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wild_turkey

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Everything posted by wild_turkey

  1. Thanks for all your input. I ordered a Canon T8i from mpb.com, and since that was well under my original budget, I added a 10-18mm IS lens. The newer sensor and processor, plus the better lens, should be a noticeable upgrade in image quality. Plus, I’ll get a touch screen, better battery life, WiFi, etc. I wanted a new camera before a couple of summer trips (Kauai and Corsica), but I’m a little busy to be learning an entirely new camera system, so this should keep things simple for me.
  2. We watched the first 6 episodes over the past week and we’re enjoying it. The Godfather has always been one of my favorite movies but I realized how little I knew about the background. My only small complaint is that Miles Teller seems to be pretty flat in his acting. Not a lot of range of emotion from him, even when you would expect his character to be worked up over something. Maybe that’s how Al Ruddy actually was, I dunno. We also took this opportunity to rewatch The Godfather and we’re about an hour in The Godfather part 2. Used to be a yearly watch for me but it’s been a few years.
  3. Had an incredible meal at ZOI in Split. Also love walking along the marina in Split late at night, stopping in random places for a nightcap or three. Lots of incredible meals in Croatia, actually. Restaurant 360 in Dubrovnik was pretty damn good, as was Roki’s in Vis. It’s hard to not eat well that country.
  4. Are you saying you have both a D500 DSLR and a Zfc mirrorless and you prefer the DSLR? I'm starting to wonder if I should just replace my old DSLR with a current DSLR. Since I already have a Canon, that would likely mean the T8i. I can get a lot of the features I want, just without the smaller body of a mirrorless camera.
  5. Posted in CYHMWT but someone suggested posting here instead. I have a Canon T3i that is ~11 years old and I’m interested in replacing it. I’m a simpleton that uses mostly a prime 24mm lens and sometimes the kit zoom lens, which are satisfactory for my purposes. Mostly pics during travel, landscape stuff, architecture, artistic nudes in nature, etc. Looking at mirrorless cameras but not entirely opposed to another DSLR. Probably APS-C since that’s what I’m used to. Would like to spend under $1500 for camera and a lens. Video isn’t too important because I have an iPhone and a 4K Gopro for that. Sony seems to be the leader in the mirrorless arena but their APS-C a6100/6400/6600 models are backordered everywhere due to an apparent chip shortage. I also think the ergonomics are pretty terrible because the cameras are almost too small with a poor grip for my hand. Fuji has some models with high ratings - XT30, XT3, XT4. They have the same ergonomics issues for me, and the XT4 is in the price range of some full frame cameras. Canon and Nikon have the best ergonomics because their mirrorless models are basically smaller DSLR bodies. Canon has the M50 Mark II which seems like a decent entry level camera but their M mount is about to be phased out in favor of APS-C R mounts. Nikon has the Z50 which also seems like a decent model and I can get it with a 16-50mm kit lens for $1200. Or there’s a camera store near me than has a Nikon Z6 body used in mint condition for $1200. That means switching to full frame but I also get perks like IBIS. Sorry for long post. Appreciate any input.
  6. When we were in Loire we mainly visited chateaus - Chambord, Chenonceau, and Amboise. We also went to the Leonardo da Vinci chateau in Amboise which I thought was cool. We love wine as well but didn’t get the feeling their vineyards were geared towards public tours. Stopped in a couple of wine caves that were okay.
  7. Woodshed can be good as long as you aren’t going in expecting Texas BBQ. They have some decent stuff and it’s a good atmosphere when the weather is nice.
  8. I have a Canon EOS t3i that's about 12 years old and I'm looking to replace. I use it mostly for outdoors stuff, travel, landscapes, people, pets, etc. I don't care about video capabilities because I have an iPhone or a Gopro for that. It seems like mirrorless cameras are pretty popular now and have the upside of being smaller and lighter than a traditional DSLR, yet still have good image quality and interchangeable lenses. There are tons of options out there - Canon M50 Mark II, Nikon Z50, Fujifilm, Sony, etc. Not really sure where to begin. Would like to spend $1200 or less for the camera with a kit lens. Can add other lenses later as needed. Thanks for any recs.
  9. I really enjoyed the Loire Valley. Spent 4 nights in Amboise and felt like it hat was plenty to visit the various chateaus but I’m sure you could make a full week of it.
  10. Oh and for the Eiffel Tower, my personal opinion is that the best way to appreciate that is to get a baguette and a bottle of wine and find a nice spot on the Champ de Mars to have a picnic and just look at it. We did climb the stairs up to the second floor observation deck and waited about an hour in line for that, and I think it’s worth doing for sure, but much more enjoyable to just relax on the Champ de Mars and take it all in.
  11. We went to the Louvre on a Monday in July, mid-day, and it was fine. Somewhat crowded, but aside from waiting ~10 minutes to see the Mona Lisa, no real issues seeing anything else. Much easier than I expected. Versailles kinda sucked for us. Went there on a Sunday and it was extremely crowded. I remember waiting at least an hour to get in, then once inside, it felt like we were in a herd of cattle just being pushed through the rooms. Once we got out of the palace, the garden was alright, but I wouldn’t do it again just for that. But, YMMV.
  12. I would rank the Erik Larson books as follows: 1. The Splendid and the Vile 2. The Devil in the White City 3. Dead Wake 4. Isaac’s Storm 5. Thunderstruck Although I read The Devil in the White City about 15 years ago (damn that’s a long time) and I read The Splendid and the Vile last year, so maybe there’s a little bias involved. Regardless, they are all good except for In the Garden of Beast which sits on my shelf and for unknown reasons does not get read.
  13. Coming down I-30 yesterday about 11:00 am there were about 8 motorcycle cops lined up on the shoulder near the University exit. Then between Montgomery and Hulen, I saw 6 different cops (motorcycle and cars) had pulled various people over. Was this just a massive speed trap or was something else going on? Never seen that many cops in such a small area just for the sake of writing speeding tickets.
  14. Sounds like something an investment banker or financial manager would say.
  15. We just booked a week in Corsica in mid-July. Anyone been there? Any recs? Will also spend a night in Paris on the way back. We’ve been there before so we’ll figure that part out pretty easily.
  16. It looks like I never posted again after our trip last year. We ended up doing 3 nights in Split, 4 nights in Vis, and 2 nights in Dubrovnik. The entire trip was amazing, beautiful country, great food, great wine, nice weather and beaches. While in Split we did a day trip to Brela and a day trip to Brac. Both were cool in their own way. While in Vis, we rented a boat for a day and went to Hvar and a couple other islands I don’t know the name of. Vis itself stole the show for us. Amazing little island which we cruised around on scooters and visited different beaches. Stiniva beach is especially cool. I could probably make a repeat trip to Croatia and just go to Vis.
  17. Yeah I do that pretty frequently with Chase. I’ve done it in the past with Amex and their portal was good, but I don’t accrue many Amex points lately since my main card is now CSR.
  18. Problem with hotels is that I stay almost entirely in boutique hotels that are single location. There isn’t a card for that. I can sometimes use Hyatt or Marriott points but I don’t look forward to it. I have the gold Amex. Can I do the platinum and get a new signup bonus through that? Airlines are better for me. What’s the refresh rate on the AA cards? Or what about the British Airways card?
  19. No advice on your questions but Croatia is badass. Have fun.
  20. I’m still young and don’t mind index funds being on sale for a while.
  21. I've been "learning" French for a few years now, mainly using podcasts like Coffee Break French. I've also tried Duolingo (which sucked IMO) and Rosetta Stone (slightly better but still surprisingly bad). In the end, the podcasts have worked better for me thus far. Anyone have experience with online video courses like Preply or Verbling? You can get 1:1 tutors for a reasonable hourly rate. Do they teach from a lesson plan? I feel like this would help me be more committed if I'm paying a real person to video chat ?weekly and monitor my progress.
  22. I fly mostly AA out of DFW so I'm not sure the United Infinite card is worth it to me. The 120,000 mile signup bonus is tempting but the $525 AF not so much and the other perks I wouldn't use too much. I am in need of a new card though. I currently use CSR for everything, which is great and versatile, but I haven't had a new card with a decent signup bonus in a while. I already have an Amex, and I've done SWA in the past 24 months. It's been about 36 months since I've done the Barclay and CITI AAdvantage cards. Not sure what the reset time is on their bonuses? Any other recs?
  23. Should I be buying more AMZN today?
  24. Will be there first part of June. June 1-3 - Grand Hyatt Kauai June 3-7 - Airbnb villa north shore near Hanalaei Bay June 7-11 - Koa Kea Hotel We have a day on a boat booked and a helicopter booked. We have a rental car. We plan to check out Waimea Canyon and hike the first part of the Kalalau trail. Does anyone have recommendations for dinner spots? Anything from a fish taco truck to the fanciest blowout dinner spot? Price not a concern. Does anyone have recommendations on a luau? Prefer good food and a place to wear coconut bras and grass skirts.
  25. My Global Entry expires in June so I submitted a renewal application, which is now pending. The GE application website said that due to increased application volume and a backlog, they have extended the grace period for expiring memberships to 24 months. That’s crazy but I won’t argue. Does anyone know if that includes Precheck as well, or will I lose my Precheck access while waiting on GE to be reapproved?
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