Saturday, June 27, 2020
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
My Clown Days
When I was young, my family was so poor they hired me out as a clown for parties.
Here I am at age four, heading off to work. The year was 1961.
Here I am at age four, heading off to work. The year was 1961.
Seriously, it was Halloween. I'm swinging a candy bag and there are paper-decorations in our house's front window. My clown-costume was hand-made by my mother.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Dinner
Who says you have to go out to eat well?
My favorite appetizer, which I made and consumed tonight, is Smoked Salmon Caviar (from the terrific Salmon Sisters company) with capers and sour cream on Carr's crackers. It's a medley of intense flavors coming together in an orgasm of sensory delight.
Whew!
Monday, June 15, 2020
My First Car
Do you remember your first car? I do. It was a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle. A used VW Bug. Given to me when I got my driver's license at age 17 in 1974. I was a high school junior.
I loved that car and learned how to drive on it. It had a stick-shift (manual transmission) that taught me how to shift gears -- later useful for motorcycle-riding since almost all motorcycles have manual transmissions.
If you don't already know, I have a playful streak. Nobody could confuse an anemic VW Bug with a powerful race-car so I thought it'd be funny to pretend my Bug was a race-car. Toward that end, I added racing stripes, took off the exhaust pipes (making it loud), mounted a race-car steering wheel, and hand-stapled WHITE SHAG CARPETING to the interior sides and ceiling. Best of all, I installed a new horn that made the sound of a moo-ing cow. MOOO!! Hey, I was in high school.
To memorialize these modifications, I photographed the car -- with a fish-eye lens. I never do anything "normal." Here are some of those pictures which I just had printed from old negatives found in my basement. I plan to display these photos, along with the car's original ceramic gear-shift knob, in my future museum.
What was your first car?
I loved that car and learned how to drive on it. It had a stick-shift (manual transmission) that taught me how to shift gears -- later useful for motorcycle-riding since almost all motorcycles have manual transmissions.
If you don't already know, I have a playful streak. Nobody could confuse an anemic VW Bug with a powerful race-car so I thought it'd be funny to pretend my Bug was a race-car. Toward that end, I added racing stripes, took off the exhaust pipes (making it loud), mounted a race-car steering wheel, and hand-stapled WHITE SHAG CARPETING to the interior sides and ceiling. Best of all, I installed a new horn that made the sound of a moo-ing cow. MOOO!! Hey, I was in high school.
To memorialize these modifications, I photographed the car -- with a fish-eye lens. I never do anything "normal." Here are some of those pictures which I just had printed from old negatives found in my basement. I plan to display these photos, along with the car's original ceramic gear-shift knob, in my future museum.
What was your first car?
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Old Film Cameras
Uh-oh... I have a new obsession -- old film cameras.
After marvelous experiences with my Holga and Brownie Starflex, I leapt at the opportunity to buy three old cameras this week in a thrift-store. They were ridiculously cheap which is a major attraction. Hobbies are fun when they don't cost much money.
I got an Imperial Mark XII (made in the 1960s), Brownie Starmite II (same era) and a much older Foth Derby (from the 1930s). All look terrific. The Imperial has super-cool retro styling from the Sixties and it's made from real Bakelite. The Starmite, to keep its cost down, was manufactured from cheap plastic. The Foth is very, very heavy metal; it feels like a barbell.
I'm learning the history of these cameras and how to use them. Some take 120-roll film which I have since it's what my Starflex uses. Some take 620 film which sadly isn't made anymore. The solution for that are workarounds where you load different sized film and make adjustments.
The Imperial and Brownies embody mid-century American life -- newly-ubiquitous use of plastic, hip designs, and emphasis on light weight and convenience. In deep contrast, Foth Derby reflects the ethos of Germany in 1930 -- primitive materials (steel and leather) and complicated analog design. It makes you feel like you're holding the Weimar Republic in your hands.
I'll give these beauties a go and show you photos later. Even if the cameras no longer work, they are tangible pieces of history that make great home decorations.
After marvelous experiences with my Holga and Brownie Starflex, I leapt at the opportunity to buy three old cameras this week in a thrift-store. They were ridiculously cheap which is a major attraction. Hobbies are fun when they don't cost much money.
I got an Imperial Mark XII (made in the 1960s), Brownie Starmite II (same era) and a much older Foth Derby (from the 1930s). All look terrific. The Imperial has super-cool retro styling from the Sixties and it's made from real Bakelite. The Starmite, to keep its cost down, was manufactured from cheap plastic. The Foth is very, very heavy metal; it feels like a barbell.
I'm learning the history of these cameras and how to use them. Some take 120-roll film which I have since it's what my Starflex uses. Some take 620 film which sadly isn't made anymore. The solution for that are workarounds where you load different sized film and make adjustments.
The Imperial and Brownies embody mid-century American life -- newly-ubiquitous use of plastic, hip designs, and emphasis on light weight and convenience. In deep contrast, Foth Derby reflects the ethos of Germany in 1930 -- primitive materials (steel and leather) and complicated analog design. It makes you feel like you're holding the Weimar Republic in your hands.
I'll give these beauties a go and show you photos later. Even if the cameras no longer work, they are tangible pieces of history that make great home decorations.
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Danger
Sharp knives are like motorcycles -- useful tools but inherently dangerous. They require full, constant attention.
My attention slipped this morning while making croutons, yielding a deep bloody cut. It'll be alright -- and taught me greater respect for danger. Which is particularly timely since I plan to ride my sportbike this afternoon at a spirited pace on challenging twisty roads. On the bright side, thank goodness it wasn't my throttle-hand!
Have fun today engaging in your dangerous hobbies. :-)
My attention slipped this morning while making croutons, yielding a deep bloody cut. It'll be alright -- and taught me greater respect for danger. Which is particularly timely since I plan to ride my sportbike this afternoon at a spirited pace on challenging twisty roads. On the bright side, thank goodness it wasn't my throttle-hand!
Have fun today engaging in your dangerous hobbies. :-)
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Summer
Nice weather has arrived. I rode to a park on a beach today which was mobbed with crowds of eager beach-goers, most of whom were not social distancing. People seem to think the virus is over. I hope that mistaken belief doesn't cause more illness.
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