The night I didn't take my camera

I stepped out of my house tonight and into 180 degrees of the most magnificent skies I have ever seen. A photographer's wet dream come true (pardon the pun). Long clouds running north-south, pink and salmon, and to the west above the mountains, oranges and tangerine. The mountains themselves lavender and lilac. And all of it indescribable awe inspiring. Half an hour of slow fireworks that could almost make U forget that halfway around the world idiots are killing children and each other. Almost.

But, as I say, I had left my camera at home (I don't regret this) planning to go to a bar without the awkwardness and inconvenience of a tripod. In the end I didn't go into the bar. My excuse was that there weren't enough people inside, but I know that had there been more people that I would have used that as my excuse. I've come to the full realisation that I've built some pretty big walls around myself. I managed to pull a few down while I was at college, but they seem to be back up again.

We build walls to keep from getting hurt by other people, and all too often when we do try to let someone in, we're so scared that we screw things up and wind up getting hurt anyway. The last girl I fell in love with, broke my heart a little over a year ago. I had known her almost two years and had spent most of that time slowly falling in love with her. I was never able to tell her that. I tried a few times, but the perfect moment never comes, life always interrupts in the guise of a friend or having to be up early the next morning or some other damned thing that awkwardly rushes that perfect enough moment right past U. I had my walls and everything got weird because of them.

The last time I tried to talk to her, she told me to fuck off with as polite a language as fuck off can ever be fitted into. She didn't know she was breaking my heart, which, really, only makes things that much worse. The walls went back up, and I haven't seen he since. As strange as it is though, I still love her, but it's time for the walls to come down. Permanently.

Does anyone have a crowbar? This might take a bit.

A joyful melancholy Night, or My Muse Has a Two Drink Minimum

Yesterday, was hot and hazy. Lots of smoke left over from the fire I mentioned earlier, but nothing burnt umber and billowing across the sky, and things seem pretty clear today, so guess the fire's out or under control. Anyway, I wound up near the old slag piles from when Grand Forks was something of mining centre. U know, just continuing my exploration of the town, and trying to kill that roll of film by Monday. I should have some decent shots provided I over exposed enough to get the shadows, but not too much to keep me from bringing the highlights back in in post production.

(This shot was taken towards the end of April, when there was still some green on the hills. The location is painfully close to my house, actually right on the road into Grand Forks proper from where I live near the airport.)

So after shooting near the slag piles, I eventually meandered my way to the Winnipeg Pub, in town, for a pint (or five or six). Played the new Jukebox, mp3 based, I'm guessing. Probably a thousand songs or more, but only about 50 worth paying to listen to. It's the old story, take a handful of hits (or what passes for hits) and forget about the good stuff. Whitesnake, but not "Slow an' Easy" or "Still of the Night," the only Deep Purple was "Smoke on the Water." I can't even remember if there was any Blue Oyster Cult... But other than that, it was a pretty good night. I wrote two poems, walked home, had a bit of fun.

Now to try an decide what I'm doing tonight.

My night and the next two weeks

Well, I had a pleasant evening. Left home around 7:40, exposed about ten frames of film and got some really great shots. There's a forrest fire burning somewhere to the south, across the border, so all the smoke made for some spectacular sunset shots. Wherever the fire is, it wasn't close enough to see any glow over the mountains tonight though, oh well, there'll be other fires, or *sigh* it might be visible tomorrow night.

Either way, if I finish off the roll by Monday morning, I'll get it developed when we go to Penticton to pick up my mom.

(I'm currently living with my grandparents. My 75 year old grandfather is starting a heating and cooling company in Grand Forks for his boss in Okanagan Falls. My grandparents will be taking about nine or ten days, the begining of August, to go up north to Vanderhoof because grandma's sister will be celebrating her 40th(?) wedding aniversery. Since I hate the whole secretary thing of answering other people's phones, taking messages, returning calls; my gimp mom's coming out from Penticton to do that thing).

Still hotter than

It was supposed to start cooling down today, only reach about 30C today and down to low 20s by Sunday or Monday. I had hoped to be out photographing this afternoon, but it was already 29 or 30 in the shade at lunch time, about 55C in direct sun.
Just checked the thermometre on the east side of the house, reading 35-36C, but then Environment Canada has had all the predictive accuracy of a magic 8-ball this year. I won't be getting outta here until about 7 or 8 tonight.

Guess I'll go over to PhotoSig and see what's going on, maybe write a critique or two.

Meee

Thought I'd pull out an old pick of myself taken last Octobre, just so I'd have something for my profile at the moment.

Any way, things are moving apace and I should be able to afford a dedicated film scanner by the begining of Septembre (not a great one mind U, but it'll do the job). The big thing will be not having to rely on Wal-mart for developing in order to get a cheap scan that's really only good enough to post online with (U can't even print a decent 8x10 with the bloody thing). It'll also mean a faster turn around with my photography, The nearest Wal-mart is a two-and-a-half hour drive away, in Penticton, so I only have a chance to get film developed once or twice a month right now.

The Navigator

Well, I figured it's time to test the photo capabilites of this place, I am a photographer after all.

This is Dusty, my Shih Tzu, as my family and I were entering Banff National Park, on our way home from visiting relatives in Alberta over the July long weekend.

First Post

Well, here's my first post on my new blog.
I've never been much good at keeping diaries or journals and the like, but this time I feel like I'm here for the long haul. As odd as it is, I'm actually ready for this sort of thing now... provided I can figure out the interface.

Well, there's lots to do just to start pulling this together.
Profiles and such.
So, hi-ho, hi-ho and all that.