a big ole batch all ready to make their journeys into the world
Sure, i mail a lot of cards and letters and dossiers of ephemeral treats, poems and painting. Especially to folks who have inspired me or otherwise lent a hand, and to folks (know and unknown) who seem to need a little spark to help them along their journey.
oh! the be an explorer… (envoys to distant lands)
As part of my semi-obsessive documentation for my memory and amusement, ,i assemble photos (likely) enthusiastic correspondents send of their received items, along with “still life” photos of postal-related items or post-in-process, and often just scenes of post offices/workers/boxes.
a card to 3 of my fave youths
Often times these items are organized chronologically-ish somehow, or maybe to a theme, but some cases (including this instance), neither applies and what follows is simply a batch of odds and ends hanging out for another cycle into the world.
Generally an absence of annotations as the meanings either aren’t meaningful or rather self-evident (that said, maybe some annotations will appear). Carry on, bring your own stamp.
a unpacked dossier with painting, poem, goat propaganda and a letter , stickered up envelope
Poet Adam in Utah hills enjoy his letter with a can
As i mail a lot of items, well also just write cards and letters to hand-deliver as well i suppose, i try to document bits and pieces for my amusement and archive including photos enthusiastic correspondents send of their received dossiers, “still life with postal” related items, and post offices/boxes.
Often times these items are organized chronologically-ish somehow, or maybe to a theme, but in this case, neither applies and this is simply a batch of odds and ends hanging out – possibly waiting for another cycle into the world. So zoom zoom go around again (for my own amusement you see).
Before leaving Sanur, left some special notes for the fine young ladies who look out for me (as Vincent, a Mae Maes CD, a literal laundry list and a dragon fruit look on), also cashDiligent postal worker in Sanur shows excitement for his work
What becomes of the seemingly ephemeral creations we leave behind? Especially in the analog-days?
Consider these in the context of missing cassette tapes made by a now departed poet/activist/scholar Foster and guitar-ing Mikael, who recorded spontaneous youthful riffs in parent’s basement in Utah. In this postcard, Mikael Lewis sings “Wildflower (for Foster)” written by Dave in a clinic in Nepal, then adds some more verses, spiels and a poem called “Occasionally Free” – with lightning, rainstorm and crickets chiming along.
Note: Also available in audio-only via all normal podcast channels and elsewhere in this library.
Often, I find signs interesting, amusing or occasionally useful or just aesthetically curious or intriguing. Here are some, i have others. These are from Sri Lanka.
a pre-haircut pose in a Jamaican shop – Jamaica might have the best all-around barbers of any country. PS photo taken with analog Lomo sardine can camera
While i started enjoying haircuts when i found a barber shop which also offered libations, good tunes, pinball and the like, since “the illness” I made a list of things I can do which involves sitting down, but gets me out of the house, and leaves me with a feeling of satisfaction. These include: making scrapbooks, seeing matinée movies, sitting in parks under a tree, getting my beard professionally trimmed (rather than chopping at it myself) plus trim up the haircut,… as well as pedicures documented elsewhere.
While rambling, i like to seek out the hole-in-the-wall, no fuss, traditional barbers and enjoy a leisurely visit. Its hit or miss sometimes but ya know, hair grows back right?
Sometimes, not always, i grab a snap with the barber or the shop or me before and after… sometimes i don’t so you won’t see those. Oh sometimes i recall names and/or locations, this is not meant to be comprehensive, just amusing and vaguely documentary.
This assortment features barbers in international locations (meaning not Canada and USA), moreorless (pending).
Another action shot at another barber in Jamaicagetting a “gentleman’s mullet” tuned up in La Paz, Mexicoa fun experience in Phitsanulok Thailand in a wildly “decorated” barber shop which included straight-razor trim
Once upon a time… humans moved away from bartering things and services on an ad hoc basis and came up with a default transaction medium which became known as money. First coins (well, maybe something before, likely made of clay) denominated by an arbitrary, yet commonly agreed-upon, value – often made of metals which were deemed to be rare/shiny/valuable.
Then after (perhaps admitting the arcane value of metals and needing something handier to tote around) eventually created paper bank notes – first with value attached to aforementioned shiny metals, then again arbitrarily assigned a transactional value by central banks and governments.
To me, this is neither here nor there, i really don’t have an opinion about the “importance” of money. Indeed, if you value such “wealth” so much, go forth and acquire in exchange for your time, talents or conniving – or simply create your own currency, print it and rally folks to desire it as a means of exchange. This is commonly done in form of community notes, “virtual” currencies (often managed by Blockchain tech), or even various commercial operations making notes, coupons or points systems.
Thai baht (20) with coins (various)
My point in sharing this is: Very often, these banknotes – both contemporary or deprecated – are lovely specimens of design art and printing technology (granted the reason is usually to thwart counterfeit versions polluting the general population’s trust in the monetary system). I very much enjoy the loveliness of printing “things on substrates” – the values to me are non-important (aside when i need to purchase eggs and bacon) but rather the artistic-ness and the totems decided by a society to represent their culture/country (often historical figures of various repute, significant events, important buildings or cultural motifs) are a source of endless curiosity. Additionally, the stories the bills imbue, often soaked quite literally into the fibres, as well as the journey the note took to your hand or pocket and/or the travel one undertook to acquire… are what sparks my interest.
As such, i gather these notes, photograph for the historical record and my own amusement and, evidently, to share with you.
Thai baht (50) and USA dollar (1) and coins (various) – as shown with key (room 204) and Do Not Disturb sign (used) – as photographed by Lomo
This is Volume Two of several in an on-going series, this round featuring notes in situ as it were in Sri Lanka, Thailand as well as a variety of banknotes in common use in USA, European Union and Indonesia.
Another scrapjournal for the archive, this one containing the usual assortment of paper-y bit collected in Sri Lanka where i received Ayruvedic panchakarma treatment and rambled around a wee bit staying at faded-glory “grand” hotels, rustic tea shops rife with horse race punters, and jungles of monkeys. Left under strained confusing circumstances but that’s neither here nor there.
Nevertheless, a few sample pages to provide evidence of above annotations for your amusement.
