Of course, she would have to say it out loud. Vivian never does know when sharing time is over. A group of tweens is watching us. They look like the kind of people who would go to the scene of an accident just to watch somebody else's misery.

“I mean, hell, I could do better in my fucking backyard!”

Preteen giggles. I hate children. Vivian doesn't even hear them, she's too busy being indignant. I sigh, knowing her path of righteousness may last a while.

“Lorig, are you even listening to me?”

“I am, I am.” I'm not. I tend to tune her out when she starts ranting. Vivian would make an excellent martyr but her skills are wasted here.

Her glum eyes look across the fairground. We've already been on the ferris wheel, played some of the games. We've already eaten the bad food, seen the strange folk at the side show: the Twin Dwarves, the Blind Waltzers, and the Bearded Lady. There must be more.

She harrumphs and looks at me, waiting. She wants me to figure it out, give her something to do.

I cast my eye about, past the Three-Dollar-A-Toss booth, past the half-empty popcorn stand, “There.”

She follows my gaze.

“A fortune-teller.” She states it, waiting for me to contradict her.

“Exactly, unless you're too scared.”

She can't resist that one. For a moment, I think she's going to laugh at me for using such a grade school trick but she just rolls her eyes and heads towards the tent. I follow her through the curtain and wait as our eyes adjust to the darkness.

Silks. No vials, skulls, crystals, amulets. Just a room, the walls and floor covered with cloths.

“Ah,” an alto's voice sounds in a sigh as a curtain is pushed aside and a woman materialises. She has a snake (charmer)'s eyes and a mouth to match. Beautiful isn't the right word. This woman is a sweet release, the poison in a suicide's veins.

Vivian doesn't see it. She holds the woman's gaze, a challenge.

“Vivian...” I edge away from the woman, no sudden movements. I reach for Vivian's wrist but she jerks it away.

“How much?”

“How much is it worth?” A snake's hiss.

“Vivian.” She brushes me away.

“What am I paying for?”

“Pictures... as many as you like.”

“Viv-”

“A picture?” she smirks, “A picture's worth a thousand words.”

Smart ass.

“Done.” The charmer has vanished, leaving the snake free to creep from its basket, “have a seat.”

Their eyes locked, they sit with their legs tucked beneath them.

The woman doesn't pull out a crystal ball or a deck of Tarot. She doesn't examine Vivian's palm. A lover's stare hangs in the air between them and the third wheel stands near the door.

My friend smiles. Stands. Looks to me.

“And you,” the woman hisses, “would you also like... a picture?”

“No, thank you.” I hate the quiver in my voice.

The woman's eyes caress my insides. My lashes flicker downwards and she stands and leaves the way she came.

Without a word, Vivian and I leave the snake pit. We haven’t walked far before she looks back at the tent, memorizing the sight for future reference.

“Don’t go back.”

“And why not? You didn't see what I did. She showed me everything.” I've heard Vivian drunk too often before to not recognize the tone of her voice.

“Well then, if you've already seen everything, there's nothing left.” She rolls her eyes. “Please, I just-” I stumble, “I just don’t like that woman.” How could I sanely express there was something wrong with her eyes?

“Fine. Don’t go back. Just don’t try to stop me. I haven’t seen everything yet but I will.” She pauses, “I saw your future, did you know that? I saw your fucking future. I know more about your life than you do. I don’t care what you do: don’t go back, live in ignorance. I don’t give a shit.” She smiles to herself, “Damn, if only you’d seen what I-”

“What?” Her eyes go wide and her mouth opens and closes. “Viv, what’s wrong with you?” Mute, she clutches her throat, her lips screaming my name.

Written May 25th 2008

Den 16. maj oprettede jeg en Facebook gruppe, hvis mål var at få samlet så mange folk som muligt, og med et godt bagland var det planen at henvende sig til Toms. Der blev også startet en online underskriftindsamling hvilket har fået opbakning af ca. 3000 mennesker. Så man kan sige at vi har vundet kampen, selvom der ikke vil komme slikposer kun med enkelte varianter, f.eks. Kloakslam og Mågeklatter.

Toms siger samtidig, at det nu er op til forbrugerne om slikket trækkes tilbage igen. Så husk at støt og køb!
 

Ik wel...

De kunne have fejret 20 års jubilæum i år, men i stedet fik de dødsstødet. Med andre ord er det slut med Hundeprutter fra BonBon, der så dagens lys for første gang i 1988.

Det er ikke kun de brune lakridsbolsjer, der nu er historie. Toms, der har overtaget produktionen af BonBon-slik, har valgt, at det skal være helt slut med både Mågeklatter, Tissebleer, Ørevoks, Kloakslam, Andemad og alle de andre morsomme og velsmagende varianter.

For at vise vores ultifredshed har jeg startet en Facebook gruppe. Meld dig til og invitér alle din Facebook venner. Derudover er der startet en underskriftsindsamling her!

BonBon længe leve!

Links:
http://toms.dk/
http://ekstrabladet.dk/kup/madogdrikke/article1007244.ece
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33940811272

Det er vi nogle der ikke ønsker, derfor vil jeg på det kraftigeste anbefale dig at melde dig ind i vores facebookgruppe, som kan findes her: facebook.com

og derefter gå ind på: bonbon.underskrifter.dk

Kom så i gang!! - jeg vil stadig have min kloakslam!

However, yesterday I wanted to shoot a couple of things using full zoom (with the 250mm lens on the Canon) in less than ideal lighting so, gleefully rubbing hands together, drag out the Slik ("drag" being rather more than just a figurative expression, given its size and weight), and start getting set up.

Extending all the legs I find the camera's a bit too high for the angle I want, so collapse down the endmost leg-sections. Hmm. Bit too low now. Clearly an opportunity to use (for the first time) the centre column adjustment (which leaves me with my first criticism of the Slik... would have been much better had they utilised some sort of crank handle rather than knurled knob and manual adjustment).

First though, the scene... I've already attached the camera to the head and tilted it cos I'm after a portrait view.
The head of the tripod's quite weighty on its own, and with the Canon and long lens attached plus the newly-acquired battery grip that's now appended to the bottom of the camera, the entire assembly is a fair old lump.

Remembering the caution that I'd read in the completely unnecessary instruction leaflet that came with the tripod, I'm extremely careful adjusting the centre column (the caution warned of the danger of adjusting the height of the column with camera attached as one's hand could become trapped and be injured or at the very least subject to significant pain should the column accidentally slip down before being secured at the desired height!).
So you wouldn't believe how careful I was being... paranoid, one could almost say. Cos I really don't like pain.

And I succesfully managed to avoid getting my hand trapped at any point in the proceedings.
Unfortunately, at some stage I inadvertently, and rather sharply, moved the pan handle... and was promptly smacked in the face by this lump on the head of the 'pod.
How I managed to avoid drawing blood, or at the least sustaining bruising and/or concussion I know not, but I don't think I'll be doing that again in a hurry!

Damn dangerous, this photography lark.

The Slik PRO 700DX tripod

According to Slik's UK website (www.sliktripod.co.uk) this bit of kit's construction (the legs mainly) includes their "A.M.T. super titanium alloy" whilst other sources have it that the tripod's made from titanium and magnesium.
Again according to Slik this alloy "has a 40% greater strength to weight ration than standard aluminum, meaning the legs are lighter weight yet stronger than the standard metal used in most of today's tripods".

Whatever.

I haven't had either the need or opportunity yet to use it in a real-time situation, but here's some first impressions...

Without doubt the thing's a bit of a beast... in the nicest possible way. It arrives fully assembled (all you need do is screw the two handles into their appropriate holes) and my first thought was, "Bloody hell, its huge!"
Indeed it is. The official specs are:

Maximum Operating Height: 76.80"/1,950mm
Minimum Operating Height: 16.25"/413mm
Center Column Extension: 14.0"/380mm
Folded Length: 32.4"/823mm
Weight: 6.95lbs/3,152g
Number of Leg Sections: 3
Leg Lock Type: Speed Release Lock
Maximum Load: 15.00lbs/6,800g

The legs may well be lightweight, but that simply comfirms immediate impression that the head's where most of the weight is.
The other immediate impression, having erected it, is one of total confidence. Plonk a camera on this and it simply ain't going anywhere at all.

Its got a three-way pan head with a quick-release plate; a reversible centre column (meaning you can hang your camera beneath the tripod for low and/or macro shots (and even conceivably use it to hold a copy camera... harking back to my days in the graphics trade); adjustable-angle legs (three positions), and comes complete with its own bag, all included in the price.

Now the price is an interesting thing...

This beast came out as "Best on Test" in a "Budget Tripod" review in February's issue of PhotoPlus, with a "target price" being quoted as £95.
In the real world however Jessops are currently selling this mouth-watering bit of kit for £159.99 (needless to say, that's not the price I paid for it).
However, I dunno about anyone else, but in my book it hardly qualifies as a "budget tripod".

Its not all roses though. This certainly isn't the sort of thing you'd want to be carrying with you all the time. Not because of the weight however.

One concern I had whilst awaiting delivery (triggered by my complete failure to check the weight before I set about acquiring it and then discovering that it comes in at nearly 7lbs - typical me!) was that the thing would simply be too heavy for any practical use at all (a major concern given that I don't own a car and therefore walk everywhere local or rely on public transport for longer journeys).
Oddly, however, the weight turned out not to be a problem. Its actually round about the same weight as the kit I normally carry around with me (couple of cameras - carry two cos I'm paranoid about getting dust on the sensor when changing lenses, spare batteries, spare memory cards, lenspen, three or four filters etc) so it sort of balances... tripod on one shoulder, camera bag on t'other.
I've been lugging the thing around for the best part of the past coupla days and weight-wise it really hasn't been an issue.
Where the real problem arises however is in the sheer size of the thing - fully collapsed its about 32.5" long... that's huge!
Trucking around with it in a bag on my shoulder I was fully expecting to get stopped by the cops at any moment on suspicion that I was carrying a gun or something!
And if you want to stop to snap a few quick pics you obviously have to put the thing down... and just hope that you don't get so engrossed in your photo-taking that you wander off without it, forgetting its there.

Another minor grouse I nearly had was with the bag - although this has now proved to be groundless.
Shoving my arm through the loops (which double up as handles for carrying as an ordinary bag) the thing just didn't seem to hang right, and I caught myself thinking "Well, if they'd just put a little bit more thought into designing a proper strap the thing could hang straight down from the shoulder."
However, I then discovered that this is indeed what it does (virtually) providing one carries it with the head down.
So no complaints there after all. And the material the bag's made from (something synthetic, and made in Thailand) appears to be moderately water-resistant. (Haven't extensively tested this, but I held the thing under a running cold-water tap for a few moments and there was no hint of dampness on the inside afterwards.)

In fact, aside from the size concern, I've got no complaints at all so far. Quite the reverse actually. I'm well impressed. Its incredibly well constructed, its solid, it inspires confidence. The sort of kit that one literally anticipates lasting a lifetime. (Apparently the "soft grip" or "leg sleeves" with which it comes equipped will degrade over time, and the manufacturer recommends replacing them when they become "ragged", but in my case I can't see that happening for ages, if at all).
Its a doddle to use; all the levers and stuff are easy and smooth in operation, and it even comes with an A4 four-page instruction leaflet with plenty of (for a pleasant change) accurate, informative, and easy-to-understand illustrations. As if one needed it!
However, I've already discovered that one needs to properly tighten the mounting screw to the base of the camera or risk having it swivel around at precisely the wrong moment!

And of course its maintenance free. As expected, the manufacturer warns against applying any oil or grease anywhere. All that should be needed to keep it functioning efficiently is the occasional clean with a mild detergent and a soft cloth.

For more snippets of info on this marvellous bit of kit be sure to check out the photoset I've uploaded to Flickr.

Just had an afterthought... its so big that with a bit of imagination and a large groundsheet thrown over it the thing could almost double up as a shelter in a sudden downpour :) !