this blog is now closed. thanks for stopping by!

so i rushed out to the subway during lunch today so that i could make a dash to kominek to get an estimate on repairing my fed5b. i had a feeling kominek was a low-tech operation when i didn't receive a reply back from an email inquiry i sent 2.5 weeks ago, but i didn't expect to be greeted by a man who looked like a mixup of santa clause and a hell's angel, sitting crowded by shelves of used mamiyas, canons and leicas. he sat behind a narrow counter littered with various newspapers, daily magazines and a huge, freshly purchased bag of mcdicks.

i was a little intimidated by the small cluttered space and his gruff demeanor. he filled out a work order as i explained what my problem with the fed5b was. then as i took a peek at the various medium format non-toy cameras, mr. hell's angels said that the shutter speed dial wasn't broken!

i think my excitement transferred over to him as he showed me how the dial really needs to be pulled up hard in order to set it. his gruffness somehow disappeared and he started to impart stories of how all the lens manufacturers and technicians of russia were relocated to a suburb of moscow after WWII, or how i shouldn't spend any money on the fed5b b/c it wouldn't be worth it or how 'that woman' (aka terry shiavo) died suffering for 13 days.

relieved, i was half skipping with happiness out of kominek, when santa shouted, 'come back with some photos. i'm sick of cameras.'

another fed 5b shot.

i'm really liking this month's lala land theme. neil's shot from PEI was chosen. it's a really awesome shot.

i finally picked up my test roll from my now defunct fed 5b - wow! the photos came out quite sharp (click on the collage above to see bigger versions of the photos). i think i will be dropping off my camera at kominek, for repairs, after all!

after more research i learned that the models previous and after the fed5b had built-in light meters - which means the fed 5b was, sadly, ripped off. perhaps after the camera is repaired i will see if i can afford to trade or exchange my fed 5b with a fed 5c ...

things to remember for the next test roll:

• buy a small, tiny notebook to take note of shutter speed and aperture combos for each shot i take
• blow or clean the lens before shooting
• until i buy a spot meter, use the sunny f16/cloudyf11 rule
• cock the bloody shutter b/c attempting to change the speed dial - ha ha ha .... ouch

at the you grow girl book launch party, 'a' picked up a pot with mystery seeds planted in them! there was a table set up with DIY scoops, pots, soil and mystery seeds. there were also pre-made pots with seeds planted in them. the pots were decorated with 'YGG' stickers. it was really cute and such a nice, thoughtful touch.

as per instructions i've been watering the pot from the bottom but nothing is happening yet. i've been looking into the pot everyday anxiously waiting. so much so that i'm starting to feel like a gardening-hypochondriac: hey, is that some fungus growing? is that the remains of a snail? oh no, what if that snail ate the mystery seeds?

in related news, over the weekend the neo-con, er national post did a book review and interview on 'you grow girl' and gayla. 'a' said that the article predicts that 'you grow girl' is poised to be a best seller, catering to a younger, gardening audience who is more socially and environmentally conscious.

wops 38 minutes too late for a march 27th entry ... sunday nights are always a slightly sad time for me because it is the end of the weekend and once i go to sleep it means that i have to go to work when i wake up. i always end up staying up way past my bedtime in an attempt to extend my weekend as much as possible.

i bumped into my entrepreneurial friend 'j' at the one of a kind show (just like when b and i went last year). b and i went to art school w/ 'j'. her business is so successful that she quit her day job 2 years ago to keep up with her orders.

talking to 'j' today, she said that she was having a tough time at the show b/c she didn't hire any extra help and was trying to solicit some impromptu help from people checking out her booth. so i offered my help and will be manning her booth and help increase her sales tomorrow. my part-time 'sales associate' skills that i acquired from my retail clothing store days will come in handy!