I took the train to L.A. to visit an old friend. He’s so the same! He’s even more the same than he used to be. But that’s another story. On the final day of my visit, he went to work and I was left to spend a grueling day shopping. "Don’t even try the antique stores...you won’t find a single affordable item." I was warned.

Well, well, well. The very first shop I stepped into presented me with a lovely Rover at a mere pittance. It had film in it, but the film hadn’t been exposed due to the fact that a tiny piece of plastic on the take-up assembly was broken off.

Once at home, away from the aroma of L.A. (silicone and wax), I super glued a plastic bead onto the broken part. This worked for an exposure or two, then broke off again. I resorted to exposing an image, then going into the darkroom or using the changing bag, to advance the film, each time guessing where the next frame should start. That’s a chunk of my life that I’ll never get back. I’d already covered the camera in foil, removing the light-leak variable. But, guess what? I forgot that I was still using the ancient film that originally came with the camera. The one variable that truly mattered hadn’t been removed. Imagine my chagrin when I saw that paper backing on my darkroom counter after I’d loaded the film into the developing tank. I think it even said "Safety Film" on it. In the end, everything turned out totally muddy-looking because of old fogged film. Everything except one image, that is. I rather like the black Barbie silhouette.

Back to the camera: It’s a Diana in all of her glory. All of her silly settings work. The Barbie shot is a tripod one. I believe her focus spot is just a bit left of center. The images are tough to make out due to the old film, but the classic Diana edge distortion is discernable. I plan to experiment with more glue and plastic on that take-up winder.