The Kodak Disc 4000 – what a camera!!!

Well you most likely do not remember that camera but it was an early 80’s technological marvel. Why the hell is writing about this you might be asking……. Well it started with my recent reconnection with guy I served with in Illinois while attending electronics schooling, we were best of buddy’s while stationed together and then just kind of lost track of each other. For those who have served you know what I mean. Anyway the other day I was saw an old CJ5 jeep with the Renegade decal package and I laughed in amusement because I had one of those back in the day. If you have a collection of the magazine, Peterson’s 4-wheel and Off Road go back in the collection to 1984 and you will find a picture of me and my Jeep.

So when I was there I was much younger much more dimwitted (I know, even more than I am now) and on top of that I still drank. WHEW….. Anyway we used to go 4-wheeling all the time, I can not remember the names of any of the places and I suspect even if I were there again I would not be able to find them again. There were a group of us in the barracks that had four wheel drives and almost without fail, on the weekends we were tearing something up. It was great fun and no one got hurt so we had that going for us. Joe and I hung out a lot there, I remember we installed cruise control on his car and in the instructions it clearly stated to turn the potentiometer to mid point to start with. Well there was no way that was happening, we turned it all the way up and on our first test we found learned they actually knew what they were talking about. When Joe hit the cruise button the gas pedal hit the floor, I do not remember the model car it was but it was red and when he hit that button it took off like a scolded dog. Hahaha, makes me laugh just remembering it.

So after reconnecting with him on Facebook I decided to pull out some OLD photo albums to see if I could find any pictures of Joe, and I did. It was one where we were in my Jeep and it was dark, I seem to remember we were stuffing our sleeves with beers before going into see the Rocky Horror Picture show. I posted it up on his page, his response was funny – “Wow, that is a blast from the past”. It certainly was, it is amazing how different we become with age, not only inside but outside as well. He also commented, “That's weird that you would even have a camera. Nobody carried around cameras back then” to which I got to thinking, he’s right. How many people had cameras when they were teenagers, not now but in the early 80’s? I always had cameras and being that I am a gadget head from way back I bought the Kodak Disc 4000 camera when I got out of boot camp. I had a 35mm Pentax but that was not something you just drug around with you, you might be confused with a tourist. So the first trip out of boot camp in Orlando I bought that camera and I bought and Kozo Ohsone’s little invention – they called it the Sony walkman.

Both those items were ahead of their time, in my opinion anyway. The walkman played audio cassettes, for those of you who remember what those are, it was crude by today standards but was a technological marvel of the late 70’s. I even got an optional am/fm tuner – it was the exact size and shape of a cassette and you popped it in like a cassette. Man, looking back that seems so hokie. I remember being blown away by the small (not by today’s standards) headphones and the incredible sound that a cassette player offered in such a small package. It was cool and therefore I was cool because I had one of them. Was I the only one who thought like that back then or was that common? Anyway, I was all of 18 and I was all set, I had the very cool Sony Walkman and the very cool Kodak Disc 4000.

So the Disc 4000 was one of many models that Kodak sold, and there were many other makers of the Disc series of cameras. The Disc series was designed to be a still photography film format aimed at the consumer market, it was introduced by Kodak in 1982. That camera was not all that different that the Nikon 14.3 megapixel camera I have today, in size only. The film came in a flat disc and was fully enclosed in a plastic cartridge. Each disc held fifteen 11 × 8 mm exposures, arranged around the outside of the disc, with the disc being rotated 24° between each image. 11x8mm is TINY and even 4x6 photos were a bit grainy, 5x7’s were bad and an 8x10 – FORGET it, it looked like butt. It was really a very consumer-oriented point and shot camera, aside from the 110 (which was 13 × 17 mm so it looked a little better). The 126 cameras were still a little better than both of them, the term "126" was intended to show that images were 26mm square, using Kodak's common 1xx film numbering system. However the image size is actually 28 x 28 mm, but usually reduced to approximately 26.5 x 26.5 mm by masking during printing or mounting

So this technological marvel actually produced the worse looking pictures of any of them, but it was small and shaped like a modern day digital point and shot and that made it cool, which made me cool just by having one. I can not remember how many “discs” of film I shot on that camera before it gave up on me. While the base model disc 2000 used a replaceable 9 volt battery but the more advanced Disc 4000 had an integral lithium battery and an automatic low light detection. Both the battery and the low light detection in a 60 dollar camera were unheard of in those days. You could not even open the thing to change the lithium battery, it had to be sent back to an authorized repair facility, like I would do that. The completely flat nature of the disc format (about an eighth of an inch thick) led to the (potential) advantage of greater sharpness over spool-based formats such as 110 and 126 cameras, it was more like a floppy disc or even a large memory stick than anything else. Although the camera was discontinued in 1988 the film was available from Kodak until December 31, 1999.

It still makes me look back and laugh at this camera, by today’s standards a 6 dollar point and shot disposable from Walgreens takes pictures that are magnitudes of order better in quality. I cannot imagine a negative that is only 8x11 mm hahaha. So compared to today’s best of breed point and shot digitals, the old Disc 4000 seems crazy. That was not the last camera I purchased though, I have since had many other camera’s. My all-time favorite is my Nikon F3 HP with auto winder and 14 lenses, what a great film camera, the best film camera in my opinion. I have taken thousands of pictures with it and it is still my very favorite. I did move into the digital camera world in the late 90’s with the Polaroid PDC 700, the Disc 4000 of digital cameras. It was an 800kilopixel marvel. Yeah, not even one megapixel. My Bride got it for me for a couple hundred bucks and it was cool, which made me cool. It had 4meg of internal storage so you could take about 50 pictures in normal mode, 1024x768, it completely wiped out the four AA batteries taking those 50 pictures. That is the size I shrink pictures down to now to get them through the email, hahaha. It had a fixed-focus lens with a focal length of 5mm and it connected to the serial port on my Windows 95 machine. It used a TWAIN driver and it was a PAIN IN THE ASS to setup and it was SLOW to the pictures off.

So today I have three digitals, a Nikon S220, and Nikon S570 and a Nikon S6000 and I love them all. They are a 10, 12 and 14 megapixel marvels for sure and each was around 200 bucks when I bought them. They take stunning pictures that come flying off the camera onto my computer at blazing speeds. It makes me wonder if I will be looking back on these cameras I have now in 10 years going, WOW 14 megapixel – what a piece of crap compared to my new 200 dollar 500gigapixel model. Funny how todays cutting edge gadgets quickly become tomorrows trash.

Someone asked me yesterday, how do you stay married for 20 years? What is the secret – well here is what is working for me.

My immediate response was, marry your best friend. After thinking about it some more, I still think that is the secret to our success, we are still, best friends. We started dating a long time ago now but after all this time we still do not sweat the small stuff. When we first started living together, and yes that was in the barracks at a little base in Maryland, we talked bluntly about our expectations. When I say expectations, I mean about everything from how the lid was to be installed on the toothpaste tube to how to position the chair when pushed under the table. We talked about EVERYTHING, and still do. I remember one of our first dates Bride telling me, “no one is going to take your food”. I was a seafaring sailor and when out to sea in rough weather one might wrap their arm around the tray that held that days gruel. While that was perfectly acceptable on a ship full of men when trying to keep ones tray in front of ones self and not on the floor, it was not quite as acceptable at a restaurant while on a date – who knew was my response? Well I am glad she told me instead of just determining there was something permanently wrong with me and running away like her ass was on fire and her head was catching. I guess I was so used to eating like that I did not even notice how odd it actually was.

I remember taking her back to my hometown of Millerstown Ohio, which to some might seem a little odd and potentially Steven King like. She did hit it off with Granny and my Dad but was concerned that if we were to continue our relationship she might end living up there. And, she told me so, I laughed and told her I had NO plans to move back to Ohio when my military service was up. We talked about the “L” word but we never used it, no need. We were going to hang out with each other until we got tired of it and then we would go our own separate ways. That was until one day nearly 2 years into our relationship we said it, we loved each other. I remember the feeling, I already knew I was in love with her but it was the “L” word thing. I think it was three days later when I got a ring and proposed. Seems funny looking back, say I love you and three days later, I was on bended knee with ring. By the time I love you came tumbling out we were already in a committed relationship, I knew she was the one and she knew I was the other one. We set no date, we were just engaged and we decided in a few years we may legalize the long date I think is how she put it. Makes me laugh remembering, she always has made me laugh. We were married a while later and have been laughing together every since.

There are lots of things and lots of reasons it works, some complex and some just simple things. Sometimes no words or explanations can describe the feeling I get when I see her smiling at me, she is so special to me. My heart still races when I hear her say I love you. I can count the fights we have had in 20 years on one finger, we just don’t let things reach the level that we are pissed off, because no one makes very good choices when they are pissed. Talking about it, whatever it is - seems to be working for us. We do not take each other for granted, when we were dating I remember people watching. It is still a hobby of ours by the way. Anyway we would pick out the people, especially eating out, who were married, the ones who were dating and the ones who were on that ever important first date. Some married folks can get all the way through diner without as much as word to each other. I pray I never get that disinterested in my bride – if I do someone shoot me, in the head and multiple times! We kiss each time we separate and each time we meet back up, maybe not from the back yard to the front but if one of is leaving the house we always kiss and say we love you. Life is too short to take that little step for granted.

We have, over time, figured out what chores we wanted to do and oddly that has worked out. She does the laundry because I hate to and she does not complain when I seem unable to get my socks right side out when I take them off – ever. I take care of the yard because she does not like messing with the landscaping, bugs and worms are not her thing. I take care of the trash, she takes care of the dishes, I take care of vehicle maintenance and she takes care of dinner. Seems like a simple enough thing right, then why doesn’t it work for some folks? We do these things because the other one does not like to and we don’t hold that against one another. I am not saying that I have never done dishes or that Bride has never toted the trash but our routine works for us. It seems that maybe it is just being courteous to each other, taking her feelings into account first when making decisions or doing things. I like to make her happy and whatever I have to do to see her smile is worth it to me, and she feels the same about me. It is not hard, if you really love the person, and we do – MADLY.

A number of years into our journey we also discovered something else, we are really odd people and most likely no one else would have either one of us. We are each others lot in life, I for one love my lot. I am not saying that we have not had rough spots on our trip, we have. We have made VERY good money and we have been so broke we could not pay attention. We have ridden through the loss of parents and the loss of friends. We have watched friends start dating and to see those unions blossom into meaningful relationships that have produced couples with kids – you have been a special joy Scott and Sarah – and now Jack. We have been through two back surgeries and all that is involved with that. We have chased what we thought were our dreams and then realized that it was actually our dreams chasing us. We have reevaluated what was important to us and made life adjustments together, some easy, some not so much. The most important thing was that we kept each other first - always. We have dealt with addiction and helped others climb that mountain. We are still working our way through a bipolar disorder diagnosis, that part of the ride has been the most interesting to date but we are still moving forward and we are still together – still watching other people and being amused. We have adjusted our course so many times that it makes me wonder, in awe, as I look back on our journey so far how lucky a man I am.

As we examine our lives we begin to realize that some people come into our lives and pass quickly by but the impact of those short relationships can be powerful and life changing. Other folks we meet on the ride stay come in and stay awhile, they track footprints across our hearts and they change us forever. Someone, somewhere said “love is like temporary madness”, I could not disagree more. Love to me is more like a great pair of jeans, broke in and comfortable. As great as that puppy love was at the beginning of our relationship the deeper love that has evolved from that is so much better and I wish that feeling for everyone I know. To me true love is what is left over when “being in love” has burned away, it is truly beautiful art and I am so fortunate to have gotten to sit and stare for a while and figure out what it means to me. So my parting advice would be this, be slow in choosing your friends and even slower in choosing your best friend and be even slower in attempting to change them – then marry them!

I Love you Sandy, thanks for being my Best Friend and sharing this great ride with me!

BTW, she has been taking a nap on her chair, less than two feet from me, while I wrote this 

A blast from the past on Facebook – Mike Rosencranz, who I have not seen or heard from since the mid 1980’s

I have found a lot of people on Facebook over the year or two that I have played on it, but the other day I found Mike Rosencranz. We were friends when we were kids serving on the USS Stump, a Spruance class destroyer that has since been turned into a reef on the oceans bottom. I have reconnected with other friends on that ship and the other ship I served on, the USS Gettysburg as well as the shore duty stations I spent time at. With Mike it is different, we have a life long bond. Not anything weird and it is not that we were inseparable in those day, we just shared some really good times together while serving in the Navy. So what is our lifelong bond? It is a scar, mine is on my right arm and his is on his left. They are identical, about an inch and half long and about three quarters of an inch wide, more on that later.

In 1985 we were on a UNITAS cruise, which is a four month show of the flag around South America, at the end of that we had a WATC, or west African training cruise so the cruise totaled 6 months. That was my first 6 month cruise, so I was apprehensive and excited at the same time. Going through the Panama Canal was kind of bittersweet, it was very cool but I was on the sea and anchor detail so we had to work our asses off for what seemed like days straight. It was very cool to use the canal, Teddy Roosevelt got this project started after the failure of the French and most all of the original mechanisms and controls are still being used, they do not build things like that anymore. The design was ingenious, not that I dwelled on that for long though, when we got through the canal and we got liberty and we were all out in the bars, all the coolness of the canal drowned in cheap beer, at least for me.

There were many adventures on that cruise, many I can talk about, many I won’t talk about and still more I probably don’t remember. Anyway, we hit Rio de Janeiro Brazil and my little hillbilly ass thought I had died and gone to heaven. YES it is that cool there! So Mike and I decided we needed tattoo’s, it was not such a popular thing like it is now outside of sailors. So we find a place, the guy did not speak any English, at least that is way I remember it. I was reminded by Mike that he would not tattoo us if we were drunk so I think we came back the next day or maybe later that day. I selected an Eagle, flying through a sun with flames on it. I was a bit nervous when after he shaved my arm, he used the lid of the shaving cream to outline the sun. Nothing would deter me though. So it seemed like it took a long time to get through and it really hurt where the skin is soft but I got through it. When he was done he tells us he is tied and to come back tomorrow so he can ink Mike.

I am not sure if we went back and could not find him or we pulled out but my friend Mike never got inked. He served 20 years in the US Navy and never did get that tattoo. Not sure what that meant for him but the one chance he had slipped through his fingers, or should I say – off his arm. I remember my Mom askin me, “where did you get the tattoo”, I said “in Rio” and she laughed and asked what part of your body did you get a tattoo. I remember thinking that was funny. When we left Rio we went up the coast to Recife Brazil, WHEW, not sure why I mention that because I do not think I can tell one story about that port of call that would suitable for distribution. I can say we took over some 2nd floor bar and a GREAT time was had by all! We left there and went to Africa, which was not a bad trip, lots happened there as well and much beer was consumed. I think it was in Dakar Senegal that I broke my eardrum, it was either there or Freetown in Sierra Leone. I remember drinking a lot of beers from gigantic gold cans, I have no idea what kind of beer it was but it was good. I fell or slid off a very high diving board and somehow hit the water on my side, the pressure of the water perforated my eardrum instantly. I knew something bad had happened right away, even though I was VERY drunk I headed on back to the ship. After that is was back to Puerto Rico and then back to Norfolk.

Well Norfolk is where we got our matching scars. This is the story, the best I can remember it, anyone who may have been there please correct me if you find errors. I can say without doubt that this is how I remember it all happening. Mike and I were at a bar drinking whatever it was we were drinking when a few other friends showed up. I can’t remember who they were, other than one was Jeff, a large and gregarious friend with screaming red hair. There was also a woman with us but neither of us could remember who she was or who she was with. I also can’t remember what bar we were in or who drove us there, or home for that matter. So here we are, minding our own business, having some cold beverages when our friends start buying us shots and then double shots of tequila. I was not a tequila drinker and I do not think Mike was either. Well somewhere along the line we thought it would be a good idea, or at least our somewhat more sober friends thought it would be a good idea, if we, Mike and I, were to put our arms together and drop a cigarette between them to see who pulls away first. Childish and STUPID I know but we were young and plowed on Tequila. Well it seems that neither of us pulled away, so I was told the next day. So they decided to stoke up a couple of cigarettes and alternate them in there. Still nothing from Mike or my drunk ass.

Not sure how long that lasted but they must have at some point grown bored and let it go, not before we each had a scar that bonded us for life. It is about an inch and a half long and about three quarters of inch wide and it took a very long time to heal. I remember the next day waking up in excruciating pain and making my way to the head to wash off my right arm, there were still ashes in the wound. At that point I was unsure what had happened the night before but was looking forwarding to hearing the story. It was a few minutes later that Mike came in and he started washing out an eerily similar scar on his left arm. We just looked at each other and laughed. We knew that we would be unable to go to sick bay to get treatment, alcohol related incidents did not look good in the record so we struggled through the healing process. He slept on the bottom rack and I slept on the top with Eddie Kelso in the middle so we got to compare notes every morning. I wonder what ever happened to Eddie Kelso?

Well over the years I have told many stories about that scar and I have quit drinking as well. My favorite story about it started in Alexandria Egypt and ended in the kings chamber of the Pyramid of Cheops and had Egyptian police and military chasing us. That story is too long for this oratory. The most common and the one I ended up telling my Mom was that my arm got pinched between the exhaust manifold of my Nova and the shock tower. I fFelt bad fibbing to Mom but that truth was just too embarrassing, at least it was at the time – must not be so embarrassing anymore because here I am sharing it with the world.

Mike, thanks for being my buddy all those years ago and I am really happy that we have at least reconnected in Facebook, which may lead to meeting up in person again someday.