2011 in Review

This year-in-review post is a little late as we are nearing the end of January now, but better late than never right? Let’s see, 2011 was a pretty big year for me and my family. I think the biggest things that happened are pretty obvious but let’s try to go through things chronologically shall we.

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January 2011
Dave and I announced our engagement. Since Dave proposed on the 30th of December in 2010, we did most of the announcing early in 2011. Our families and closest were informed that day after he proposed, but the world found out through Facebook and this blog in January.

February 2011
This was a big month for me. Not only did I learn that my brother would be having a boy (and I would therefore be getting a nephew), but on February 28, 2011 I officially started Stephanie Beach Photography as a small business. I got a domain name, website host and design and got an official business number from the Province of Ontario. It was an exciting and somewhat scary time for me, but I am very glad I did it.

March 2011
My birthday happens every year, but this year, as I turned 27, I think I might have moved from mid- to late-20s. It is a scary thought, but I think I am getting old!

This was also about the time when I got my own office. An office at work with a four real walls and an actual door. It is still pretty awesome. My own office came with a larger workload and much larger jobs to manage. Though I had shadow managed jobs before, I started working on even larger jobs as a shadow project manager around this time as well.

April 2011
April was the month where Dave and I searched for and purchased our first home. We wouldn’t get possession of it and move in until later, but the exciting purchasing process definitely happened here.

April was also the month where Dave and I joined Goodlife Fitness and signed up for personal trainers. It was (and still is) expensive, but we have been going ever since and I am glad we started and stuck with it.

May 2011
Though it may not seem like much, May 2011 was when I learnt that my 2009 accident had come full circle. An advance green light was installed at the intersection where I was t-boned. It left me with a weird, but satisfied feeling.

May 10, 2011 was the day my baby was brought to me…my Nikon D3s arrived in the mail! It was a wonderful evening and the next few months allowed me the time to really learn the amazing abilities that my full-frame camera has to offer.

June 2011
Dave and I got our house! It was purchased 6 weeks prior to us moving in on June 15, 2011. At the same time, my brother purchased his house (literally we put offers down on the same weekend and ended up closing on the same day). We have been here for over 7 months now and I still love my house! We have done some work on it, mostly painting, organizing and decorating but we are planning more significant updates later on.
July 2011
Jackson Robert was born on July 19, 2011. He was (and still is) adorably perfect and I love him to bits. My only wish is that I had more free time and could go visit him more, perhaps I will plan a trip to go see him in the next couple of weeks.

July was also a big month for my photography business as I shot my first wedding as the sole wedding photographer.

August 2011

As Dave and I had combined our bank accounts when we purchased our house, I had been spending the months following that event making sure all of my automatic payments, etc. had ceased or been transferred from my old account. August was the last of my ‘student plan’ capabilities at BMO and I therefore closed my very first bank account. My mom and I opened my BMO account when I was 12 or so as I had  gotten a paper route. I remember going to South Keys or Meadowlands with Chris to get to a BMO ATM when we were in school and getting a PLoC for when Dave and I bought the Honda Fit (though we didn’t end up using it then). Good memories, but the account wasn’t worth the bank fees. Seriously, why would I pay bank fees?

September 2011
This was the second quiet month for The Great Abyss (and my other blogs too). I was struggling to keep my head above water. To be honest, I still haven’t figured it all out and have been getting more and more comments from friends, family and even clients about how I manage to do everything that is currently sitting on my heaping plate. I could be doing much better if I focused on one job rather than the two official ones I have. I could be organizing my wedding in a much more timely fashion if I so chose. But I have chosen to try and do a great deal right now and I am doing okay at it (in my opinion).

October 2011
October was primarily spent trying to get things straightened out. It was the first time in my life that I knowingly carried a balance on a credit card and ended up having to take money from my personal line of credit to deal with it. This didn’t last long as before the year was done, any debt Dave and I had was taken care of, but it was an uneasy and uncomfortable time for me.

November 2011

Dave and I put chose our venue and put down the deposit, making our wedding date officially September 29, 2012.

November was also the month in which I finished my first conceptual photography series. I am very pleased with how 99 Luftballoons turned out and have received many great comments/reviews from friends, family, classmates and followers on the internet (aka strangers).  The final product and the responses from everyone have inspired me to think of more conceptual ideas and work towards getting them completed. You can view the images on Flickr (link above) and there will be a series of posts on my Photography Blog shortly.

December 2011

After a long search (I may have been looking for all of 2011), Dave and I selected our wedding photographer. We put down the deposit and are very happy with our choice.

December was also the month in which I finished my last course of the Algonquin College Digital Photography program. Though I got my grade in January, the last class was in December. I am very happy to be done with the program and have learnt so much. More to come on this later on my Photography Blog.

And of course, Dec. 30, 2011 marked one year since Dave and I got engaged.

 

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So that was pretty much 2011. Some of the items above are a little forced to be able to get something in each month (you may have noticed). The big ones are obvious as I said before. Announcement of our engagement, birth of my nephew, purchase of our first home and starting my business officially. I started working towards my photographic dreams by starting as a wedding photographer and a conceptual photographer. I also started taking on much larger jobs at work as a project manager and shadow managing on even larger jobs earning myself my own office.

My goals for 2012 are pretty simple. I want to have a great wedding that everyone enjoys; continue advancing my photography business; continue working on my conceptual photography ideas; get closer to achieving my health goals; start my travel goals; and continue to make our home truly our own. I am also looking forward to watching Jackson grow up and really get his own personality.

My birthday?

So this year we pretty much just skipped over my birthday. Because we are trying to save money, there weren’t really any gifts and because it was super busy at work there wasn’t a party or a celebration of any kind really. My boss did get me a cheesecake which was delicious.

I am hoping that I can get myself a present that I have been considering for some time now and would likely consider it a belated present to myself…but I don’t know if that is actually going to happen considering everything going on in Japan (everything being much more serious than me getting Nikon equipment).

Green Ideas: Water #1

Switch to cold water when doing you laundry and save and estimated 80 percent on energy used for laundry and an estimated $60 a year. There is also less risk of shrinking your clothes.

One Minute Writer #57

Write about a purchase you made that was not worth the money.

Some time ago I bought a 70-300mm telephoto lens for my photography. I love the ability to shoot at this distance and the only reason I am unhappy with this purchase is because I bought the older, non-Vibrance Reduction (VR) version. For only about 100-150 dollars more I could have gotten the newer, VR version. I find that my current lens is hard to focus and get exactly the shot (composition) that I want because of the vibration I get when it is at the maximum focal length (300mm). I plan on upgrading this lens but am not sure if I will get the VR version or wait until I can afford the f2.8 version.

Green Ideas: Electricity #1

When cooking smaller meals, try using the toaster oven rather than your conventional oven. Not only will this reduce electrical use from your kitchen appliances but also reduce your electricity bill.

One Minute Writer # 49

In what area of your life are you the most disciplined?

I thought this would be an easy question to answer, but now I just don't know. I know how to answer the least disciplined question (weight loss: eating healthy and exercising), but now I am questioning my most disciplined areas as well. I suppose financially I am quite responsible, though lately Dave and I have been spending far too much money on take-out and restaurants. This increase in spending is still tracked in my budget spreadsheet though, which has been active and completed in full for the last 3-4 years. I suppose that budget spreadsheet alone proves which area I am most disciplined in.

All I Want for Christmas...

...is well, everything. I have compiled a list of wants for this Christmas season. As usual, I don't distribute this list anywhere but here, and don't intend to actual receive really any of the gifts from the Dream List, but I think it is fun to make and it helps me determine what I will want to buy myself throughout the next year.


Dream List

1. Nikon SB-800 flash unit;
2. Macro lens;
3. Nikon 28-105mm 1:3.5-4.5D lens;
4. Nikon SC-29 flash cord;
5. Adobe CS4;
6. Bamboo tablet (pen and touch, 5"x7" or larger);
7. External hard drive (with viewing screen);
8. Small chest freezer;
9. Kitchenaid toaster;
10. Winter coat (sport, detachable layers, water resistant); and,
11. Winter boots (work boot style).

Rational List

1. Photography portfolio (I believe this is coming from Dave's sister - yay!);
2. Photography reflector (white/gold);
3. Epson photo paper (8"x10" - cheapest is at Canada Computer in Ottawa [near Costco]);
4. Cirque tickets & Disney Vacation (this would be part of the dream list, but Dave and I already know it is coming from his parents - how awesome is that!);
5. Gift cards (Sears [I need capri pants for Florida], Ricki's, Reitmans, Bluenotes, Cappucci hair salon [in Ottawa], Henry's, Future Shop/Best Buy); and
6. Money is always useful.

As you can see, many of the things I want, both in dream world and the rational world, are photography based. I am pretty sure those of you who know me, or read this blog regularly could have guessed that be the case.

Groceries

Today Dave and I went grocery shopping for the first time in weeks. To be honest, we had been now and then to pick up this or that, but not a full grocery event and never enough to fill our fridge and/or cupboard. It has been so busy and frantic at work lately, that neither of us wanted to make anything when we got home. We would throw together some basic food and then buy lunch somewhere the next day. Tomorrow I intend on making a few dishes that we could have as lunches throughout the week and hope that I can keep it up.
I don't like spending so much money on food when for at least half the price I could make something myself and probably like it more. I have always tried to think of buying lunch as a portion of my work day. In other words, if my lunch cost 8 bucks and I made 16 an hour, then half an hour of my work day went to purchasing my food. Was the food really worth an additional 8 dollars? This has been my thought since I started working and has resulted in my usually only buying lunches once every week or two, with the exception of the past few months of course.
Hopefully we will be able to stop buying so many lunches and save some of money and put it towards something useful - not sure what that is though.

Rent Increase

Every year, landlords can increase their rent by a percentage outlined in the Tenant and Landlord Act. This year was the first time I have ever actual had this used on me. Minto Corporation is our landlord and as an actual corporation rather than an independent landlord, they have certain advantages to them, but they also have some disadvantages, one being the fact that they know what they are doing very well. They are a well oiled machine that knows how to work the Act to their advantage, like increasing the rent in a timely fashion. I don't really have a problem with paying an additional $9.80 to live here, and know that I myself would be increasing the rent as allowed on an annual basis if I was a landlord. I still feel like this place is well worth the money we pay for it and am still very much in love with it.

Court Date

Monday, June 6, 2009 was the court date for the accident - or rather, for my appeal of the ticket I got because of the car accident. I was very nervous about the whole thing and started freaking out about it at the end of last week as I couldn't get a hold of the man who was going to help me with the trial. Eventually we connected and I told him I wanted his assistance on the day of the trial, for a fee as expected. We discussed what was going to happen and I continued to wait.

This past weekend was a disaster in terms of my stress levels. Whenever I wasn't sleeping, making a meal or playing some kind of video game, I was worrying and fretting about the trial. I had never been a part of a trial and had no idea what to expect. I would dream of important meetings/events and either screwing them up or missing them all together. It was very unpleasant. I spent the morning worrying even more and deciding what I was going to say when it came time to speak. The trial was at 1:30 and I was there at almost exactly 1. Paul, the man who was helping me, showed up about 5 minutes after me and we discussed a few options I had such as taking a by-law fine rather than a Highway Traffic Act (HTA) charge. As we spoke, the man who hit me showed up and we eventually followed him into the actual courtroom.
It was like a combination of a tiny courtroom and a tiny church. I say church because the seats were like pews in a church and the atmosphere made me just as uncomfortable as a church.
The witness to the accident, who was behind me when I was hit, also showed up and of course the police officer was there. The whole thing was very unnerving and I was very glad I had decided to get Paul's help. He spoke with the prosecutor after which he and I made what I consider a very wise decision to take the by-law fine. Nothing is attached to my license and there is only a small monetary fine that I have no real problem with.
I am really happy with the outcome of the trial, that in total took about half an hour, two minutes of which were the actual trial. I can now put the whole thing behind me and get on with things.

Sims 3

This past weekend while browsing the items at Future Shop, I saw that Sims 3 had been released. I didn't buy one right away as i wanted to read some reviews about it and see how different it really was from Sims 2 (which had been a huge improvements from the original Sims). I got home and was too tired to really look into it that evening but did Monday evening when I got home from work. I watched a trailer and two gameplay videos and instantly knew I wanted the game. I drove to Future Shop and picked up a copy right away. It was $50 and in my opinion, it was well worth it.

The differences are pretty substantial. You can now alter anything in any way you want. You may like the design of that couch but none of the colours it comes in, you can change that. You like that shirt but want it to be some funky design with custom colours, you can do that. Everything is 100% customizable and it will make the game last so much longer.

I spent most of my first evening making Sims characters that were supposed to look like Dave but I was disappointed when I was unable to get them quite right. The game does have great facial construction tools which surpass those of the first two Sims game but they take some time to master and I just wanted to play so I settled on some faces that don't really match us at all, but that is okay for now.

There are new traits you assign to your Sims (and that get assigned to children, etc who grow up in the game) such as athletic, loner and party animal. You select five for each Sim and then select a lifetime goal for you Sim such as becoming an astronaut or super spy. You can also have lifetime goals like maximize all guitar and writing skills or things of that nature.

I have only been able to play for a few hours so far due to work, class and homework but I love it and really want to play some more. If your computer is up to it, I think everyone should go and pick up a copy of this highly addictive game.

Toronto Zoo

As part of our vacation Dave and I went to the Toronto Zoo. It was really fun. We walked around the entire zoo and saw so many animals and I of course took a ton of photos. I really enjoyed the monkeys this year and they all seemed to be doing a pose similar to the one above where they had their arms wrapped around them. It reminded me of humans trying to comfort themselves or warm themselves up on cold days. I thought it was really neat and I have never seen them do this before - or I haven't ever noticed before.We also went into the temporary exhibit at Stingray Bay. We got to touch Stingrays and even Nurse Sharks. That's right everyone, I touched sea animals - specifically sharks! Dave touched the shark (above) and told me that they felt rough and that I should try it, so I did (below).The entire Zoo trip cost about $100 with food and admission, etc. Considering it was the most expensive part of our trip (including gas costs) that is really good!! Not to mention the fact that it was well worth the money.

One Minute Writer #19

How much money would you have to win in the lottery for your life to really be changed? How would your life be affected if you won that much?

I am not sure about an exact number as I do not play the lottery game at all but I would think a few million (perhaps 10) would have meleaving this job. In the grand scheme of things, a few million would not be enough to live on for the rest of my life with no worries whatsoever, but it would mean I could follow my dreams a little earlier than I am currently planning. I would probably finish my schooling faster and maybe even enter in a full-time photography program. I would start my own photography business and try to get it running successfully. I would invest in Dave by paying for the helicopter training he is dreaming about and we would likely get own our place (rather than rent). Basically, our lives would just be more comfortable and filled with our dreams.

Belated Gifts

Two months later and I still haven't decided what I want from Dave for my birthday. I just bought him his present, Ratchet and Clank Future for his new PS3. It isn't his fault or anything, I haven't picked it out and we don't really get each other surprise gifts - we just end up buying each other gifts that we want but can't rationalize spending money on at the time. Originally I was planning on putting his money as well as that from my parents, towards my macro lens but this didn't happen as at the same time I was going to buy it, I got T-boned. Oh well, one way or another I will figure out what I want for my birthday and then use the money towards that...I just have to figure it out.

I also just got a present in the mail from Chris - she got me a subscription to PhotoLife. In the letter she sent me telling me she had ordered it she called it my birthday present, but if memory serves it is actually my Christmas present. My birthday present was HIMYM Season 1 and a WW cookbook. But either way, the magazine is awesome and I can't wait for the first issue to get here.

Playstation

Sunday was the day I got my scanner/printer, it was also the day that Dave finally got his Playstation 3. He has wanted this thing for years now (pretty much since it came out) and could never rationalize getting it. When we heard he was going to be working in Toronto for a month (turned out to be a month and a half) he decided that the extra money he would make through overtime and his per diem would go towards a Playstation 3 (and games). Then the Sentra got totaled and that dream faded. I really wanted him to get it still, but we had to spend so much money on the car I wasn't sure if he would. Luckily, he didn't stop looking at it, and I talked him into getting it this past weekend - not that it took much convincing. We went to EB Games and got a pretty good deal (3 games with the system) and another game that I got him as his birthday present (his birthday happens to have been yesterday). I am very happy he got his new toy as he really deserved something for all the hard work he has been doing at DST. And we got Little Big Planet as well which is a game I have wanted to play since he showed it to me (quite possibly to get me to want to PS3 as much as him - which was smart of him).

Epson Artisan 800

Sunday afternoon I set out to get a new scanner - one with the capability of scanning in photographs at different resolutions and sizes than the original image (ie. enlarging the image through the scanner itself rather than through post-processing programs). Originally I was thinking about $100 on a scanner - just a scanner, not a combo printer or anything like that. I had done some research and learned that I was really interested in getting and Epson scanner. They are used by most professional photographers and have the software that would enable me to do what I wanted and so much more. Dave and I ventured out to do some shopping and neither Future Shop (and therefore Best Buy) nor Staples had any Epson scanners. BUT while we were at Staples, we saw the Epson Artisan 800 printer. It is a pretty expensive machine - it is a fax machine, copier, printer, scanner and photo printer. It pretty much does everything. It has 6 ink cartridges (black, yellow, light cyan, cyan, magenta and dark magenta) and two paper trays (this enables you to always have photo paper and regular paper in the machine and therefore you don't have to switch back and forth as much). I was really interested in the machine and went home and did some more research.
I learned through the fabulous Internet about its pros and cons and read a couple reviews from both companies and customers. The cons of the machine mostly had to do with copying and regular printing and it is expensive to use a regular printer and apparently the copying is a little blurry. Neither of these things matter to me as I do not intend on using it for regular printing or copying documents. I was happy with what I read and since I have been wanting a photo printer for a year or so now I figured I might as well got a machine that can act as a scanner and a photo printer since it does both very well.
We went back to Staples and purchased the machine. I then spent the next 2 hours getting it setup. It took so long due to the fact that I wanted to set it up through the wireless network as the primary computer in the house is a laptop which is almost never connected directly to the network via actual cords. It is pretty awesome that I can be on the main floor and yet still able to scan or print documents to the printer up in the office.
Anyway, I have scanned some photographs already (for the photo restoration assignment I have in my Photoshop course) and am very happy with the resulting images. I will have to wait until I have more time on my hands until I can test drive the photo printing abilities but I am excited about it to say the least.

For Me?

Chris has been away for some time on vacation and is easing back into daily postings. Today's post was about a blog chain award that Heather had given her. You are supposed to list 7 reasons you are awesome and then link to other people's blogs you believe are deserving.
First things first I suppose, 7 reasons why I am awesome (I honestly don't know if I can come up with seven but I will do my best - it may take some time).

1. I'm a pretty good photographer (though I do it because I love it so much not because I am good at it).
2. My skills in Photoshop are above average and getting better almost every day.
3. I am extremely organized in most areas of my life, particularly when it comes to finances (to be honest, I don't know if this makes me awesome or slightly crazy). My budget is so organized and well maintained that Dave and I managed to by our first car (well first car that we bought) without any financing or loans - this makes us awesome (though currently poor).
4. I can make some awesome food. Most recently I made a cheesecake that was to die for (as stated and confirmed by all who ate it).
5. I'm pretty smart. I have always been on the brighter side of the population, but getting through the engineering program in one piece made me really believe in my intelligence.
6. I have an Environmental Engineering degree and have managed to find a job in my field. I learned shortly after graduation that this is not an easy task and as such, I feel is grants me a tiny amount of awesome-ness.
7. When I put my mind to it, I can do just about anything.

Just so everyone is aware of how hard that list was for me - I started this post at about 8:30 and the list itself took me almost half an hour to complete. So, onto the second part of the chain. Awarding other blogs. I would normally have put Heather and Chris into this category as I read their blogs on a regular basis and enjoy both of them but as they have both done this chain already, I will move onto some of the other blogs I follow. I don't believe any of these blogs will keep the chain alive (or even know I linked to them), but I have faith that others will and the awarding will continue. So much faith in fact that I want to direct my readers to some really awesome (and already popular) blogs.

1. The One-Minute Writer. This blog posts daily writing prompts (it is also very popular and probably doesn't need my help but I am mentioning it just the same). I use the prompts on occassion for blog posts here but also just to get my brain juices flowing in the morning as every once in a while they really make me think.
2. Journey to Lose 100 Pounds. This blog has been an aid and inspiration when it comes to my weight loss. I found it randomly one day and check it out on a regular basis now. It may not be of interest to everyone, but personally I enjoy it.
3. Pictures, Poetry & Prose. Another daily posting site that is meant to inspire writing. This one I mainly use to view the photography that gets posted there as writing prompts. I plan on sending her a link to my site(s) in hopes of having some of my images used there.

So that is that. I hope you enjoyed my blog suggestions - I know I do.

Car Extravaganza

(image found through Google).
On April 17th, 2009 Dave's 2001 Nissan Sentra was t-boned while I was driving it to work. I was on turning from Conroy onto Thurston on a yellow light. The cars coming in the opposite direction were stopping and I thought it was safe. Obviously I was wrong as a Mazda Protege 5 smashed into the passenger side of my car bringing me to a complete stop. Somehow I managed to keep the car from hitting any other vehicle and then parked it on the side of the road. In an attempt to make this part of the story a little shorter, the man who hit me was extremely upset and unnecessarily rude. A witness came back and told me he saw the man run the red light (this witness had been behind me in the turning lane and obviously also thought it was safe to turn as he was right behind me when I was hit). The car had some pretty serious damage to it, but it still ran. The passenger side doors no longer opened and the back passenger side was smashed in so far the you could stick your hand through the opening.I went into work and my boss helped me find out what station to go to and how to get there, I really appreciated how helpful he was. When I arrived at the station I spoke with an officer, waited for another officer and called the insurance company. I also called my dad and asked him to come up and help me as Dave was in Toronto for work. After taking the car to a body shop and getting a rental car (a stupid, horribly designed Toyota Yaris), my dad took me back to Prescott where I spent the weekend trying to relax and figure out what had just happened.(image found through Google).

When I returned Sunday afternoon I had several messages related to the accident one of which was from the constable assigned to the case. He came over to the house and charged me with making an unsafe turn. The man who hit me wasn't getting charged with anything. My witness had changed his statement after speaking with the constable (in my opinion, he was scared out of it by the constable but I do not know exactly what happened). I was upset and angry. I have since decided to fight the charge and have a court date on July 6, 2009 at 1pm. I hope it goes well.
Later on in the week I learned that the car was a total loss. After quite a bit of deliberation with Dave about the situation, we decided to take the money offered to us by the insurance company and find a new car. We started looking for cars when he was home for the weekend and then while he was back in Toronto. We had quite a hard time with this as we really didn't have any money and were both extremely stressed. The leaders in the car search were: a red 2008 Honda Fit (sport) with ~50,000km (image found through Google) and two red 2007 Dodge Calibers (with ~80,000km and ~60,000km) (image found through Google).Later on we also thought about a new 2009 Pontiac Wave (image found through Google).
After about 2 weeks of car shopping, we came to an agreement to buy the Honda Fit from the dealership owned by family friends back in Prescott. We liked the look of it and felt it was a better fit for our lifestyle. It has tons of space inside (seriously - just wait until you see it, it looks tiny but inside it feels huge!) and has so many features we couldn't afford in a new car.
We went to Riverside Saturday to purchase the car only to find more stress. Someone had the car out on a test drive! I was very upset (again) and was afraid that we were going to lose the only car we both liked and felt was the right price. We went back to my parents' house and made a few calls to some of the other dealers we had been talking to and were able to make a deposit on the car. Eventually we were able to go and test the car out again and we luckily saw that we hadn't built it up too much. It was still great so we purchased it. I got a courtesy car to drive, a red Pontiac Pursuit, until our car was ready as it needed to have a safety and inspection done to ensure it was up to the standards of the Riverside Pontiac Buick dealership.(image found through Google).
I picked up our 2008 Honda Fit on Tuesday and am absolutely in love with it. Dave will be home on Saturday (he is back in Toronto for work) and I can't wait for him to come home to our new car. It makes me so happy to have our own set of wheels again - ones we got to pick out and buy.

Co-Worker

I have a new co-worker - his name is Dave. That's right I am officially working with my boyfriend. So far I really like it. I have someone to hang out with when it is slow and eat lunch with as I am currently not cool enough to eat with the other juniors in the office. Dave will be working here until at least the end of March, possibly longer if the company has enough work coming in. It is not entirely in his field but it should help his resume. If not, well at least it is a paycheque - and more time with me, which I enjoy.

Upgrade I

When I started at DST I learned about a home computer program they have in which the company purchases a computer designed by you on the Dell website and you then reimburse them, interest free, from your paycheque for the next year. They get a pretty decent discount on the computers as they purchase all of their many computers and laptops from Dell. As my current computer is starting to feel its age and I have been wanting the portability of a laptop for quite some time, this program seemed just right for me. I technically have the funds to be able to go out and purchase the computer on my own, but this way it is a little cheaper due to the discount the company has. In the end, I used the many I saved in upgrading several of the features and components and will end up with a pretty kickass high-end laptop. I should be getting it at the end of the month or early next month and can’t wait. I am sure there will be many more changes to this blog or at least more frequent posts once I get the new equipment.