it touching that the man who built mine actually signed the inspection card in his own hand.You did a fine job, Mr. Kobayashi.I only wish http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/01/yamaha-sbg-is-in-my-hands.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-4183621364572867677Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:19:00 +00002009-01-21T14:26:41.286-05:00So.....I'm turning 40.I haven't quite decided whether I am going to embrace the birthday as a milestone or adopt some sort of "It's just a number" type philosophy and continue on as if nothing had happened.I am leaning towards the latter since I feel it will be the final act in a long process of getting over my mid-life crisis and being happy with what I have and where I am in life.Not that http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-new-yamaha-so.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-8590350684506144456Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:32:00 +00002009-01-01T09:34:55.349-05:00No long recaps of the year gone by, but just a wish for all three of my readers.....here's to 2009...may it surpass 2008 in every possible way.Given 2008's incredible suckitude this should be an easy task.Peace, mah homies.http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2009/01/happy-new-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-6461690313843167268Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:04:00 +00002008-12-28T09:40:21.142-05:00Jeff Smith is probably responsible for teaching me more about food than any other television chef. In the days before Food TV and assorted other cable television cooking shows, PBS was the place to go to feed your food instruction jones and The Frugal Gourmet was always my favorite way to do it. While the show's raison d'etre was teaching about other cultures through the use of food, The Frug http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/12/ive-got-more-spice-than-frugal-gourmet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-1932403285776363191Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:56:00 +00002008-12-09T19:39:10.499-05:00...and when I say "Sexy" I mean "Mork Suspenders".What the hell ever happened to the utter joy of expressing yourself through the use of trouser suspension technology? What ever happened to our ability to learn all there is to know about a person simply by looking at their suspenders and the assorted paraphernalia buttoned or sewn onto them? One glance at Mork and you knew that he was a fun http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/12/im-bringing-sexy-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-8549886877710149603Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:33:00 +00002008-12-04T21:46:47.314-05:00This show has become my newest guilty pleasure. I am sure I am not alone in my love of the "Stranded on a desert island" story. I have been a fan ever since I read Robinson Crusoe as a kid and I think the initial success of the show Survivor proves this fact. I have always wondered how I would fare if left to my own devices on a tropical island capable of sustaining a hardy adventurer. Of http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/12/crusoe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-409922526827276428Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:09:00 +00002008-10-29T12:32:24.642-04:00Many years ago I made a pact with myself to never discuss politics with anyone.Friends, acquaintances, strangers, the guy who pumps my gas, yo momma...no political talk with any of them.This wasn't always the case.I used to engage in heated arguments with just about anyone who wanted to mix it up, and many a night of back road drinking (an Orange County phenomenon) was spent wrangling with my http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-getting-hard-not-to-talk-politics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-5725305220694071746Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:13:00 +00002008-10-14T14:22:58.603-04:00This little article on Marketwatch has led me to a plan that I believe could be the savior of IRA's and other retirement accounts across the nation.In case you don't feel like clicking on the article I will summarize it for you: Heinz (yeah the Ketchup company) has been doing awfully well despite the economic crisis and it in the opinion of CFO Art Winkleblack (That's his real name....honest) ithttp://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/10/sound-investment-strategy-for-troubled.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-7626193697383123186Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:09:00 +00002008-10-12T12:09:43.867-04:00Just got back from Corolla, NC.This was the view from our back porch every evening.Too bad we don't own a tripod. There are 5 or 6 shots that would have turned out better than this if I could have only held the camera still.Shucks.http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/10/just-got-back-from-corolla-nc.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-7223778004958273443Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:16:00 +00002008-09-30T12:57:06.485-04:00Yeah, that's what it used to say on the Rice-a-Roni box.Seems to me like it should have been called Rice-a-Celli. Well...maybe not...that shit doesn't flow.I just ate some of this stuff the other night (beef flavor) and Goddammit do I ever love it.Always have.With all the negative publicity and health warnings surrounding convenient dried crap like Rice-a-Roni I find myself eating much less of http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/09/rice-and-vermicelli-mixture.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-4874535120278114696Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:17:00 +00002008-09-27T18:13:12.998-04:00I love horse racing.I could go on and on about the reasons why.Sure, racing's popularity is at an ebb these days, and bad publicity following the filly Eight Belles' death in the Kentucky Derby has done much to damage its reputation, but there are still hard core racing fans out there and I am proud to count myself among them.From the atmosphere at the track to the beauty of the animals http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/09/talk-about-miffed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-1458251095046732483Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:43:00 +00002008-09-23T13:48:18.644-04:00Just go here http://www.buymyshitpile.com/ and sell your bad assets to the US government.I can't tell you how good it's going to feel when I finally unload Mama's Family: The Entire First Season on Beta that I bought during a night of drunken eBaying.Estimated vaulue: $56,000.http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/09/finallya-bail-out-for-rest-of-us.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-7752875278207247701Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:40:00 +00002008-09-19T20:06:30.838-04:00Ok, I am going to take a break from the low rent Dave Barry thing and do a post about food....well restaurants actually...and it might turn into a rant.Maybe not though. Read on!Orange County(NY) may not be a restaurant Mecca like NYC but there are a few things we have here that are pretty special and may be taken for granted by people who have never left the beautiful haven of Southeastern New http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/09/on-food.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-7467300360366994041Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:27:00 +00002008-09-16T11:27:02.959-04:00Ok, the news has been pretty bad lately.Lehman Brothers going under, Merrill Lynch gets bought out by BofA, WaMu looks like they're going down and AIG is in big trouble as well.Wall Street has been rocked to its very core and the financial landscape may never look the same. Those aren't necessarily my words, but that's what the likes of Bloomberg, CNN, and Reuters have been saying.It also looks http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/09/in-news.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-368613707978631450Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:31:00 +00002008-09-12T12:59:37.943-04:00Things have been bad between Metallica and me for quite a long time now. In fact, I have a hard time remembering when our time together was truly enjoyable and untainted by bitter regret. When I think back, the days when we would just hang out and enjoy the gifts the Gods of Heavy Metal gave to young men of our generation seem fuzzy in my memory and it's hard to conjure up the feelings in my http://embeddeddialog.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-think-i-might-be-ready-to-forgive.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christian Canzoneri)0