golden haze

I recently got several packs of the Impossible Project's PX 680 and PZ 680 film and tried them out over the weekend. Unfortunately, I treated them like the defunct-since-2008, discontinued Polaroid 600 film and when I saw the dark blue emulsion face, was convinced I had gotten a pack of duds. Crushed as I was, I decided to finish off the rest of the box, only to research later and realize that it takes 30-40 minutes and preferably complete darkness to develop one of these Impossible Project images! Argh! So these turned out sickly and hazy, but I kind of like them. My unintentional self-portrait to the bottom right went like this: "Eh, fuckit, this isn't gonna turn out anyway (click)." I secretly enjoyed how carefree I was with these polaroids when I was under the impression that none of them would turn out - with the steadily rising prices of film and film development over years past, it seems like there's an inherently more careful approach to how one approaches a roll or pack of film. But that's pretty much how it should be. It's so easy to take 10+ images of the same thing digitally and choose the best one later. There's nothing wrong with that though, it's the beauty of the medium. 

Hello. I miss you.

work til you die.

Charrette, week 1.

Working with Isaac & Danah at Isaac's pad. I know it's only been a week but I'm going to miss the work sessions. But I know being done with school doesn't mean I won't ever have times like these again...

sturdee

I found this bike on Craigslist last Friday, and drove out to Anaheim to pick it up Saturday. I took it to a place called the Bicycle Kitchen off of Vermont Ave. with my friend Andrew, and worked on fixing it up - mostly the brakes, replacing the chain and front tire, tuning up the pedals and axles, and tightening everything up. Overnight it suffered a flat - the front inner tube gave out, so Andrew patched it up for me, and now it's in tip-top shape, mostly. The brakes squeak a lot so I'm always announcing where I am when I stop but it's no big deal. I've been riding it around the neighborhood, which lends a fresh perspective to familiar surroundings. Slower than a car, but faster than walking so the speed is ideal, and I love the direct correlation of body movement to machine that makes you go. It's an obvious concept yeah, but I never quite appreciated it much 'til now.

northerly island

The second day of biking was tricky, as there had been a downpour that night/morning and we didn't want to get rained upon, but after checking the forecast for the day (no rain til that night!) we headed back out. I got to experience the hot and humid side of Chicago... gross! Yet as we neared the lake, that amazing cold wind swept in against the moist cloud of air enveloping the city, and biking to Northerly Island, the warm, moist air clung to the right side of my body as the cold lake air refreshed my left - such a strange sensation! Northerly Island is a former airport that the mayor had torn up one night after the Sept. 11 attack, and is now a bird sanctuary/prairie reserve where mostly bikers and segway tourists frequent. It was a great place to view the city from afar, and again be in an area of solitude on the edge of the city.

the lakefront

Polaroids from the first day of biking, last Monday or Tuesday I think - 15 miles through Chicago! Biking along the waterfront, and on this concrete 'trail' for lack of a better name that extended into the water - look at how there aren't any handrails! Dangerously refreshing, because in L.A. code regulations would be all over that. It was my first time ever on a road bike and as I didn't fall over/crash/die like Max feared I would it was a total success. And what a reward to bike and bike and bike, then feel the cold wind whipping off the water all around your body; to find a place of solitude right at the edge of an amazing city.

polaroid land 350

Scored this camera last weekend for a sweet, sweet deal and I'm excited to use it! It's in superb condition, I just need to get some new batteries for it and some pack film. As much as the instant gratification of digital cameras is something I can't live without, I can't resist good old 35mm film & the instant but 'crunchier' quality of Polaroids. Now I need an awesome scanner. It never ends...