Andra Procedure

 Hey Blog,

I hope everyone’s weekend went well and that Kedrick had an awesome birthday and party! As a continuation of last week’s blog I’m currently going through the painful process of colonoscopy prep. These past 7 days I’ve been following a low-residue diet which cuts all vegetables, fruits, and nuts (pretty much anything fatty or with high fiber), which wasn’t TOO difficult. Today, the day before my colonoscopy, I now follow a clear liquid diet up until 2 hours before it’s time (where I can’t have any food or water). So far I’ve had chicken broth, water, and Gatorade lemon-lime. At 6pm (it’s now 7pm as I write this) I was required to take the first portion of the laxative (6oz of laxative diluted with 10oz of water + 16oz of water + 16oz of water), so you can likely imagine where I’m sitting currently. I will have to repeat this process 6 hours before my appointment, waking me up bright and early at 3:00am. All I can I say right now an hour in is… wow. I was very close to throwing up this prep due to the disgusting taste and chugging nature, but I pushed through. The stomach pain is heavy, the pressure is on. I have books downloaded on my phone for what feels is going to be a long night on the throne. 

Update 1: It’s now 3 am, and I’m ready for the second round of chugging. I’ve decided to give myself a full hour to take this horrible liquid so I don’t throw it up, so I’m sitting criss-cross on the toilet slowly drinking down this prep.

Update 2: at 4am I threw up the liquid prep. After this occurrence I stopped blogging so here I am 2 days later after my colonoscopy giving the completed version of what happened. After my body completed emptied I had some obvious anxiety that without fully completing my prep I would have to do this process all over again and reschedule the colonoscopy. Luckily, I didn’t have to do that. I went back to bed and woke up with a fever of 101, which was likely due to the fact I hadn’t had any food in the last 24 hours, my colon is bare bones, and I threw up whatever last nutrients I even had. I couldn’t have any food or water when I woke up being so close to the procedure so I put some ice and cold compress on my head in hopes to get the fever down before the colonoscopy because they won’t perform it if you’re over 101. I did it. They put me right to sleep, I had the best nap of my life, and it turns out I have either Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis with biopsies and follow-up’s to confirm. After my colonoscopy I had a meal (YES!) and took a 4-hour nap. I woke up with a fever of 104 (bummer), and after debating on going to the ER, I decided I’ll just take my steroids (they gave me more in the meantime for the pain and inflammation) and Tylenol, and see if the fever broke. It did, and I had well-deserved pizza for dinner. Still recovering the next day, I decided to work from home and luckily had no fever today. The discussion of my treatment plan is in 2 weeks, and then I get to figure out what medication I’ll be on for the rest of my life… yay.

Kedrick: 11 - An Exploration of 35mm Film Stocks

Good afternoon to my companions! Today, on the eve of my 30th birthday, I thought for a moment about writing something introspective about my 20s. Maybe a moment for each year or something. But that's a lot of effort, and that idea just popped into my head now. The timing of this blog's due date is pure coincidence (maybe). Just know that I've thoroughly enjoyed this past decade that spans three years of college, living in a new city (and state) for the last seven years, making new friends, getting engaged, and getting married to my beautiful wife! Truthfully, the current season of my life began long before my 30th birthday and really started back when I met Lizzie in February 2022. My early 30s won't look very different from my late 20s, which is a terrific thing!! 

But I digress. The purpose of this blog is to both inform you all and document the results of my rigorous tests over the last five months. I want to tell you about some different 35mm film stocks. One of my favorite things about shooting film is how you can get a distinct & unique feel within your photos by shooting different types of film in different conditions. It takes away a lot of the post-processing Lightroom work because you really want to just let the features of each film stock shine without touching anything up too much!

What will follow is a description of each film stock I've tested, some picture samples (I've tried to include mostly photos taken with my Nikon, but some were taken with other cameras), and my overall thoughts on the film and its value for the price (even though the prices vary by a few dollars, it adds up). The only important technical jargon that you need to know is what ISO is. ISO is the sensitivity of the film to light, and it's represented by a numerical value. The lower the number, the less sensitive it is to light, which means you need to either expose the film to more harsh light (a bright sunny day) or expose it longer (let that shutter stay open for a while). Different film stocks have different ISOs, and that value informs when you should use each. ISO also impacts how much grain the film stock has. Films with a 100 ISO will have a much finer grain (less obvious grain) than 400 speed films.

The People's Champs

We're starting with the heavy hitters, folks. These film stocks have become tried and true. They also represent the best bang for your buck. Anyone looking to explore the world of film photography for the first time would do well to use these.

Kodak Ultramax 400

For a cheap color film stock, you do not need to look further than the undisputed People's Champ of 35mm color still photography, Ultramax. I love love love this film, and you can almost always pick up a 3-pack from B&H for $27. It performs incredibly well on point-and-shoot cameras, is insanely versatile (can handle a lot of different lighting conditions), and has that classic film grain that people shoot film for. It has high vibrance, contrast, and saturation, which can be a con for some people, but it's a pro in my book. I love shooting reds with this film.

ATL skyline with my Nikon

Shout out contrast

Punchy point-and-shoot

Great shadows

Ilford HP5

One of the two kings of black and white film. Although B&W film tends to be more expensive to develop, it is also much cheaper ($9/roll). The way I describe this film vs other black and white films is that HP5 offers more of a "grayscale" feel than pure black and white. This feature makes it the most consistent, in my opinion, but keep in mind I've only tested the two most common types of B&W film.

One of the my favorite pics

 

Another favorite with my Nikon and some HP5

Life-affirming

Kodak Tri-X 400

The other half of the black and white empire. Tri-X is punchy as hell. High contrast and a very clean, pure black and white film stock. My favorite fun fact about Tri-X is that this photo by Jim Marshall was taken with it. It's also around $9/roll and looks so good for that price, it's insane. Black and white photography is one of the main selling points of shooting with 35mm film, and I need to use it more!! This film has a coarser grain than HP5, which can be a good or bad thing based on personal preference. I've only shot this film once so far, which is a definite blind spot.

My first favorite photo. From my point-and-shoot in SF!

...also SF

Kodak Pro Image 100

The Photo Spot guy put me on to this film stock when I tried to buy a different 100 speed film, Kodak Ektachrome, which is one of two Kodak films I haven't shot yet! Ektachrome is famous for its extremely rich saturation. Pro Image represents a middle ground between that high saturation and the more "lifelike" colors that Kodak Portra's line offers (their "professional" film). At a price point of $10.50 per roll, it also offers excellent value. I have only shot this type once in Cozumel, but I will be going back to it.

An all-time classic

Handsome guy

Fun with double exposures

Kodak Gold 200

This one is my least favorite of this category, but the value is undeniable. You can pick up a 3-pack for around $25, which is the best value in the dang business. Candidly, I have probably sold this one short, but that's more because of my love for the rich saturation and versatility that Ultramax offers at a very similar price point. This film stock is at its best when you're taking golden hour photos since it already has a tinge of gold, hence the name. Or when you just want an affordable film with a finer grain that can handle some harsh lighting conditions.

Favorite from the only time I shot Gold with my Nikon

Thanks for the lighting shout, Q

Love those greens

The Professional & Specialty Corner

Unlike the People's Champs, these are either 1. more expensive per roll or 2. more limited in usage scenarios. They all have an important place in the film world and can give you some of the best pictures you'll ever take, but aren't necessarily budget-friendly picks!

Kodak Portra 400

This is the People's Champ but for pros. It has all the great features of Ultramax but with less saturation and a much finer grain. Both of those things can be a good thing, especially when photographing people. This type of film is the best there is at photographing realistic skin tones, hence its name being based on the word portrait. At a cost of around $15/roll (most of the time you have to buy 5 rolls for $75), it's more expensive than a People's Champ, but generally speaking, it's easily worth it. Best for special occasions like a fun trip or visiting a new city. The only roll I shot with this film stock using my Nikon was when I found out I had a light leak, so I haven't the chance to take a special picture with this yet. I used it to test my new point-and-shoot I found in a Minnesota vintage shop, though!!

Downtown Alexandria

The cabin from the lake

Companions!

Kodak Portra 160

I shot this for the first time in Minnesota and was obsessed with the results. One of the best rolls I've ever shot! The grain is so dang fine, but still very present. The colors are lifelike yet dreamy. It's at a similar price point as Portra 400 (this one is a little cheaper at $14/roll), but again, it's worth it for special occasions, like a fun sunny trip to the lake!

Instant all-timer status

Sunsets on the lake

Portrait of a Companion

CineStill 400D

This film is Kodak motion picture film but respooled into film for still photography. They also take off the "RemJet" layer so it can be processed the same way typical 35mm film is processed. This comes into play more when we look at 800T. 400D is a daylight-balanced film that can be purchased at the same price as Portra 400, which is sadly its main drawback. As much as I liked this film the first time I tried it, I don't think it can match the versatility of Portra. Still, it's super cool to shoot on motion picture stock, and the film makes it much more stylized than Portra. As if your photos are from a movie!

The Skyway at sunet

My favorite shot of the Chacchoben Mayan ruins.

Two thumbs up!

CineStill 800T

This one is special. The crowd favorite for night photography! Due to the removal of the RemJet layer, this film creates a "halation" effect when you shoot lights, which can be both good and bad. It's very good when distant light turns into a "bulb" of sorts, but not good when your subject is words that become a blobby mess. You also can't shoot this film stock during the day without the colors coming out extremely cool (very blue and green). That didn't stop me from trying that to see what it looked like, though! And you can get around that by buying a lens filter. Although its uses are more limited, when you shoot this in the right conditions, you'll get some of the best photos you'll ever take. I'll be shooting this one in the future.

Fireworks on film!

An excellent example of the halation effect is the lights above the pumps

Perfect example of the cool daytime colors contrasted against the warm-colored house!

 

If you've read this far, I appreciate your time, and I hope you learned something new. Let me know your thoughts on anything I've said or what your favorite samples were! I look forward to speaking with you all again soon.

Katie 9 - Wedding Planning (So Far)

 Hey blog! 

This time around I’m going to be catching you up on my wedding planning thus far, a topic that has been hot here lately. I’ve had a lot of fun with my planning so far and I’m excited to share how it has been going!

WEEK 0 - Initial Stages

My first weeks of wedding planning with my soon to be husband were more so filled with discussions around what our wedding was going to be. We had discussed riding off to Vegas to hit up Taco Bell Cantina or just having something very small with our immediate family. Ultimately though, after making PowerPoint presentations and pro/con lists with my therapist, I made the call that I would like to have a larger, though still intimate, affair with our friends and some extended family. My sweet fiancé said I can have what I want, which was really nice of him. 

It was at this point I dove into venue and budget research to begin the first real stages of planning, along with Pinterest-Ing my vision and design. 

WEEK 1 - A Venue, A Date, A Budget, A Guest List, A DJ, Oh My!

This first week was a whirlwind, buckle up.

I have always loved the idea of a garden wedding, and somehow I found the perfect venue only ~10 minutes from our house. Rockledge Gardens is a local plant nursery that has expanded into events over the past couple years and has a wedding venue as a part of it. The venue had everything that was really on the non-negotiable list for me: an open vendor policy, a decent price, and a rain back up plan that I actually wouldn’t mind. 

When we toured, there was one Saturday left in the Spring, so it felt like it was meant to be. Booked! 

There had just been a wedding so there were these cute flowers up here, not included

With that booking, the official count down clock began, as did the real planning. 

My next step was to write up a budget. My approach to our wedding budget wasn’t to set the bar really low, but to find an average-high cost of what things would be, as more of the ceiling of what we could be prepared to spend. My goal from there hasn’t been to work towards the budget, but to actively come in under budget. Within the budget, we also thought about the things we wanted to splurge on and that were most important to us. For me, this was photography most of all, which I budgeted quite a high amount for. We also together decided on things that didn’t matter to us, like a videographer. 

We’ve done a great job so far staying way under our ceiling budget, and we’re on track for things to stay that way, with the way I’ve most certainly over budgeted on the remaining expenses. It has been hard knowing what things will cost in central Florida honestly until we actually get quotes. 

This was an inquiry filled week as well as I decided the first place to start would be locking down major vendors. In the first week, we booked our DJ. I got 3 different quotes from DJs, and this one was the lowest, most inclusive, and the guy I liked the best. Big win! 

WEEK 2 - Photography, Save the Dates, Wedding Dress Shopping

Getting a great photographer I really liked was a high priority and highly budgeted for. I initially reached out to a different photographer whose work I really liked, but she was already booked out next Spring. Everything happens for a reason, because I’m really happy with the photographers we ended up booking. This week, we had a zoom meeting with this second photographer I had found and went forward with them. It is a local husband and wife with the chillest vibe and really, really nice pictures. 

We also finalized the guest list and made big moves on getting our save the dates out there. I designed our save the dates myself on Canva, and had them printed at Staples. Lucas lovingly put them together, including hand-writing the addresses. With cute envelopes from Amazon and stamps, the cost of all of our save the dates came to about $110, which was a DIY I was feeling great about. Getting that list finalized and those sent out was a big milestone. 

I went wedding dress shopping this week for my first (and only) time. My mother and sister were in attendance with me. Though I had other appointments lined up, I ended up finding a dress I really liked on a sample sale at the first dress store. Major budget and convenience win! 

I also bought a veil 

WEEK 3 - Coordination

Our venue requires a day of coordinator, and honestly, I wouldn’t go without one. Because they require one, they had a deal with one locally to do weddings for them at a discounted rate. This is the coordinator we ended up going with. She’s doing weddings there all the time, so I trust her to do a fine job… and Another major budget win. 

WEEK 4 - Bartender and First Tastings

We locked down our bartenders this week. We’ll be doing open beer, wine, and two signature drinks TBD to help keep alcohol costs reasonable. If you have any opinions on what the provided alcohol will be, feel free to pass along, though no promises they will be considered. Doing this package rather than a full open bar was great for the budget, and we didn’t feel like a full bar was necessary with the number of options still available. 

This week we also did our first food tasting with Two Chicks and A Pot and our cake tasting. Read more in Lucas’ blog from a while back. 

WEEK 5 - More Tasting and Cake

This week I dragged Lucas out to Mt. Dora for our second food tasting - read more in Lucas’ blog from a while back.

We finalized our cake choices this week as well and booked that. We’ll be having a small, cutting cake and three different cupcake choices. You’ll have to wait and see what the choices will be. As an additional treat and activity option, our venue has a fire pit they will turn on and we can do s’mores at, so that will most certainly be in play. 

WEEK 6 - Food Booked and Planning Ahead

In week 6, we made our catering decision, check out Lucas’ blog for further details. 

With that, most of our major vendors were booked so I was generally feeling great, but still a bit overwhelmed. I went ahead and created a schedule for myself to plan specific tasks across the next few months. The May list was done, and it was onto June and July! Writing all the wedding related tasks out and spreading them across the next year or so was definitely good for any stress I was feeling. Though it is a lot, only focusing on a few things at a time is a great way to keep it manageable. And of course, I have plenty of help if I ever want it.

So, here we are now. It has been about a month since I properly focused up on planning the wedding, taking a small break for some vacations. We have a list for June and July that I’ve started working on again, mainly focusing on design and thinking about what I may want to scour sales and Facebook marketplace for. 

So, that’s it! The wedding planning so far! Tune in next time (maybe) for what we’ve done next. 

Lucas: 13 - Black Bolt Illustration Rares

     With Nathan's most recent post showcasing the special Pokemon card arts for the White Flare set, I figured it's a good time for me to walk through what I believe to be the superior set: Black Bolt. As Nate said, the folks over at Pokemon card HQ are coming out with two "different" sets at the same time, each with a special art-rare for half of the Generation 5 Pokemon.

D-Tier

    The D-tier will be full of Pokemon I would be straight up pissed off to pull. Bruxish-level anger.

Munna

We can start off with my least favorite evolution line, maybe of this whole generation. Embryo-lookin freaks

Musharna

If I pull this I'm going to rage post

Duosion

Goo ball? Pass.

Scolipede

A bit of a sleeper Gen-5 evolution line, but this card looks like nothing. Just bleh

Serperior EX - SIR

Now's a good time to say -- SIR's are being graded on a curve. In terms of SIRs, this would be disappointing

Meloetta EX - SIR

What is even a Meloetta

C-Tier

    C-tier cards are those that I wouldn't be mad to pull, but I'll be a little disappointed. There's better in the set that I'm missing out on to pull these mids.

Volcarona

Volcarona suffers from chronic "I can't tell what I'm looking at" disorder

Palpitoad

I don't like him

Alomomola

I don't like her

Cryogonal

I don't like it

Eelektross

Looking back at this to write this blurb, I like the face he is making. The eel could be higher

Solosis

Cute little goo ball

Beheeyem

This dude should be in D-tier, but I won't remake all the tier list pictures. The glowing is kinda nice

Venipede

Bug in a forest. Except it's the bug Pokemon you can't remember the name of

Escavalier

Man aura farms in front of exploding sun

Haxorus

Haxorus could be done better :( he's a cool pseudo-legendary

Tranquill

Bird fight!

Bisharp

Bootleg Rush suit Mega Man fight!

Landorus

Man aura farms as he does earth bending

B-Tier

    The B-tier contains of the bulk of full-illustration cards. Pulling one of these will make me happy that I got a hit!

Servine

Now we're getting into some stuff I like! Grass man in a grass world

Lilligant

All of the baby Petlils really carry this card

Maractus

If liking the cactus is wrong, I don't want to be right

Darmanitan

Darmanitan hittin the Donkey Kong down-B

Larvesta

I like the sunset golden hour and volcano quite a bit

Simipour

Pond and colors remind me of Monet, who I like. Simipour is alright too

Seismitoad

Laughing toad in front of nondescript shapes

Tirtouga

This is the Finding Nemo ride from Disney World's Epcot

Carracosta

I like this dude's mask

Beartic

A bear aura farming, except you can actually see him unlike the other aura farmers

Elgyem

I like how he floats 

Golett

Little man shows how good he is at not falling from ledges

Golurk

Ghost robot aura farms in well maintained lawn

Conkeldurr

My least favorite of this evolution line, but I like him still :)

Throh

Fighting types were really cool as a kid, so I liked these karate dudes

Crustle

The Crustle bridge is good

Whirlipede

I like the motion here

Krokorok

I'm a desert alligator enjoyer

Krookodile

A-u-r-a  f-a-r-m

Klink

Both of these gears have the same number of teeth resulting in a 1:1 gear ratio. Not sure what that'd accomplish

Klang

More gears. Different location

Pawniard

A child with knife-hands is inspired Pokemon design

Cobalion

The quality differences between all the aura farming cards is interesting

Fraxure

Little Axew footsteps on the side are good

Pidove

I mean, it's a cute little bird bombing the camera

Unfezant

<3

Braviary

Okay, this guy is really just aura farming though. He isn't even flying or nothin

Kyurem EX - SIR

A better SIR than the others, but doesn't really offer that much outside of the Kyurem. These cards are supposed to be ~$30!

Genesect EX - SIR

Looks like he's on the ship from Alien. +1 point if you text me the name of the ship without Google

A-Tier

    A-tier cards are those that I very much hope I pull. They're not the best pulls, but they're pretty darn close.

Pansage

I mean, cmon

Simisage

👍

Petilil

If we pull this, Katie will just take it right away

Foongus

She's taking this one too

Amoonguss

Amongus

Panpour

Cute little guys playing around. All these evolutions remind me of trying to find each of the three different monkey Pokemon and it taking forever

Tympole

The man is literally smiling. He's literally doing this: 😊

Eelektrik

This dude is pretty dope, but also Very playable. I would like him

Gurdurr

An themed evolution line of art rares is always fun

Dwebble

I love the little boat

Klinklang

Clay cards >

Axew

I wish the Haxorus/Fraxure cards were as good as this one

Rufflet

I like the style of this card

Cinccino

Cinccino is built to have Pokemon cards made in his honor. Unfortunately, it is lapped by the older Minccino / Cinccino room cleanup cards

Excadrill EX - SIR

It's not that special of an SIR, but I like Excadrill. Hopefully it's cheap 🙂

S-Tier

    S-tier cards are the cream of the crop. Pull one of these and I'm poppin up out of my chair. There's some guys in here I wouldn't even let Katie have. This group contains all the cards I am most likely to eventually buy from card shops (if the prices are reasonable).

Snivy

Good art, good Pokemon, good starter. I pull this shit and I'm Pogging live

Karrablast

AHH

Darumaka

⭕

Cubchoo

I don't even think I need to explain why he's in S-tier

Emolga

Pikachu clone is chalk chase card material

Tynamo

Like Eelektrik, this little sucker is playable. And super cute

Drilbur

I like little man digging holes

Timburr

This is how I imagine Quentin looks at CFA

Sandile

I'm a Sandile enjoyer and I enjoy the above/below sand-line shot

Audino

Yarn Pokemon cards are elite. The little world in the background reminds me of Animal Crossing

Minccino

Katie would shoot me before she lets me have this card

Zekrom EX - SIR

I am assuming this will be the actual chase card (most expensive card) from both of these sets. The Reshiram SIR is just alright, but this shit is wicked cool and also playable

I hope you liked this

Let me know if you like the Black Bolt cards or White Flare cards more. What cards did I rate too low? Too high? There's no way you agree with me on all of them (@Q, N8). What would YOUR chase be?