Nullcast

It looks like while I was kinda depressed (or when it's a result of a change in circumstances is it oppressed?) and not taking pictures Fuji wen't and stopped making my two favorite films: Astia 100f and Superia Reala.  I'll switch to Kodak Ektar 100 and see how I like it, but this is starting to get annoying.  If Fuji won't keep making high-lattitude color films and Kodak is likely to cease to exist will it stay practical to shoot film anymore?  And if I can't shoot film with the characteristics I want; and can't afford a dSLR, a range of lenses to replace my FD stuff, and software to merge for HDR; do I even want to be putting the energy and money into this hobby until I'm at a better place in life?

At this point my photo printer is dead, gone, and recycled.  My Spyder 2 monitor calibrator seems to have had a color filter or two decay to the point I can no longer use it.  And I dropped and broke my only working medium format camera, one of my favorites, on a vacation in Maui.  I still have a backlog of unscanned film, but my film scanner for 35mm leaves lines if I scan negs in Vuescan and doesn't give me a nice quick workflow if I use the manufacturer scan program.  I forgot to change the technical contact for my website when I moved more than a year ago and the domain and hosting expired without me noticing.  The old AthlonXP PC that had the website (and most already scanned photos) on it has spontaneously ceased to work (and an uninstaller killed XP's mount point for my "Documents and Settings" partition before that so Windows wasn't working) and I don't want to pay for parts to try to fix it.  I recently moved out of the room I was renting and in with grandma.

As a result I am no longer offering my Arbitrary Anniversary/ Corrupt Kiriban contest as I'd actually have to pay for someone to print the image now.  Not that anyone ever took advantage of the offer to bullshit why their pageview number was important and get a free print anyway.  I'm also going to have to give serious consideration to giving up on film entirely, despite my investment in stock and scanners.  Not that I have the money for a DSLR to replace it.

On the plus side, moving in with grandma means less rent, in a better neighborhood, with more room, free food (insistently so!), and better amenities.  I should be able to save more, so maybe I can replace some of this stuff.  I still have my current computer, a backlog of unposted shots going back a couple years, and working scanners.  You may see new posts from me yet.  I've taken an interest in some other hobbies so some of that might show up too.  Migrating files off my old computer is mostly a matter of effort in my case, namely I haven't expended any.

Overall I think things may be looking up.

I got sick of having not current events up as my journal.

Anyway if you got here because I favorited one of your photo's here's the plan:  I make a point to occasionally browse photography on Newest and Fav a few pics.  My usual criteria is that I like them and I think they would have made the cut for myself.  In other words shots that are interesting, technically good, and not ridiculously over-processed.  Hopefully if I do this, and other photographers do this we can build sort of an underground network of favorites to good shots you haven't seen before without all roads leading to the popular usual suspects.

If you got here because of my can of Bonk you should probably know that while I do occasional crafts (I even have a decent Engie suit I wear occasionally) it's not my primary thing and I'm short on serious tools so it won't show up here often.  I may make a cardboard 4-pack case to go around bonk cans sometime in the future but that depends on me spending some quality time with GCFScape and Inkscape which may never happen.  Don't hold your breath.

If you're wondering why I haven't posted anything in recent memory as serious photography goes you can put that down to the fact that I moved to California about 3 years ago and I still haven't adjusted to the population density.  I can't just take an afternoon and go photograph trees or old mining equipment with no people or houses around here.  I don't have the long lenses for surf photography, and I don't have the practice or inclination for portraiture.  I'm still trying to come up with some subject matter.

On a lighter note I'm still offering the Arbitrary Anniversary contest, or the Corrupt Kiriban if you prefer.  Give me a good bullshit argument for why your pageview is an epic milestone and I'll send you a print.

The last roommate made it into the papers and not in a good way.  So, again if you see this and happen to be looking for a room in north San Diego county note me.  Not that many people are going to see this.  I moved in a larger TV today, fills the entertainment center perfectly; not bad for free.

Went to the beach with friends.  I turned out to be the only one who could swim.  Also I'm really bad at using spray sunblock and I also forgot to  do much of my face.  I spent 3 and a half hours or so in the waves and I'm now throroughly roasted.  At least most of my torso's in pretty good shape so I'm not making an immediate run for solarcane.  If I don't touvh it it won't hurt.