Camera time again

I'm putting together a larger camera order for work. We are getting our first Digital SLR camera, along with new lenses. Due to budget and my own experience with the camera, I'm buying the Canon Digital Rebel XT for them.

The real question is which lenses to get. The first project we're using the camera for is product photography, so I'm getting the Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Lens.

The next question is.... which walk around lens to I get. I'm looking at the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Image Stabilized USM SLR Lens, which I especially like because its image stabilized. But, I'm also looking at the Tamron Autofocus 28-75mm f2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Lens, which is getting good user reviews on Amazon.

I like my Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Standard Zoom Lens that I bought for my own camera, but I want to get something different for work... umm... so I can borrow a different lens when needed.

Any thoughts on lenses?

Slippery Slope or Path of Enlightenment?

Ugh... that pharisee Katherine Kersten is at it again. She has a editorial on Startribune.com titled "Once same-sex marriage is OK, polygamy's next".

She argues that if the defining of marriage as one man and one woman is discriminatory, "on what grounds can the state logically restrict marriage to two people? The fact is, once you adopt same-sex marriage -- legally changing the standard for marriage from one-man, one-woman to a "committed relationship" -- there is no principled way to prevent its extension to polygamy or other forms of "plural marriage" or partnership."

The funny thing is... I actually agree with much of her essay... but I'm thinking yes, that's the direction I want to go. She ends with a call to keep the Minnesota definition of marriage to one man and one woman, with the fear that any change in the definition of marriage will harm existing marriages.

My question is why! If five people want to form a marriage, how does that hurt Katherine and her husband? It doesn't! I'm sorry, Katherine, but all of you heterosexuals have had the marriage country-club to yourselves for to long. Its time to let the rest of us in.

Chicago trip canceled

Well crap. The Chicago class that I was going to take at the end of March was just canceled, due to lack of registrations. Only 5 people had registered. I had even talked with the regional coordinator about the class and class size before I booked everything, and he didn't seemed concerned by the low registration count.

This sucks. I was really looking forward to this class. Now I'm left with out the experience, and at least $75 in change/cancellation fees ($25 for hotel and $50 for Airtrans). Plus, I don't actually get the remainder of the money back from Airtrains, it becomes airline credit.

I took a risk and now it's biting me in the ass.