Friday, November 19, 2010
Over Easy
I'm about 4 hours from boarding a plane and heading off to Denver for my very last class. I'll be giving presentation on most everything I've learned in Grad school, it's what they call Capstone. I generally think of it as a easy out for not doing thesis, that having been said, I think I've spent more time and effort on this stupid thing then I ever would have done on thesis. Plus it doesn't help that I've had probably the 3rd worst teacher/proff for this class to boot. OK, maybe worst isn't the right word here, maybe useless works far better? He never answers the questions I've had for him or when he does, it's usually useless information. THis class has been far more stress then it ever should have been, especially when you consider that it's a one unit class, that's had as much work to it as my current three unit classes for some dumb, and I do mean dumb reason. Anyway, I'll be in Denver starting tomorrow and coming back on Monday morning.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
So it's Been a While . . .
I haven't made a post in a while, probably since I really haven't had anything to add to the discussion or that my life hasn't been that interesting. Anyway, here's what's up.
I'm almost done with grad school! I have small paper and presentation to do in Denver, and then I'm done. DONE I tell you!? Now what? Well not a lot, I'm looking at jobs in the library field and not finding much. The close to home jobs are currently a no. No in the respect that either I'm not remotely qualified or I don't want to do it. I came close to applying for a job at Merylhurst, but then I remembered that I'd be working for the woman that I took cataloging with. She was possibly the second worst teacher I've had in the Emporia program. I ended up repeating the class and got an A. No way she'd hire me, and no way I'd work for her. I know, why waste our time applying.
In other news, instead of sitting around on Tuesday night and watching depressing election results, I took a trip to Bend Oregon and caught Billy Bragg play a pretty intimate show. Absolutely wonderful night and trip. Actually I hadn't really planned it this way, when I found out he was going to be in Oregon and playing locally I found out he was going to be playing at the local McMinnimin locals. I don't really enjoy this venue and at $72 plus fee's I was really turned off. Then I saw he was playing in Bend for $23 and no additional fee's. I've never been to Bend and it seemed perfect. It didn't hit me that it was going to be election night. The only down side I thought at the time was that Nevill Staple was suppose to open for Bragg here in Portland. I'd have liked catching Staple too. But after 3 hours of Bragg, his great song writing and cheeky humor, it was nearly perfect. Anyway, my only kick me moment was finding out that he was OK with photography and I left the M6 in the hotel room. I did have the cheap and old point and shoot that snuck in (even though I didn't have too). Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/filmtwit/sets/72157625177144097/
I'm almost done with grad school! I have small paper and presentation to do in Denver, and then I'm done. DONE I tell you!? Now what? Well not a lot, I'm looking at jobs in the library field and not finding much. The close to home jobs are currently a no. No in the respect that either I'm not remotely qualified or I don't want to do it. I came close to applying for a job at Merylhurst, but then I remembered that I'd be working for the woman that I took cataloging with. She was possibly the second worst teacher I've had in the Emporia program. I ended up repeating the class and got an A. No way she'd hire me, and no way I'd work for her. I know, why waste our time applying.
In other news, instead of sitting around on Tuesday night and watching depressing election results, I took a trip to Bend Oregon and caught Billy Bragg play a pretty intimate show. Absolutely wonderful night and trip. Actually I hadn't really planned it this way, when I found out he was going to be in Oregon and playing locally I found out he was going to be playing at the local McMinnimin locals. I don't really enjoy this venue and at $72 plus fee's I was really turned off. Then I saw he was playing in Bend for $23 and no additional fee's. I've never been to Bend and it seemed perfect. It didn't hit me that it was going to be election night. The only down side I thought at the time was that Nevill Staple was suppose to open for Bragg here in Portland. I'd have liked catching Staple too. But after 3 hours of Bragg, his great song writing and cheeky humor, it was nearly perfect. Anyway, my only kick me moment was finding out that he was OK with photography and I left the M6 in the hotel room. I did have the cheap and old point and shoot that snuck in (even though I didn't have too). Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/filmtwit/sets/72157625177144097/
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Debt, Loans and Being a Student
While I've carried debt before, I've actually never taken any student debt on. So now that I'm nearing completion of my MLIS will come out of this owning nothing. At the start of it, I was tempted to take on a bit of debt and rush the degree. Instead, I've worked full time (and for part of that time, more then full time) and either payed out of pocket on tuition, or was lucky to have my employer pick up most of the tab. For the last year, it's been out of pocket but I am still holding on in the green at the moment having just paid off the credit card (with the semester debt on it). I'm feeling home free in a lot of respects, but hearing co-workers and other students complain about their student debt is something.
That having been said, I want a job.
That having been said, I want a job.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sum of It
Q) Why do we (or me) spend so much time looking back these days.
A) I would say because we're not happy with today and for me looking back give me an idea of what I like and where I've found it in the past.
That having been said, I'm not finding it that healthy to be always feel like I've been looking back. Though it has given me some good solace. Things were definitly not always any better or let alone good in the past. As such, those things I hope stay as such.
A) I would say because we're not happy with today and for me looking back give me an idea of what I like and where I've found it in the past.
That having been said, I'm not finding it that healthy to be always feel like I've been looking back. Though it has given me some good solace. Things were definitly not always any better or let alone good in the past. As such, those things I hope stay as such.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
News
So found out today that an old friend of mine was just named director of a major archive. Wow, part of me is very happy for her, part of me looks at my unemployed ass and wonders where I went wrong. Shit, maybe I should followed her off to Austin 10 years ago. Fuck, I hate Texas, never would have worked. OK, time to get on with life.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Old Story: Tricks of the trade
So over the weekend I was at a BBQ and was reminded of an old story I'll retell here.
YEars ago I started my professional career (or sorts) at a well known Archives. I had been identifying some old Hammer or maybe it Ealing film from the early 50's that Republic had acquired and then donated to the Archives years later. The film itself was original B&W negative, but Republic had decided to recut new titles into the film for some odd reason. Anyway, as I'm winding threw the film in question the new titles are easily identifiable as safety based film from 1954. But the actual original negative film only has "Kodak - France" printed on it. No year, no identifiable "Nitrate" or "Safety" on it at all. Even after checking each cut I hoped they might have changed stock. No such luck.
So based on what skills I had, I know that you have to be careful with films from the early 1950s as this was a transitional period. Even if you can trace the film title to a film that was finished in let's say 1955, you have to check ever part of the film because the production might have used older stock which could be nitrate based. The film stock feels thicker and more durable, which can possibly be nitrate as the early diacitate safety stocks tend to be thinner and more pliable.
That having been said, this isn't a sure fired way to identify nitrate. There's really only one way to really identify nitrate if you don't have etch coding, that is you need to break out a nitrate test kit and well, burn some if it. In order to test it of course you need to destroy a small piece of the it and this being original negative, well I'm just an assistant archivist and really shouldn't be tearing apart original negative. Plus, the head and tail end of the reel are slugged with safety duped titles. I can't tear a piece from the end to start where it won't be missed. But I'm pretty sure nitrate, but I just don't know. Worse of all, my boss is out of town so I can't get him to OK from him and I'm not comfortable just doing it myself. So I go looking for help and I know the expertise is still here in the building to make this call. So I go looking for someone in Preservation department as they deal with stuff like this every day.
A quick trip down the hall and I can make out the head of the department is in his office talking to the Feature film archivist. At this point I should point out I'm not going to name any names here, but the head of preservation department is a world renoun person here, while the feature film archivist is a nearly complete windbag that I've rarely ever seen work, let alone ever touch a piece of film in the two years I've been working at the archive. His only real call to fame is having played a small bit part in a really fun film where he beaten by gang of Mods with a baseball bats. Anyway, I knock on the door and ask for some help. Both come out the film bench I'm working at and look at the film elements. Mr Preservation winds the film and is as dumb founded as I am about it's true nature. After 5 minutes or so, he throws his hands up and walks away. This leaves me with Mr Windbag, who tells me wind to the end titles. So I do so, and point out that they are dupes and identified as safety based film. Mr windbag reach over met and promptly rips a 2-3 foot section of film from the end of the original negative where it meets the dupes titles from the Oneg. I am stunned, perfectly stunned. Mr Windbag tells met follow him outside where to lights not small section of this 2-3 foot of original negative, but lights it all. Guess what, it's Nitrate. I'm told to get it out of the safety area and lock in a vault at that point.
What I learned. Just because someone has a big title and advanced degree, doesn't mean they know shit.
YEars ago I started my professional career (or sorts) at a well known Archives. I had been identifying some old Hammer or maybe it Ealing film from the early 50's that Republic had acquired and then donated to the Archives years later. The film itself was original B&W negative, but Republic had decided to recut new titles into the film for some odd reason. Anyway, as I'm winding threw the film in question the new titles are easily identifiable as safety based film from 1954. But the actual original negative film only has "Kodak - France" printed on it. No year, no identifiable "Nitrate" or "Safety" on it at all. Even after checking each cut I hoped they might have changed stock. No such luck.
So based on what skills I had, I know that you have to be careful with films from the early 1950s as this was a transitional period. Even if you can trace the film title to a film that was finished in let's say 1955, you have to check ever part of the film because the production might have used older stock which could be nitrate based. The film stock feels thicker and more durable, which can possibly be nitrate as the early diacitate safety stocks tend to be thinner and more pliable.
That having been said, this isn't a sure fired way to identify nitrate. There's really only one way to really identify nitrate if you don't have etch coding, that is you need to break out a nitrate test kit and well, burn some if it. In order to test it of course you need to destroy a small piece of the it and this being original negative, well I'm just an assistant archivist and really shouldn't be tearing apart original negative. Plus, the head and tail end of the reel are slugged with safety duped titles. I can't tear a piece from the end to start where it won't be missed. But I'm pretty sure nitrate, but I just don't know. Worse of all, my boss is out of town so I can't get him to OK from him and I'm not comfortable just doing it myself. So I go looking for help and I know the expertise is still here in the building to make this call. So I go looking for someone in Preservation department as they deal with stuff like this every day.
A quick trip down the hall and I can make out the head of the department is in his office talking to the Feature film archivist. At this point I should point out I'm not going to name any names here, but the head of preservation department is a world renoun person here, while the feature film archivist is a nearly complete windbag that I've rarely ever seen work, let alone ever touch a piece of film in the two years I've been working at the archive. His only real call to fame is having played a small bit part in a really fun film where he beaten by gang of Mods with a baseball bats. Anyway, I knock on the door and ask for some help. Both come out the film bench I'm working at and look at the film elements. Mr Preservation winds the film and is as dumb founded as I am about it's true nature. After 5 minutes or so, he throws his hands up and walks away. This leaves me with Mr Windbag, who tells me wind to the end titles. So I do so, and point out that they are dupes and identified as safety based film. Mr windbag reach over met and promptly rips a 2-3 foot section of film from the end of the original negative where it meets the dupes titles from the Oneg. I am stunned, perfectly stunned. Mr Windbag tells met follow him outside where to lights not small section of this 2-3 foot of original negative, but lights it all. Guess what, it's Nitrate. I'm told to get it out of the safety area and lock in a vault at that point.
What I learned. Just because someone has a big title and advanced degree, doesn't mean they know shit.
Monday, September 6, 2010
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