Well, finals are over, papers are written, and the semester is over! I could hardly be more happy. I am staying in Lincoln next week for work, but I shall be headed home to Colorado on the 23rd, where I shall remain for two whole weeks. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest.
I did decide, however, that I needed to get out of Lincoln for a bit, just to get away, and also to take some pictures. After all, it was a good excuse to break in my two new lenses, the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, and the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. The 17-85mm lens replaces the kit lens that came with the camera, which I sold on eBay. The 50mm is an upgrade from an older (and cheaper) 50mm f/1.8 lens. Overall, I am impressed with the lenses, and also with Canon's image stabilization abilities. Hopefully I'll be able to get a new zoom lens in the future with it as well.
Anyhow, getting back to the pictures, you will find them below. After my jaunt to Nebraska City, I went to Omaha for Mark Antonson's graduation party, and as I had some time on my hands before the party started, I took some nifty pictures of Christmas lights.