Wei, let me tell you a story about Gen and his alleged photographs.
I went to college with him, and Freshman Fall – I’ll leave out the year in case he’s pursuing any younger ladies who might be surprised to learn that Gen is 53 – oops – anyway (sorry Gen), Freshman Fall, Gen took about 5 rolls of pictures of some festivities surrounding homecoming weekend, which was a big deal at that time. We had an obscenely large bonfire, and a huge parade, although being under-age, there was no liquor (ahem). Now, Gen is actually a pretty good photographer – I and my friends had seen his work – and we were quite looking forward to seeing ourselves immortalized by Gen’s lense.
Towards the end of the fall, we asked Gen if he had developed the pictures yet. Apparently, he hadn’t – a busy academic schedule, he claimed, and, of course, a busy activist schedule, somehow attempting as a U.S. citizen to interfere in French Canadian politics – prevented him from realizing his artistic genius.
About one year later, we visited Mr. Kanai and asked him if we could see the pictures from that infamous homecoming. Our reasoning was that he probably just forgotten to mention to us that he had developed the film, and had an album we could flip through. Needless to say we were disappointed. However, we did get some good stories about the use of ice as sanitary wipes, and we saw Gen, for the first, last and only time, under 220 pounds.
I will spare you the intervening years, and cut to the end of the story. We finally saw the completed photographs, we think – at our fifth year college reunion, at night, by unsteady firelight, before they were secreted away once again.
So Wei, I offer you this: some time around Gen’s 62nd birthday in 2013, you might, if you visit Gen personally, and the lighting isn’t too revealing, and perhaps a wind is blowing, get to see some fraction of such photographs. Until then, I recommend you either visit New Zealand yourself – or buy a postcard somewhere with a picture of Dunedin or Christchurch on it and consider yourself satisfied.
cdg
Christian,
Thanks so much for the background. Apparently, Gen has just posted some pictures of some guy that looks just like him riding around NZ. Very clever. He probably read your posted and decided he needed to do something to quell the rumors that he in fact never went to NZ, has never ridden a bike, and doesn’t even own a camera. In any case, the photos are quite impressive, and the fellow pictured in those photos must have had a fantastic trip. The resemblance is uncanny.
Wei
Gen, can you please stop put-putting around and post your NZ pics already? Come on, you’ve been back how long?
))
Wei, let me tell you a story about Gen and his alleged photographs.
I went to college with him, and Freshman Fall – I’ll leave out the year in case he’s pursuing any younger ladies who might be surprised to learn that Gen is 53 – oops – anyway (sorry Gen), Freshman Fall, Gen took about 5 rolls of pictures of some festivities surrounding homecoming weekend, which was a big deal at that time. We had an obscenely large bonfire, and a huge parade, although being under-age, there was no liquor (ahem). Now, Gen is actually a pretty good photographer – I and my friends had seen his work – and we were quite looking forward to seeing ourselves immortalized by Gen’s lense.
Towards the end of the fall, we asked Gen if he had developed the pictures yet. Apparently, he hadn’t – a busy academic schedule, he claimed, and, of course, a busy activist schedule, somehow attempting as a U.S. citizen to interfere in French Canadian politics – prevented him from realizing his artistic genius.
About one year later, we visited Mr. Kanai and asked him if we could see the pictures from that infamous homecoming. Our reasoning was that he probably just forgotten to mention to us that he had developed the film, and had an album we could flip through. Needless to say we were disappointed. However, we did get some good stories about the use of ice as sanitary wipes, and we saw Gen, for the first, last and only time, under 220 pounds.
I will spare you the intervening years, and cut to the end of the story. We finally saw the completed photographs, we think – at our fifth year college reunion, at night, by unsteady firelight, before they were secreted away once again.
So Wei, I offer you this: some time around Gen’s 62nd birthday in 2013, you might, if you visit Gen personally, and the lighting isn’t too revealing, and perhaps a wind is blowing, get to see some fraction of such photographs. Until then, I recommend you either visit New Zealand yourself – or buy a postcard somewhere with a picture of Dunedin or Christchurch on it and consider yourself satisfied.
cdg
Christian,
Thanks so much for the background. Apparently, Gen has just posted some pictures of some guy that looks just like him riding around NZ. Very clever. He probably read your posted and decided he needed to do something to quell the rumors that he in fact never went to NZ, has never ridden a bike, and doesn’t even own a camera. In any case, the photos are quite impressive, and the fellow pictured in those photos must have had a fantastic trip. The resemblance is uncanny.
Wei