I’ve been the owner of a Canon 50D for a few months now (and I love it!). While it’s not hard to use, once I got used to it, it’s definitely a big step up from what I previously had. I recently bought a screen protector for the LCD on the back of the 50D and thought this would be a good chance to post a how-to video documenting the installation.

A few weeks ago, I went a little nuts adding all sorts of digital camera accessories to my Amazon cart. The GGS LCD screen protector for the Canon 50D happened to end up in there. Something like this was on my mind when I initially bought the 50D, though, because I knew I’d be bummed if the LCD on my new toy got scratched up. The LCD panel on the back of the 50D is very durable in its own right, but I thought if the LCD does get scratched (I could see this happening on a shirt button, for instance) or cracked, then it’s probably a costly repair and time spent waiting on the repair to happen. More likely, though, I’d just put up with it and get mad every time I had to stare at it.

If this $9 accessory can save me money for a repair, or at least a temper tantrum over some stupid scratch, then it’s well worth it. Some of the facts that made this particular LCD protector stand out from others were:

• It’s made of glass. This isn’t a disposable piece of adhesive plastic that gets air bubbles and has to be replaced after a few months.
• The fit. You order a GGS LCD protector for your camera model. The screen protector fits the LCD perfectly. Plastic adhesive covers may require cutting to fit.
• The manufacturer claims it’s removable and reusable.
• Looks good on the back of the camera. It’s hardly noticeable.
• It was only ~$9

I found a great Flickr post of someone installing a GGS LCD protector on a Nikon camera. I wish the model for the 50D included a protector for the top LCD, but that one isn’t as scratch-prone IMO. 

Below is a video I made of my installation process. I did some before-and-after comparisons so you can see how the GGS LCD screen protector looks. The video was shot on a Canon Digital Rebel T1i (500D). Apologies in advance for the poor-sounding audio in some parts of the video. I sounded like a dork in those and decided to redub those sections.

It was a cloudy day when I shot the video above, so I’ll compare the LCD screen-protected 50D of mine to my girlfriend’s Rebel T1i when I get the opportunity to have them both out in the sunlight. Stay tuned!

After living in Springfield for almost seven years, I can still say there are plenty of things I haven’t done. One of those things, recently checked off that list, was seeing a production at The Springfield Municipal Opera, Springfield’s outdoor theatre off of East Lake Drive.

I’ll break this post up into two parts. The first part will be about the Muni…what I thought about it my first time there and how Saturday’s performance was cut short. The second will cover the show we saw.

 The Muni:

I first heard of the Muni in 2003, not long after having moved to central Illinois. Why did I wait six years to see a show there? I have no aversion to live theatre. In fact, I’ve been a fan of it since attending over a half-dozen shows in London during my three-week stay there in the summer of 2000. I’ve also seen several shows at the Fox Theatre, UIS, The Hoogland Center for the Arts (read about Rod Blagojevich Superstar!) and the Theatre in the Park at Lincoln’s New Salem. Despite all that, going to the Muni was something I just never got around to doing until this past weekend. Hey, you can’t have all your fun at once, right? I like to space it out.

Anyway, a bit about the venue. The Muni is an outdoor theatre that has been a part of Springfield since the 1950s. It’s open during the warm (sometimes hot!) summer months and generally features several shows during the season. It is located off of East Lake Drive in the southeast part of Springfield. Getting there is simple, so you can’t make any excuse about getting lost. From I-55, you just take the Stevenson exit and head South (that would be the opposite direction of Dirksen parkway). You’ll pass CWLP and drive over Lake Springfield on a two-lane bridge. The Muni will be just a few miles down the road on your left.

Parking is first come, first serve in a grassy field on the Muni grounds. I saw parking near the entrance that appeared to be reserved for handicapped and the elderly. There was also a golf cart shuttle helping older folks back to the parking lot (it’s a little hilly there). The volunteers directing the parking were mostly teens (I bet they were thrilled to be doing that) but I had no problems getting a spot. Leaving is a mass exodus, so be kind and let someone go ahead of you at least once.

The Muni is built on a hillside and is surrounded by trees. The grounds include a picnic area outside of the ticket office. Inside the main entrance is a snack area with tables/chairs and a large building where you can buy popcorn, drinks, ice cream and candy for pretty reasonable prices. We got a bottled Mountain Dew, bottled water and box of popcorn for about four dollars, which is a lot cheaper than what you’d get at a movie theatre. If you’re not up for candy or popcorn, their food rules are pretty lax. Many people bring their own food in coolers or pick up something on their way. I only saw one set of restrooms (there may be more?). The restroom line during intermission was pretty long, so if you gotta go, go before the show!

Seating and tickets are divided up between assigned seating and lawn seating. We were lucky enough to get seats near the middle of row B on Saturday night. A word of warning regarding The Muni’s seating policy: seats are first come, first serve, even if you have a ticket for it! Maybe row B is just cursed, but there was a couple who had the exact seating assignment as us. They got an usher (I guess they weren’t ones for confrontation) who verified their tickets were duplicates of ours. The usher, just a kid, got his manager, who seated them somewhere else. We had the same problem Sunday night (see below for why we went twice). Whoever runs the ticketing for the Muni needs to get their act together. Some of the people who had to be re-seated were border-line pissed off. I guess I can’t blame them. I’d be unhappy, too, if my seats near the front were gone before I got there. Despite the issues with tickets, the prices weren’t bad. Our two seats were $12 each. Lawn seating was available for $8. The Muni also does family nights where kids get in free with a paid adult. See the Muni’s ticket page for more info on seating and where to buy. If you’re sitting on the lawn, bring some blankets and folding chairs.

BRING AND USE BUG SPRAY. You will need it. ‘Nuff said.

About their photo/video policy…There is no mention of audio, video, or photographs on the Muni’s policy page. I also checked the Web page for the performance, but found nothing. Maybe this varies from show to show? Because I dabble in photography, I thought it would be fun to snap some photos for the blog while I was there. I had the point-and-shoot camera Saturday, but brought my Canon 50D Sunday night. Here’s where the story gets interesting. Before the show began each night, the announcer (not a recording) said no audio/video recordings were allowed because of the agreement with the copyright holders of The Producers. Photographs weren’t mentioned, so I presumed they had no issues with photography. Several other people near me took snapshots during the performance on Saturday, too.

On Sunday, when I had the big camera, I walked into the concession building with it hanging from my neck. As I was paying for my food, a guy near the register (didn’t catch his name) said, “Hey, you know you can’t take pictures during the show because of the copyright.” I replied I was there the evening before and only audio/video recordings were announced as not being allowed, along with the fact many other people had cameras. He came back with a modest “Well, no flash photography, which I see you don’t have a flash…,” but then changed his mind again and said "no photography." Weird, I thought, and went back to my seat.

If the Muni has copyright issues with a show, they need to make an effort to clearly identify it on the Web site and in the announcement before the performance. People, like me, who photograph for fun and really enjoy local shows like this don’t want to see the venue get in trouble, but, come on…this isn’t Broadway and I’m not trying to sneak photos of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. I’ve posted some pics from the show below. If the Muni really has a problem with this, then I’ll gladly help them out, but I didn’t record any audio or video, which was the only restriction that was announced. Out of the dozens of volunteers there, this one guy, who didn’t identify himself, was the only one to say something and he didn’t sound too sure of himself when it came to still photos. I re-read the program for last weekend’s show tonight. Page three says no flash photographs, audio or video recordings…so, according to their rules, I’m in the clear! In fact, you can see a ton of photos at Donna Lounsberry’s SmugMug gallery. I really wonder, now, why this guy even brought it up.

Lastly, check the weather. The Muni’s rain/weather policy is listed on its policy page. The weather Saturday was a lot less than ideal for an outdoor show. It was a very hot, humid day. We were sweating as we waited for the show to begin. Even after sundown, the temperature held steadily for most of the performance. I really felt for the actors. Sweat poured from their faces and drenched their costumes. Despite the heat, they did an absolutely fantastic job. Almost one hour into the show, the wind began to pick up and flashes of lightning grew closer. The lights suddenly went out, followed by the show announcer informing the audience that they were halting the performance because of weather. By that point, the wind was blowing around props on the stage. We waited in the car for 30 minutes before the Muni called the show. Many had left before that. When we returned Sunday night, we lucked out and got tickets just two seats down from where we were Saturday. Wouldn’t you know it that someone else had duplicate tickets, too? We got there early, again, and were able to keep our seats.

I hope you found some useful information in my ramblings above and I hope you don’t think I sounded too critical. My girlfriend and I both enjoyed the Muni very much. The grounds were nice, clean and the staff was friendly (even the “camera guy”). We both look forward to going back. I just hope they fix their seating assignment problem and clarify their policies a bit.

The Producers:

This past weekend’s show was The Producers (or, Gus Gordon as You’ve Never Seen Him Before…not me, at least), a Mel Brooks musical adapted from the 1968 film of the same name (just read the link!).

If you didn’t read the link, here’s a short, spoiler-free synopsis: once Broadway-hit producer, Max Bialystock (bee-allee-stock) is a washed-up has-been whose days of fame are behind him. His latest production is a huge flop. Later, at his office, he’s visited by a nervous, timid accountant named Leo Bloom who has come to examine Max’s finances. In a creative-accounting epiphany, Bloom realizes a producer could potentially make more money on a flop than a hit. Bialystock perks up instantly at this and proceeds to try and convince Bloom to go into business with him. Bloom has secretly wanted to be a Broadway producer from an early age, but is too timid to make the move. Only after returning to his dull job does Bloom find the courage to do something bigger with his life by joining Bialystock. Now as partners, their only tasks ahead are to find the worst script, director, and actors in order to produce a sure-fire Broadway flop. What could go right?

I can easily say this was one of the best performances I’ve seen in Springfield yet. The Producers was a laugh riot the entire time. I’ve never seen the movie nor the live musical before. The story was interesting throughout and never dragged on. The pit orchestra sounded great and the music was well mixed with the vocals. All the actors, most of them local to the Springfield area, did a fantastic job. The show has some mature content in it, so consider that before bringing your younger kids. Anyone in their teenage years (your kids have already seen/heard far worse on the Internet, trust me) or older will love it. We saw both young and old at each performance this past weekend.

Gus Gordon, more commonly known as the chief meteorologist at WICS, played the part of Max Bialystock. I’ve heard for many years that Gus was very involved in theatre. It shows. Seeing the man play a character like Max is worth the ticket price alone, because Max is such a far cry from the mild-mannered weather man we’re all used to. Gus played the part with skill and grace. He ad-libbed like a pro during a wardrobe malfunction on Sunday night. No, stop it, not that kind of wardrobe malfunction. Below is a video of what Gus has to say about playing the character Max Bialystock:

The other lead male role, Leo Bloom, was played by Joey Cruse, a senior (I believe) at UIS. When he first appeared on stage during the scene at Max’s office, I thought to myself, “this guy looks familiar.” It turns out I was right. My girlfriend and I first saw him in A Period of Adjustment last year at UIS. I found some pictures of the performance posted online, but there are no good ones of Joe. He did a great job portraying the nerdy, timid accountant Leo Bloom who goes on to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a Broadway producer.

Some of the other performers definitely worth mentioning are Rich Kuschel as Franz Leibkind, Sean VanAusdall-Rose as Roger De Bris, and T. J. Grasch as Carmen Ghia.

(Spoiler alert!) Franz, author of the worst musical in the world as according to Max and Leo, is a closet Nazi who dreams of showing the word the “true” Adolph Hitler in Springtime for Hitler. Rich’s portrayal of a completely stereotypical Nazi German is hilarious. The “Der Guten Tag Hop Clop” scene was probably my favorite of them all. Sean, as Roger De Bris, is the worst director Max and Leo can find. He also happens to be the gayest. In order to hire Roger and further their plan of failure, Max and Leo give Roger permission to make Springtime for Hitler as gay as he wants after the “Keep it Gay” scene. Sean’s scenes were over-the-top funny every time. T. J. as Carmen, Roger’s “common-law assistant”, stole the show several times and always got great laughs with his stereotypical-sounding dialogue and floating around the stage.

If you’re looking for something to do this holiday weekend, I’d highly recommend you see The Producers at the Muni. It’s a great show and is something you shouldn’t miss. You can read a pro review at The State Journal-Register. The remaining performances are July 1-3 and July 5.

So, faithful blog readers, I bet you thought I was hopelessly lost in the nether region of Facebook forever. I did manage to grab my own vanity URL (trust me, there was a lot of competition for it).

Not so! I know by the number of posts this month, as compared to last month’s numbers, it looks like I dropped off the face of the Earth. Trust me, it’s been just as busy this month as last month and I have a nice big queue of topics for the blahg. No no no, I’m not going to tell you what they are, yet. That’s not how this works! What if I got lazy, again, and didn’t end up writing about something? I’d not only be cheating myself, but you too, faithful blog reader.

Between work, the nice weather, planning and executing a surprise b-day party for my girlfriend and just plain laziness, the blahg has, indeed, suffered. Time to dust it off a bit and get back to some good ‘ol fashioned blaggin’…right after we go get some food, which I’m sure won’t put me to sleep and thus put off blogging even longer. Yep.

(note: Edited July 2, 2009. Thanks again to Anthony Rubano for providing corrections and additional information! Corrections/additions are in blue)

While it’s been two weeks to the date of this year’s second Downtown Springfield Pied Piper Architectural Walking Tour, I’m a firm believer that a late post is better than no post at all! If you’re unfamiliar with these tours, I recommend you give my post of the first tour for 2009 a read.

Now that you’ve read the previous link and are familiar with the tour, I can get into the details of the second one … at least, what I can remember! I’ll contact Anthony again regarding the details.

The date of this tour was Wednesday, June 3. By the time it started, the weather had turned from cool and overcast to sunny and warm. Once again, the tour was hosted by Anthony Rubano of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. A larger-than-last-time group of us met in front of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office, which I think was a direct result of the really nice afternoon. The focus of this tour was the area surrounding the Old State Capitol.

If you had a business in the 1800s, an area like the one encircling Old State Capitol was the place to be. Back then, locations such as these served as the heart of commerce (aided especially by its proximity to the railroad), socializing and politics for a growing community. While our options have expanded since then, a lot of those purposes remain today. This section of town continues to serve as a popular place to socialize, hold special events (that whole Obama thing, you know) and provide tourists a glimpse into the past of the state of Illinois.

The first leg of the tour focused on the building at the corner of Sixth and Adams streets, otherwise known as the Illinois building. It was built in the late 1920s, and completed just prior to the beginning of the Great Depression. It was technologically advanced in its day because its all-steel frame. Steel-frame construction allowed the building to be made the height that it was. The decorative green squares on the building’s western facing side may look like bronze, but they’re actually another material glazed terra cotta.

The next stop was the Springfield Marine Bank building, which is now a Chase bank. The original portion, designed by Helmle and Helmle,  was built very close to the same time as the Illinois building, but did not need to be as large. It was a pre-depression “we’re strong and will keep your money safe” design, much like the Ridgely-Farmers State Bank building from the first walking tour. The columns in the front are all made of the same material. The columns on the “main” part of the building are carved, whereas those flanking that area are smooth. The windows were mounted, expensively, by using a thin bezel in order to keep the eye focused on the columns and away from the window mounts. The façade is entirely of limestone, like the Illinois Building, but designed in a different style.  The Corinthian columns on the original part of the building are carved.  The original building was flanked by a new addition, built in 1975-6 by Ferry & Henderson.  This addition uses smooth columns whose size and material echo those of the original columns. The addition’s windows are recessed behind the limestone columns and supported by steel cables within the window frames themselves, so that there was no overt vertical structure to distract the eye from the powerful and monumental columns.

The building on the corner of Sixth and Washington streets was up next. This building, however, is one of the ones I really don’t remember a thing about. Sorry folks! I’ll ask Anthony Rubano to provide some details. The Kerasotes Building was built in the 1920s in the same Classical style as the original Marine Bank.  It’s a simpler design, though and uses glazed terra cotta rather than carved limestone.  This simplified Classicism was relatively common in the 1920s.  This building along with Broadwell’s at 5^th and Washington make wonderful bookends to the north side of Old Capitol Square.

The tour focused next on the buildings to the north of the Old State Capitol. One of particular interest is the Buck’s Building. This building is a preservation work in progress. One noteworthy feature of this building is the decorative facade on the front, at the top of the structure. While this facade may look like ornately carved stone, it’s actually a metal fabrication that is it’s actually sheets of zinc-plated steel that were intricately stamped into elaborate shapes and then attached to the brick of the building’s front. It’s painted to look like stone. When this building was constructed, it was most likely ordered by mail via a catalog, shipped to Springfield via the railroad and installed by the owner. Its only purpose is to add some flair to the building’s front. The next building is the future home of the National Museum of Surveying. It was renovated by a local company and done so in a way that is a sharp contrast to the National City bank next to it. Speaking of the National City bank building, it is one of the most important buildings on the Old State Capitol square, according to Mr. Rubano. Why? The building is important because of the investment it took to build it (I’m very sketchy on these details). Built in the 1970s, the cost was significant for a town such as Springfield. It was also designed by a prestigious Chicago architectural firm that normally wouldn’t design for a structure in an area the size of Springfield. Important parts of the construction include the smooth, reflective surface of the outside wall and the design of the first floor, which draws the eye up the the floors above from the outside. It was originally constructed for the Roberts’ Brothers Department Store in 1975 and designed by the local firm of Graham O’Shea Wisnosky. Its contextual design that references historic architectural elements (like bay windows, mansard roofs, and segmental arches) is in sharp contrast to the starkly Modernist National City bank next to it. Speaking of the National City bank (originally Illinois National Bank), it is one of the most important buildings on the Old State Capitol square, according to Mr. Rubano. Why? The building is important because of its progressive design and enormous expenditure.  Completed in 1974, the building was designed by the Chicago firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.  Its cost was significant for a town the size of Springfield. Important parts of the construction include the smooth, reflective surface of the outside wall (mirrored glass and polished granite) and the inset design of the first floor, which draws the eye up the floors above from the outside.  Much of its interior is given over to a large, gracious atrium.

The Broadwells Drug Store building was the next stop of the tour. It now houses Uptown Looks hair salon. Following that was the Myers Brothers building. The “Myers Brothers” lettering on the south side is colored brick in the building’s exterior white-glazed terra cotta inset into the unglazed brick. The Reisch Building was constructed in a post-Victorian “Edwardian” style designed using a mannered Classicism that flowered briefly in the post-Victorian “Edwardian” period, which can be identified by some of the ornate features on the building’s front. The last few buildings, a group of five clustered at 5^th and Adams, were historic preservation success stories, according to Mr. Rubano. These abandoned buildings were rehabilitated into offices, retail spaces, and apartments in the late 1990s, a project that surely saved them from demolition. The tour concluded with a reception at Caitie Girl’s on Fifth at 400 E Jefferson.

Hope you liked this article about the second Pied Piper Walking Tour. Remember, these tours are free and occur the first Wednesday of each month through October. One important note: Next month’s tour will meet in front of the Illinois State Capitol instead of the Lincoln-Hendron Law Office.

Ahh, moving in together … for two people that have been together for a while, it’s a great thing. The advantages are countless and the disadvantages (what disadvantages?) are few, at best. The singular, most obvious hurdle to moving in together in the beginning, though, is just what to do with all of that stuff? George Carlin had a great view regarding stuff.

When we moved in together in late 2007, we simply had too much stuff. The both of us, having lived on our own for several years, had more than enough chairs, lamps, tables, etc. for one person, let alone two! Naturally, just like George would say, we decided to rent some storage.

Skip over time to this past weekend. The storage unit we rent has worked out great … but … well, we just keep getting more stuff. I bought a snow thrower (which was awesome) this winter, but it’s only good for taking up space in my garage during the summer. For my Saturday project last weekend, I decided to tackle the only problem we had with our storage unit … the problem being not enough room for additional stuff!

Below are some photos from my little project. It’s not super fancy or anything which anyone else couldn’t do. It is, however, one of those things that has transformed from “yeah … I ought to do that one day” to actually being completed. The feeling you get from that is one of a kind.

The main problem with the storage unit was how the red couch took up most of the floor space. Stacking things on top of the couch wasn’t practical, since couch cushions aren’t very sturdy and stacking rigid objects on it could damage the fabric. When we first rented the storage unit, I had the idea to build a simple wooden platform that could stand over the couch, allowing us to stack things on top of it. It had to be something I could build myself, since no company I know of makes anything like that. It wasn’t a priority until now, because I wanted to get the snow thrower out of the garage for the summer.

Looking through the pictures, you’ll see all I did was purchase a few building materials from Lowe’s and build a simple platform set. I bought one sheet of 4 x 8 plywood, eight 10’ 2 x 4s and a box of drywall screws, totaling $37.58. I cut the sheet of plywood in half, because I knew that a 4-foot-wide and 8-foot-long platform would be too heavy and awkward to maneuver into the storage unit by myself. Next, I cut the 2 x 4 pieces and created two square frames, one for each sheet of plywood. I then screwed the plywood tops onto the frames. The rest of the 2 x 4 pieces were used to make legs for the platforms. At that point, I loaded all those into the car and took them to the storage facility. Once I got there, I used an empty storage unit as a work area. I moved stuff out of the way, attached the legs, and placed the platforms over the couch. After everything was moved back in, there was plenty of floor space for the snow thrower, plus some!

(Sigh…) So, I did it. I’ve been on the fence about Facebook and similar services when it comes to their privacy issues for a few years now. I figured “Oh, what the Hell…” tonight and created my profile.

FB isn’t my first foray into social networking, however. I used to have a Friendster account back in the day, but, let’s face it, Friendster just hasn’t had the success of MySpace (which trumped Friendster) and Facebook (which has trumped MySpace, in many people’s opinions). I quit Friendster years ago because of the constant porn spam and didn’t feel like signing up for MySpace at the time.

So is Facebook the ultimate social networking site? It was pretty easy to set up my profile, add a few friends, add a few apps, etc. I think it’s ok, so far. Let me know if you’ve had any bad experiences with it. Oh, and if you’re on there and you know me, feel free to request me. Sorry if I missed you…I am new to it, you know