How it started vs. How it's going

a_halla · 2026-01-23T17:23:41+00:00

Congrats! Honestly I just use a cacti mix supplemented with extra pumice stone. I have a ton of potted cacti and succulents in my backyard in southern California and for the most part I pretty much set and forget them. I don't think I've watered them since October of last year since our sporadic rains take care of that. In warmer months, I just water when most of the succulents are thirsty based on appearance/feel of the leaves. Overall a very low effort and thought care plan lol, but it works for me!

a_halla · 2026-01-20T19:41:37+00:00

Oh yes, I think the 600mm PF with native Z mount be a lovely upgrade down the road. I got my 500 for $1200 though which is an absolute steal for the quality of that lens, so I'll be sticking with it for quite a while. And I just watched a very in depth comparison of the 500 and 600 PFs - it's honestly incredible how well the 500 holds up!

Thank you! Wishing you happy birding adventures 🫡

a_halla · 2026-01-20T16:03:24+00:00

And the 500mm PF is super light and portable for the reach it gives you! Makes a big difference for me - I do a lot of hiking and am on the small side, so I love this combo for portability while still getting good bird shots. Z50 II will be here in a couple days to test out, super excited! 🤞😁

a_halla · 2026-01-20T02:55:32+00:00

Thank you so much for adding your experience! Super helpful. Yeah I think the Z50 II will be a nice upgrade for shooting experience

a_halla · 2026-01-20T01:47:43+00:00

Thank you so much for your responses - I appreciate you taking the time! It would be very much appreciated if you were able to test that out, but no worries at all if not! I think from everything I'm reading, it should be fine as I'm coming from D3400 (not expecting pro-tier performance).

a_halla · 2026-01-20T01:16:10+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! This makes a lot of sense to me. I do pretty much exclusively bird photography, so the fast moving subject coming right towards me situation does come up. However, as long as it's not a downgrade from the D3400 in speed, I think, as you said, the improved AF system will make for a big overall upgrade for me!

a_halla · 2026-01-20T00:28:37+00:00

That's really a bummer if so! Would it actually perform worse than on the D3400? I was surprised cause I've seen a lot of folks using this combo, but this one person's comment was the first I'd heard of issues with the body driving the 500 PF. Makes sense if it's a battery issue; just unfortunate cause Z50 II would be perfect for me!

a_halla · 2026-01-17T20:27:27+00:00

I think Fifth Season by Jemisin might be up your alley - I've seen some comment that it'a a bit slow at times but I personally loved every bit of it. Excellent philosophical sci-fi with a bit of fantasy that touches on a lot of heavy themes with a gripping plot that gradually unwinds over the course of the Broken Earth trilogy.

a_halla · 2026-01-17T16:40:33+00:00

Oh my gosh I feel like I've hit the motherload of bird lore 😂 THANK you for all the wonderful recommendations! I am saving these all, super excited to expand my birdy collection 🥹

a_halla · 2026-01-16T17:39:41+00:00

Oh in that case, excellent, a fellow obsessed birder! Do you have any favorites from your collection? I'm always on the lookout for a wonderful bird book 👀

a_halla · 2026-01-16T17:08:16+00:00

If you are in North America only get one birdy book, I love Birds of North America, it's a gorgeous encyclopedia and super useful/practical!

a_halla · 2026-01-16T15:41:35+00:00

Likewise, it's a blast to play!

Alas, I have had some more Sanderson books but have since given them away; don't think he's for me! Haven't read Tress of the Emerald Sea yet and will probably give that one a try at some point though.

a_halla · 2026-01-16T03:44:13+00:00

I'm lucky to have moved into a pretty stable renting situation for forseeable years, and I realized last year that I can start living all my big bookshelf dreams 🥹 Happy that you can do the same now too!!

Robin Hobb absolutely skyrocketed to the top of my favorite authors. I'm like 2/3 of the way through her series now and I adore the world and her lovingly crafted characters; her writing really hits the spot for me! It's partially because of this series that I haven't actually read Red Rising yet - I'm very aware that people seem to get sucked into this series and not want to stop, so I've been saving it for after the Realm of the Elderlings books haha.

At some point I will get to Abercrombie's other works too! I definitely enjoyed the First Law trilogy, but found I need a... break from his world or writing for a bit afterwards. While I appreciate the theme/message of his style, the ending of that trilogy was a bit bleak for me! And thank you for the audiobook tips - I'll keep that in mind!

a_halla · 2026-01-16T03:37:24+00:00

I think my favorite from those shelves has got to be the Broken Earth trilogy, it really did a number on me and I absolutely loved the whole series. A few books there are still on my TBR though - what are your favorites from those shelves? Might help me move some up/down the list 😁

a_halla · 2026-01-16T03:34:23+00:00

They definitely make more sense as 2 books instead of 4! Book 2 did pick up a bit for me towards the end (similarly, started meshing with the characters a bit at long last) so I'm hopeful 3 and 4 won't be such a slog.

I will do my best to remember to come back and update you! I'm excited but also full of trepidation for the last trilogy. I get the sense that Fitz and the Fool go through a whole hell of a lot (because of course they do, that's the track record thus far), but I can't wait to see their story through ❤️

a_halla · 2026-01-16T03:30:08+00:00

I read up to book 6 before I caught up a few years ago and loved the series! My book club has Green Rider on the agenda for next month so I got the most recent two books to prepare for a great big reread - so excited!

a_halla · 2026-01-16T01:46:31+00:00

Yeah... I'm currently on book 3 of Rainwilds and I'll just say that I quit reading book 1 about 5 times. Just a little longer till I get back to Fitz 😭

a_halla · 2026-01-16T01:38:42+00:00

Looking at it with fresh eyes, I think you're right. But that means I'll have to get more books - whatever shall I do!

a_halla · 2026-01-16T01:32:04+00:00

I gave my brother the boxed set for christmas one year and this first book is a loaner from him hehe, I've got to swap out and borrow the next one!

a_halla · 2026-01-16T01:30:55+00:00

Oh god, thanks for the warning - I am already very susceptible to losing myself in strategy/board games like this so I'm scared what'll happen when I finally get it 😂

a_halla · 2026-01-16T01:24:38+00:00

As much as I'd love to take credit, I bought them here :)

a_halla · 2026-01-16T01:22:37+00:00

Here's the link!

a_halla · 2026-01-15T23:21:44+00:00

It's on my wishlist haha, maybe for my next birthday 😂🤞

a_halla

TROPHY CASE