(no subject)

[moominmolly]

Yesterday I learned that when a sign says "veerooster!", it does NOT mean "look out for this really steep footbridge you're about to skate over," but rather "just on the other side of this footbridge there is a CATTLE GUARD with BIG FAT RAILS waiting to EAT your SKATES, and you cannot see it from here". Yipes. And me without my wrist guards.

Today, my butt hurt. But I know a new word now!

I also found a much more secluded and woodsy skate/bike route to work. (David, who has skated the old route with me, will appreciate how unlikely and yet wonderful that is.)

Dancing with Mads & co tonight at club More was entertaining. Oddly, dancing doesn't seem to affect this newfound sore spot on the top of my foot right where it becomes ankle. Walking irritates it, but dancing all night caused no pain at all. I seem to have traded a few twinges in the tendon pain spot for some really painful muscle weirdness on my foot. I'm not particularly worried about this new pain; it seems to be very easy to relieve with even my remedial massage skills. So, it looks like I'm staying away from walking or biking for the next few days. Skating causes no pain anywhere; still, I decided to take the cautious route and take a day of rest from that today, too.

Anyway! Dancing! Dancing with boss and coworkers was strangely free of any sort of tension. It was not at all weird to see Mads admiring some chick who had a very fluid way of dancing, and then telling me (us) about it. He said, "I'm coming into town in October for a manager's conference. You'll have to take me and [other coworker] Paul out somewhere." Yet, I still can't even begin to imagine taking Lexington boss Barbara out dancing or drinking. Ahh, well, the whole thing just made me want to come home and go dancing with more people. w00!

Also toyed with the digital camera a bit today. I now even have a couple of decent pictures of *myself* in this city, where previously I had none. Gosh, digital cameras are so handy, especially with fat-ass memory cards. I do still adore the film camera, though, and I have a roll of 3200 speed T-MAX calmly waiting to be used one night.

Comments

[srd.livejournal.com]

Oh, TMAX3200. My favorite film. Esp when pushed to 12800 and hit with a shot of cold water after the developer and before fixing. Golfball sized grain! Extreme contrasts!
Hmm, I can't find my favorite 3200 photo. I should make a page of all my good photos or something.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

What does the cold water do? I've never heard of that!

[srd.livejournal.com]

Usually the contrast is increased the hotter the developer is. And if you're pushing TMAX by 2 (I once did even +3, but most photos were way overexposed in normal daylight), you have to be pretty hot (26 - 28 degrees Celcius as opposed to the regular 22). Also, you try and keep the entire developing/neutralizing/fixing process at just about the same temperature to reduce grain. So when you shock the film with cold water when it's nice and hot, just before fixing, a more extreme grain is produced. Why, exactly, I don't know. Maybe the pigments cluster together for warmth.

Oh, right, if you like extreme film, try Kodacs Technical-Pan. It's usually used for document reproduction, doesn't have a fixed ISO rating and is _ultra_ fine grain. Like next to none.
Check out a few examples (http://turing.heim1.tu-clausthal.de/photos/technicalpan/) if you like (warning, the image files are biggish, ~80k a piece).

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

*sigh*... those are arrestingly nice. I think perhaps I *should* try it.

[srd.livejournal.com]

Just be warned though, the film isn't the cheapest (but if you buy tmax, you wouldn't really worry about that ;)), usually has to be ordered and needs a special developer (I used tetenal docfin, IIRC). Other than that, have fun experimenting.
I never actually did get around to shooting portraits with it, which is what I had initially planned to do, to see how the high contrast and low grain combine on a human face.

veerooster!

[fishfoo.livejournal.com]

Just thought I'd mention that for the past few days I've been periodically muttering "veerooster!" to myself. No idea what it really means (and there are few cattle guards on the Beltway), but it sounds cool.

Re: veerooster!

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

heh! I admit, despite the butt incident, I was saying this a lot, too. :)