35mm

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Today, Mia & I slept in a bit before strolling to a local restaurant for brunch. She had the "fairy" french toast, as she was dressed as Tinker Bell's friend Iridessa, and I had strawberry pancakes topped with half a can of whipped cream. Afterword, we walked to a thrift shop, where a baby befriended Mia & followed her throughout the store while I inspected typewriters and film cameras.

I often tell my mom that I'm glad I was born in 1989, but then I end up with a couple typewriters, a slew of aged tea cups, a library of old literature, a collection of vintage viewmasters & reels, and a hankering to go to another flea market. It's been rubbing off on Mia lately. Garage sales are her favorites, and she begs me to take her to the vintage shop ("Oh, please take me with you! I just want to see the beautiful dresses!") and the antique store ("Please can I come? I promise I won't touch anything! I just want to see the old treasures!").

I think it's because old things have more character to them. And, I just don't believe in inanimate objects. I believe they have a life to them, and it's much more exciting to imagine just what they've experienced when they're a few decades older. This plastic stuff from China wouldn't tell the same story. And story telling is important to me. Especially in animations. Particularly stop motions. Which involve objects. Preferably older treasures with stories to tell.

After work, I told my dad about the little camera I had my eye on. And he told me about some cameras that my grandpa had. So after an excursion to the basement, he gave me one! Actually, two, but I'll take the other one when I head back to Cleveland away from destructive little hands. This one is a wonderful little 35mm film camera, and I've been itching to learn more about photography, so it's perfect. It came in this wonderful brown case, with a flash, and two other lenses/lens accessories. Plus, it has this totally rad camera strap. And, true to form, my grandfather's name and address are written in Sharpie on the front of the case.

Tomorrow is my day off, and I promised myself I would work on an animation of sorts, but I have a feeling I'll end up on my [old] bicycle heading to the camera store a couple miles away. I will have to take a break at some point...