first inklings

Well, that was it. The first sneeze. Not a surprise really. Given the schedule I have been keeping, and the constant erratic diet and steady reliance on caffeine and alcohol to keep me going (beer does fill you up when it’s late and it’s cold). Last night was a chilly one, and contrary to my stated policy, I did not wear my long underwear to bed, since I did laundry and everything was, while clean, still damp. I’ve been dragging all day and as a result, I am coming down with a cold. An aspirin, a swig of Nyquil, and some French homeopathic stuff under my tongue and it’s bed-time. Best thing to do at the first sign of chill is take a hot shower, bundle up and go to bed to sweat it out. Two out of three, let’s hope they work…

I shot my last two rolls of film last night and took them to the lab before bed. When I picked them up, I was happy with some of the shots in the last roll and lamented to the fellow at the counter that they didn’t stock 120 slide film. They used to apparently, but don’t anymore. He did suggest the Ritz Camera on the other side of town and gave me a phone number. Turns out Ritz did in fact have the very same film I have been using (Velvia 100F, not the Velvia 50 which I started with, nor the plain 100 –no F- but perfectly acceptable). Nine rolls, in fact, and I bought them out. More expensive than New York, but availability counts for a lot in this circumstance. Of course, the Lab is closed, and I leave on Monday, so I guess I’ll have to take these rolls home and process them later. It’s a reprieve and I’m happy to take it.