Last day of Americorps. For now.

there and back again, an itinerary

Finally finished up that first roll of 120 film for the TLR. Twelve frames in two weeks, I'm a speed-demon. That's one of the nice yet frustrating things about shooting film. The cost of the film and processing combined with the low frame-count on a standard roll of film turn most people into meticulous and thrifty photographers.

So my inaugu-roll is sitting on the counter at Thompson Photo on Middlebrook and 21st, awaiting enough brethren to merit firing up the processor and mixing the chemicals. The negatives and a CD containing the images will be waiting for me when I get back from Texas in a couple weeks.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I'm going to Texas. Eventually.

The Great Roadtrip of Summer 2011 starts on Friday with a short drive up to Mammoth Cave National Park in central Kentucky. I have an 11:15am Grand Avenue tour slot reserved. Unfortunately the tours are the only way you're allowed to explore the gargantuan cave system, but the Grand Avenue tour is supposed to take about 4 hours (over 4.5 miles), so it should be worth it. Probably gonna go find a backcountry site once I finish up with the tour and camp out Friday night.

Saturday I drive up to Indianapolis to meet my family for an old friend's wedding on Sunday. For the 2nd time in 2 years all 5 of us are finding our way back together from 3 continents. Should be a bunch of old friends from Senegal at the wedding, so it'll be a reunion of sorts.

Sunday night/Monday will find us caravaning up to Iowa, stopping periodically in Illinois to see extended family (whom I still only see every 4 years or so, even though I live in the same country now...). Cedar Rapids, IA is a home-base of sorts for my parents and where one of the sisters lives, so I'll hang out up there Friday which happens to be Dad's birthday.

Next I'm off to the minuscule town of Menno, South Dakota, where the first Aisenbreys to America decided to park their wagons and set up camp. I've always been enthralled by my family's genealogy, and lucky enough to have a name rare enough that the lines can be traced back to 1600 (and maybe earlier, which I hope to find out if I can track down the family historian in Menno). My great, great grandfather, Christian Aisenbrey, whose name I borrow for my middle, is quoted describing the area, "When we came in this region in May 1874, it was a bare open prairie. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but green grass and above it, the blue sky; no trees, no bush. On occasion, one could see small herds of antelope and a few buffaloes, prairie wolves and coyotes."

So after a day or two on the "bare open prairie", It's a straight line south, about 700 miles, to my next designated stop in Denton, TX, about 30 mins north of DFW. Friends and friends-of-friends, good food, and Texas heat for three or four days before making the slow and muggy drive back to Knoxville on I-20 (I-40 is just too monotonous).

So look forward to posts and pics and travel-logs and whatnot, and say a prayer for safe but adventurous travels.

This droid's got a bad motivator!

Sorry, no pictures today. The novelty of a 1.3+ megapixel camera on my phone has worn off. Maybe one day I'll splurge and go for a bonafide all-inclusive smart phone instead of a moderately clever phone trying to run with the big kids.

Warning: The following text may be boring.

Saturday saw the auspicious occasion of my graduation from "Lazy Car Owner" to "Car Owner Who's Actually Crawled Under Their Car And Unscrewed Something". Oil change? Child's play. We're talking about an automatic transaxle fluid transfer (which is the fanciest way I could think of to say 'transmission fluid change', and which happens to be easier than an oil change). So yeah, after half a dozen mechanics suggesting that I get my ATF (automatic transmission fluid) changed, and then quoting exorbitantly inflated labor charges, I set about researching if it was doable for the amateur home auto mechanic.

I found out that there is a heated battle going on between the proponents of ATF flushes, and those who believe in ATF changes. Simply put, the flush involves a machine which forcefully pushes a solvent (I think) through all the ATF-containing components in your vehicle, exchanging the whole ~10 quarts of fluid in the system, but potentially breaking off chunks of built-up grime and getting them lodged in valves and whatnot. The alternative is to remove the drain plug or drop the drain pan from the underside of your engine, and let 3-4 quarts drain out of the main fluid compartment, then repeat the process 15 miles later, thus diluting the old fluid out of the system (although some forums said 10,000 miles later).

ATF Flush: $100-150, 1 hour at the mechanic

ATF Change: $30 (4 quarts of ATF, funnel, drain pan), 2 hours of research, 30 mins of labor

So next time your mechanic suggests an ATF flush ("What's that? You offer that service here? And you promise your suggestion is unbiased?) I say try it yourself. You'll get a little dirty, and spend longer doing it, but you'll emerge from under the hood with a fuller wallet and a sense of accomplishment. And then you can brag about it on your blog!

Ok, fine, here's a funny-looking coffee stain:

time to check that prescription...

I've never really been a big fan of Mark Rothko's work or most color field painting, but regardless, they seem to be a key influence, along with abstract impressionism, on a series of photos I've had simmering on the back burner for the past six months or so. I think one of the main differences is that unadulterated photography could never qualify as expressionism, but I guess that depends on whether you think a photograph can be entirely subjective.

















I think everyone likes Bokeh, but there's only so much you can do with an out of focus shot of Christmas lights/falling sparks/etc (I hear it makes a good blogspot background).




















Obviously some of these are pretty easily recognizable subjects, and I'm fine with that, they don't have to be purely abstract. Mostly I just like the atmospheric quality of them, and creating a composition out of the very basic light and color that nature offers.

















All of these are straight out of the camera, with very minor editing of levels and cropping on a couple. I'm always a little amazed by the gradients and color blending achieved by a couple of glass discs and some distance. It really reveals some of the physics that photography is based on. Light is pretty damn cool.

the whole

Some people are just really adept at putting words together in sequences that work their way into you and connect to something.

Some people can be bitter and scathing and fall asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow.

Some people are really good at looking like they're getting all they want out of life.

Some people sit under fluorescent lights all day, then go home and use their hands to create intricate and beautiful things that they never share.

Some people take the next logical step. On the wrong staircase.

Some people are really nice in theory, but just creep you out a little bit, for no particular reason.

Some people try to assert their social dominance in passive-aggressive little mannerisms that tire you out.

Some people know what they're doing.

Some don't.

water+sun+dirt=food

It's a garden update!

Tomatoes are flowering and looking strong, no fruit set yet though. Haven't had any problem with insects on the tomatoes yet, so I think their slow progress is due to limited sunlight.

The beans are really starting to take off despite numerous transplants and rough handling. Even the two that I moved to the shallow flowerbed next to the porch are working their way up the railings! It's pretty fun to see their progress day-to-day and guide the inquisitive tendrils. I don't really know what these are supposed to look like full-grown, so hopefully they're on track.

Potatoes are going crazy in their buckets! I was worried I hadn't given them enough soil, but they don't seem to mind at all and can't even hold themselves up anymore. No big bug problems on the taters either, must be a combination of the containers and luck.

Greens and broccoli are pretty unremarkable at this point.

Well there she is, in all her minuscule glory.

In Soviet Russia, picture takes you.

Guess what came in the mail yesterday?

summa this:











to go in this:












out of which will come things like this (hopefully):
































All these photos came from an awesome Lubitel Universal 166 site you should check out if you're into vintage or medium format cameras. They've built a new model of the classic Soviet medium format "Lubitel" camera, and have a bunch of great medium format galleries.

So, budget willing, I'll have some new stuff to show you soon. I think I'm gonna try to document next month's roadtrip with it, but I need to get in a little practice first.

how to sneak into a potluck without bringing anything.

I had the privilege of experiencing my first 4th & Gill neighborhood Potluck in the Park yesterday. Apparently there are bi-monthly neighborhood potlucks usually held at Central United Methodist, but once a year they move it out to 4th & Gill park for a big ole summer shindig. I probably wouldn't have found out about this if the Noise Temple didn't happen to share a property line with 4th & Gill park.

The affair was complemented by all manner of edible things (some delicious, some not-so-delicious), a bubble station, and some pretty legit surf-rock from 4th & Gill local band, The Mutations.

It was pretty cool to see so many people come down and hang out with their neighbors, and there was mention of a "Porch Crawl" next month, which the Noise Temple will definitely be signing up for.

So if you're looking for a new neighborhood full of awesomeness, come buy one of our overpriced Victorians so it doesn't get carved up into studio apartments.

The Day of Many Minor Accomplishments

Saturday, June 11th shall henceforth be referred to as 'The Day of Many Minor Accomplishments'. Let us list them:

1. Interwebs at the ole homestead!

Yeah, I know I posted this picture twice in a row, but last time I was posting it from the crumby old office internet, and this time it's zooming down the pipes of a 16mbps connection, allowing for my first ever...(get excited)...weekend post! I know, right? So if you're ever roaming 4th & Gill foraging for a wireless signal, stop on by the Noise Temple (you can't get on our's though, our password it 63 characters long, 14 of which are Klingon. We do have a nice porch you can sit on though).

2. What follows after fresh internet better than a free washing machine?

Probably a handful of things, but stop interrupting. After severing 3 fingers and herniating twice as many disks, we managed to provide a new home for Clarice the Washing Machine in the couch kitchen. Not really a full accomplishment since we don't have half the hardware needed to make her useful. Step 2 of this accomplishment is to fabricate a clothesline out back, since Clarice was separated at birth from Maximilian the Dryer. Any blueprints for successful clotheslines that don't require huge expenditures would be greatly appreciated.

3. Well this one is kinda a half-accomplishment as well. The headboard bench is well on it's way to being sit-downable (probably a word). Basically I just have to attach the front legs to the back, attach the seat slats to the frame, and attach paint to all of it. Ok, so maybe I'm only like half-way done. I'm beginning to worry that the finished product is going to weigh as much as 4 Fellini Kroger patrons, but I guess that'll prevent somebody from walking away with it (since it's gonna be hella-awesome). Thank you Knox for loaning me your drill (it's a very sexy drill, see for yourself, it's like the female beach volleyball player of drills).

4. Probably the most important accomplishment of the Day of Many Minor Accomplishments was actually a little bittersweet. We broke down and fired up the AC in the Noise Temple as an "experiment" claimed Caleb, "just to see how it feels"...yeah, after about 5 mins I was pretty confident that it would be on till September. The non-blistering temperatures definitely feel good, but I still feel kinda defeated. Hopefully next month's electric bill won't stoke my regret too much. [side note: Sketchiest-looking AC ever? I think so.)

So I guess not all that much was actually accomplished, but it beat sitting around on facebook all day (which is what I'll be doing now that we have internet at home).

The Day of Many Small Accomplishments

is brought to you, in part, by the Hammer of Decisiveness

(and the Creepy Doll-Headed Whiskey Bottle)

aaaarrrrrguably the best party evar!

I suppose I should probably post something, but I just discovered the Angry Birds app for Chrome (http://chrome.angrybirds.com/) and my productivity has been sapped.

Last night witnessed a spectacular pirate party for the most totally rad 9 year-old I've ever had the privilege to live beneath, complete with gold doubloons, hand-crafted pirate flags/plastic plates, and fish sticks. Wish I had pictures, cause a live shark bit the host's left leg off. Guess you'll just have to believe me.

It's sad to think that birthdays will never be that awesome ever again. I think they really start going downhill in sheer awesomeness after about 13 (with another spike at 21). If science could figure out a way to harness the energy of a group of 9 year-olds in a present-opening frenzy we could finally break our dependence on hamster wheels. Little known fact: hamster wheel emissions are the leading cause of unsatisfactory math scores in American schools.

Here, I arranged some pixels for you:

bookends

On the occasion of more than 40% (soon to be 100%) of my immediate family being on the same continent again after 2 years, I nostalgically began rifling through old photos from high school and Senegal. I had the privilege of being the official unofficial cameraman/paparazzi for the last couple years of high school, and being an self-diagnosed hoarder, still have 6gb (3,791 files) worth of photos from junior and senior years stashed in a musty corner of my hard drive. It got me wondering what the oldest photo in those archives would be, so I did a little digging and thought I would share my findings.

Date: 9-8-2004 3:52:55PM
Shutter: 1/125 sec
Aperture: F2.8
Description: Local shop (or "boutique") owner, Tapha, hands me a small, buttered loaf commonly referred to as "pain beurre", as he covers his face with scrap paper so I can't steal his soul. Dude laughs in the background.

So for those of you unfamiliar with the daily life of an MK (missionary's kid) high schooler in Dakar, Senegal: this was a pretty common scene. We'd get out of school at 3, then just hang out for an hour or two, play soccer, sit in the air conditioned computer lab, cause mischief, etc. Tapha's boutique was the closest source of quazi-nourishment, a quarter mile down the road, and thus received the patronage of parched and hungry toubab (white folk) teenagers who had a hankering for
1. Coke (real Coke, made with cane sugar in glass bottles): 500 CFA - $1
2. Fanta Cocktail (a delicious version they don't supply here in the States, complete with unidentifiable "floaty bits"): 500 CFA - $1
3. Pain beurre (a small loaf of brioche, smeared with a hefty serving of butter): 200 CFA - $0.40
4. Something else. Tapha supplied a smattering of other goods, occasionally including ice cream products, and very occasionally including American brand soft drinks, but I didn't often find the need to purchase tomato paste or individual cigarettes at 3:52:55 PM on most days.

The covering of the face would, I assume, relate to an Animistic belief that when you are photographed, a part of your soul is stored in the image. I would also assume that it was being done in jest on Tapha's part, as the dude in the background is greatly amused, and because Tapha is a staunch Muslim, complete with daily prayer and a handful of wives.

In contrast, here's the most recent image on my hard drive, creating photographic bookends of sorts. Neat-o!

Date: 6-4-2011 2:11:52 PM
Shutter: 1/250 sec
Aperture: F6.3
Description: At Beardsley's Farm Fest, Brian gives me the 'ole thumbs ups, as he and Jarius carry a cooler for the Cruze Farm girls, in hopes that their chivalry will result in free ice cream. It did.

growing things in stuff

Pretty excited about the prospect of new raised beds in the front yard, after what would've been a crushing defeat for my meager, first-year garden. The Landlord emailed last week, with dreams of a grass-filled yard and warnings to move my shanty town of a garden to the oh-so-shady backyard. With my last vestiges of hope I impertinently suggested the construction of permanent raised beds in front of the house to disguise the sparse ground-cover. Much to my surprise The Landlord seemed reasonably interested in my option, so now I'm just waiting for the final verdict while my poor potted produce perches precariously on patio pavers, populating the perimeter of what supposedly will become grass if I'm unlucky.

At any rate, here's a picture of the set-up prior to its relocation.

From left to right:
Savoy cabbage (pretty miserable and full of holes)
Green Comet broccoli (no head yet, fingers crossed)
5 buckets of Yukon Gold potatoes (with a variety of strawing techniques/levels)
Tennessee Cornfield beans (going strong, even after 3 transplants)
Mustard greens (might not make it any further than "baby" greens)
More broccoli
2 mystery tomatoes

The potato buckets are just left-overs from grocery store bakery's, which are nice since they're 5-gallon and food-grade, but you usually have to clean out the residual icing/glaze/etc which can be pretty greasy. I know people do potato condos with tires and wood, but I'm just cutting the bottom out of a bucket and stacking them, so we'll see how that goes.

The raised bed was built in 15 mins out of 4x4s from the crawl-space and sidewalls from salvages crates, with a sheet of plastic stapled around the bottom. Unfortunately it's empty right now, since I had to vacate the "lawn".

As it stands right now, I have no huge ambitions for this season's harvest, since almost everything was started late, moved around too much, and in cramped containers. It'll be a good learning experience though, and I'll have plenty of containers stocked up for next season.

Start your own! It's easy!

All I need is a class-C driver's lisence and lots of money...

So I just stumbled across this Kickstarter campaign:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2140943094/compass-green-a-mobile-greenhouse-project


Why haven't I heard about any other "rolling greenhouses"? Seems like a pretty intuitive idea to convert an old box truck or school bus into a self-contained, mobile garden. You could take it to schools to educate kids, drive it up to a farmer's market for fresh-as-can-be produce, or just use it as a garden if you don't have land. This might have just made it into my "potential future venture incubation area".

I have no idea how you'd make it cost-effective, though. A functioning bus/truck would probably cost you about $1,000-3,000 on craigslist. Doing the conversions (skylights, sidewalls, garden beds, etc) would probably be at least double that unless you can use repurposed materials & do the labor yourself. Then tack on a biodiesel conversion and solar panels if you really want it eco-pimped out, and your return on investment is probably upwards of 150 years.

Oh well, it'd still be pretty awesome. Maybe I can find a grant...

Brevard, NC has the 3rd largest population of white squirrels in the world.

Camping! Asheville! Fog! Blue Ridge Parkway! Pisgah! Fire! White Squirrel Festival! Improbable encounters! Beer!