Neanderpundit

Exhausting. Not least of which because we’re entertaining out of town colleagues from other offices, also here for the training, and the Koreans, who know how to party, I’m here to tell you. Thankfully, I no longer drink, so I did not suck back a couple of bottles of Soju, a sort of a Korean Sake. Several of my compatriots do, though, so I expect there will be some headaches tomorrow.

The training has been wonderful, and I am extremely pleased with what I have learned.

Meanwhile I need to get some sleep.

Last night, on the way to yet another dinner with the Koreans, a woman pulled into the parking lot of the office and asked me for directions to a pharmacy. I had heard of no such thing in the area- we are an industrial complex. But I looked it up on my phone, and sure enough, in the building next door, once occupied by a large manufacturer of industrial chemicals, there is now a pharmacy, which specializes in budget priced meds for hep c, aids, and other things.

The lady in question certainly looked healthy enough, eastern European accent, if I had to guess I’d guess Hungarian, jeans and some floppy hippy looking hat but a new North Face jacket and an older Passat in good nick. So I assumed she was applying for a job rather than seeking Harvoni or Interferon. She had a nice smile, I hope she gets the gig.

The first thing was, to always get the high-res scan from the Darkroom. As always, click to embiggenate.

Tri-X 120, Bronica ETRS 75mm
The lens on the Bronica can only really be appreciated at high res. The original image of this barn can, I kid you not, be best appreciated through a microscope.

The second thing, was that the Bronica has a razor sharp depth of field, unless you stop it down to kingdom come. Look at this picture of the old busted concrete that came out of my garage, for instance.
Tri-X 120, Bronica ETRS 75mm

Also, Bronica lenses are cheap and I should buy them all.

Ektachrome 100, Bronica ETRS 75mm lens

Same shot, Ektachrome 100, Bronica ETRS 150mm lens
The 150 mm lens came up on Ebay for $49 buy it now with free shipping the week before vacation, and I could not say no to it. And I am most pleased to have it.

The black and white is what I really like, though, and this is the sort of thing that would make me put together a darkroom, again.

Tri-X, Bronica ETRS with 150mm lens

At first I was upset that the Bronica’s razor thin depth of field hadn’t landed anywhere on the critter, but now I sort of like the lomoesque nature of it. For sharpness, I got this.

Tri X, Bronica ETRS with 75mm lens

Anyway, this is the first roll of “Vacation” film, and I really have loved using the camera. The odd saturation of the Ektachrome is something I will have to play with, get some filters, something. I have a couple rolls of Ilford in the mix and now it’s getting cooler I won’t be afraid to keep the camera in the car with me.

has been affiliated with a specific machine tool builder for many years now. That builder has managed to screw itself up adequately that it was a danger to itself, and it may well be that they have crossed the line in their hubris.

We have officially disassociated ourselves from them and are now affiliated with a Korean company that is bending over backwards to accommodate us. My training in the new product line began today, and I could hardly be more pleased. So far it is everything I could have hoped for and more. All this week we train, and then Nellie bar the door.