It’s that time again: I now have worked long enough [from my employer’s perspective] in Oregon to contribute to their state’s economy. Funny, though. I benefit very little from this arrangement. In fact, although I will now pay taxes in Oregon, I do not have a residence and can therefore not vote. Didn’t we fight some war over this kind of thing with England a couple of hundred years ago? I wonder: how legal is this really?
Month: June 2004
Need Sleep
Yesterday was a very long day. I worked a day and a half after traveling many hours to the job site in Hillsboro, Oregon. Then, I got 2 or 3 hours of sleep and spent another full day at work. It really still feels like yesterday to me. Now, these days are FULL. I used to have some “blow-off” time every day between tasks, but that seems to be a thing of the past on this project. Maybe I’m just realizing the full import of the new level of responsibility… or maybe I’m just pushing myself too hard. Either way makes for poor rest.
Tonight, though. I got off work early: 7pm and am now back in the hotel having a quiet room service meal before turning in by 9:30pm. Sound crazy? Not to me! I really need some sleep… Of course, I need to make the sun go down soon. Northern latitudes are inconsistent with daylight hours throughout the year.
Holga!
Who is Holga? Holga is my new friend. Holga is small, compact and likes to travel with me. Holga is very simple, though. Holga doesn’t think. Who is Holga? No: WHAT is Holga is a better question. Holga is a plastic medium format camera. Really horrible quality, but great, artistic uniqueness on the film: light leaks, distorted plastic lenses… all kinds of fun. I’m trying this one out for the first time here in Portland. I’ve never actually used medium format (120) film and I thought it would be expensive, but it’s actually pretty cheap unless you get the professional stuff. I got a plain roll of black & white and loaded it up.
As you can see, the features of this camera are quite simple. This window is showing the number “7” upside-down since I’m about to take picture seven. I missed the first exposure since the “1” didn’t look like “1” but instead looked like a line. So, next time, I’ll know what to look for. I can’t wait to see what these pictures look like.
Enhanced Privacy
I have enhance the privacy of the site. Now, people who post will not have to worry about their email address being displayed as a link. If you wish to comment and in that comment post a link to your web site, put that address in the URL field and it will be displayed in your comment. Otherwise, no links will show. So: comment away with no fear! (BTW: this is a retro-active change. No emails on previous comments are displayed either.)
I Can’t Believe It…
I forgot my camera! Here I am in a rather picturesque place – where I could have driven up to the top of Pike’s Peak for the best view in miles… so, what do I do? I leave my camera at home… It’s sitting on my kitchen counter. I’m quite disappointed. There was a beautiful sunset last night and I would love to have captured the way the clouds played around the peak… But, alas… ‘Tis not to be.
Argh!
Large And In Charge
Much to my chagrin, they have made me the lead for this project. I’m not sure how it happened – in fact, it kinda snuck up on me. All that is left to me is to do my best and hope all works out well. So: while I’m at high elevations here in Colorado Springs panting with every other step in the thin air, I am learning the burden of responsibility. What is that burden you might ask? Tasks. Lists. Timetables. Juggling. It’s organization and time management. In fact, I probably shouldn’t even be typing this because I could certainly use my time better elsewhere! But, I did need to write it down and I so love to share…
While I’m here I will try to see friends and maybe even visit my sister in Wyoming. Too bad I forgot the camera – I coulda taken cool pictures from Pike’s Peak.