Routine

Yesterday I tried to do things a little differently to shake up my routine. As we say in WW, you have to change the behavior if you want a different outcome.

So I got up a little earlier than usual (just before 10am) and decided I would not go straight to the computer to check my email. I think it's a bad habit and sucks me into the computer world for too long every day. It's not a good way to start the day. I also decided to not shower, and to just make my normal licuado (water and fruit in the blender), and then get dressed and go for a walk with my camera. If I go through my whole routine of making breakfast and getting ready to go out, I normally will not leave the apartment until 2, 3, or later.

I've probably taken over 5000 photos since I've gotten back to Vallarta, but because they're for work/weddings, I feel like I haven't photographed at all since coming back. So I took a walk down toward the beach, through the parking lot with a pseudo park built on top of it (people really do "pave paradise to put up a parking lot"), along the beach past a new monstrosity of a condo building they're putting up, over the bridge to the island in the middle of the river, along the island where all the people sell trinkets, and to the end where there's a cute little cultural center. It was a great walk and even though I felt a little jaded at first seeing the trinket sellers, I decided to try to look at things with a fresh eye.

There was a painting class in session at the cultural center and this made me sort of sad because I thought of M. and our failed relationship and what a bit gap I still feel in my life without him around.

I walked back toward the Cafe with a plan to get breakfast there, when I passed by the hotel where a guy I'd chatted with online said he'd be staying. We had emailed about getting together, but when he'd suggested 10am breakfast, I thought I might not get to see him. He's a photographer for the Wichita Eagle in Kansas and was down here visiting with his wife and taking photos of the Day of the Dead. Anyway, I thought I'd pass by the hotel to see if he was around. The girls at the desk basically ignored me for awhile (they were helping other people...sort of) and when I finally asked for the guy (en español), they sullenly acted like they didn't understand what I was saying. I launched into bitch mode and started talking really loudly, saying that I was looking for a very famous photographer who was staying there and who was a friend of the owner. At first they said they didn't know who I was talking about but when I started storming out, they told me to wait and they showed me his registration form. They then informed me that his wife had just gone upstairs so up I went.

Long story short, I met up with her and we ended up finding him in a restaurant back near the island. We hung out and talk awhile and watched iguanas in the trees.

We talked about how things can become mundane and get boring and how it's a challenge to photograph. Once again I lamented about needing a personal photographic project to give meaning to my life. I don't know how to make that happen though.

One of my favorite things to photograph:
people walking from behind, especially
heavyset women in tight clothing.
Who can resist?

This morning in that time when I start to awake but am not quite awake, I thought about those trinket vendors. How it could be interesting to really look at all the stalls and what everyone is selling to see if I see any individuality. I don't expect to because I think they just work as distributors for someone else. Which in itself could be interesting to find out who distributes to them and then then where it all gets made. It could be an interesting story and since the vendors are very close to me, it could be very easy to get started. And then it could naturally progress and branch out farther from here.So ideas are percolating in my brain. Hopefully something will filter out.