NYC Journal

The Swiss feature is about “Dignified Aging.”

They wanted banking info to send payment. “Maggie” gifted them the image, but they want our address to send some Swiss chocolate. To me chocolate is an anti-depressant and really is a drug. Hope they send a big batch so I can abuse and enjoy the mood shifting abilities.

I’m excited because we look so cool. Like I said vintage hipsters.

I have a 35% off my total purchase coupon at CVS. Time to load up on paper towels, toilet paper, zip lock bags, batteries…

I’ll do whatever I can to save money. Cheap-cheap-cheap…

Cal
 
I’m starting to cut the carbs and am thinning out little by little. Any extra weight looks funny on an otherwise skinny guy. Also know that I’m a bit of a tease and exhibitionist so I like to wear no shirts around the house when working in the hot sun.

This is how I seem to recruit stalkers. LOL.

I went to my local guitar shop in Peekskill (Division Guitars) and bought some really thick picks. This effects the snap on the strings, the decay, the deeper tone, and also effects the amount of midrange. I can dig into the strings more, and smack them harder. In my view a guitar and a piano are percussion instruments.

At home I experimented and optimized some of my guitars to the pick that generated the piano like tone I pursue. Today is a big jump in my sound. I can articulate the sound in an enhanced manner with better dynamics, clarity, projection, and of course volume.

What a dramatic difference. My acoustic guitars get right in your face because the sound is so full. Know there was no standard and each guitar responded differently and individually. Each guitar had its own pick that it favored. Funny thing is that the custom Santa Cruz Model “F” loved the heaviest of picks, even the one that has a thickness of 3mm.

Then the “HOG” is turning out to be a monster of a guitar. A very thick loud voice is emerging with warmth a plenty that adds smoothness. Pretty much heavenly.

I really like what I’m hearing. I have great tone that comes organically from my hands. Also I think the style I’m pursuing is chord melody jazz. I’m not really a rocker, but perhaps some jump blues…

Understand that my talent seems to favor pick and fingers or just plain flat picking.

My editor sent me a link to another photographer to contact. Pretty much he started the Hudson River School of Photography. A pretty accomplished man. Anyways I introduced myself as instructed by my editor.

I might buy a bow saw to cut down the length of some of the maple logs I have. Many logs are too long to split. I can use the exercise, and I can’t justify a chainsaw.

In the dead end I have a guard rail to stack split lumber against.

Also snookered “Maggie” into growing a lot of vegetables to improve our diets. I’ll make some 4x4 squares out of the cedar fence I salvaged to recycle. Perhaps 3-4 raised beds I figure. I await the garden soil sale at Home Cheapo. I have spring fever big time.

Cal
 
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A new friend Joe called. This is the photographer that I was directed to contact by my editor.

We talked for about an hour. Seems like both he and I know people who live local that are photographers that want to orange a meet-up.

Got some good advice from a 74 year old. Pretty much at this point Joe is thinking about creating a legacy, and gave me some ideas on what to do with my archive.

Joe is also a piano player and a horn player and is involved with Jazz. In fact he is setting up a Jazz venue at the Abby which was a monastery but is now converted into a hotel and restaurant. Very high end.

Joe also knows George, the Master Printer that has the horse stable as his studio.

Seems like a second ground swell is happening while I’m just minding my own business.

We plan on getting together, but we are both dealing with ground swells. Perhaps in a month we will have the time to get together.

Cal
 
Morning Devil Cal,

Sinar Norma 4x5 Handy Super BubbaPack HV Battery Handy Bubble Level by Nokton48, on Flickr

A Friend built me this "Super BubbaPack" high voltage rechargeable Battery, for my Vivitar 365 Flash Units. Recycles LIKE NOW, no delay on full power. This fires automatic exposure thyristor out to SEVENTY FEET, good for any situation, really. Shown on my homemade Sinar Norma Handy. My latest embellishment on the Handy, is a modern Sinar Handy Bubble Level/Mirror Unit, attached atop the Mamiya 7 43mm Viewfinder. Useful for "Hail Mary" shots, not looking through the viewfinder. Initial test shooting coming up soon.

I'm thinking of calling this the "Devil Dan". Shooting with this is like using a 21mm Super Angulon, but on steroids.
 
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“Maggie” just got a gift from Dior: a jacket.

So well tailored that she can wear the jacket as a top like how all the celebs do with no bra.

Anyways a mucho expensive gift for Maggie for her book launch.

Tonight Japanese food with our neighbors in Croton. I want to exploit the big dose of protein with a long workout and some strength training.

“Spring Fever,” I say. I have a month to get a jump start.

The entire month of March will be very busy, and this looks like it will spillover into April.

Cal
 
I called my friend Cris about the 18 inch “F” hole guitar. The update is now perhaps later this year. Oh-well.

The first 18 inch is for some guy that is in China, but he has not come by to pick up the guitar. Cris hopes to use it for an up and coming guitar show. He also reports that it sounds like a grand piano, just what I want.

Cal
 
Saved $69.39 using REI Rewards to buy another pair of Fjall Raven paints. Regular price is $180.00.

Later in the spring I will hunt for the close outs and try to secure more. These pants are like my Patagonia knickers in that they are my everyday uniform. The cut on these pants is flattering on a skinny bitch like me. I love all the pockets, and the military like styling.

My size is a 44 long which often gets left over because of the small waist size. Pretty much a second chance to buy at around $120.00. Pretty good discount, and these pants should wear like iron. Also not a common brand so I have my own style.

“Maggie” has a feature that was published in “The London Times” today. There should be a surge in orders and perhaps substack subscribers if they supplied the link.

The ground swell continues.

The guitar playing is also advancing. It seems like my playing is heading more towards chord melody Jazz that kinda is like piano music.

Cal
 
Joe,

Many thanks for your post and the link.

The feature is a big spread that includes a total of 11 photos. Kinda big.

One of my images is the one that Vogue Italia “lifted” (meaning stole) off the Internet, and then proceeded not to give not even a photo credit. Pure ripoff.

Cal
 
A podcaster sent “Maggie” some recording gear for a future recording. It includes a Shure MV7 mike, a Shure mike stand and a pair of Sony headphones. I looked up the Shure mike and it retails for $249.00 -$269.00 including the stand. The Sony headphones are basic and not high-ended.

Pretty much a go to setup for podcasts though. The mike has USB and XLR plugs. Included in the mike is a mixer to balance the volume between the headphones and the gain of the mike.

Don’t tell Maggie, but I can see using this setup to record my guitar playing.

In the cult film “Diva” an opera singer experiences hearing her voice for the first time through a recording. This is via an underground recording that was secretly made that has value to some underworld figures. The recording was made by a fan who somehow made a perfect recording. This is a French film with subtitles. From memory this goes back 30 years or so…

The point is hearing while performing is a very different perception than hearing and experiencing a recording, especially a singer who has all this head and body resonance going on.

In the morning I headed to the bank and then DSW to check out the clearance rack. I kinda hit the jackpot and was compelled to buy 4 pairs of shoes: one were these hiking shoes from Solomon; Addidas white leather tennis shoes; a pair of very cool Merrill trail boots; and these heavily insulated snow boots.

Saved 30-40% off the discounted prices from the clearance rack. Lucky finds.

In the afternoon we drove to Newbourgh to visit two antique emporiums and this store called “House Parts.” I found a wooden doorknob for the rope release on my driveway gate that isolates the back yard for $2.00 no tax. We discovered that House Parts closed down on Broadway, the main drag, and relocated to a warehouse a few blocks away.

Newbourgh is a rough city, but in its past it was the gem of the Hudson River valley. There are small pockets of redevelopment, but there is mucho poverty and big time crime like robbers disguise as Amazon workers gaining access via gunpoint to do home invasions.

Newbourgh is right across from the Hipster town of Beacon, and the City of Newbourgh and Beacon are connected via a bridge that crosses the Hudson River.

Somehow I found a rare Eva Cassidy CD. Pretty much a lucky find for $8.00. Cheap-thrills.

We went to a coffee shop on Broadway to get a bagel and coffee. I was reminded of our friend John G. Who would photograph signs. In the coffee shop was a sign by the coffee bar where you get your cream, sweetener, and napkins: “Don’t blow your nose here; find some other place that is discreate.”

Evidently they had a problem. LOL.

Kinda funny earlier at DSW I had a sneezing attack, and I told the cashier that I’m likely allergic to shoes.

Cal
 
One thing that is happening is my accent is changing. Much less of a Lawn-Guy-Land accent with a dose of Crooklyn, and more of a southern drawl of perhaps the Carolinas.

Know that it is not really forced, and is a bit country. Know that I am sympathetic with Beyoncé and against the criticism that she appropriated or is appropriating country music. Some country western radio stations banned airplay of her recent album. I find this amusing. Culturally she is from Texas. Hmmm…

So now my identity is getting more confusing. LOL.

Another transition is that I cut down the carbs over the past few days. Because I am so muscular pretty much I am kinda high maintenance, and my metabolism is high enough to basically shed fat with little effort. I would not be surprise if I lost say two pounds over 3 days. Anyways enough weight lose to see a difference.

I’m stuck again at 8 pull-ups when I don’t do them every day.

I’m kinda in love with my old Leica SL rigged with my Noct-Nikkor 58 F 1.2. Pretty much reminds me of just shooting a film camera. I dumb down the camera and turn off features I don’t need to make it a basic camera that is all manual and simple. I’m able to use the Noctilux F 1.2 profile, and the Noct-Nikkor has a hand ground ASPH lens element and is low coma to avoid lava lamp effect from bright lights in high contrast situations like shooting at night.

Pretty much I don’t need a Noctilux to get that shallow DOF or that UBER smooth OOFeautiful Bokeh.

The rendering is different between the Noct-Nikkor and a Noctilux: The Noct-Nikkor does not have light falloff in the corners like a Noctilux; but while a Noctilux has light falloff in the corners it displays and maintains sharpness in the corners. Pretty much one trade off for another. In other words the Noct-Nikkor has soft corners when shot wide open.

To me the look of the Noct-Nikkor is more retro, and I don’t like dark corners. Again the SL rigged with the Noct-Nikkor is a killer rig. Not too big and heavy like the SL2 with big Leica L-glass.

BTW that Leica L-glass is pretty much perfect glass that has mucho smooth out of focus, and crazy resolution. The APO 35 Cron is amazing. Kinda worth the weight penalty for the IQ.

The only thing that would be worth the upgrade to a SL2S is image stabilization. Not worth paying thousands of dollars unless I find my SL2 becomes a burden because of the amount of MP count and the gigantic files. I have image stabilization on my SL2 if I really need it.

Cal
 
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I read through the thread on analog camera prices and availability. WOW…

The world is insane, and so have used analog camera prices. Mucho insane.

Now I wish I had kept some of my gear I sold or traded. Oh-well. I still have a pretty great stockpile. No mention of Linhof in that thread. Call me a greedy bastard.

The idea of a darkroom in my attic would not compete with Devil Dan’s basement, but a 15x16 foot A-frame still would be mighty cool. Know that I use to be a chronic hand washer, so for me my basement will never be a clean room or clean enough for me. It would be a down and dirty.

The ground swell continues, and “Maggie” learned that pretty much an author could or should continue to promote and market a book even a year after the book launch. One writer we know is still actively selling books a year and a half later, and another has her book that originally was published in 2021 going through a resurgence.

That’s the thing with the right audience, perhaps a cult following, word of mouth spreads and some books are kinda timeless. Might Maggie’s book go that way?

So imagine going to a network broadcast studio in NYC on a show that has a live audience. How terrifying is that? Even if recorded and not a live broadcast. That is going to happen and is schedulaled.

Seems like the credit stealers have been quelled. I won’t forget that ordeal and the betrayal.

Still stuck at 8 pul-ups. To advance I need to do more than one set to get any gains. The 8 I do is just maintenance. Same with the pushups. 3-5 sets of max to exhaustion perhaps twice a week or maybe only once a week to allow for a full recovery. Because I’m old rest has a heightened importance.

Musically I think the genre I’m heading down is chord melody Jazz. This suits me well to be a solo player. Also know that on YouTube I learned that many guitarists can’t sing. Kinda like a really bad Neil Young impersonations. Really-really bad. Pretty much tutorials though on guitar playing.

I actually have a good voice, but it is a baritone with a limited range. On some songs my limit is no handicap, but singing and playing at the same time is not easy.

I think I will call “House Parts” in Newbough to inquire about this stainless steel shower bed. I would like to recycle it into a darkroom sink. It would be ideal for dip and dunk. Of course there are no legs, but that is what is so cool. The sides are shallow so that it could be used as a countertop.

I have an idea of using the attic as a dry darkroom, and I could use the upstairs bath as my water source. This sink would just be tapped into the drain. Pretty EZ-PZ.

Our upstairs bath has a walk in shower. I could buy one of those Home Cheapo slop sinks made of plastic as just a basin, and our shower has a wand. No additional plumbing required.

“Don’t tell Maggie.”

Cal
 
Calzone said:
One writer we know is still actively selling books a year and a half later, and another has her book that originally was published in 2021 going through a resurgence.
Click to expand...
Some books seem to have a way of remaining relevant. An interesting read about how a book written as fiction may now become reality.

California’s Politicians Appear Determined to Bring ‘Atlas Shrugged’ to Life | Daniel Kowalski

While wise leaders might see a declining population as a sign that they should change course, wisdom seems to be in short supply for the political elite in California.
fee.org
 
Austin,

Thanks for the link. I guess I would be framed as a Libertarian because I believe in freedom.

California is not the only government abusing debt look at the Feds. Look at other countries, and I’m not looking at the developing world. Look at developed countries.

Living on debt is rampant. Credit card debt exceeds a trillion dollars and is at a record high. Then there are all those car loans. They are reporting increases in defaults on credit cards and car loans.

“The money has to come from somewhere,” I say, but too many governments, states, households, and individuals are living above their means.

Understand there is a reason why 2/3rds of Americans don’t have enough money to retire. Living above their means no savings for retirement.

We paid for ObamaCare when we really could not afford it. IMHO preventative medicine should have been practiced to try and lower costs. Sugar subsidies sponsored by our government create obesity, heart disease, Cancer, and high blood pressure.

Pretty much these diseases are fostered, and encouraged by government policies and to support big healthcare.

Our government supports big business at the price of the individuals. There is little regard to public health.

Totally reckless…

Cal
 
Played lumberjack, did some light gardening cleaning out beds, stacked firewood.

Brought in the stained moldings that I gel stained last week. Glad I took advantage of the mild weather 63 degrees and heading to 64 degrees.

A thought came to mind to get a wood stove for the garage if I decide to build out half of it as a studio. The only problem is that I have the 1966 C-10.

Cal
 
“Maggie” has two podcasts today. Meanwhile we have the grandson who was sick yesterday.

Right now he is sleeping and Maggie is starting the first podcast.

Good thing it is mild out so I can take him outside to entertain him if I have to.

Later we have to go to the Post Office and we will likely walk using the jogging stroller.

At the New York Public Library book launch the writer in “conversation” with Maggie is the author of a book “Easy Beauty” that is a New York Times 100 Notable Books 2022. This book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. This is also the same author that is still promoting her book that I mentioned.

We met her at the Brattleboro Book Festival. She teaches at Columbia. I need to read her book that is on hand before March 12th.

Another book I need to read is “The Afrominimalist’s Guide To Living With Less.” The author is our friend and I think her guide can be helpful with dissolving my hoarding tendencies, and perhaps having a more pure life.

I have two options for my studio. The garage and my attic. Ideally both, but remember I have a 1966 C-10 Longbed that is a once in a lifetime barn-find that I would like keep that likely or might make my attic the only option.

If I won the lottery I likely would build something on the back-backyard…

Then I have more cameras than I need…

Perhaps the same could be said for guitars and guitar amps. Then I have all these bass guitars, an upright bass, and a crazy high powered tube bass amp that can shake not only the windows, but the whole house.

So how do I sort out all this stuff, get down to the basics, concentrate and focus, go all in and avoid any remorse.

Oh I forgot to mention the the Jazz archtops: one that I ordered in 2007 and have been waiting for it to be built; and another custom arch top that is being updated, refurbished, and overhauled into a new guitar.

I realize I have a life of excess. There is also a lot of wealth tied up here. What I have stockpiled are items that would do well if we suffer stagflation. The recipe for stagflation of the 70’s exists today: government debt; unstable energy supply; inflation; monetary tightening; a robust overheated economy…

I’m not saying or predicting stagflation, but if it happens it might not be so bad for me. All we need is $100.00 oil, or perhaps a China spillover, or perhaps yet another war.

Also Peekskill is a kinda special. First off it is a city, and we have sewers, as well as natural gas. In the surrounding areas are cess pools with leach fields and homes use Propane for heat and cooking.

Cortlandt is a suburb that does not have the sense of community as Peekskill, but also know that Peekskill as a city has its problems and of course its poor. The problems are not like in Newbough which is a much larger city.

Peekskill does not have the display of affluence Westchester is known for. There are mucho two family and multi-family homes here, and many of the single family homes are small, although there are some gigantic mansion like homes on modest parcels of land from back when Peekskill was a industrial and manufacturing hub.

Unlike the surrounding burbs, Peekskill has a lot of related history.

Know we could of bought a bigger more expensive house, but I did not want to get saddled with high property taxes. I know that fixed income/retirement is basically living below our means. Peekskill is cheap-cheap-cheap when compared to the rest of Westchester.

Then there is the location: a rivertown on the Hudson; the gateway to the Hudson Highlands; just south of West Point; on a bay where the Hudson widens; just across from two adjoining mammoth sized state parks; and not far from the Catskills.

Driving on the other side of the Bear Mountain Bridge just across the river is mucho spectacular. Cliffs, mountains, and valleys.

The location is kinda ideal because NYC is not far away either. Our new friends have a wonderful home perhaps a mile south of us, styled like a ski chalet that is spacious, grand, and set on a hill near Furnace Dock Road, where you can believe your are somewhere mucho rural upstate because of all the woods and woodlands.

This affluence spreads and seems endless. No towns, just woods and houses all the way south to Croton. I guess there is beauty in this, but I know that in retirement that long driveway will be a problem when I age. I don’t think I need all that space either, and my plot of land has a southern exposure that makes it ideal for growing food, perhaps a plot of 40x80 at least.

I kinda prefer the less stately home, and especially the lower costs, and lower taxes.

Cal
 
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I think I found a mucho great darkroom sink.

I finally got a price of $225.00.

50.5 inches long; 26 inches wide; 9 inches deep; made of stainless steel.

I think Devil Dan would be jealous.

Of course “Maggie” does not approve, but sometimes it is best to just go with the flow.

Cal
 
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