Following the recommendations of a handful of friends – some of which work in the field and some who are really good at taking pictures – I preordered a new digital camera, the just-announced Panasonic GF1. I don’t usually preorder things, especially expensive things, but this time I succumbed to peer pressure and pulled the trigger.

My old camera was – well, still is – an ultra-slim Sony T7 who had the advantage of being carried with me pretty much everywhere due to it’s tiny size, but fared horribly in low-light areas and indoors. After a series of botched pictures I took some weeks ago – some of which I really wanted to keep – I decided it’s time for a new one. Besides, I’ve been using it for over 3 and a half years.

It should get to me sometime in October, provided the stock lasts (my previous choice, a black Panasonic LX3, has been sold out – or heavily overpriced – for the past 6 months). Will post pics upon arrival.

In less than 3 weeks, a bunch of friends from Romania are coming to New York to visit me, and I couldn’t be happier. Earlier this year I had my parents over for a month or so, and while it was nice seeing them – and showing them I can handle my new life just fine, thank you very much – it still made me wish it had been someone closer to my age & interests. After all, there’s one New York you show to your parents, and quite another to your childhood buddies.

I already have a long list of places to take them to, from touristy spots to places I found and fell in love with. NY has so many of them! I’ll take them see a Broadway show – which I guess is a must for a first-time visit here – and while it won’t be my first choice (Avenue Q, which sadly will close its doors before they get here) it’ll still be one of the more successful ones (it’s Chicago, btw). We have set a trip to Six Flags – one of my favorite spots – and a one-day trip to Washington D.C. We’ll fill the rest with as much NY exploring as possible, strolling the city around the day and sampling it’s nightlife afterwards. At least that’s my plan, we’ll see how much they will want to hold on to it.

I also plan on stuffing them like turkeys, since I’ve been compiling a list of all the awesome food, dessert & drinks places I have found in the past 4 years and I want them to try as many of them as possible. This city is a melting pot of cuisines and it will be a pity to miss on many of them.

Yay, can’t wait!