31 December 2005, morning Last day of the year. How exciting! I recall being depressed when 1999 was summing up. It seemed such a shame to leave the 1900s behind, after they'd brought us all that incredible music and culture and design and industry. We didn't leave them behind, of course. Years and centuries are only numbers, but I still find some romance in the numbers.
We're going to a music store today, if they're open, to buy a harmonica for Kumiko's father. Kumiko gave me a harmonica for Christmas, and her father surprised us all with his enthusiasm for it. I think he needs his own. I'm excited about the harmonica as well, and I may want to buy a tiny one called "Puck" that fits in your pocket. The harmonica Kumiko gave me has a special significance though. When I was a kid, and my parents gave me a harmonica for Christmas (the Hohner GLH: "Great Little Harp", which is still made), I really loved it and I wrote to Hohner for their catalogue. I bought several others over the next few years, but I could never find some of the ones pictured in the back of the catalogue. There was one called "Unsere Lieblinge" (our beloved?), which really intrigued me because of the German name, but that was one that I couldn't find any information about. Now I have one. Thank you, Kumiko! I think it's just an octave-tuned Hohner Echo with different engraving on the top plate. Anyway, it's a beauty, and it answers an old question from my childhood.
Yesterday, I went over to Brian's apartment. He just bought a massive piano, and we practiced a couple of songs, including a new one he wrote. It's a nice tune. When I got home, Kumiko had her wonderful chicken curry waiting. After pigging out on that, we watched the final four episodes of 24 season 4. Kumiko spotted a continuity error in this series. One of the secret service agents who went down on Airforce One turned up a few hours later in the White House. Very odd.
We'll stay at my in-laws' house tonight, as part of the New Year's regimen. Lot's of weird New Year's food, plus some delicious regular food, the big men vs women talent show on NHK (called the Red and White show), udon noodles at midnight, then a trip to the local shrine in the morning. Happy New Year!
29 December 2005, noon We attended a Christmas party last night at John and Tomo's house in Nishinomiya. There were some initial issues of power consumption and circuit breakers, but once that was sorted the party got into full swing. John and Tomo put on a big spread, with the help of Aiko: gyoza (what's gyoza?), cheese and salami, chips and avacado dip and cod roe dip, fried chicken, and bananas. There was also some avacado tofu, which grossed me out. John and Tomo have a small Senegalese parrot named Cupie, who was at times the life of the party. He chose Kumiko's head as a perch. He also responded well to my whistling. We all must have felt pretty comfortable with each other, because the party broke into unison singing at times, I did a silly dance to "Another One Bites the Dust", which Kumiko found embarrassing and strangely thrilling, a guy named Kevin did a solo stage performance of a song from "Les Miserables" and John dressed up as a West African dignitary. A wonderful evening was had by all. Today is scanning day. I got about ten rolls back yesterday, so I'm scanning as I write. Yesterday morning I put together a photo gallery of more train pictures. A few of these I'll include in my show in April.
Three unknowns preparing to disembark on the JR Kanjo line.
photo with Kowa SIX on Fujifilm Neopan 40025 December 2005, evening Well, it's Christmas, and for the first time in 6 years I didn't spend the day at work. I took a day off, and did what I used to do on Christmas day: nothing. Actually, Kumiko and I will head over to her parents' house for dinner later, but she's at school right now. We'll exchange gifts over there. We had sushi last night at our favorite place, a shop called Uoshin in Sannomiya (Kobe). They give you these gigantic pieces of really high quality fish. Sometimes the pieces are too big. They fill your mouth completely, so you can't enjoy it. When I got the salmon, I had to pre-eat about half the fish before I could fit the rest of it and the rice part into my mouth. We also ate flounder, sea urchin roe, salmon roe, sole, ark shell, scallop, cucumber rolls and steamed egg custard. It was awefully good. On the 23rd we went out to dinner with Paul and Jenny and Bubu at Outback Steakhouse in Umeda. It's always fun to get together with Paul and complain about work. Misery loves company, so we had a good time.
Part of the nothing I did today was taking pictures in a part of town called Tsuruhashi. It was unproductive, and at one point I went into a restaurant for a snack. I went to the toilet and left my camera bag under the counter. As I was washing my hands, it crossed my mind that I would never leave my camera bag under the counter if I were back in Texas. But when I opened up the door and walked back into the shop, the staff member and a customer had my bag up on the counter, both with their hands on it! The look on their faces (and mine I'm sure) was classic. They obviously thought someone had left it under the counter by mistake. I couldn't help playing it suspicious though, as the timing of me coming out of the bathroom was just perfect, and they were clearly worried about my reaction. It was such a funny predicament for them. I gave the customer a smile as I left though. I had to let him off the hook.
Brian (my band-mate) and I saw this duet in Toyonaka a couple of weeks ago.
The singer's name is Fujimura Maki. She had a great style. I sang a song too.
photo with Voigtlander Bessa RF on Ilford HP5 Plus19 December 2005, morning Not sick anymore, but sick of working. I have a lot to worry about recently at the office and I'm tired of thinking about it all. I've got the winter-vacation-can't-get-here-soon-enough blues. We'll have 8 days off starting on the 28th. It will come. It will come. Kumiko and I had a great time at my office's end-of-year party last night. Kumiko got to meet a lot of my coworkers for the first time. It was another shabu shabu affair. All offices and groups start having parties in December. You'll end up attending several, because there might be a party for everyone, and another one just for the management, and another with just your good friends, and one with your ukulele class, and one with your old cronies, etc. It's a nice tradition.
BONENKAI! Simon getting refilled coutesy of Chie.
photo with Ricoh Caplio RX (I use digital sometimes)15 December 2005, morning I've been sick (just a cold), and all I want to do is stay home and sit quietly. Today I feel a little better to start the day, but I have a couple of active kids classes coming up, so it's going to be a real test. Thank you, Mom and Mike for the nice comments about my autumn photos. That keeps me going. I received the Franka Solida III day before yesterday, and it's in wonderful shape. Can't wait to take it for a test drive. Plus, the defunct Super Ikonta is now on its way to Slovakia via Ireland (thanks to my friend Mark), for repairs of the original problem (the shutter) and whatever secondary damage I may have caused when I was "fixing it". I just wish the first repairman, in Pennsylvania, had done the job instead of totally ripping me off. Anyway, I really trust this Slovakian guy, so I look forward to more Ikonta action next year. As a general announcement, all Christmas cards and gifts will be delayed this year, as we haven't yet made any.
10 December 2005, evening I didn't take my usual slew of autumn foliage pictures in Kyoto this year. I did shoot a few rolls, mostly in black and white, in nearby Suita, and Momoyamadi, and Ikeda. I put up an autumn photo set with a few of the better ones.
Kumiko and I went out to the garden today. We hadn't been there in probably three weeks, so it was way overgrown with weeds. The only things still growing now (besides the weeds) are beets and brussels sprouts. I tended the sprouts and Kumiko did an amazing amount of weed-pulling. Now we're watching Austin Powers: Goldmember for the 817th time, while a meaty potato thing bakes in the oven.
Last night we went out with Tammie and Patrick, who are finishing up their 8 months of traveling through Europe and Asia with about 10 days in Osaka. We met them in Shinsaibashi, on the famous Dotonbori Bridge, because I wanted to shoot some pictures down there with them as models. Then we shopped and walked around for a while and came back to Umeda to the German Christmas Market at the Sky Building. Patrick and I had bratwursts and then we all went underground and ate takoyaki before heading to dinner. Sue and Mark joined us at Isaribi, everyone's favorite restaurant, and we had an unbelievable additional amount of food.
I recently received a replacement viewing mirror for my Rolleiflex from the Slovakian guy who sold me the camera. It was a little too big, but I was able to sand down the edges so it fits fine now. It's made the viewing screen a little brighter, but not that much. Oh well, it still works, and I love using it. I found a date on the back of the original mirror, so I now know the camera was made in 1933. Same year as King Kong I think. Wish I could go back to '33 and take some pictures.
I've updated my cameras page , so you can see pictures of all my current cameras, at the request of a loyal reader. It will soon be in need of updating again, because, believe it or not, there's another camera on the way. I failed to repair my Super Ikonta, so I've purchased another camera that does the same thing (takes 6x6cm pictures and folds up flat to fit in your pocket or bag). This one is a Franka, which is not as heavy duty as the Zeiss, but not as heavy either.
Looking down through a ginkgo tree near Momoyamadai station.
photo with Kowa SIX on Fujifilm Neopan 4003 December 2005, early morning I got my first rolls back from the Rolleiflex, and was relieved to see they looked good. I took the first shots near our garden, and then about a week later near Ikeda station. Everything seems to be in order. I took it apart to clean the mirror last week, because the viewfinder is so dim, and discovered that there's not much silver left on the original mirror. I failed to come up with any definite replacement part in a web search, so I emailed the guy in Slovakia who sold the camera to me, and asked if he knew of a source. He offered to have one cut for me. What a nice guy! He's a professional repair-man, who fixes up mostly old European (German and Czechoslovakian) cameras, and then sells them over internet auction. I'm addicted to searching his listings every week, but this week, for some reason he's not offering anything. My Super Ikonta is in disrepair right now. I took the shutter/lens off, and partially disassembled it, but got too scared to finish the job, and now I can't fit it back together (not yet). I haven't given up. I have to fix it or replace the shutter, because I just got a set of hard to find filters to fit it.
My first exposure with the Rolleiflex Standard. A mailbox near Ryokuchi Park.
A pot of flowers near Ikeda station. Rolleiflex Standard.
Tangerines and an old telephone in Okamachi. Voightlander Bessa 6x9.
