Well my postcards for the 20SB postcard exchange are ready to mail (along with at least one extra). Thanks to the recent postage rate increase, the domestic cards get a healthy three stamps to get to the $0.33.  I have to go over to the post office for the international ones because the rate has gone from $0.85 to a whopping $1.10.  However, there is now a global forever stamp that I intend to pick up because these international post cards are not the only international mail I will have going out in the coming weeks.  Plus it is kind of a cool looking round stamp!

I really did fill up the fountain pen to write all the post cards, though I have to say, that was an adventure.  My refillable cartridge had worked it’s way loose so that as I filled, the whole front of the pen fell off and went for a swim in my ink bottle.  Thanks to a long handled pair of forceps I was able to extract the pen from the ink without making a huge mess of my desk or pouring out the ink.  A quick rinse and then a second attempt at filling and I was on my way to writing.  I do still have ink on my fingers though…

Postcard fronts, from the postcard excahnge

The array of postcards that I am sending out comes from a collection called “Postcards from Penguin.” They are all book covers from classic books.  I thought it was kind of appropriate to use something like that to send to bloggers. I didn’t pick any special covers, just as they came out of the box, so there is no meaning to who ends up with which cards.  They are pretty cool though.

Writing to someone you really don’t know anything about feels like a real challenge at first.  Then you realize that all your are trying to do is fill a tiny postcard, and by the time you realize that, there is no more space left to write.  I suppose I am also pretty good at filling up space with a whole lot of nothing. Maybe not nothing to some people, who knows. I did actually look at the blogs of my exchange partners to at least try to find something intelligent to say.  I am not sure that I will win any writing awards for them cards though.

Post cards, ready to mail!

So, with my postcards written and ready to mail, I shall head over to the post office today, pick up my stamps and send them on their merry way.  Hopefully that means that within a day or two they will start arriving at their destinations. The geocacher in me wishes that I had a travelbug stamp that I could track them with, but I don’t.  In any case, it will be fun to hear when they show up at their destinations!

Ok, here is a post that I have been dragging my feet on, but am finally getting out.  Probably inspired by the latest shipping art that I received this week that really took the cake.  Over the past year I have noticed a handful of people requesting and receiving what I have termed “Shipping Art.” After the past summer where one of my good friends at camp had received some pretty cool art, I started to do it myself.

What is shipping art, you ask? Basically it is a confirmation and reassurance that there really are people out there when you order things online or on the phone.  That real people actually do work on your orders.  I mean, you will never get this from companies like Amazon, but many of the smaller vendors may actually do this.  How does it work? When you place an order online, if the vendor gives you a place for order notes, I put a request for some kind of artwork on the shipping box.  Sometimes I get packages with artwork, sometimes not.

I started out asking for artwork on the orders I placed with geoswag.com. They are a local Utah manufacturer of trackable items used in geocaching.  I have purchased quite a few geocoins from them and they started to also fill my artwork requests.  Since I am collecting their “Wolf Pack” series coins, I first asked for a wolf on my package.  A few days later I received this:

Received from geoswag.com

After that I made another request to geoswag, this time for a skier on my package.  While this one was not hand drawn, it still made it on the package, so it counts.  I have to say, I love these guys, one of these days I really need to get up to their store and actually meet them!  Here is the skier:

Skier received from geoswag.com

Next up was a package from Markertek.com.  Markertek is a company that sells equipment for television and film production.  Since in theatre we often use the same or similar equipment, I go to them often for some things.  Given the focus of their business, I requested a cameraman to be drawn on my package.  Someone got very creative with this one and drew it on the computer and taped it to the package.  I like it!

A cameraman from Markertek.com

However, the latest package art I received really tops the list at the moment.  This week a placed an order for lamps from BulbTown.com. We needed a special lamp for the show we are working on at the theatre, only to later find out that the effect was cut.  However, I ordered the lamps before knowing that.  So I asked for a snowman on my box.  What did I get? At least one snowman on every side. To the shipping department at BulbTown, thank you so much, this made my week!

So, the next time that you order something online give it shot. Remember that there are real people out there and they work hard!

While my lovely wife has embarked on an epic postcard project in which she is sending a postcard to someone every day, I thought that it might be fun to take on the 20SB post card exchange. I actually enjoy writing and receiving mail.  I mean who doesn’t like receiving real mail. I would also venture to guess that most bloggers out there enjoy writing, though I suppose some would rather sit at a keyboard than pick up a pen.  Me, on the other hand, I will be filling up the reservoir of my fountain pen and scratching out at least four post cards to bloggers who I have never met, but after I get this post up on my blog I will go and visit theirs.  At least we are doing our part to the keep the postal service in business!

So, the bloggers who I have been randomly assigned to through the powers of the 20SB team are:

Lindsay from http://birdykins.wordpress.com, Cathrine from http://saidthecat.com, Leslie from http://www.andherlittledogtoo.com/, and last but not least Evelyn mytwentiessuck.com. Like I said before, I dont’ know these bloggers, and they are not people whose blogs I have been reading, but maybe that will change!

I am looking forward to sending and receiving some postcards, I love mail. Having grown up going to sumer camp, I used to write letters all summer. Even in the past years when I was working at summer camp I wrote letters to my wife and friends almost every day.  What will be really great is if people write back and we start a correspondence dialog.  No matter what happens you will get a taste of snail mail here on my blog.

If you weren’t part of the exchange, but you want to exchange some post cards, feel free to leave a comment or email! I would be happy to send more!

Playing with Fire – Where’s the spinner?

 P  laying with Fire is going to be a new series of photography experiments that I just got the idea for.  I was cruising the internets just kind of following links and suggestions on sites like YouTube when I stumbled across the concept of steel wool photography.  It isn’t really a new concept, more like a fresh take on long-exposure light painting.  Most people do long-exposure light painting with flashlights and laser pointers, some people even use flashes or speedlights on manual and control them by hand.  Steel wool photography on the other hand, appeals to some of the baser human instincts like playing with fire.

Have you ever watched a dancer at a Hawaiian luau twirling flaming torches? This is kinda similar to that except substitute the flaming torch for a wire whisk filled with steel wool.  Anyone who has taken a basic outdoors course probably knows that steel wool burns really well.  It can be used in a pinch to start a fire when you are camping. It also has this cool tendency to throw around lots of sparks when you pack it into a wire whisk tied to a string and swing it around.  Light painting with fire! Who could ask for anything more?

Steel wool Photography attempt #1

So, I ran out to the hardware store to pick up the tools required for the project.  It is a simple list: wire whisk, rope, steel wool. I would have liked to find a different location, but I couldn’t think of one where I wouldn’t call a lot of attention to myself right away, therefore, the fornt yard it was. I set up the camera, choosing to shoot this with my full frame fisheye, I thought it would give a good effect.  There is a lot of light pollution in Salt Lake City, so I ended up at ISO100 with an exposure of 30-seconds at f22.  I played around a little, but this seemed to be the best.  Since it was just me, I set the camera to self timer which game me time to trip the release, light the steel wool and get in frame.

The rest was just pure fun, set the camera and swing around some fire!  The hard icy crust on the snow gave nice reflections and a great surface for bouncing sparks.  The first few attempts I made standing still and swinging, then I got the idea to walk through the frame.  The last two shots with me walking through the frame are cool because you can’t see me!

Playing with Fire – attempt #2

On my second or third attempt I learned a really important lesson: either wear gloves or change your grip!  Why? Well, I managed to give my self a good blister after swinging the rope in my hand for 30 seconds.  I also rubbed part of one of my fingers raw. Lesson learned, gloves worn for the rest of the shots.  Nothing a little Neosporin and Band-aids can’t fix up! Other things to keep in mind: wear long sleeves and a hat or hoodie!

I also got some very interesting ideas for ways to continue this experiment and create some fun shots.  I am thinking of locations to visit and possibly some flash techniques that could add some interest.

Listen, this is a fun technique and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes painting with light, but it is not for the faint of heart.  This i real fire that we are playing with here and it can be dangerous.  Make sure you take appropriate precautions if you attempt this, don’t do it in a dry field during a drought! Pay attention to where you a flinging sparks and make sure they get put out and don’t start any fires, it doesn’t take much.  Think about your location and timing, after a rain storm things are less likely to catch fire, in a concrete tunnel or the middle of a parking lot is better than a dry field or yard.  Be smart about it, get permission and supervision if you are younger, and don’t hurt yourself!  Most importantly, have fun!

Note: Clicking on any of the photos will take you to my gallery at icewolfphotography.com.  If you just want to look at the photos follow the link below:

Playing with Fire – by: Alex Weisman

Playing with Fire – Attempt #6

Today I headed to the polls to do my civic duty and vote in the presidential election. Despite the fact that I live in a state where it would truly take an act of god to change the political views of the population. Utah is a “red” state, so as a liberal mind, my voting in a liberal fashion has been compared to things like the salmon run and swimming up stream. It is unfortunate that the way our electoral system is set up, that the votes of the few of us will make little difference (since the popular vote counts for little and the electoral vote for Utah will in all inevitability go red).

So, why have I chosen to resurrect my blog now? Well, after making a post on facebook about who I didn’t vote for and why, in traditional facebook style people made assumtions about what I didn’t say and wondered why my argument was on-sided.  Why do I have to say why I WOULDN’T vote for one person AND why I WOULD vote for someone else? I am allowed to have a one sided argument.  Besides, it is generally easier to express what you don’t like about something . Also, by saying that I don’t like candidate X, that leave 3-4 other candidates that I might like, maybe I don’t want to talk about all of them!

I am not a super political person.  I am not really a political person at all. When it comes time for elections, I gather all the facts that I can, try to make heads and tails of them, then vote. I would imagine that even those people who have advanced degrees in political science get totally lost when it comes to presidential campaign time.  From there I look at the issues that seem to matter to me, and again, the ones that I understand. If you didn’t already get it from what I have said so far, I am also a liberal, conservative policy makers piss me off.

When I do things like watch the debates or listen to interviews or read the newspapers, I pick up on things like the following list of reasons why I wouldn’t want Romney & Ryan in position of ultimate power in this country (take almost verbatim from my facebook page).

Talking about politics to people who are passionate about politics is like quoting the bible, both sides can take the same words and issues and wrap them up to fit their needs and beliefs. Will our country come to an end if the “wrong” person is elected? No. Will it affect me? Possibly.

 

If my LGBT friends are denied rights, if my wife can’t get prescription contraceptives if she wants/needs, if the women I know are given job/wage equality, then yes.

 

I have lived through one of biggest recessions since the great depression and I have come out ok. At this point, our government would probably have to take us to hell in a hand basket for things to get much worse. I don’t want to see our natural resources plundered and our land destroyed to find coal and oil and gas. I don’t want to live in a country where the law could allow police to stop anyone on the street who just looks like they might be an illegal immigrant. I don’t want a president who blames our problems with assault weapons on the street on single mothers and bad parenting.

 

So, yes, you are right, I have no right to tell you who to vote for. I do have every right to say who I DIDN’T vote for, and why. For that matter I would also have every right to say who I did vote for. I just chose to do only the former. I also don’t care if my positions and views are the same as yours or not. I am resigned to the fact that I live in a state that is comprised of very conservative people, such is life. So I will join the few fishes swimming upstream and vote against the current.

So by all means start a political debate with me. Next tuesday it won’t matter either you will be stuck with someone you don’t like or didn’t vote for or I might be, or not.  Don’t debate me though if you haven’t or won’t get off your ass to do your civic duty and vote, because if you don’t, you have no right to debate!