Somewhere on a plane between Nashville & Dallas: The good news about this flight is that the wifi onboard is not working. To be honest, if it were working, I’d pay the 10 bucks and spend the 2 hours calculating mileages on Google maps or reading the latest Facebook status updates. But because it’s not, I’m able to force myself to write this blog. It’s the one I’ve been meaning to write since my birthday and haven’t had the time. Or have been too occupied with the internet to take the time to write.
I have vivid memories of singing
“Push It” in the gym after 8th grade lunch with Shawnda Schaudel and Kerry Synowiecki (scandalous for 3 sweet catholic girls) so when SnP put on the leather jackets 23 years later and the beginning “ch-ch ch-ch-ch’s” started, I was transported back to what I believe, truly, were “the good ol’ days.”
Throughout the day, I loved reading all of the Facebook wall posts, emails, texts, cards and loved hearing the few phone messages that came in with birthday wishes. (At last count, I was up to 248 FB posts.) Thank goodness for the handy reminder on the News Feed – how else would all of those people (some of whom I haven’t talked to in over 20 years) remember March 19th as THE day?
Next, the boy was ready to present his gift. He handed me what looked to be a check box.
“Sorry I didn’t wrap it,” he said sheepishly.
Of course, I already loved it, wrapped or not, but when I opened it, my eagerness turned into a bit of confusion. Inside the box were small rolls of camera film, packaged in silver shiny wrapping.
“Baby… thank you so much… this is great, but...."
My voice trailed and my mind wandered… he must have meant to get me Polaroid 669 film that I use with my
CopySystemPro for Polaroid Image Transfers?
Or did he forget I do everything with a digital camera?
I had to break it to him.
“But, I don’t have anything to use them with.”
“You don’t?” he asked as he got up and headed to the front door. “Guess we’ll have to fix that.”
And sitting on the stairs was an oversized cardboard box, which he brought in to me.
(I love that he set it up like that!)
I opened the box gingerly to reveal what my new 120 mm film rolls would be used in… a Diana F+ camera. But not JUST the camera – the DELUXE collection, with extra lenses and a flash with multi-colored filters and pieces that I have yet to figure out what their purposes are. It was lovely and vintage-looking and it left me in true shock -- I wouldn’t have even thought to get myself something like this!
And then he surprised me one more time – “and tonight, I thought we could go on a photo shoot of our own and try it out.”
(Author’s Note: last year, I mentioned I had the best day ever. I would like to updated my statement to best day ever… of 2010. THIS will soon take the (proverbial birthday) cake for 2011.)
Cameras in hand (I had to bring my digital to take pictures of us using the new camera, of course), we headed downtown and spent a breezy night on the pedestrian bridge, swapping cameras and trying out all the features on the Diana F+.
The only downfall is that I have to actually get the film developed before I can see my creations, but I’m excited to get the results back… in another week. Luckily, the digital (and tripod) provided me a few captured moments I can share here now.
To bookend the weekend, we went to 3rd & Lindsley on Sunday to see David Ryan Harris play. DRH & I toured together for a year in 2006 and went literally all over the world together. He is one of the best people I know and also a great f*ing musician.
I love being able to share the music I love with the people I love, so I was extra specially grateful that the boy was able to join me.
