stargazing

Without a doubt, my least favorite thing about living in a big city is not being able to see the stars at night. Instead, a greyish-orange haze blankets the sky, turning almost completely white as you approach Times Square. Occasionally the full moon will make an appearance, poking out from behind a building-- if you're lucky, you might be able to distinguish the moon from the lamps that line the endless grid of streets.

I've always felt like stargazing can connect you to anyone in the world. No matter where they might be, they can still look up and see the same million-years-old light as you can. Suddenly the world feels much smaller, more intimate. Places thousands of miles apart are decorated by the same little specks in the sky-- it's incredible when you really think about it.

Maybe this is why every time I start to feel lonely I long to escape from the city to see the stars— so I can remember the nights we spent laying on hills feeling tiny and infinite, and recall how the simplest words can envelop and overwhelm you with their warmth. In those moments, everything was nothing and we were one and the same.

california, here we come!

It's official! I'm moving to California for the summer!

I received an incredible job offer from a Major Internet Company That Isn't Google, and to say I'm excited would be an understatement...I've been listening to the OC theme song on repeat for the last 3 days. This is pretty much my dream job, and I can't believe I get to live so close to the beach!

Of course, I'll miss all of my friends in New York, but lately I've been feeling a little jaded by the city. When I moved to New York three years ago, living here excited and invigorated me. Now, I'm feeling increasingly apathetic toward the big city life. I realize how incredibly cliche that sounds, but it's true. I moved to NYC when I was relatively young and I think I might have grown up a bit too fast-- obviously, I can't change that now and there's no point in feeling regretful. There are so many things I love about living in NYC and in some sense, I can't imagine moving away permanently. But maybe a sunshine-filled 3 month break is exactly what I need to reevaluate everything and get back on track.



The fun part of this story: Britta and I are going to be roadtripping out to Santa Monica from my family's home in Chicago! People are always shocked when I tell them I still own a car, but I could never imagine parting with my beloved Honda Civic. Google Maps clocks the drive at 32 hours, but we plan on meandering our way through the country and spending a few extra days visiting every ridiculous roadside tourist trap in the West. Also, please note how the suggested route goes directly through Las Vegas. Watch out, America!

Side note: I wonder if this means I should change the blog's logo graphic?

lomography

During winter break this year, I took the opportunity to study abroad in London. To be honest, it was just an excuse to visit Britta and explore a city I'd never visited before. I arrived a few days early so that we could celebrate New Year's Eve together in style.

To document our scandalous night out, Britta decided to bring along her new playtoy: a Holga 120 CFN camera.

Although I pass the Lomography gallery store in New York all the time, I'd never had the chance to try one of these fun little cameras out for myself. They're entirely plastic and shoot medium format (120) film, although they can be modified to shoot 35mm and instant. Britta's Holga also included a flash with 3 built-in color gels. The camera's results are often unpredictable, with dream-like coloring, light leaks, and vignetting.

A few weeks ago, I decided I needed a Holga for myself. I stopped by Adorama in NYC (my favorite photography supply store) and picked up a starter kit, which included a roll of 120 film. I had no idea what I was doing, but with a Holga, that's sort of the point. I did end up with a couple of pretty shots:

view from the roof of my apartment building

around the neighborhood

another double exposure! spring in nyc is beautiful.

The only downside to the superfun Holga-- one roll of film cost $20 to process and scan at my local lab. Kind of defeats the purpose of a $45 camera. Next time, I think I'll have the film processed and then use a drum scanner at school to scan & print them.