Stranger than fiction

Way back in the summer I promised myself that I would photograph a complete stranger, and that, instead of sneaking a picture, I would approach* someone and ask permission. This winter I finally managed to walk up to someone and do just that. With a fabulous winter hat like hers, how could I resist? It's not a good picture. I post it more to say that the first hurdle is over.
























*I feel ridiculous walking up to someone with my little pink point-and-shoot.

Happy Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day. I have read plenty of articles and blog posts about how people are against the rampant consumerism it promotes, and I can definitely understand that. But how can you be against a holiday that encourages you to tell the people you care about most (friends, family, boos) how you feel about them and that they are special to you? I think it's an awesome opportunity to stop and smell those cliched roses. Besides, you can always avoid the aisles of $4.99 stuffed bears at Wal-Mart and try making some homemade Valentines.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't always this understanding. Haha. I distinctly remember being 19 and much more set on the idea of having a Valentine celebration that looked like the love child of NBC and Hallmark. When I realized that my boyfriend at the time had not bothered to actually make reservations at the cute little Italian restaurant we were trying to go to and hadn't actually bought me a gift, I threw a bit of a hissy fit. Arguing on Valentine's Day is not attractive, and my much more laid back self looks back on that night with a bit of embarrassment.

Anyway, happy v-day. You guys (and you know who you are) are special to me :-)

An ode to doing other things

I love my job on most days. However, I'm also a complex person who has a
lot of other interests. After a long day of doing this and that and
saving this and that, there is often nothing I would rather do than go
home and paint or take pictures or cut paper or plan my next film or
volunteer at the Workhouse Art Center or...
Anyway, you get that I enjoy winding down in a lot of different ways.
Activism is emotionally draining because I sink my heart into it.
Oftentimes the last way I want to spend the precious free time I have is
having a beer and talking about rivers. I need to develop other parts of
me. It makes me a happier, better person. I don't expect you to
understand me, and I mostly assume you don't and don't give you the
opportunity to really know me. I know this is wrong of me.
So, if you ask if I plan on getting a beer after work with the group,
just know that it's me, not you. And, when I lie and say that it's
because I'm tired, just know that it's simply easier to say than the
truth.
--
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