I am a very active person. Also, I love trying new things and accomplishing new goals. I live by the motto - always try something once - that, and everybody wang-chung tonight.
Last year I decided that my next goal was to run a marathon. At the moment of decision I had never run more than 5 miles, so it was a challenge I never thought I would accomplish. 
Through the help of a running partner we somehow accomplished a goal I once thought was unobtainable.
A year later, I sit in contemplation. I have many things I want to accomplish in my life before it's too late. One of which is a triathlon. The traditional triathlon consists of: 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running (in that order). However, there are several shorter races catering to the less experienced athlete. While my initial inclination is to go for gold - that kind of distance scares me.
I live in New England where it gets very cold in the winter months, so to ease into the training process I purchased a mount for my bicycle so I could ride it inside. Several months have passed since my purchase and I'm growing more confident in my endurance. However, I only own traditional road bikes (and one bad ass bmx bike, equipped with pegs etc), which would get me killed if I attempted 112 miles.
I started asking around for advice about bikes. I'm not a rich man and started to learn that this is not a poor mans game... While I'm still out there, researching which bikes are better to get the job done, I received some good advice from a friend; practice on a road bike and then rent a tri-bike from a bike shop a week before the race. Brilliant no? That way I would gain more strength practicing on a road bike, and come race day, I can compete with the top of the line machine.
I'm still not entirely sure what I'm going to do. The swimming portion bothers me as well. I started swimming in a small cove down the road from my house until I got stung by a jellyfish. Irony of it all - I actually swam out into the open ocean that day and only got stung 50 ft from shore on my way back in. I've been told that practicing in the ocean is better than a pool so I might just purchase a full wetsuit.
I'm open to suggestions, so if anyone has any tips I would be grateful.
I decided to take the NY bar exam - for more reasons than one - and was assigned to the Albany testing location. I was hoping for Manhattan but it filled up before I registered. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised with the city. Albany, as I forgot, is the capital of NY. When I arrived, instead of studying, I decided to take a walk around the city. I came across the NY state capital building - which happens to be the most beautiful capital building I have ever seen.
Most capital building are very stereotypical. 
Large white buildings with domes on the top. This building looked like something you would find in Europe while visiting some late Archdukes summer cottage.
It was unfortunate that my visit was during the winter months. The reflection pool in front of the capital building was drained. The reflection off the pool would have been perfect. However, I can't complain. Due to the single digit weather, there was nobody outside to ruin my shots.
I'm still experimenting with HDR photography. The photo you see above is an example of my progress; however, I was still battling with the dreaded 'halo effect' which usually occurs in most of my HDR photos - that is, until recently.
On my journey, I ran into an unsuspecting stranger. We started talking about photography when he saw my camera and I soon realized that he was also a photographer. We talked for about an hour - each sharing tips and tricks of the trade. I walked away with some really good advice and subsequently produced one of the best photos I have ever taken.
While I am still learning technique with the camera, as well as post processing, my chance encounter taught me how to line my images up perfectly in PS and then use the manual controls in both PhotoMatix and then Lightroom. For the longest time I would choose the lazy way out and just select a preset, but taking your time with the manual controls produces much better results.
This is the outcome. Funny enough, I was getting frustrated with the cars on the street. I was trying to get a photo without any cars, but having to keep the shutter open for 30+ seconds made that difficult. In the end, I've learned to appreciate the light trails. It projects the proper mood of the city nightlife.
If anyone is interested, I would be more than happy to discuss techniques about creating HDR photos. It is really simple once you get the process down, but getting there on your own can be a challenge.
You can see more photography at My Facebook Page
Through the help of a running partner we somehow accomplished a goal I once thought was unobtainable.
