Thursday, September 07, 2006
DAY TWO: SAN DIEGO I
I woke wishing I could sleep another two days. Jason made breakfast, as he skillfully and generously is prone to do. He had already loaded up his car with his photographic equipment and we took off at 9:15 am for a last-minute job.
May I pause here to adore Jason's car. I never knew I was such a car adorer until this spring. He has a gold '83 Mercedes 300D. Everything inside is the same color, including Jason. Infact, I found myself noticing all day how Jason did or did not blend in with his surroundings. An itinerant chameleon, perhaps. His skintone suits San Diego.
May I pause once more to explain how I know Jason. We worked together at the Maine Photographic Workshops (now about to close) in the summer of 2001. When Rockport College--the academic arm--began in the fall, I continued as a T.A. and Jason became a student and my roommate. We kept in easy touch afterwards because both of us lived in California. A few years ago he began to date Colleen. They eloped this spring and were kind enough to have a celebration that included their parents a few weeks ago in their home town.
Back to today. I assisted him in shooting a massive computer server in a messy office space in a nondescript building on one of those self-contained genentec/dotcom streets by the airport. I alternated between observer and learned-attentive-assistant in an attempt to maintain Jason's professional image with the clients. The marketting guy seemed about 7 years younger than me, meek, and unsure of what he wanted from us. Jason's approach differed from the deliberative studio work I've experienced, and we were out of there within two hours. Jason then vented his frustrations with commercial photography and I agreed by listening. We both need new skill sets.
O.K. I have to go back to Jason's car. Not only does he look good in it, but he played a Barry White cd and we sat low on sheep skin seat covers. He has to flick the turn signal manually back and forth. I felt fantastic in that car.
Jason also talked about his recent diagnosis of ADD and how that seems to explain a lot about himself to himself. I found myself reflecting over my own behaviors in context of ADD, but had to separate myself from his story.
At a middle eastern deli we ate wraps and I kept lookng at the green wall and its contrast to Jason.
I took pictures of him in the livingroom during the day, and at night with Colleen. Their livingroom is furnished with artdeco type things from thrift stores. It's a particular aesthetic I associate with my maternal grandparents. The walls are beige, the blinds white and beige striped, and a Bailes Rusos poster contains peach, orange, pink, deep red, and brown tones.
I also took a two hour nap and looked at forwarded mail and took a walk/run/walk. The houses in their neighborhood are unique little treasures that express complete individual personalities. The park nearby has a frisbee golf course.
During dinner Jason told stories of his year in Italy while Colleen prepared a test for her 12th grade environmental science classes. Colleen teaches at an Endeavor charter school that is project-based (i.e. not test-based) and most of the teachers are in their 20s. She also teaches yoga during gym. Oprah and Bill Gates (a sponsor) visited the school a year ago because of its ambitious model.
I find myself doing exactly what I want to do, then remembering I will report whatever I do to this blog at the close of the day. It doesn't seem like it should be an influencing factor, and then it does.
I woke wishing I could sleep another two days. Jason made breakfast, as he skillfully and generously is prone to do. He had already loaded up his car with his photographic equipment and we took off at 9:15 am for a last-minute job.
May I pause here to adore Jason's car. I never knew I was such a car adorer until this spring. He has a gold '83 Mercedes 300D. Everything inside is the same color, including Jason. Infact, I found myself noticing all day how Jason did or did not blend in with his surroundings. An itinerant chameleon, perhaps. His skintone suits San Diego.
May I pause once more to explain how I know Jason. We worked together at the Maine Photographic Workshops (now about to close) in the summer of 2001. When Rockport College--the academic arm--began in the fall, I continued as a T.A. and Jason became a student and my roommate. We kept in easy touch afterwards because both of us lived in California. A few years ago he began to date Colleen. They eloped this spring and were kind enough to have a celebration that included their parents a few weeks ago in their home town.
Back to today. I assisted him in shooting a massive computer server in a messy office space in a nondescript building on one of those self-contained genentec/dotcom streets by the airport. I alternated between observer and learned-attentive-assistant in an attempt to maintain Jason's professional image with the clients. The marketting guy seemed about 7 years younger than me, meek, and unsure of what he wanted from us. Jason's approach differed from the deliberative studio work I've experienced, and we were out of there within two hours. Jason then vented his frustrations with commercial photography and I agreed by listening. We both need new skill sets.
O.K. I have to go back to Jason's car. Not only does he look good in it, but he played a Barry White cd and we sat low on sheep skin seat covers. He has to flick the turn signal manually back and forth. I felt fantastic in that car.
Jason also talked about his recent diagnosis of ADD and how that seems to explain a lot about himself to himself. I found myself reflecting over my own behaviors in context of ADD, but had to separate myself from his story.
At a middle eastern deli we ate wraps and I kept lookng at the green wall and its contrast to Jason.
I took pictures of him in the livingroom during the day, and at night with Colleen. Their livingroom is furnished with artdeco type things from thrift stores. It's a particular aesthetic I associate with my maternal grandparents. The walls are beige, the blinds white and beige striped, and a Bailes Rusos poster contains peach, orange, pink, deep red, and brown tones.
I also took a two hour nap and looked at forwarded mail and took a walk/run/walk. The houses in their neighborhood are unique little treasures that express complete individual personalities. The park nearby has a frisbee golf course.
During dinner Jason told stories of his year in Italy while Colleen prepared a test for her 12th grade environmental science classes. Colleen teaches at an Endeavor charter school that is project-based (i.e. not test-based) and most of the teachers are in their 20s. She also teaches yoga during gym. Oprah and Bill Gates (a sponsor) visited the school a year ago because of its ambitious model.
I find myself doing exactly what I want to do, then remembering I will report whatever I do to this blog at the close of the day. It doesn't seem like it should be an influencing factor, and then it does.
