59/365: Tree Pond

59/365: Tree Pond, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Hiking after getting your eyes dilated is not a good thing, but that's what both Cathy and I did. After going to the eye doctor for checkups we headed over to the Morton Arboretum for a walk along the wet and partly frozen trails.

58/365: Performance Review

58/365: Performance Review, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Had my year-end performance review. It went well!

57/365: Present day reincarnation

57/365: Present day reincarnation, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Rub my belly!

56/365: Planet in a Bottle

56/365: Planet in a Bottle, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Attempted to shoot a frozen bottle of coconut flavored Cruzan rum, but by the time I settled on a shot the bottle became unchilled and water drops started forming. The view through my macro lens looked like a crater-filled planet than anything else.

55/365: The Electrifying Golden Apple

55/365: The Electrifying Golden Apple, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

My first light painting experience! Didn't have much to experiment with so I grabbed an apple out of the fridge, put my camera on my tripod, set the camera to bulb turned off the lights and voila - after playing around with an LED light, a golden apple.

54/365: Instant Starbucks

54/365: Instant Starbucks, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Picked up a sample of the Starbucks Via Ready Brew, its attempt at instant coffee. I wonder how it tastes....find out soon!

53/365: Been There, Climbed That

53/365: Been There, Climbed That, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Did the Hustle Up the Hancock, a "world class" stair climbing event benefiting lung disease research today at the John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago. Took me 24 mins to climb up 94 floors. It was challenging but a lot of fun. Can't wait to do it again!

52/365: Fiery Haze

52/365: Fiery Haze, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Fiery looking clouds take on the majestic purple sky in Chicago at dusk.

51/365: Downtown Naperville

51/365: Downtown Naperville, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Took the train after work down to Naperville where the wife and I had dinner at the Front Street Cantina (good margaritas!). Afterwards we walked off some of the food and window browsed some of the stores as we strolled our way over to the riverwalk.

50/365: Beware

50/365: Beware, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Hmmm, pickpockets or loose women, which is the lesser of two evils? Took my friend Eric out to lunch for some cajun at the original Heaven on Seven for his birthday and saw this sign greeting us by the front door.

49/365: Anatomy of a Lily

49/365: Anatomy of a Lily, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

The green translucent filaments of a lily.

48/365: Italian Beef

48/365: Italian Beef, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Had a true Chicago sandwich for dinner tonight, an Italian beef. For those not in the know, an Italian beef is a sandwich with thin slice roast beef soaked in seasonings and some kind of juicy gravy (it's so good I'm almost tempted to dring it) on an Italian roll. I like mine "extra wet" with sweet and hot (giardinera) peppers. I'll order it with mozzerella cheese every once in awhile, and if they offer the beef on garlic bread instead of an Italian roll, it's mine.

47/365: Bloom and Grow

47/365: Bloom and Grow, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Macro shot of my wife's Valentine's day bouquet.

46/365: 50mm Skills Challenge

46/365: 50mm Skills Challenge, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Took part in a 50mm fixed focal length skills challenge that my photography meetup group did at Millenium Park in Chicago. The challenge in this particular photo was shooting at the fixed 50mm length with the subject less than 5 feet away and the aperture wide open (in my case f/1.8).

45/365: Kissing Polar Bears

45/365: Kissing Polar Bears, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Happy Valentine's Day! Took my lovie to Brookfield Zoo. The polar bears were a few of the only animals who braved the cold February weather. It seemed like the polar bear on the left was trying to do whatever it could to impress the one on the right, and after awhile managed to gather some nerves and head over for what appeared to be a kiss.

44/365: Turtle the Cat

44/365: Turtle the Cat, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Meet my second kitty Turtle. She's a good natured tortoiseshell cat who has a bad case of ADD when it comes to getting her to stay still for just one sharp photo.

43/365: Cherry Tassies

43/365: Cherry Tassies, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Tasty cookies!

42/365: Sears Tower - Dark Night

42/365: Sears Tower - Dark Night, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

I don't usually stop to look at the Sears Tower on my walk to the train station from work, but thought it looked pretty cool tonight when the stormy foggy sky hid the top of the building.

41/365: Lens Goggles

41/365: Lens Goggles, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

I can see clearly now that I've got my camera lenses on.

40/365: B for Bananas...

40/365: B for Bananas..., originally uploaded by fatalysis.

B-a-n-a-n-a-s

39/365: Up the Daffodil Chain

39/365: Up the Daffodil Chain, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

I can't believe how fast these flowers grow. Just a couple weeks ago there was absolutely nothing and now there's a couple stems with a ton of flowers.

38/365: Saturday Night on Michigan Ave.

38/365: Saturday Night on Michigan Ave., originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Spent much of Saturday with the Chicagoland Digital Photography Meetup group in downtown around Millenium Park and along Michigan Avenue. It was good times, especially with the weather being in the 50s for most of the day which is unseasonably warm for February.

37/365: Honky Tonk BBQ

37/365: Honky Tonk BBQ, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Dinner at Honky Tonk BBQ in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. They were the 3rd place finisher at the Memphis International Festival World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. I may be a little biased since I used to live on the North Side, but I thought Smoque (on Pulaski right off of Cicero) was way better. I could definitely taste why Honky Tonk's pork placed so high though. It was the highlight of dinner....next to the live old country music.

36/365: Fire Escape

36/365: Fire Escape, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Decided to walk around the South Loop of downtown Chicago during my lunchbreak. Alleys are great places to shoot.

35/365: It's Cold Inside

35/365: It's Cold Inside, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Dinner with our winter coats, hats and gloves since it's freaking freezing in our place. Miscommunication with our landlord + the gas company turning off our gas = no heat for the last two days. Brrrrr!

34/365: Going Wide...Ultra Wide

34/365: Going Wide...Ultra Wide, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

After months of researching different ultra wide lenses, I finally decided to pull the trigger and purchase the Sigma 10-20mm. I'll use mostly for landscapes, but I can't wait to see what else I can shoot with it.

33/365: Fiery Morning

33/365: Fiery Morning, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

Sunrise over the Smoky Mountains

32/365: Great Smoky Mountain Burger

32/365: Great Smoky Mountain Burger, originally uploaded by fatalysis.

The biggest burger I've ever had: 2 freshly made hamburger patties weighing 2lbs with 5 slices of bacon 2 slices of cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes all between a 9 inch toasted and buttered muffuletta bun. I was the first to ever order the two patty burger at Smokys Sports bar and grill in Gatlinburg, TN. For finishing it, I received a nice Smoky's bar t-shirt and a food coma for the rest of the Super Bowl.