I am having a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag

Flyer...

I still think the SNES could be better...

We come, we go...

I found out today that a very good friend of mine died a few days ago. I met Leslie at a very difficult and strange time in my life. The irony of our meeting wasn't wasted on me, one person at the end of his life taking on someone who had no idea where his life was going at that time. He gave me a focus and drive when I needed it the most.

Leslie was a staunch Labour supporter. Not what we know as 'New Labour' but the old school trade union Labour, from the roots up. He was constantly, right until the end of his life involved in campaigning for better housing in Kent, better awareness of the social and political consequences of how we live.

He served in the Second World War. He drove his tank regiment from India all the way up into Burma. I once asked him how he survived, how all those bullets missed, all those shells never found him. He told me that the one thing he had learnt was that 'everything is luck'. It was purely luck he never 'caught a bullet'.

He was possibly one of the most intelligent, well read individuals I have ever met. His lunches became a legend in my household for their interesting....content. He was always ready to talk, fight and debate, no matter what the subject.

What happens to energy when we die? I wish I knew. That amount of energy, that intelligence, experience and humility cannot just vanish. I hope perhaps I get a little bit of it. I know he, like me didn't believe in a creator, so I hope the universe finds a place for him.

I will miss you dear friend. I will always regret not being there more at the end.

Moan and Whinge

There was a photographer (his name escapes me, if anyone knows, let me know!) , quite famous who tried to burn all his negatives in a skip after a bad day. He was later quoted to saying he 'had had enough'. Thirty or so years of work gone, although a large part was salvaged.

I had an MA interview the other day, and halfway through, I looked at what I perceived to be a strong portfolio, and considered it on a more... objective level. The idea of the 'project' has been very much on my mind. The pre-conception and arrangement of a series of images on the same subject, loosely bound into a body work, for me finally does nothing. I greatly admire stuff like( http://www.phillipsdepury.com/auctions/lot-detail.aspx?sn=NY010210&search=&p=12&order=&lotnum=344) but also, why confine yourself. I must see a dozen photo's everyday that I should have taken, but because of the precious way I treat film, and the fear of 'not belonging' to a body of images, used to scare me.

Then, you have Eggleston. I was trying to think of a photographer who worked on a far looser scale, and immediately thought of him. I think Eggleston takes a long time to understand. Last year a group of students after seeing his exhibition, simply said they didn't 'get it'. Up to that point, I had always got immense satisfaction from viewing his images, but had never considered them under anything more than a beautiful observation on mundane, ordinary and generic. He clearly has the ability to perk a visual interest in any object, or rather, can find those objects which are hidden that have a visual quality that makes us question them. I strongly urge you to buy/borrow any book of his. Look through it again and again and just enjoy the images. Restores my faith anyway

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta...

Acomo Pepe (tiny, bead-shaped pasta) Bucatini (thick, hollow straws of pasta) Bumbola (bee-shaped pasta) Cannelloni (meat-filled tubes of pasta)Capelli d'angelo (Angel Hair pasta - thinnest long shape pasta) Capellini (very thin, round pasta strands) Conchiglie (seashell-shaped pasta) Cavatappi (tubular, corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta)Cresti di gallo (curved-shape pasta, brown in color) Ditali/ditalini (Short pasta tubes, similar to macaroni) Farfalle (medium-size pasta, with crimped center & pinked edges; bow tie shape) Fettucine (flat, wide pasta strands) Fusilli (hollow, corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta) Gemelli (medium-sized pasta, like two short pieces of tubular spaghetti twisted together) Gnocchi (small dumplings, made from potato, flour or semolina) I gomiti (short and curved, tubular pasta with semi-circle shape) Lasagne (ripple-edged strips, about 2-1/4-inches wide and 10-inches long) Linguine (narrow, flat pasta) Lumache (snail-shaped pasta shells) Lumaconi (big pasta shells, often used for fillings) Mostaccioli (diagonally cut, tubular-shaped pasta) Macaroni (long or short cut, pasta tubes) Orecchiette (small, ear-shaped pasta) Orzo (pasta usually used in soups) Penne rigate (diagonally cut, tubular-shaped pasta with ridged surface) Perciatelli (fat, hollow pasta strands) Radiatore (short, chunky, ruffled-shaped pasta) Ricciolini (two-inch pasta strips, twisted gently) Rotelle (corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta) Rravioli (pasta cushions, filled with meat or spinach) Rigatoni (large, ribbed tubes) Rotini (corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta, about 1-1/2-inches long) Spaghetti (round, thin pasta strands) Tagliatelle (thin strips of ribbon pasta) Tortellini (little pasta 'hats' with meat filling) Trenette (long, narrow strips of pasta) Vermicelli (round, thin pasta strands - thinner than spaghetti) Ziti riigati (medium-sized tubular pasta, slightly curved)

Pas has this tattooed on his back....honestly