Fayrouz and I are preparing for an eventual move from Dallas to our next community (wherever it might be). Part of the process is going through all the stored "stuff" and removing unnecessary "junk."
Today I trashed more than $1,000 of old film and printing paper. It was more than a decade old and probably fogged (it wasn't stored properly). The store where I purchased it went out of business years ago.
Even though I know it's toast, and even though I don't expect to print another B&W image in the next 10 years, it was hard. I've lugged most of the paper and 100-foot rolls of T-Max around with me since I was in college.
Back when I purchased these supplies, they were like gold. I'd eat generic peanut butter on crackers for a week rather than be a day without film or printing paper. I knew exactly how much each roll of film and each sheet of fiber paper cost in real terms. I'd calculate food versus these supplies.
A cola was one roll of bulk film. A fast-food meal was five sheets of paper or a roll of nice chrome film. A pizza would critically damage my chemistry fund.
So, with a heavy heart, I said farewell to all the meals I skipped in college today. It was like throwing away letters from loves long lost. The perfume has faded and only the romantic memory remains. Sweet dreams my silver friends.
Enough for now,
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3 comments:
Is that the sound of Taps in the background that I hear? ;)
For now. The enlargers, trays, etc. are in storage for the next few years. By then, silver prints should have more value.
I've carried a roll of T-Max film in my vest pocket for the past several years, whenever I'm cleaning out my pockets I keep pulling it out, thinking of finally throwing it away, but I can't bring myself to do it.
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