November 30, 2005

Souvenirs (Made in Canada)

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(Green Dragon VI)

Davin came home yesterday evening bearing gifts: a roll of developed film and the Figure 8 album. Good stuff.

Posted by Gayla at 11:37 AM

November 29, 2005

Costume Jewellery, Bar Tools & Magnetic Memo Holders

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(Green Dragon V)

Not sure if that big line is a cable or something on the film. I'm too lazy to dig the film up so for the purposes of posting today I'm gonna say it's a cable.

I love the random assortment of items in this picture. It was obvious to me that the merchandise was organized by some sort of logic, and from my perspective it was fun to follow those juxtapositions with my eyes (and camera).


--------------------------------
Woke up with this song in my head today: Wouldn't Mama Be Proud -Elliott Smith

Posted by Gayla at 10:43 AM

November 28, 2005

Souvenirs

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(Green Dragon IV) Exterior

Posted by Gayla at 10:11 AM

November 24, 2005

Trophies 'n' Spoons

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I think this may have been taken outside The Green Dragon.

I collect other people's trophies although I have a few of my own from the days of my youth spent cradled in the arms of the baby Jesus. I currently have a public speaking trophy (1976-77) on top of my monitor that I secretly like to think of as mine for overcoming my public speaking fear. I am a big dork.

I had a pretty great revelation today. Actually I would like to publically acknowledge that I kicked major ass today. Okay, anyways, I remembered writing years ago about how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED Show 'n' Tell in elementary school and how great it would be if I could find a way to make a living doing that. It's very simple really. Show and Tell. Today I clued into the fact that I am now doing just that. It's a lot less intimidating when I think of it that way. This whole business is just one most excellent and very extended turn showing and telling.

I'm really hoping to make it out to the
Spacing Magazine issue 5 launch Thursday night (Nov 24) but it depends on whether I have an ounce of energy left with which to drag my ass across town after what will be a very, very, very long day.

Posted by Gayla at 12:13 AM

November 22, 2005

Feeling Good

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There will be some delays this week. I'm working every waking hour and am very exhausted. This is a really big week for me. I can't believe how much is being packed into one week. More turning points and milestones. Wow. Shit. It's both very exciting and very taxing. Sometimes just really feeling the thrill and high of exciting stuff is tiring. I would love to go curl up under a warm blanket right now but I've got to go finish making the donuts.

I would like to have some memory of these times to look back on in the future beyond, "Shit man, that was a lot of work."

*Squeal*

Okay. Back to work.

Posted by Gayla at 08:57 PM

November 19, 2005

Green Dragon III

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(Green Dragon III)

I think this may be my favourite photo of the series. It's very Canadian tourism in the 70's and early 80's. God I love making pictures.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Spacing Magazine will be launching their 5th issue next Thursday night. I am especially pleased because I shot the cover image! Weeeeeeee....


Posted by Gayla at 12:04 PM

November 18, 2005

The Green Dragon II

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A first interior shot of the wonderful Green Dragon Gift Shop. This photo represents a small sampling of the amount of stuff in the store. I like the forgotten water bottle on the top shelf. Those long things in the lower part of the frame (left of centre) are gigantic novelty packets of matches depicting postcard scenes of Ottawa. The little red table and chairs on the top shelf remind me of "The Friendly Giant."

Posted by Gayla at 12:38 PM | Comments (6)

November 17, 2005

Always Have to Win

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I like the light in this picture. I pass by here regularly so the bread is a bit of a landmark. I have a funny relationship to the woman who owns this store. The store is Vietnamese and while they sell food stuffs, a lot of people seem to go there to buy cigarettes. The proprieter was really short and gruff when I first started going there but warmed up and became increasingly friendly as I started showing up repeatedly to buy thai basil and rau ram (an herb that tastes a lot like coriander). I like her. I've worked retail and am familar with its great suckage.

I like this picture even more because it's a technical feat. This was taken through a window with very bright, harsh light and then through the plexiglass box. Sometimes stupid shit like that matters to me. I've made a lot of stupid little mistakes recently and I can't seem to give myself a break about it. I've never been so frustrated over tiny mistakes. Mistakes are a part of learning, living, and growing. And yet...

It reminds me of a part on one of the live Elliott Smith performances... ya I know. Anyways, he screws up and says, "Fucking up is part of it man. If you can't fail, then, um, I guess you always have to win. And I don't think you can always win."

Posted by Gayla at 12:38 PM

November 16, 2005

Delicate | Through Your Denials

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"and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid

So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.
"
-Litany for Survival by Audre Lorde

This is a great poem by Audre Lorde. I posted this a year ago but I find it helpful to remind myself of it when fear creeps in. I need to get some of her books. I bought a used book a little while back called, "Memory of Kin: Stories About Family by Black Writers" and found a poem by Ms. Lorde in there that really resonates with me called "Black Mother Woman." I'm hesitant about posting the entire thing, but the linked one has an error so...


I cannot recall you gentle.
Through your heavy love
I have become
an image of your once delicate flesh
split with deceitful longings.
When strangers come and compliment me
your aged spirit takes a bow
jingling with pride
but once you hid that secret
in the center of furies
hanging me
with deep breasts and wiry hair
with your own split flesh and long suffering eyes
buried in myths of no worth.

But I have peeled away your anger
down to its core of love
and look mother
I am
a dark temple where your true spirit rises
beautiful and tough as a chestnut
stanchion against your nightmares of weakness
and if my eyes conceal
a squadron of conflicting rebellions
I learned from you
to define myself
through your denials.
"
-Audre Lorde

Posted by Gayla at 11:37 AM

November 15, 2005

My REAL Best Friend

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He's probably not going to like this picture because his mouth is in a chewing position, but I like the light.

I can't believe that this was a year ago today. I thought this past year was nutty but the coming year is going to be something else. I will not be bored.

Currently scanning heaps of film. It's hard to find a starting place.

Posted by Gayla at 09:55 PM

November 14, 2005

Curtains: Geneva Street | Best Friends Forever

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(Hometown VII v. 2)

RE: Yesterday's post: Just to confirm, the part about my camera being stolen was a nightmare and not real life. Sorry for the confusion. Thankfully it is currently safely tucked away in its bag.

Okay, I'm not going to lie to you, I'm actually cuddling it in my arms and spoon-feeding it mashed up raspberry poptarts and milk. Later we're going to watch movies and eat popcorn. Before bedtime I'll have filled a lined sheet of paper with our names in bubble lettering. *Best Friends Forever*

Posted by Gayla at 05:21 PM

November 13, 2005

Crab Apples

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I woke up from a nightmare the other night with this line repeating in my head, "I've got a long way to go, getting further away." It was a very complicated nightmare with a lot of imagery including repeated use of the colour red. The dream revealed the source of my obsession with scallops and rounded corners, although I think this detail was fabricated. In another interesting plot twist my camera was stolen but the thief was thoughtful enough to leave the exposed film behind where I could find it.

I have very strange dreams. See the "Buy a gentile a refreshment" dream and the "Turkey in a toilet" dream.

Posted by Gayla at 11:50 PM

November 12, 2005

I LOVE The Green Dragon

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This is Doris Ewin the owner of The Green Dragon Gift Shop, a store in Ottawa I can only describe as "The Most Awesome Place, Ever." Doris opened the store 68 years ago with her husband and is still running it today!!

We happened upon the place completely by accident, and what a happy accident it was. The store is filled to overflowing with nick-knacks, silly lewd cards and plaques, and all the souveniers I remember from my childhood. I walked around as long as I could, making mental notes with my eyes and eventually bought a few things. I was so enthralled with the place, we went back the next day with our cameras.

That place is such a gem. Doris and her son (brother? I'm not sure) were very warm and eager to talk about the store. We had to leave to catch our train, but I could have stayed there for hours. I still have so many questions. I live for this sort of place! That kind of clutter is completely visually satisfying. I feel really, really lucky to have happened upon it. By the time we left I was so giddy I was literally skipping down the street.

I have posted a few more photos on Flickr but will have plenty of film images when they are developed.

Posted by Gayla at 06:41 PM

November 09, 2005

Vince's

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(Hometown VI v. 2)

I don't really know much about Vince's Hairstyling except that I went there once when I was a kid with my best friend. On my visit a few weeks ago I stopped and crossed the street to take this picture. Vince was sitting in the window watching. He came out and motioned for me to come inside. Peering over his shoulder I could see that the inside was amazing and that Vince had not changed a single detail in decades. But I was also alone and Vince was creeping me out a bit so I declined explaining that my rental bike was unlocked across the street. He asked me the usual questions, "What are you doing?", "Is this for the City?", "Will this be in the paper?", etc. Man if only someone had been with me I would have loved to have gone inside and captured that magic.

A second image of Vince's here.

Posted by Gayla at 12:04 PM

November 08, 2005

I Love You Pink Pony

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Pink Pony is a very charming little cafe in the Lower East Side of New York. I can't not* love a place with bookshelves that rise up to tin ceilings with loads of old photos covering every available inch of wall space. Here are a few more photos. I originally referred to the one on the left as "an outtake". Sometimes I am too hard on the pictures, sometimes I am not discerning enough.

*"Can't not" is my new favourite phrase, in line with other once popular favourite phrases in my expansive verbal vocabulary including (but not limited to): "You're the peach", You're the king", "I just puked all over myself."

Posted by Gayla at 11:08 AM

November 07, 2005

Indian Cinema

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(Hometown V v. 2)

Some photos I have taken in Toronto's Little India on a few occassions. Inspiration to post these came from an afternoon spent with Sarah who has been living in Little India for a few years and is crazy for Bollywood films. We perused a vast selection of films yesterday and later I played her some of my records and movie tapes. I prefer traditional 50's era Hindi film music. It's a little more simple and a little less splashy flair.

Thanks Sarah.

Of course, I can't mention Indian cinema without a plug for Satyajit Ray (possibly my favourite film director period).

Posted by Gayla at 10:55 AM

November 06, 2005

Looking Out

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(Hometown IV v. 2)

I watched a small documentary piece on war photographers today on CBC Sunday. I had to stop because it was too emotional. I don't know how people do it but I am very interested in why. I can't figure out how they keep manipulating the little box even in the face of great danger.

I'm fascinated with why anyone does anything for that matter.

I've spent a lot of time working out why I take the pictures I take. I have learned a lot about myself through it. In the face of some emotional upheaval I could keep manipulating the little box (or big box in my case) but the result is a small pile of technically poor photos. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the majority of the photos I took last weekend stink. Regardless, I learned a few things about myself so I suppose in some round-about and disatisfying way it was actually a success.

------------------------------

Little India

Posted by Gayla at 10:01 PM

November 05, 2005

Soft Coffee II

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...and Soft Coffee I

Fun, fun, fun, numbers crunching weekend. Hate this shit. Major headache both literally and figuratively. But gotta be done, man.

Posted by Gayla at 03:50 PM

November 04, 2005

Wall Flair (with yellow leaves)

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(Hometown III v. 2)

I thought this one would be appropriate for a beautiful fall day.

Posted by Gayla at 11:30 AM

November 03, 2005

Commercial PHOTO COPY

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(Hometown II v. 2)

I took a majority of photos in this little stretch of street. It's a strange little commercial area just outside the downtown that really hasn't changed much within my lifetime. It has never been successful but the places that remain have been there, unchanged, for as long as I can remember.

Life at home in my 16th year was killing me so I got myself a youth counsellor near here. Her name was Cathy. She had just turned 40, had a young son, drove a white car, and listened to the Grateful Dead. I always thought it ironic that my counsellor's office was located next door to the Delta Bingo.

My routine was to take the bus to this corner and walk the rest of the way to my appointment. I often stopped at the St. Vincent Du Paul and Sally Ann around the corner afterwards before heading into downtown to my part-time job as a dishwasher/short order cook in a small restaurant.

This photo really reminds me of that time. In fact everything about my visit last weekend brought back not just memories but strong emotions. For a few hours I re-experienced how I felt as a teenager living there. Oh god, how it sucked! Whomever said those are the best years of your life must have missed out on a lot of living.

Posted by Gayla at 11:19 AM

November 02, 2005

From the Back

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(Hometown I v. 2)

"You think you know something, don't you? You think you're the clever little girl who knows something. There's so much you don't know, so much. What do you know, really? You're just an ordinary little girl, living in an ordinary little town. You wake up every morning of your life and you know perfectly well that there's nothing in the world to trouble you. You go through your ordinary little day, and at night you sleep your untroubled ordinary little sleep, filled with peaceful stupid dreams. And I brought you nightmares. Or did I? Or was it a silly, inexpert little lie? You live in a dream. You're a sleepwalker, blind. How do you know what the world is like? Do you know the world is a foul sty? Do you know, if you rip off the fronts of houses, you'd find swine? The world's a hell. What does it matter what happens in it? Wake up, Charlie. Use your wits. Learn something." - from Shadow of a Doubt

My favourite Hitchcock film.

Posted by Gayla at 09:29 AM

November 01, 2005

Pasta Party

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The warping on the above images is caused by the scanner tray.

Posted by Gayla at 10:15 AM