It's so damn easy to come up with reasons not to get out there for a run. It's too humid, I didn't get enough sleep, I'm sore from the bike ride, I need to make breakfast for the kids...and then Tuesday morning it was, It's already too hot out and my tummy hurt last night so I didn't sleep well. I was so proud of myself though...I got up and trudged through six sweaty miles even though I didn't feel like it.
In hindsight, it seems clear that I was already getting sick at that point and the extra hour of sleep might have done me some good, but it's too late to worry about that now. My head hurts and my throat hurts and my skin hurts when the molecules of air collide with it and when I'm not too hot, I'm shivering and too cold and I feel exhausted if I stand up for longer than five minutes.
This made for a less than industrious photographer as I tackled my second day of staff at the Missourian. It's not that I slacked exactly, but I didn't do much more than was absolutely required of me.
| My first subject, a flip-flop wearing undergrad, wasn't even home when I showed up to photograph her. Luckily I was able to show up early for my next assignment, a podiatrist who says that flip-flops are terrible for you. It actually worked out well, since by arriving early I was able to shoot the good doctor talking to a flip-flop wearing patient and the original appointment time would have just given me a straight up environmental portrait. Podiatrist Dr. Scott Foster explains to patient Barry Hibdon what he should expect during his recovery from foot surgery in his Columbia, Mo. office, June 3, 3009. Hibdon frequently wears flip-flops, though the calcification on the bone of his big toe is an unrelated condition. |  |
 | I did get to shoot the Ben Folds concert in town, which helped a little with my homesickness for the city since it's been ages since I've seen a real rock show. Specifically, someone I've actually heard of and like. |
I've also been casing out some other ideas for photos outside of what gets assigned to me during my shifts. I met a jewelry artist at the Orr Street Studios today that seemed like he might have some good stories to tell as well as the obvious visual interest of his craft. I'm also working on tracking down an arrowhead maker (aka, a flintknapper) in a town about half an hour north of here (very controversial stuff in the archeological community, I assure you) and getting in touch with a bat rehabilitator right here in Columbia.
