Well...guess I was never really gone...
...and at the same time, here I am, missing my time away.
I think whoever watches me will notice some activity on this end....for the time being.
Bought myself a new camera, a Canon 450D, still learning how to work with it, but I must say I love it. There really is a difference in switching from a compact to a SLR. What I find better is that I feel I have more control over the pictures I take, and don't need to rely so much on automatic to take the best photos.
Suddenly, all the people that advertise themselves as professional photographers (and flaunt it to the high winds) don't seem so high and mighty anymore.
Not that it really matters, if you have the photoshop skills to correct those lighting mistakes and what not....but there are always those purists that don't accept any image as good if it took some aditional outside work, or was taken on automatic.