A kingdom for a box...

In preparation for a meeting with a potential client, I wanted to do something different in hopes of leaving a good impression. This work would be something I care very much about. So instead of the usual stuff, I wanted to bring along a box of carefully selected and crafted 8x10 prints that we could take out, put on a conference table, hold in our hands and talk about. I am reasonably confident about the prints (although I am sure that the day before the meeting I will be convinced they are all shit – c’est la vie). What I need now is a simple, black museum photo print box. Well, not so fast my friends. Such an extravagant item cannot be purchased locally. That’s not a surprise, half the time you can’t find parsley in the grocery store so I can’t say that I am shocked museum boxes are unavailable. So online I go. The best Vistek can do is a 13x19 box (way too big) for $64.99 plus tax and shipping. A cool $100 for a cardboard box! A perfect sized box is available at Archival Methods for $44. Not terrible! Oh wait, the cheapest shipping is $64!!!! So maybe etsy is the answer. And it is. There are all sorts of lovely boxes that would be perfect if I were willing to pay $250 for them or shell out anywhere between $60-$80 on shipping. Sigh. So I think I have a little weekend DIY project on my hands. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I am not going to leave you here with nothing but a rant. Here is a wonderful, well-written, beautifully told piece of journalism I wish we got more of. Ilir Gashi in The Balkans’ alternative postal system: an ad-hoc courier’s tale tells a story on how the people of the Western Balkans keep the connections open despite conflicts and official obstacles.

The photo above is the student residence portion of Memorial University’s Signal Hill Campus aka the old Battery hotel.