A Year Ago.

A year ago this weekish I came to San Francisco. Scratch that, a year ago today-ish I came back from San Francisco.

A month ago I moved to San Francisco.

It took a little less than a year.

Simply reflecting. Time to leave the house.
Post office, Art store, Four Barrel Coffee, New Friends Via Pittsburgh, Bruce LaBruce. Hope everyone else has had a year as forward moving.

Ladies of the Canyon/Winter/Night

Looking Pasty Ladies.

Penn and Main Skyline

From the Penn and Main fortress, row house kingdom.
I'd click for a little larger version were I you, being myself.

Here.

This is from my first visit.

Today I'm wearing my "City of ChampYinz" shirt.

Cristian and I are giggling about Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion.

Two Days.

I have two days left.
This is from Chicago. From the recent color batch.
I promise the next picture will not have Claire in it. But she really is a fascinating subject.

Today at work IV

Also, to top it off, Claire and I ate sandwiches and chips in a launch while a woman was CLEARLY riding on some dude in their boat...maybe....50-70 yards away? I thought you had to come ashore for that kind of service!

C-41.

So. On Saturday I spent some fun time in the darkrooms with my friends Sally and Laura. Sally provided us with the instruction we needed to use the Jobo color processing machine. I've printed m own color many a time, but have never had the means to process film until recently. Someone donated said Jobo to pghfilmmakers, and I bought a C-41 kit of Tetanol. It was fun an typically filmmakers. The processor has two jobs. One is to keep the water bath, and chemicals at a precise temperature, for this 100 degrees. Also, it's supposed to turn the tank for you. So all you should have to do is dump in the chemistry, time, and dump it out. However, despite it working when we got in the room, when we tried ot actually use the machine with film in it, the motor stopped working. Not really too big of a deal, just a little more work than we had thought was coming. So we had to turn the tank by hand on the machine...but it still made the chemisty easy to do, and the temp was fine.

Sally and Laura both peaced once their few rolls were done. All in all I processed 11 rolls of my own. All 120mm. Some from the holga, and some from the mamiya. Only one roll came out worthless. It actually processed well, but had about two actual usable images. They were however subject wise...poor, and uninteresting, and of a time I'd rather not have around. So I had no problem sacrificing them to the photo gods. I'm going to spend some evenings this week at filmmakers scanning them. I've got about two weeks left, so I'd better use that account up as much as possible. And it'll give me something to work on on da train.

No!....NO!!!!!

This is an oldie, but I put them together today for something else. Surprise surprise...Lil made a triptych.

John Fucking Cartwright

Last night saw the dj debut of myself. I was a little unaware of the genre sort of thing that was going on, but am the bomb, and had exactly what was needed. I fucked up a little here and there, but would say it was a good night. Thanks to all who came and partied. I think it was definately the most people I've seen at a dance/music night a the brillobox in quite awhile. Off to a slow start, but got moving. More pics will be on flickr soon.
Extra thanks to Edgar for publishing my name as John Fucking Cartwright, effectively disregarding my indecisiveness over the choice between that and sticking it out with "lil" or "little john." John Fucking Cartwright.

Just a Reminder.

Don't ever forget:

Participation mystique. A term derived from anthropology and the study of primitive psychology, denoting a mystical connection, or identity, between subject and object. (See also archaic, identification and projection.)

[Participation mystique] consists in the fact that the subject cannot clearly distinguish himself from the object but is bound to it by a direct relationship which amounts to partial identity. . . . Among civilized peoples it usually occurs between persons, seldom between a person and a thing. In the first case it is a transference relationship . . . . In the second case there is a similar influence on the part of the thing, or else an identification with a thing or the idea of a thing.[Definitions," CW 6, par. 781.]

[Identity] is a characteristic of the primitive mentality and the real foundation of participation mystique, which is nothing but a relic of the original non-differentiation of subject and object, and hence of the primordial unconscious state. It is also a characteristic of the mental state of early infancy, and, finally, of the unconscious of the civilized adult.[Ibid., par. 741.]

Sometimes Life is E-see.

This photo is almost a summation of how easy Pittsburgh can be.
Sumer rolls in. You embrace the warm kisses of the sun. Lounge, swim, boat, bike, fun, frolic. Winter's angry cold sting soothes and dry tan skin emerges. It's so easy to lose yourself in it and forget the things you need to do. Daily, Weekly, or in life in general. It's nice sometimes to have something jump around in our face and be the reminder of future times and spaces. But that all said, it's still nice to go out on the river every once in awhile and loose yourself. Surrendering to this beautiful place and all of it's soft warm fingers beckoning you to stay through another winter to see another spring. Just don't forget where it all places in the world.

Next Week:

UPDATE: Our flyer/poster for the front window.

So I'll be a bit out of touch for the next week or so. I'm finishing work up for an upcoming show. I have some printing, sanding, painting, and matting to do. I've got my work cut out for me, but as always, I work best under pressure. If I didn't I would have it all done already!

The show is a small group exhibit in the downstairs gallery of the Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave.
Themed around the idea of space. I have posted some of the images here thus far. But please come and check out my other images as well as those of some friends.

Click below for schedule, etc.

They make me feel like....WOOO!!!!

This morning I am so thankful.
I would like to thank the past. Thank the past for that awful nightmare. Thank the past for waking me up before my alarm.
I would like to thank the future. The future for a voice message that waited for me when I woke up. A voicemail that got me moving enough to dance around my house excited for the day and the movement forward.

I've seen the future baby, it is murder.

Today at work III

Roof III