i survived the blue moon. i even remembered to say rabbit rabbit this morning. just to be on the safe side, i thought i'd start the month by pointing my camera down the sewage drain. that way things can only go up from here.
the before schmee sure doesn't look happy. i had been ready for a cut since april. i can't believe that the previous installment was sixteen whole months ago. time sure flies.
11 inches, 4 ounces
my head feels at least five pounds lighter. i had jg cut off a little more this time to compensate for the sun damaged tips. the hair will again go to wigs for kids. i'm not sure how many more times i can do this. i'm afraid my gray hair count will render my donation useless by the next installment.
awesome postcard, isn't it? the talented patrick sent it to me from south carolina back in may. never made it. sigh. none of the polaroids i sent in batch four made it, either. we've been cracked down by the usps, i'm afraid.
last week i approached my nice postman about recovering the polaroids. he said to call the carpinteria main branch. at 805.566.0489, a nice postlady told me that it's impossible because i didn't use a return address. she then told me that all rejects without a return address are sent to san francisco to be destroyed.
fucking san francisco uh i mean fucking usps!
playing by the rule
those are translucent vellum envelopes being test stuffed. i bought 200 of them specifically for sending out my polaroid stash. as much as i like the envelopes, they sure don't have the same appeal as the postcards do. but they will have to do. i'm tired of sending my hard earned polaroids to the incinerator.
that's a leaf i'm sending as a birthday card (along with a present) to my college roommate missy. i got the leaf from one of the many prolific sycamore trees right outside my office.
before+after
i like that the veins are conducive to forming a capital m. or a stylish w, as modeled here by the one and only.
i just dug up that load of old business cards. one box dates back to a job i had in stockton, some nine years ago. i don't know why i save useless things like this.
it occurred to me today that my office is really cluttered. there are boxes upon boxes on the floor, under my desk and against the wall. i have been completely blind to them. it is embarrassing that i work in this sty.
i spent all morning going through every shelf and box. the majority of the stuff has been sitting around since the office opened, like the george foreman super champ grill. it was given to my boss who then gave it to me. it's been gathering dust in a corner for over eighteen months.
those are envelopes i made using the coluzzle template. i used to make them as a way to recycle old magazines. but then i never did anything with the envelopes. alas, more clutter.
that's a spectra polaroid with a piece of cardstock taped to it. i messed with the envelopes over the weekend and wasn't happy with the diminished effect of the polaroids. plus i couldn't get sharpie ink to be stay permanent on the translucent vellum.
so i devised the cardstock to test the usps. i sent it to myself on monday and received it tuesday. not bad for going from carp down to oxnard and back up to santa barbara. carp to sb is 13 miles by car, 67 miles by usps!
taping the cardstock takes a bit of effort but i like that it will keep the polaroids in postcard format. i also like that the user can remove the extra paper at will.
other than the jacket, everything is made by marmot. it's my brand.
what's with all the shopping, schmee? well, i blew out my hiking boots a couple of weeks ago so i had been browsing for a new pair. last week i learned that my friend from grade school has become a regular wilderness expert. she leads sierra club hiking and backpacking excursions on a regular basis. she talked me into a day hike in july. and i can't go unless i have the proper gear, see?
plus, it's my birthday in a few days. and i'm hoping to get these next.
wish list
i didn't really blow my entire paycheck on the gear. not yet, anyway. being a cheap bastard, i raked the internet for sales and clearances. the price didn't determine the purchase though. it's the free shipping.
and, of course, the looks. i will look so stylish on the sierra club hike that no one will notice my whining.
sunday jg and i went for a drive along the ridge of the santa ynez. we took gibraltar up to camino cielo and drove east until it turned into a dirt road, where we stopped for a picnic on top the water tower.
well above june gloom
neat cloud
raised picnic platform
after lunch we headed back on camino cielo. we passed loads of off road truckers and motorbikers. i wanted to go for a hike but it was hard to work up the enthusiasm when i could hear gun shots in the distance.
gate to la cumbre peak
elev: 3,985 feet
bullet holes: 3
that's the only place where jg successfully convinced me to get out of the car. i was sold by the pines. plus it was the only spot where the signs weren't rendered illegible by bullet holes.
trail service road
giant pine cone with super sharp points
waldo
looking south
note the islands fading into the horizon
the sandstones look deceptively small in that shot. we went hiking down toward the one in the center.
find waldo
split open by cloud
bark of manzanita, i think
moon
brave
not so brave
i think that was the only time i wasn't scooting on my butt to move around on the rocks. jg calls it the "action shot."
view to the west
and north
that was the most impressive view from the ridge, santa ynez valley edged by mountains as far as the eye could see. not to mention the deep blue of the sky and the fancy clouds. it was just a magnificient day.
