Charlie's Worldday out
Posted on September 26, 2009
Having been couped up for months due to illness, bad backs, non-stop rain and generally having other things to do, we decided to plan a proper day out.
Jay got lots of yummy food for a picnic on Friday, we programmed the GPS (thats a story for later on..) and this morning, headed off to Araluen Botanic Park http://www.araluenbotanicpark.com.au.
Its about an hours drive from where we are, so its doable within the bounds of whinging children getting fed up and Jay’s bad back starting to complain.
The GPS was more of a hindrance than a help – taking us down more than one wrong turning, including a dead end. Thanks a bunch, If there’s one thing I hate, its going the wrong way. Gah! I find the GPS useful if I’m on my own in the car – if Jay’s there, she pretty much knows where we have to go anyway as she’s lived here for 20 years.
So, we arrived at 10ish and the place was deserted. It was still a little chilly but the flowers were all out and we had the place to ourselves really. Took the Holga, the Trip and the D300, so more than enough cameras really! Got some (I hope) nice pics with the Holga as the sun was bright enough for the Velvia 100 film. The Trip 35 was in its element, making simple snaps a pleasure. Only shot a few with the digital – I’ll upload any later if they’re any good.
Its amazing how many people had DSLR’s there – more than 1/2 the people there were toting some serious hardware and almost all of them standing back and taking shots on zoom or auto mode with the flash up. *sigh* how many of them will be going home and thinking they’re the best photographer since David Bailey (Trip 35 reference – he was advertising them in the 70’s – search for the video on youtube)
100% unsuccess rate
Posted on September 24, 2009
Every time I’m at the office in Perth I take a good long look at the weather forecast to see if its worth lugging a camera in with me for a few shots at lunch or after work. I’m only shooting with the Holga at the moment and I really love Velvia 100 film, which means it really has to be bright sunshine for any shots.
So far, I’ve managed to bring it in only to see clouds and rain roll in, and leave it at home only to see, as today, the clouds break and the sun come out.
Arse!
I need to find some 400ISO colour 120 film I think. In the summer here it wont be a problem, its always bright sunshine, but in this damp attempt at spring where the weather forecast has been pretty much random compared to what is actually happening outside, Velvia 100 just isnt fast enough.
I’m in again tomorrow, and its looking like its going to be bright sun, I’m bringing the camera no matter what!
tea rooms and lesbian vampires
Posted on September 20, 2009
Now I have your undivided attention..
Starting in reverse chronological order, we went to the Mundijong Tea Rooms today and had the most average Devonshire Cream Tea available anywhere. Its a nice setting though and some of their food is yummy, but they didnt really inspire us with mid-morning goodies. Jay’s review of the cream tea went like this:
“I wish I’d have stayed at home and finished off my art this morning and then gone to Freo for tapas”
Not a very positive recommendation, but I agree 100%. Next time 🙂 Still, we had a nice morning just chilling out and doing something different.
So, onto the lesbian vamipres. Its a film, one of 4 films we’ve watched this weekend.
1. Lesbian Vampire Killers
A low budget movie set in deepest darkest Norfolk, where the legend of the Lesbian Vampire Queen combines with a comedy duo on a hiking trip. Its funny like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz – some good one liners, laugh out loud moments and the dialogue and action, whilst cringey, fits perfectly with the film’s intentions. Oh, and those who want hot lesbian action are going to be a bit disappointed, theres not really any. 8/10, would watch again, its genuinely funny.
2. Killshot
ex-mafia hitman, Blackbird (Mickey Rourke) gets caught up with a young crazy armed robber/wannabe killer Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The film tells the story of them tracking down a couple placed in the witness protection program after witnessing one of their many screwups thanks to Nix’s wild and unpredictable nature. Good film, interesting, captivating and well shot. 7/10.
3. Dead Like Me
When you die your spirit could be asked to become a “reaper” – one of the many people on earth tasked with harvesting the souls of the living at the point of death. They walk amongst us, but get their schedules every morning and have to touch the body to get soul out. They dont know how many souls they have to get before they can get released and continue on their own way to heaven. sounds promising. And it starts off ok, some funny moments, a plot of sorts. But then it turns into dreary emotional feelgood claptrap. And the end is boring. 3/10. Dont bother, unless you only watch the first 40 mins and then stop.
4. Tenderness
Russel Crowe plays a retired cop on the case of a released teenage serial killer – absolved of his crimes, the state is convinced it was his anti-depressants that were to blame, Crowe on the other hand doesnt buy it and vows to stop him committing more crimes. The story follows a girl of who is obsessed with the killer, traveling around with him and narrowly misses out on being killed herself a half dozen times. The story kinda fizzles out and nothing really happens and the ending is typical ponsey arthouse movie crap where we are left to interpret and apply to the film we have just seen. meh. boring 4/10.
So thats it for the films, 50% hit rate, not too bad I guess.
So, what does the rest of the day hold in store? no more films, thats for sure :))
updates
Posted on September 16, 2009
been a bit of a delay in posting as I’ve been sick. really sick. stay in bed for 48 hours kind of sick.
meh!
Just about getting over it now, but now the family are starting to go down with it, which is not good. Jay is ok-ish for the moment, but both the kidlets are off school and have a high fever. Hope they get better soon.
Hope I continue to get better too, I have a customer meeting tomorrow in Perth that I have to go to no matter what.
So, whats been happening..
Well, not a lot, as I’ve been sick, but apart from the usual nice stuff, theres been stuff that really irks me. So I’m going to write about it. I guess the people concerned might guess this is about them should they read it but I don’t care too much.
Friends who plead poverty and borrow money from their families for essential items and then go and splash their own money on luxuries like flat screen tv’s and new pets the very next day
Mothers who smoke when they have a newborn. There have been so many studies done about this, even if they dont smoke around the baby, the second hand smoke linkers enough in the mothers lungs to breathe significant volumes of carcenogenic tars over the child. Its not as if this should be a surprise, these health warnings are advertised everywhere and have een for years. This annoys me just as much as parents who smoke in the car with their kids. If anyone reading this smokes with young children – you really need to think about your children and their health before your “needs” Grow the fuck up.
Friends who want us to babysit after school but then go home from work and leave the kid with us but dont actually let us know. Pick her up almost 3 hours late. No apologies. Nice.
People who still text whilst they are driving.
The news sickens me. People are capable of the most horrible things. For instance, I just read about a man in the US who threw his 4 year old (and gorgeous too, looking at the photos) daughter off a cliff and killed her because he didnt want to pay child support. I mean, who the fuck does that. With their own child. Forget jail time, just chuck the gutless piece of shit out of a moving car at 100mph. I have to say, this news has totally ruined my day – not my mood, but its drained the colour from me totally. How can I look at the world the same way knowing this kind of thing. I’m not reading the news any more. Back when there was no internet and global awareness, perhaps current affairs were useful, but now it seems to dredge up so much hideousness, for me, its become irrelevant. I don’t need to know.
Politics. Fuck me, they are all petty point scoring children. Watched a clip on the news from the Federal Parliament and it was embarrassing and it struck me right then, again, how irrelevant it is, not only to me, but to the way a country needs to be run. I’d rather campaign for a “vote for nobody” box on the election form and pay the fines for missing mandatory voting (honestly, what kind of a choice is it when you cant vote for “none of the above”) than vote for anyone who participates in that kind of petty kindergarten nonsense. I’d expect better debate from my children. Seriously.
In positive news, the Olympus Trip 35’s arrived – very nice they are too, although the low light shutter lock on mine doesnt work, but the red flag pops up ok.
Off to buy some film for them right now. And a subway, I’m starving.
first films
Posted on September 4, 2009
so, as you know, I’m on the quest for photographic enlightenment and that involves a forray back into the world of film. Starting with the basics – a Holga medium format toy camera and (still to arrive – Monday hopefully) Olympus Trip 35
As I said in the previous post, the first of the Holga films came back and they are wicked!
Holden EH
Freeway
Steps
Anja
The only problem is the cost – $100 to post, develop and return 5 films. *eep*
Looks like I’ll be venturing into the world of home developing a little earlier than I had anticipated..
first prints
Posted on September 3, 2009
got the first set of prints from the Holgas back, and by all accounts (a 15 minute phone critique), there’s more practice needed. ah well – thats why these things are fun, right?
I’m still at work and haven’t see them yet but I can’t wait to have a look and scan a few later – watch this space. well, the space above, probably as I’ll do a new post cos I’m too lazy to edit this one… :p
Holga-tastic
Posted on August 21, 2009
Finally finished the first film in the Holga – the sun came out this afternoon and allowed me to rattle off the last couple of shots on random stuff. Took another few shots on the way home too – I hope they’re going to come out like I think they might. Guess we’ll have to wait and see – need to shoot a few more films before its worth posting them off to the lab for processing.
Was going to go to Fremantle tomorrow to do some more shooting, but Jay’s back is really bad still, so its probably going to be a very gentle stroll down to the foreshore at Rockingham and a coffee instead.
Am itching to find out how these pictures come out!!!
Charlie's World 