Dueling tubes… April 28, 2008
A portrait of two personalities drawn by toothpaste tubes!
I chuckled this morning when I saw these two toothpaste tubes sitting side by side in my bathroom. My friend Jen is staying with me for (god help us both!) about 3 weeks and the differences in how we live was hysterically demonstrated by the differences in these two tubes. Those of you who know me will probably be able to guess which tube is mine. I love my friend, but that tube of toothpaste bothers the shit out of me every time I look at it. It looks so distressed. I don’t mean literally… well yes I do.
I don’t want to dwell on it, it just struck me as funny this morning.
Today I find myself at a “trial run” at a photo lab. I cannot lie, it is REALLY strange to be working in some one else’s lab. I never thought I would be doing this, In my mind of course, EPI (Exhibition Prints Inc.) would always be open. Reality bites and that ain’t the case!
So here I am at Pix Point printing various commercial jobs, 11×14, 8×10, and 5×7, etc. They want to see what I am made of I guess. I just cannot shake this strange feeling of being in this foreign space. Stranger still, I am surrounded by men. Foreign men at that! 
I really mean foreign. 3 are from India and the other is Japanese (maybe). I just couldn’t understand most of what they said to me and I am usually pretty good with deciphering accents
[My Utopian lab (EPI) was basically all women. It was a rarity to have a lab with mostly women printers, but it was a nice oasis in the world of male dominated photo labs.]
So not only am I a stranger in this strange land, but the “natives” are curious as to WHY I am here amongst them today. I guess it can be threatening if you are not privy to the bigger picture. As far as I know I am not here to take anyone’s job. I am only interested in printing on a freelance basis. And God knows I never want to load another rack of film, EVER! Labs need to have an a few good freelancers for those times when they need an extra pair of hands that don’t need “babysitting”.
I certainly do not want to take anyone’s job. But the reality is, jobs in traditional photo labs are scarce, as are the labs themselves. I am just here to pick up some printing work here and there to supplement the slow times in my pastry orders.
Tomorrow I do one more day of this trial. I am not 100% on this job, but I am willing to give it a few tries. It is a bit weird to come into an established lab as an established printer and work under someone else’s methods. I really never thought that shoe would be on this foot!! I am trying to stay open to the idea that I could learn something new, but again, I cannot lie, it is a bit difficult. If you know how to print, you know how, but as in all aspects of life there is always something more to learn.
Wish me luck and the ability to learn new tricks.