Posted on September 30th, 2008 in Education, Europe | Leave A Comment
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I have mixed emotions about Photokina 2008. On one hand, it’s interesting and kind of fun, and on the other hand, it’s disgusting and nauseating.Â
Overall, it’s an exercise in greed, consumption, overindulgence, etc. all of things people say that I’m (and most Americans)Â an expert in. Seriously, it was disturbing to be there as the economy (Wall Street) in America was tanking, not to mention the ongoing suffering and hunger throughout the world. It’s just hard to reconcile all of it looking at $5,000 (USD) cameras and $10,000 (USD) printers. Mostly, it was middle-aged men drooling over phalic toys they couldn’t afford. C’mon, nothing is that important! Maybe I’m just getting old and soft (I can validate the “soft”, it’s true).
My main bitch is that it was €21 Euros to get into the place (that’s $32 U.S. dollars). Are we paying to get into a place to see what we want to buy? We’re paying people to advertise to us!! Wow!! Wrap your head around that one!
My praises: There were some pretty interesting advancements in technology. The printers were unbelievable. All of them cranking out huge (8′ x 12′) color digital prints (if it’s big, it’s important)! They called it the “fine art printing section.” The underwater cameras were pretty cool too. Not that I would ever need any of this stuff, but you know, it was kind of fun to see.
Billy Cargile, my new co-worker went with me. We didn’t really want too stay long. We just wanted to hit some of the highlights and head back south. It was a 3.5 hour drive back because of traffic jam (Stau) just outside of Cologne. It’s always fun to wrap a day of consumption around a 4 hour traffic jam. Yummy!
I suppose it was a good excuse to get out of the studio take a long drive and bum around Cologne again (it’s a great city). As a side note, Cologne (Köln) is a very progressive and art centered city. I’ve been to a couple of art shows in Köln that I really enjoyed. The people are great too.
Back to Photokina… am I going to Photokina 2010.. ? No, I don’t think so - been there done that and got the Minox ad to prove it.
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Tags: Cologne, germany, photography, photokina
Posted on September 21st, 2008 in Family | Leave A Comment
This is my fourth day back in Germany after a 11 day trip to the United States. I am suffering big-time! I didn’t sleep last night at all, well, maybe two hours at the most and it was very light. Today, I feel like I was ran over by a truck. They call this jet-lag. I feel like shit.
When traveling across a number of time zones, the body clock will be out of sync with the destination time, as it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms to which it has grown accustomed: the body’s natural pattern is upset, as the rhythms that dictate times for eating, sleeping, hormone regulation and body temperature variations no longer correspond to the environment nor to each other in some cases. To the degree that the body cannot immediately realign these rhythms, it is jet lagged.
The speed at which the body adjusts to the new schedule is individually determined. Thus, while it may take several days for some people to readjust to a new time zone, others seem to experience little disruption to their body’s natural patterns. It is, however, not common to get jet lag from a crossing of only one or two time zones.
The condition is not linked to the length of flight, but to the transmeridian (i.e., east-west) distance traveled. Hence, a ten-hour flight between Frankfurt and Johannesburg, staying roughly on the same meridian, does not cause jet lag, while a five-hour flight between New York and Los Angeles may. Also, the International Date Line should not be confused as contributing to jet lag, as the maximum possible disruption is plus or minus 12 hours. A 20 hour time difference, for example, equals 4 hours of jet lag. Layovers can complicate this simple arithmetic, however.
The symptoms of jet lag can be quite varied and may include the following:
Loss of appetite, nausea, digestive problems
Headache, sinus irritation
Fatigue, irregular sleep patterns
Disorientation, grogginess, irritability
Mild depression
I know these are difficult to look at, but do you feel my pain now?? I pray to God that I can sleep tonight. I have to go back to work tomorrow.
Posted on September 8th, 2008 in Family, Family & Friends | Leave A Comment
Dear Mom,
I love you very much and I’ll miss you a lot.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when you left for Heaven, but I know you understand. I have sweet and precious memories with you, and of you. Jean and Summer send their love. God bless you and goodbye for now. I know I will see you again.
Mom in her casket - September 8, 2008 - Utah
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Ida Juanita Gardner (Mom) 2005 wet plate Collodion image.
Mom, me and Dad - Mom’s 39th birthday - 1968
Mom and Dad - photo booth 1959
