mdipi,

What lens are you using as well, would be great to know. More Specifications on the ISO you were using, was it originally ISO 100, the faster the ISO the faster the reaction of the camera will be, but that being said as well, the grain of the image will go up as well. You need to take the same picture and adjust your setting to see what the image looks like with the different settings. That way you will learn what is best for the situation you are shooting and make a note of this in a small note pad to carry with you. As you become more familiar with the camera and len/s you will start to see your images becomming better and your instincts will start to be intuative (you won't need the notebook as much). I know you said you are leaving soon, but you really do need to digest the user manual that came with the camera more and more. Reading it once completely is great, but you also need to use the camera as you read it and then you will get better images as well.

Hope that helps too.