Just Plain Playing

With the pressures of work and career on my mind all the time, I'm trying to remember to play. Hence, I've been playing around with different homemade photo developers. There's an avid community of film photographers who use "caffenol" to develop black and white film (made from coffee, vitamin C, and washing soda). So, I did a little research into this, and found out what chemistry is at play here, then decided it was time to get a little crazy.

My experimentation has been paying off, perhaps less in terms of the quality of the images I'm getting (although I'm not disappointed), but definitely in terms of the fun-factor. So, above you see examples of the following "home-brewed" developers, from the top on down:

1. A view of my backyard, developed with a "tea" of chopped basil leaves.
2. Blueberry Pomegranate juice, frozen concentrate
3. A macro of a rose, developed with O'Doul's Premium beer
4. Cranberry Blend frozen concentrate
5. Folger's dark roast coffee
6. A tea made from German Tettnang hops

I've got a few more things to try, then I'll have to refine the recipes of my favorites, but I'm having a ball messing around. I may never buy commercial developer again!

Playing with Fire!

Ok, it's bad form for the safety professional to advocate playing with fire, but spending time at the Hot Air Affair in Hudson last weekend has me thinking differently. Mostly, we think of fire's destructive nature, but for balloonists, fire is light, warmth, and the power to rise. So, coming off the sadness of Sam's death, I feel it's time to play with a little fire. I'm reading a book called, The Little Black Book of Innovation, by Scott Anthony. I'm also exploring Tom Matzen's concept of Quantum Business Golf. Each of these is a little bit like playing with fire for someone like me who normally plays things so conservatively, but I'm keeping the images of the balloons and burners in mind over the next few months. Can't wait to feel that first burner blast and rise up into the air!

For Scott's book:
http://www.innosight.com/little-black-book/index.cfm

For Tom Matzen:
http://www.quantumbusinessgolf.com/

Sadness

I lost an old friend today. Sam died this afternoon, after several weeks of illness. That dog was the source of a lot of laughs and countless stories. He probably had something to do with Andrew's victory over cancer, too. I haven't been able to see or pet Sam since 2007, but the news hit me hard anyway. The top photo is from a few months ago, courtesy of my son Ben, a fabulous portrait. The bottom photo I took years ago.

Take care, Pooch...