Leaving
We’re right in the middle of the pre-freshman-year-in-college exodus. It is so very strange to see everyone leaving. The summer was long enough, and we are ready to go, but leaving has a strange sense of finality to it. I should re-cap yesterday as has been my habit lately:
Me, Steve, and Matthew have gone many places together lately. We get along very well and enjoy one another’s company. It’s funny how the routine works; I talk to Matthew earlier in the day, call Steve around dinner time, call Steve again in about a half hour, and then we all go do something. Actually, that routine is over now, I think, with the possible exception of this evening. Anyways, we went to John’s BBQ last night and had a good time. Talked with some people, ate some very good burgers, saw the new skate park, and left some emails and phone numbers. I walked up to the Royal’s football field and looked out across it for about 10 minutes, remembering. Those Friday night football games were so much fun - I miss that cool fall air, the rowdy people, and going places afterwards. I marched on that field, had track meets (way back in the day) on that field, and witnessed many-a-game there. I’ll miss those times so much. I’ll miss the people more. Moving on; we left the BBQ and drove on over to Caribou for the meeting of Those Who are Left in Woobbury©. Unfortunately, Steve locked his keys in his car. We tried everything to get that dang door open. The window was down about an inch and a half and it was so frusterating dangling things into the car, trying to hook the lock lever. Eventually, a policeman came by and we borrowed a long metal pole car opener device to open the door. Congratulations to Ben Matthews for getting the thing open.
After that, I said farewell to Laura, Simon, Katherine, and Tommy [and others!]. It’s really starting to sink in; I’m leaving soon as well. It’s almost over, the summer is almost up. True, it is the end, but I because I’m moving on to something very very exciting, I’m not really sad. I’m more pensive and reflective than anything. Now is a time of great change in all of our lives, and i’m happy to know that we have one another and we do really look out for our friends. I owe a huge thank you to all of my friends who have given me support and guidance this summer. I would list them, but I fear I would leave someone out. Too many people to count have given me more support than I could have ever asked for. Thank you all.
We returned to Steve’s around 11:10 and proceeded to rip his inside plastics off as a part of his door dissembly. Why do this? Well, his outside door handle stopped opening the door. In 50 minutes we fixed it. Let me tell you, it feels so good to start out with something working incorrectly and finish with it working perfectly. Fixing things appeals to my desire to help others and my streak of organizing, coordinating, and regulating the things in my life over which I have control. But most of all, I simply like to “fix stuff.”
Ooh, I bought my chair! It is ridiculously comfortable, space-efficient, and retro.
Finally, I got two roles of film back. I shot 200 speed for the first time. Let me tell you, if you’re into any photography that doesn’t involve action, go for the 200 speed film. True, I was blest with a tripod to compensate for the slower film. But, that is more than worth it considering what the prints looked like. 200 captures colors so beautifully, richly, and without grain. I will shoot nothing but 200 and 400 speed in the future. Also, if I have the opportunity, I will shoot an even slower film to get better detail and color reproduction. I love slow film. The point of all that is, I finally used my “Ten Frames in a Box” from Target. I looked at two years worth of my prints and selected the ones that best represented my time here in Woodbury. Unfortunately, there are no people in these pictures. I don’t shoot people becasue I’m rather shy about my love of photography. However, the pictures still are an accurate portrayal of my time. They include: a black Stingray Corvette [color, ISO200], double exposure yellow flowers [color, ISO200], one classic Ford [black and white film and processing, ISO400], double exposure nature perspective shot with filtered sunlight [color, ISO800], piano keys [black and white film and processing, ISO400], Lord of the Rings foldout map [color, ISO800], double exposure white flowers [color, ISO800], Saint Mary’s Point waves [color, ISO800], single yellow flower [color, ISO800], and a large aperature (that gives a narrow field of focurs) shot of morning dew on grass [black and white fillm and processing, ISO400]. Many of the nature shots were taken right in my own back-yard, and most of the shots were taken around Woodbury. So, looking at these pictures in my dorm will bring back the good memories of summertime and wonderful times I had. I hope you all find something to put in your dorm that will remind you of the “good times.”
Once again, not an ego trip, just sharing the pictures. If I could, I would scan them and toss them into the imagexhibition section of this site, but I don’t have a scanner. Someday, maybe. Oh, I thought I’d mention that this journal will shortly become less of a daily log and more of a place to reflect on certain select things. In college, I will not have time to record all the events of one day. Therefore, you will get the highlights, the funny parts, and basically the stuff that’s actually interesting. I hope to post 3 times per week.
Off to read!