bmattock
Veteran
Dear Diary:
Dogs got me up at zero-dark-thirty this morning by licking my face until I dreamed I was a cream pie being eaten by Mary-Ann from Gilligan's Island.
Stumbled to the kitchen, made a pot of joe, let the dogs out. Fed 'em. Let 'em in. Fell asleep on the couch with the laptop tuned to RFF.
Wife got up when dogs licked her awake, since daddy was out cold.
Had bowl of cereal, remained calm on RFF, didn't buy anything on eBoy.
Went to Raleigh, met up with Cap'n Slack and his wife at the flea market. He won't tell me his "fishin' hole" where he gets the great deals, dad nab it. Last week, he nailed a Yashica D for $20. Primo too, I saw it. Oh how I hate him. Walked around flea market, wife bought spices to make my life more interesting. Well fragrant, anyway. Hey, she feeds me, I can't be responsible for what my body does to it.
Took Bessa R and one roll of B&W film, yellow filter, 50mm lens and nothing else. Got about three decent shots. Great. May take the Amtrak to NYC next weekend, sleep in the gutter.
Went to Chapel Hill to see B&W film exhibit by the the B&W Photography Group - didn't even know there was one. I'd join, but Chapel Hill is a good two-hour drive from me. Most members who displayed were shooting LF, even 8x10. It showed. Some 11x14 prints had to be the sharpest things I ever saw, and the movements necessary to keep those architectural elements going at right angles was amazing. I nearly wept openly. We saw some of them being sold while we were there - they were marked in the $300 range and were being sold. Music of the spheres, baby. And to think I was happy when I sold a $75 print.
The photographers each added a bio page to a book in the display room, it was interesting to read. One guy said that he has been going backwards. Since discovering photography, he's gone from digital to film, from 35mm to 6x6 roll film, to 4x5 Speed Graphic, and now to an 8x10 camera. What's next, banquet? Wet plate? Collodion? He does nice stuff, though. Whatever his method, it works for him.
Went to a cult-ish CD store. Guy had heard of Allan Holdsworth, but didn't have any. Tiny little shop, must have 10 gazillion cd's stuffed in there. Cappy says his prices are high.
Went to comic book store - hey, Chapel Hill is a college town. Times have changed, now it is all manga. Weird. But my stuff was weird too. Omaha the Cat Dancer and such. Back in the day.
Went to bookstore. Found an old book on Camera Lucida. Cool. Got a book on woodworking too, since I just bought a table saw and am afraid of it.
Went to camera store. Fondled a Spotmatic, and a Mamiya 6 ($1,900, too high). Cap'n Slack caressed a Nikon F2, he's a Nikon fanboy. Gotta admit that F2 AS Photomic was sweet, though. Ugga bugga. Took in a mint- Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex, but passed on the price - seller was willing to go from marked $225 to $150, but even that was too steep for me at the moment. Bought a pair of used graduated cylinders and a pack of 120 negative sleeves that I needed.
Went back to flea market, dropped off Cappy and his wife. Great time had by all. Drove home.
Wife made roasted chicken. I gotta do something, I'm 5-10 and weigh 285 as of last week. But my pulse rate is 80, BP 128/70, even after riding stationary bike for 25 minutes. Body fat keeps decreasing even as my girth goes up. According to my doctor, I am 18.1% body fat, she measured three times because she didn't believe it. I'm all muscle, she says. I say I'm like a balloon - near to popping, so I just seem firm.
Drank my last two remaining Yuenglings. Wish I had a third. Oh wait, there is a very old bottle of Tanqueray in the closet, all covered with dust. Hmmm. Cold Mountain Dew and 1/2 bottle of Tanky later, and Bill is legless. Nasty stuff though. Brutal.
I can just manage typing. Fact is, I'm stewed. If I were a kid still, I'd be in the street shouting about now. I like to shout. Like to fight too, but nearly no teeth left, gotta give that a rest. Wideboys don't do so well when they become geezers.
That's the news. Happy days on ya, guv.
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
Dogs got me up at zero-dark-thirty this morning by licking my face until I dreamed I was a cream pie being eaten by Mary-Ann from Gilligan's Island.
Stumbled to the kitchen, made a pot of joe, let the dogs out. Fed 'em. Let 'em in. Fell asleep on the couch with the laptop tuned to RFF.
Wife got up when dogs licked her awake, since daddy was out cold.
Had bowl of cereal, remained calm on RFF, didn't buy anything on eBoy.
Went to Raleigh, met up with Cap'n Slack and his wife at the flea market. He won't tell me his "fishin' hole" where he gets the great deals, dad nab it. Last week, he nailed a Yashica D for $20. Primo too, I saw it. Oh how I hate him. Walked around flea market, wife bought spices to make my life more interesting. Well fragrant, anyway. Hey, she feeds me, I can't be responsible for what my body does to it.
Took Bessa R and one roll of B&W film, yellow filter, 50mm lens and nothing else. Got about three decent shots. Great. May take the Amtrak to NYC next weekend, sleep in the gutter.
Went to Chapel Hill to see B&W film exhibit by the the B&W Photography Group - didn't even know there was one. I'd join, but Chapel Hill is a good two-hour drive from me. Most members who displayed were shooting LF, even 8x10. It showed. Some 11x14 prints had to be the sharpest things I ever saw, and the movements necessary to keep those architectural elements going at right angles was amazing. I nearly wept openly. We saw some of them being sold while we were there - they were marked in the $300 range and were being sold. Music of the spheres, baby. And to think I was happy when I sold a $75 print.
The photographers each added a bio page to a book in the display room, it was interesting to read. One guy said that he has been going backwards. Since discovering photography, he's gone from digital to film, from 35mm to 6x6 roll film, to 4x5 Speed Graphic, and now to an 8x10 camera. What's next, banquet? Wet plate? Collodion? He does nice stuff, though. Whatever his method, it works for him.
Went to a cult-ish CD store. Guy had heard of Allan Holdsworth, but didn't have any. Tiny little shop, must have 10 gazillion cd's stuffed in there. Cappy says his prices are high.
Went to comic book store - hey, Chapel Hill is a college town. Times have changed, now it is all manga. Weird. But my stuff was weird too. Omaha the Cat Dancer and such. Back in the day.
Went to bookstore. Found an old book on Camera Lucida. Cool. Got a book on woodworking too, since I just bought a table saw and am afraid of it.
Went to camera store. Fondled a Spotmatic, and a Mamiya 6 ($1,900, too high). Cap'n Slack caressed a Nikon F2, he's a Nikon fanboy. Gotta admit that F2 AS Photomic was sweet, though. Ugga bugga. Took in a mint- Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex, but passed on the price - seller was willing to go from marked $225 to $150, but even that was too steep for me at the moment. Bought a pair of used graduated cylinders and a pack of 120 negative sleeves that I needed.
Went back to flea market, dropped off Cappy and his wife. Great time had by all. Drove home.
Wife made roasted chicken. I gotta do something, I'm 5-10 and weigh 285 as of last week. But my pulse rate is 80, BP 128/70, even after riding stationary bike for 25 minutes. Body fat keeps decreasing even as my girth goes up. According to my doctor, I am 18.1% body fat, she measured three times because she didn't believe it. I'm all muscle, she says. I say I'm like a balloon - near to popping, so I just seem firm.
Drank my last two remaining Yuenglings. Wish I had a third. Oh wait, there is a very old bottle of Tanqueray in the closet, all covered with dust. Hmmm. Cold Mountain Dew and 1/2 bottle of Tanky later, and Bill is legless. Nasty stuff though. Brutal.
I can just manage typing. Fact is, I'm stewed. If I were a kid still, I'd be in the street shouting about now. I like to shout. Like to fight too, but nearly no teeth left, gotta give that a rest. Wideboys don't do so well when they become geezers.
That's the news. Happy days on ya, guv.
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
