"On behalf of my disappointed vagina..."

I picked up this book at a Women's Auxiliary Book Sale. It's an easy read, easily done on my daily commute. Neatly tucked between the pages was this hand-written note, dated June 10, 2003, almost 20 years ago.

Here's what an anonymous woman wrote down:

i'm writing on behalf of my disappointed vagina.

for all the times i let someone in, someone who

really was not worthy, who did not know what

they were doing down there, who did not make me

feel good, during, and even worse after.

"well, i'm glad i got to please you"' but shit, you

never even considered wanting to please me. never, 

after years of sex, years of me doing all the 

work. and i just kept doing it. and i 

will not do it for one second longer. fuck you, baby.

learn how to open up and listen to what your ♀

is telling you. sex is not all about you and your 

penis. i need touching, i need to feel like i am

more than just a cunt. okay?

So no, you are never coming near me again

and neitehr is anyone else who is not ready to

give me all the things that my beautiful vagina

and i need.

no more sad vaginas. no more bullshit. i'm pleased

b/c i pleased you. when will it ever be about ME,

my needs, my sexual desire.

birds at the feeder

taken with a Sony RX10

The woods in the back

An impromptu shoot on how to make a monochromatic scenery look interesting, using a Tamron 24F2.8 on a Sony A7C.

Using an ultra-wide Sigma DC 10-20F3.5

After much thought, checking out YouTube videos, FB Marketplace, B&H prices, and Kijiji, I've decided that for now, I'll stick with my trusted Sigma 10-20 F3.5 for Alpha mount, mounted on my Sony A7III with an LA EA4 Adaptor, and giving the images a subtle HDR treatment. I have an upcoming shoot this week of a construction site with bright sunlight coming in through the windows into rooms under construction, with dark unlit corners. HDR would come in handy here.

This Sigma DC (cropped sensor) lens gives me full-frame images at 14mm, albeit with heavy vignetting. Most of the vignetting are removed with profile corrections in Camera RAW. I can live with the left-over vignetting in the 4 corners. F11 is the sweet spot for this lens, IMO. A full-frame rectilinear 12mm is ideal for these space shoots, with the wider angle allowing for some perspective corrections. I'll need some paid gigs to pay for such a lens.

Here's a comparison between a "what the camera sees and exposes" and after my "treatment" was applied. Taken at 7:30 am in early January.

More photos taken at the same time.

a time for "forever things"

There comes a time when reminders of ones mortality come up more often than not. The difficulty in getting out of bed on Mondays, the desire for naps, the reduction in spatial awareness, a 63rd birthday. Interested in acquiring another dog? Assuming a 15-year life span, I'll be slow-walking an old dog when I am 77. A 2-year-old car is a forever car, a new camera is a forever camera, a motorcycle that is good enough for another 25,000 km is a forever bike.