Dead Peoples Stuff
April wanderings
4/14/2026
A day off from the new job, which consists of hard physical labor running maintenance at a quaint camp nestled along the Hudson River in Corinth, NY. My body is a little tired from the combination of morning exercise, work, and skateboarding in the evenings. I decided to go have a heavy breakfast at Compton’s Diner, which consisted of pancakes, eggs, and sausage patties — not links, in case you were wondering. Following breakfast, I took the short stroll over to the public library to continue work on a photography grant. Since the weather on my day off is filled with gloom and rain, I’ll take it as the universe telling me to buckle down, stay inside, and finish this thing up. It is, after all, due next week.
Before I dive into that, I did manage to get around to developing a few rolls of film I shot throughout April into the beginning of this month. It’s a hodgepodge of events and sights I took in: flea markets, the skate park, the Albany museum, and a No Kings protest in Saratoga Springs.
The No Kings protest was actually quite good for such a small town. Lots of people were out, some dressed in costume, some with clever signs, and some just there to support the idea of democracy. I had with me my little Olympus XA camera and shot a handful of frames that caught my eye. It wasn’t a march, so my brother and I, carrying the brilliant signs he designed, walked our way up and down Broadway — me taking photos, one hand on my sign, the other on my camera, while others took photos of the signs we carried. Art mimicking life mimicking art. Or whatever that saying is.
The trip to the Albany museum turned out to be fun. I usually get restless after about 30 mins in any museum. I hadn’t been there since elementary school, and if I’m being honest, not much has changed with the installations since then. Some of the dust on said exhibits might be older than I am. It was nostalgic to walk around with friends, ride the carousel, and reminisce about years passed. It’s free to get in, so should you find yourself in Albany, NY, definitely have a poke around. Oh, and go eat Nepalese momo dumplings — they are just up the road and so fuckinnng delicious.
The big Washington County fairgrounds had its biannual flea market, which I try to go to every year since moving back. Usually, I’m on the hunt for film cameras and vintage clothes. I managed to score a nice Minolta point-and-shoot for $2. I remembered to bring batteries to test cameras this time. It was cold and windy, so after a few hours my friend Hayden and I decided to warm up with some lunch. On the way out, we noticed a funny sign indicating dead people’s things for sale. I took two photos and carried on, not giving too much thought to it. Upon developing the film, I discovered something strange that appeared in the negative at first glance: a dense streak right by the sign. Once scanned, it became clear — look at the halo around the black sign. It’s not a reflection, and it’s not a light leak. I speculate, from my years of experience with ghost stories told by my mother, that it is, in fact, just the dead people hanging around to see how much money their goods might pull at the market.
Oh, one other thing. I walked through A tattoo convention, which was stuffy and strange to say the least. Convention halls typically are that way: no windows, fluorescent lights, poor ventilation. It smelled of antibacterial solution, which was obviously being used to wipe away excess ink mixed with blood from the flesh of patrons being drawn on. They did have a funny show going on in the back corner. A sword-balancing belly dancer was performing to strange techno music, which could barely be heard over the loud buzz of tattoo machines plunging ink into skin. Two old people sat watching the performance. I’m not sure if they were just resting their feet, maybe the performer’s parents, or just genuinely interested. Which ever it may be, it was actually quite confusing.
Well, enough rambling. I have to get to work now. My phone is buzzing with Connect team updates. I’m guessing it’s the schedule for next week, usually released on Thursdays. I’m hoping this grant thing works out. Putting so much time and energy into someone else’s business instead of making my art is heart-wrenching. But, I’ll use it as motivation to jump through the fine-art hurdles of writing stuffy grant submissions. Wish me luck, or find me some commissions. I’m fine with either one.
Till next time.
Oh wait, here a few others that are just results of being out in the world.
