October 17th 1996: OIL I picked up the new Midnight Oil CD, "Breathe," today. It sounds good. It's quite a departure though. The first track I listened to put a thought into my head, "sounds pretty techno-pop to me." That sounds like a cheap shot, but you can't stop a first impression. Really, though, the album is very diverse. There are some of the folky kind of songs, and some of it is just plain bizzare. You guys should listen to it and judge for yourselves. What I really liked though was the new album, "New Adventures in HI-FI" by REM. This is a contemporary classic. It has a passion lacking from "Monster," and a variety lacking from "Automatic for the People." This album was recorded mostly on tour, and are mostly live songs, though I wouldn't know it. They've been so engineered and cleaned up that you can't tell the difference. You guys should really check it out because it is worth the trip to the record store, and definately worth the money. WATER This week has been wet and cold, especially lately. You may think that I'm nuts, but I enjoy it. Cold, wet, overcast days are perfect for photography. Ok, my photography. When it's overcast, the contrast levels are down and it helps provide the murky, dream-like state that I need. There is definately a difference between using the zone system to control exposure and contrast, and the real thing. Low contrast is great, a perfect compliment to Oregon/Washington. I intend to go out soon and shoot up 3 or 4 rolls of B&W film. Some of them could be 120 film since I just bought a new camera a couple weeks ago. The Grant money I got promptly burned a hole in my pocket. I bought a Light meter, 30' X 40" of roll paper, a really nice Bogen tripod, and a Mimiya C-220 TWR camera. I'm ecstatic, and I have enjoyed shooting with it several times. I have yet to develop film from it, but everyone I have spoken to says that I got a good deal. I'll write more later as things develop.