TERCEL

Serendipity seems to have implanted an Apple ID either in/on my person without my consent. Yet, I am appreciative of the context of what took place prior to this particular evening. While attending a dear friend's photo gallery a Robin appeared. Naturally my compass gravitated in its direction due to my Leica CL being my trusted compass. Robin and I sang with one another for a brief moment and promised to continue later that evening after super.

Hours pass and I find myself in a nest of four who call themselves Tercel. Trust, my fear of birds stands tall, yet the presence of these four song birds brought me to a point of nostalgia that lives rent free in my head. As a young teenager I was fond of the film Scott Pilgrim vs The World by Edgar Wright. The film was my first film adaptation of a book that I ever witnessed since my main source of reading and entertainment at that age were comic books. I remember being engulfed in each individual frame for hours on end.The same applied when the film came except I then became an instant groupie much like Knives. How could you not like the energetic, eccentric, and authentically unique group of birds that sing to their own melodies.

Robin and his wife Savannah would be Scott and Ramona, Chris is Stephen, leaving Ben as Kim. My version of Sex Bob-Omb was in the flesh while preparing to record an EP. How do I cherish this moment? I looked around and noticed that the nest of which they sing was dimly lit with ample space. Old Wooden flooring much like an attic with a pair of window frames that overlook roofs of surrounding buildings; a 50’ gap of darkness that leads you to the next light source. A 20w Tungsten light bulb that has a slight flicker, but cute one that resembles a wink. When gazing at this spread of light from various angles I thought back to the only fortune cookie worth keeping “Do what you can with what you have, where you are.” I drew my Lecia and painted it with a red dot. The Knives in me had a F.T.E.S moment (First Time Expecting Something) as I developed these in my darkroom. Thank you Tercel for welcoming me to your nest.

-Zai