Photo Gear Desire: Vol.1 of Endless...

My first SLR ever was the Canon T70, with a few other learner bodies like Pentax K-1000 with Ricoh lenses, the Nikon FE2 (which I loved!!), and my first year as SeBiArt, I used the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. Though the Nikon FE2 in particular is still a hot collectors item - it's  amazing to see how much these cams have dropped in value over the years.  I'm now firmly planted in the Nikon system but if I had $$$ druthers I'd have multiple systems - Leica, Hasselblad, and Canon.  

I  spent much of last year salivating over the Canon EOS SLR D series - specifically the 1D-X.... and after I rented 5D system + lenses for a video and stills theater assignment I thought I'd die if I didn't own this machine. 

But now...Nikon just dropped this on us - the new D800+D800E and I'm near asphyxiation:

Perceptions & People

You have a few assholes/morons out there to be sure. 

There are quite a few rude individuals as well. 

And then we have to exercise patience with a significant number of flakes -who are often misinterpreted as assholes/morons who are thoughtlessly rude. 

I say misinterpreted because the other groups earn such titles by displaying possessive and aggressive streaks often used offensively or defensively and with (sober or blind) intention. Flakes aren't like that - their heads are so far up their own asses or up in the clouds to muster aggression let alone direct it with purpose. Thoughtless yes - literally so, and definitely annoying as hell. But we should try to grant them some patience, and ourselves too; perhaps by detaching from our expectations of committed outcomes.

And finally, we have the MaJoRiTy - the well-meaning, well-doing, honest to god good folk. 

Does that sound crazy? That they're the majority...? Well...think about it - most people out there are decent beings and most of the time too! If it weren't so, this world and the order we have, and the expansive geographical areas of peace and safety that we can enjoy simply wouldn't exist. Fuckin' anarchy is what we'd have mate - EVERYwhere. And there's a lot to be said for perceiving the world this way. It makes you smile more and freak out less; makes you accept shifts and surprises more quickly than resisting them; you're more adaptable, detached, and decisive, rather than presumptuous, reactive and emotionally equivocal. The world for you is what you are for the world. You want to live your life through conflict, be a source of/for conflict.  You want equanimity and liberty, then offer that; be that. 'Be' what you want to 'see' what you want. It's just how it works... walk away from the rest.