Polaroids, Santa Fe, Confusion, and Barbra

So, there was big news today: hardly a year after Polaroid’s factories closed their doors, the company that owns its licensing rights announced that it will produce Polaroids again!  The Impossible Project, a group that’s been working to produce Polaroid film for old cameras, will be making the film. To those of us who have spent months and months mourning the death of Polaroids, this is kind of a shock. I’m more of an Old Testament girl, but I believe there’s something like this that happens in the bible. It’s called Easter.

In the world of obsolescence, this is big news. Indeed, it makes my book’s section on Polaroids look…obsolete! Which I guess is okay, because it’s in a book called Obsolete. As a chronicler of such things, I regret that I didn’t jump on this news earlier today. My excuse? I’m in Santa Fe, and everything here seems a little complicated somehow. Little tasks seem strangely difficult: getting online, spelling Albuquerque, calling a cab. (There’s only one taxi service here and the dispatcher is a douche bag. I informed him of this fact. If you want to tell him yourself, his number is 505-438-0000). Other confusions: twice today I said I was in San Francisco. Same initials! Once I told someone I was in Arizona. I’m going to blame the altitude. That, and the fact that I’ve had George Costanza’s answering machine message playing on loop in my head all day.

Currently, I’m sitting in a hotel room that doesn’t have a channel guide on the TV. Talk about obsolete! I feel bereft. I’ve been trying to find The Daily Show for an hour but gave up and am now watching Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal in the 1979 film The Main Event. This would be a bit of alright were it not dubbed in Spanish.

All that is to say that I’m aware I was not a very good blogger today. BUT, I did find someone with an obsolete tattoo. May I present:

TATTOOS OF OBSOLETE OBJECTS: Vol. III, Is. 6

This is Vanessa O’Brien, age 20. She told me she got this keyhole because it reminded her of some important things that happened to her a few years ago. She didn’t elucidate but it’s a keyhole and it’s on her chest, so I’m guessing…she had a locksmith give her a boob job. Honestly, at first glance I thought it was the generic women’s bathroom symbol minus the arms and the legs. But, like I said, I seem to be a little slow today.

But wait! I also found an entry for The Pay Phone Project. This one is Volume X, Is. 1. I spotted it at the College of Santa Fe. More notable than the pay phone, however, is the lynched phone book hanging below it. Clearly, this a hard economy for telephone directories. I hope the Santa Fe cab company buys ads by the dozen.

2

OBSOLETE CONTEST SUBMISSION DAY 2: Carrying change for the phone

From Bobbie Rothman of Rydal, PA:

“I borrowed my 13-year-old daughter’s small purse last night for a party. When I returned it to her she told me I had left some change in it. I told her to keep it in there, that a girl should always have change in case she needs to make a call. I didn’t realize what I said until she looked at me oddly. It was very weird— in a time warp kind of way….”

(Click her for contest information)