Busted!

SoMa: E's image

 

And yesterday began the countdown... Officially, one-day-less-than-one-month: we are outta here!!

I have started packing books, and I have a feeling that as the weeks wear on, this little apartment is going to look slimmer and slimmer. The excitement of returning to SC crops into almost every conversation now. We have a little place already lined up for the summer, and we are doing everything we can to stay in place here until May 23. My notice is in at work...E is planning his MFA show...the notice is in for this apartment...and Pepper already has her bags packed and is waiting by the door. Yep, we are ready to bust on out of SF and leave it to those who deserve a beautiful climate and gorgeous views the least.

That being said, the day that marked our one-month remainder was something of a bittersweet victory. There was no shortage of joy the minute we realized that we were exactly a month away from leaving. But, the realization hit us as we were enjoying one of the first (I'm sure of countless to come) beautiful (weather-wise) weekends here in the city. We had walked up to FedEx in the Castro to mail a print that E had sold. (goooooooooooo E! congrats!) As we were walking back to our neighborhood, we stopped in Tap Plastics (a small piece of heaven for anyone with any sort of hankering to organize and store things- fyi- this has nothing to do with cleanliness...only a desire to store things!). Tap Plastics is a veritable wonderland of plastic storage containers...every size and for whatever you can imagine. If you love office supply stores, you might also love this place...not that it is office supplies, but I would say that the affinities are akin to one another. Coming in around $13 we scored 2 small flip-top containers, three travel containers, three different kinds of lids for them, 100 zip top bags for E's film holders, two beakers, and a screw-top cup. Dang! As we continued to stroll, we came across the fabric warehouse... Yes, literally, a warehouse of fabric and any sort of fabric-like supplement you can imagine. Ahhhh, yes...E had planned to change out a strap on his view camera. So, we stopped in, grabbed some 1" webbing and we were out the door. Then, just as we wandered over to the Indian restaurant (just a block down the street from our apartment), the flipside of the joy sunk in. There are some things we will miss about SF and most especially about our neighborhood. Little things like a cheap day at Tap Plastics or lunch overlooking Folsom Street and all the bizarreness that meanders along it. Faces and places... we will leave it all here to move on.  And, more unexpectedly than the realization that we are only a month out from heading east... I was standing in the middle of familiarity. I never thought that would happen here.

bam!

so- the end is looming and I felt like revisiting images from maine...16x20...
big negatives=big prints that look like you are right there...not the challenging landscapes I have invested so much effort in lately...just images that I enjoyed making and looking at...

This image is a tunnel at historic Fort Knox in Maine...the fort was built as defense during the Spanish American war...a shot was never fired under distress...it is amazing just as so many other things in Maine are! A cold wet summer...just like when I was a kid

The barn at the Olson House- Cushing Maine. Andrew Wyeth made Christina Olson and her family estate famous with the painting of Christina's World. This image is in the boat house/barn across the road from the actual house. The carriage is for boats- they would cart the boats down to the St George River (a tributary/outlet into the Penobscot Bay)

For some reason, the estate has decided to have a boat in the shed room attached to the main house...I just sat my camera on the single seat in the dingy and focused. I'm super happy with the space opening up in the print...it feels like the photo disappears and you are in the seat.

I miss Maine, the coast, and visiting the seemingly endless grave sites that our family occupies (I have become the family documentarian).

Next up? Final Graduate Review on Friday and then the final show!!!

Later-
e

old?

as I approach our first year anniversary of marriage, my graduation (both on the same day!), and turning 39...it all feels like I am getting old.
to answer this- I have been engrossed in music from Jr High and High School...
The Ramones...the more I listen the more I remember how good they really were...

It's Pepper time!

There were just too many amazing pics of Pep lately... So, I'm dedicating this entire post to the house princess --

Someone wants to be like Pops...

Or just on Pops...You gotta love a dog that is persistent and determined...

And knows what she wants...

And is willing to wait for it...

Or even go for it...

Pep got a football for Super Bowl Sunday...of course, she'd rather have had beer...

But it seemed that both appeared to have the same consequence...nap

But in fact, it doesn't take a football or beer to promote a nap... just a warm spot, especially on a sleeping bag...

'Cuz when you're this cuuuuhhhhhrrrrrraaaazzzzzzyyyyyy... you gotta find time to nap...

And yeah...Hiking is ok out here in SF/Marin...

But there's no place like home... (I think someone's ready to be back already)

The things he'll do....

the image wasn't the only thing he got...

say hello to poison oak... awwwwwwww

One more clue to the psyche of the typical SFer...

I came across this article today while eating my lunch. In a nutshell, recent studies at the London Business School have "concluded that luxury seems intrinsically linked to self-interest." Perhaps luxury is indeed a factor in the self-interested disposition of most inhabitants of this place. As one of the only SFers that I have actually enjoyed so enlighteningly told me, "It's the perfect weather that makes people in San Francisco feel so self-entitled all the time. If they had to deal with bad weather, they'd likely be more willing to suck it up and deal with other inconveniences of society more often." E and I complain frequently about our fellow citizens of this "great" metropolis...and despite the denials of so many around us that make claims to its superiority, we are still waiting to find the virtues of a place with perfect weather (most of the time) and despicable people. And, to leave with something very insightful from the article:

luxury does not necessarily induce "nasty" behavior toward others, but more indifference toward them.

Back to the grind...structured grind that is...

Today is the first day I have class in the last semester of Grad School. By having class- I am a teaching assistant for one of my mentors. The funny thing is- the school has a teaching practicum but it happens to be the same time as a grad level landscape class. This class is an art history based class but if I have learned anything from 3 semesters at SFAI- art history classes have little to do with history. Dates? Nope! Time lines? HELL no! This class promises to be the most applicable to what I do so I couldn't not take it.
So, that being said- I am enrolled in an intro to photography class. I'll be the TA, learning from one of the best photo teachers this or any school has to offer. I'm really excited. Linda has opened a number of ideas and associations in my work so far and it should be great to watch her with intro level students.
The only down side to this? The first day is bring your work and a camera to class. Not bad- I have lots of cameras and most of them quite small. The hitch is Linda asked me to bring the big one. Still- so what? I have a bike trailer and should be fine. Things would be no issue aside from our being in the midst of the rainy season. That's right- winter is replaced with "the rainy season". It has been dumping for days and I really hate driving in this city. What ever.
Looks like I will be moving the truck once every two hours. Oh- the class is 6 hours long. NOthing like a marathon class to get things rolling.
What ever. Better in school than looking for work these thin days.
Hope all of you are well.
I have been sick and am feeling better.
Lego Batman is a huge waste of my days...mmmm...Lego video games!
Pepper is grey as ever and sleeping like no other...
Gretta is looking at the future and doing well!
later
e