Seattle, WA
29 November 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/1.8 1/60s :: ISO-200

Dear Stranger;

How are we almost back to December already? I had hoped to work on the video for the day after the concerts, but work has been taking over my life and while I admit the extra money is nice and tremendously needed, I really miss the process of creating. I suppose I can consider this time as a necessary investment to a long-term goal of having more financial resources to create frequently but for now, I must pay off my last relationship and that's just the way it is–it was a graduate degree in healthy personal boundaries and with that comes some form of tuition that needs addressing, which is where I'm currently at. Progress is steady, not as fast as I would like, but I feel like I'm gaining momentum and I think that's the important part.

But for the immediate time frame, I'd like to create more when I can, and maybe that's what I will tell (force?) myself to do in the upcoming holiday break in a few weeks. We'll see.

How have you been, stranger friend?

Magically,
-j

Seattle, WA
16 November 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/2.2 1/8s :: ISO-1600

Dear Stranger;

It's been years, maybe even almost a deca...de (?) since I've been to Meany Hall, ever since the orchestra with whom I currently play moved to the big hall downtown, but it was fun to support friends and hear music I've played before in a new type of setting and it was a much-needed distraction from all of the work stress this week. I don't have much more to say this week, other than I really want to make more progress on the Sweden vid I've got in the works, it's just that I've been on a months-long creative dry spell and I'm currently trying to figure out how to get around it.

But I can feel something bubbling up...

Magically,
-j

Lynnwood, WA
6 November 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/2.2 1/38s :: ISO-1250

Dear Stranger;

Well, fuck. It's been an embarrassing week in a global sense, hasn't it.

Magically,
-j

Seattle, WA
20 October 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/2.2 1/99s :: ISO-40

Dear Stranger;

I don't know how it seems to turn into November so soon each time, but here we are. It's feeling very much autumn on the fingers and toes, the morning commute is...crisp to chilly, let's say. Still in the weird temperature range where after a little bit of movement, I'm sweating in my jacket again, nevertheless, I welcome the change in season. Orion is starting to make its return to the night sky and hopefully this year I can add more to my Orion 50mm shot and bring out more of Barnard's Loop. I wasn't able to make it to my usual dark sky site for a few nights this summer so I'm a little bummed I missed out on the summer nebulae but I think given all of the experiences from May have more than made up for that. The year's not over yet, so I won't get totally skunked on dark sky activity yet.

The hydrogen alpha clouds around Orion are my goals for the coming months; those are where my hopes are for now, but the main concern I have is surviving the coming months as the execs are starting to push for making deliveries, often sliding them ahead of schedule so they can look good for their year-end bonuses. I will still say, the money is nice, but it sure would be nice to have some free time again.

The winter break? It'll be a long time coming, for sure. How are you holding up?

Magically,
-j

Seattle, WA
27 October 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/2.2 1/60s :: ISO-500

Dear Stranger;

It's really interesting to think that 10 years ago, somewhere in Sweden, an artist whom I had gone from hater to fan two years prior, was in Stockholm working on their next project. On my birthday, ten years ago, they took a picture that would appear in the original album artwork, commemorating the track, "Shake it Off," and it would become one of the most recognisable tunes of the time (and maybe of all time?). In a way, what a birthday gift, because today, the 27th of October, it's the release anniversary of both the original and Taylor's Version re-recording of 1989 and there have been a few fun connections to this album this year because in April, my friend walked down the aisle to the song, "Wildest Dreams," which is my favourite song, and I made a friendship bracelet to bring with me to Sweden.

I was headed to Sweden because I finally got a ticket to the Eras Tour, after missing out when she stopped in Seattle, so almost 10 months to the day later, I was finally going to get to see her perform for the first time. I chickened out for the Red and 1989 tours, went through some tough times and made excuses in between, but finally bit the bullet and gave myself permission to do something I've been wanting to do or a long time. Fast forward those ten months, and after landing in Stockholm, I found my bag had been delayed, and fortunately that wouldn't be what stopped me from going to my intended show the following day, the second of her three-night stop in Stockholm, but the unfortunate part is that I would not have the outfit I had hoped to wear, nor did I get the chance to trade the 80 or so bracelets I had made for the show.

While I still had the time of my life seeing the show that Saturday night, it was still a bit of a bummer to not have had the full experience, especially since I had been making those bracelets for the months leading up to the show. My bag did finally arrive in the afternoon the day after, just int time for me to change into the shirt and shoes I had brought and head to the stadium to catch the Sunday showgoers and see if I could trade the bracelets there, before they entered the stadium.

That's when a kind stranger offered me a ticket they had and suddenly I was inside Friends Arena (what a name for a venue?!!) attending the last Stockholm show. Not only would I discover I had a seat I couldn't have imagined in my...wildest dreams...but that I would be in the same building as the two artists prominently shown in that photograph taken all the way back in 2024. That Sunday night, Taylor announced that Max Martin was in the audience and what a full-circle kind of feeling it was.

So anyway, happy 10 years of 1989.

Magically,
-j

Seattle, WA
19 October 2024 :: Canon G7 X Mark III :: f/2.8 1/500s :: ISO-6400

Dear Stranger;

I think at this point in my life, at my current situation and circumstance, I'm comfortable enough with who I am that I recognise there will be people in my life that will make their own assumptions about me or think they can treat me a certain way and for most of that I may not have any control, but what I can do is simply move on.

I'm going to listen to the music that I enjoy, and support the artists that help me find joy or help me feel seen, and that's what I did this weekend.

You know what? It was so much fun.

Magically,
-j

Seattle, WA
13 October 2024 :: Canon EOS M6 Mark I :: f/6.3 2s :: ISO-800

Dear Stranger;

The weather is likely going to start closing in this week, and I missed out on yesterday's absolutely crystal clear skies, so I made do with what I could and ventured out to see if I could photograph C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) while I had a chance. It should still be around if you're going to give it a try, appearing higher and higher each evening (albeit growing more and more faint as it heads back out into deep space). Fortunately, I was able to get one decent shot in.

I'm pretty happy with the result, it could always be better, but I can at least say I have one for the memories. Will definitely be looking for any and all opportunities that may present themselves in the coming week–fingers crossed.

How've you been?

Magically,
-j

P.S. happy Eras Tour Film anniversary to those who celebrate.

Seattle, WA
1 October 2024 :: Canon G7 X Mark III :: f/2.8 1/80s :: ISO-125

Dear Stranger;

I think a week ago, I tried to write something here, and the "Edit Post" window remained open for, well, a week. It was one of those weeks where I found myself seeing and processing more than operating in an output kind of mode, sometimes I will find myself taking the moment in through the eyes and ears and letting it be what it is rather than adding any additional meaning–sometimes more is just that: more.

Like those timelapses that show the leaves of a tree changing colour, I set a camera to record the sunset, hoping to turn the imperceptible into something noticeable as the earth rotated my location away from the sun and on that day, a cargo flight heading to Taipei (China Airlines Cargo flight 5335) turned west and climbed into the clouds in front of me. I did try to capture it because I was hoping the size of the 747 and its wake turbulence would create a neat effect with the sunset clouds. In the end it was fairly basic, nothing more than a visible trail, but it still left the evidence of an event unique to me nonetheless, and that's what I find rewarding when it comes to sitting outside hoping the clouds change colours–it's the icing on an already beautiful cake.

Maybe it's those little things that I enjoy, hoping there might be others that enjoy it to the degree that they'll stay an extra hour after the sun physically sets, watching it all change in one final burst for that given day.

The real magic sometimes happens long after what we think is the end of the performance.

Magically,
-j

Seattle, WA
27 September 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/2.2 1/30s :: ISO-2000

Dear Stranger;

I suppose I'm still thinking about spring and all the beautiful times and all of the places I've been and the places I'd like to revisit and visit. There's a part of me that feels like all of these destinations come with some kind of insight that leads to some kind of personal growth such that the person at the beginning of the trip is different from the person at the end. It could be a monumental change or it could be a nudge in a new direction, in the end, it's a change.

There was a story that shared a post that I came across today and it said:

as you get older
you will change
these transformations
are a wonderful thing
some people may recall
an older version of you
but that's not you anymore
you don't have to go back
you can be you, now
you can keep transforming

I think it captures an important component of what I've been experiencing lately. That's all I've got for now, I'm sure I'll be thinking more about this in the coming weeks.

Magically,
-j

Stockholm, Sweden
20 May 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/2.2 1/160s :: ISO-40

Dear Strangers;

How did over half of September slip through already? Right now, I just want to solo adventure and make videos and things. I want to be creative, but I also want to be in a better place, a little further along in the financial recovery from my last relationship, so that's what I'm working on for now. It's a balance, for sure, to stay on pace but also to give oneself permission to live a little and for that I'm grateful for the friends that help me keep track of that and remind me that it's okay to take a break every so often and be nice to yourself.

I truly appreciate these friends and these kind gestures.

Magically,
-j