DSLR Advice, Por Favor!

I recently acquired a roommate, which added a new cat to my household and cut my monthly rent check in half. SCORE ON BOTH! Now I can finally afford a few things I've been lusting after for the past year, like maybe a vacation and some new shoes. But seriously... since my birthday is right around the corner, I think I'm finally going to treat myself to a digital SLR. Since 2004 I've survived on a Nikon Coolpix 5200 (as in 5.2 humiliating megapixels), and even though the little guy's always been good to me, my reputation demands an upgrade... especially since the battery door hinge fell apart in Cambodia and I was forced to wrap half the camera in duct tape. Hot. And sticky.

So I ask all of my informed, photographically inclined readers: What's the best mid-range DSLR out there?

I'm already eyeing the Nikon D90 for a couple of reasons: I've already got a decent lens from a Nikon SLR that I can swap in, and the HD video function is a huge plus. I'm also one of those lifelong Nikon enthusiasts and it would feel good to stay loyal, even though some of my friends SWEAR that Canons are better cameras overall.

All feedback is appreciated. This is obviously going to be an expensive purchase, and I want to be sure I'm doing the right thing before I pull the shutter. HEE HAW! Thanks in advance.

popSiren on Treasure Island!

Just wanted to share a really fun episode of popSiren I did recently from majestic Treasure Island in San Francisco. The popSiren team rarely gets outside of the studio on a regular basis, but after the fun we had this time around, we're considering a lot more of it. I think the fresh air does a body good. What do YOU think? I want your feedback!

Nine Months?

Below is an excerpt from a recent list from one of my favorite bloggers, Penelope Trunk, about realizing whether or not we're avoiding personal growth in our careers:

3. You have never had a long-term relationship.

If you have never been in a relationship for more than nine months,
then you have not let anyone really see you. Nine months is how long it
takes for that crazy, being in love feeling to wear off. (There should
be a link here, but it would be to my therapist, who told me in last
week’s session.) So after getting through nine months the clouds
dissipate and you start to see your true self reflected back to you
from someone who knows you well. Before that, it’s pretty easy to cover
up your true self. You can manage personal development much more
effectively if you are looking at yourself through someone else’s eyes.
It always feels different because you can’t hide from the stuff that
you wish would go away.

What do you think? I've never heard the maturation of love described this way before. Is nine months the magic number? I'd like to think that every relationship is different, but maybe she's onto something here.

By the way, I've been (slowly) working on a new blog design. I haven't forgotten about the counting songs list, or that I have a blog, or that I should use it more often. No sir. I just need a new design to get inspired again! Like new shoes. Which I also need.

You are SMRT!

I got roughly five billion responses about songs containing lots of counting lyrics (see previous post). Thanks! You all know a lot more counting songs than I ever could. Now comes the fun part of going through them all and compiling a list of the Best Counting Songs Ever Recorded. Or something like that. Because I have all this free time, see? And I need to do stupid things to fill my boredom. Never mind those 247 unread inbox items. They'll expire, right?

I'd like your help.

I'm trying to come up with a list of songs that do a lot of counting within the lyrics. Such as "I'm a Wheel" by Wilco ("one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine"). I know it's a random request, but hey, THIS IS WHAT I DO.

Thanks for putting up with it. 

Your pal,

Sarah