It is animals instinct to go to water, and so after my quick rest at Starbucks that’s where I went. Sitting on the lake side, looking at the waterfowl, the people, relaxing. It really is nice to have nothing to do at all. There was a man sitting near me on the lake side who looked to be in deep contemplation, holding his phone. After about 30 minutes I saw him on the phone and he was soon gone.
I sat for a while longer and wondered what and who he was waiting for. A sick family member, maybe an angry girlfriend, it’s hard to say.
A few hours later I met up with Phil in Millennium Park and we went to the metro station to take an hour train ride back to Lake Forrest where he goes to school. It is a beautiful campus in a small town, I enjoy it here. On the ride here a man sitting next to us striked up a conversation. First he asked us for change for a five, which neither of us had. But we began to talk about where we were heading and he mentioned that he was going on a small trip to Minnesota (I think). I started to tell him about my trip and we talked about that for a while. I gave him my blog address and told him to comment (hopefully you’re reading this!)
I’m glad I got to meet a stranger on a train today, I thought it would take a while, and I thought it would be a person on the Amtrak, but there are friendly people everywhere!
Great pic’s on flickr!
ahh this feels so unreal!
If thats the cell phone guy in the picture. I love it! It is framed so well.
Peace outside dude
@robin – Thanks!
@neighbor – youre telling me?! haha I know it’s completely insane, i’m having a blast so far though.
@luke – thanks man, yeah thats the dude with the cell phone, i saw him and all i could think was “i must photograph you”
hey man, i thought your animals to water observation was kinda poetic…i played some music at ground level kaffeehaus 2nite, and there were some kids from maumee valley doin` this awesome jazz trio…i asked them if they knew you, and they said yes…and when i asked if they saw the shakespearean tour de force, they said, regrettably, no….i was really impressed that your cast learned their lines plus the blocking for that insanely dangerous set design…in my humble opinion, a professional touring company may have refused to go along with a configuration like that(union rules, and all)…i `m not sure if you`z guys know what a “raked“ stage is, but in my feeble opinion, that stage was “raked“ in extemus(sp.??)… and i really feel that you demonstrated a command of the material… that is, an understanding of the context of the dialogue, reflected in your intonation, and sometimes lacking with your compatriots, right? sorry to go on, but i really felt that you did far more than merely, “mouth it, like many of your players do“(hamlet)…be safe,eh???
See, random people will talk on the train. I think it has something to do with two facts: 1) you’ve got lots of time to spare, and 2) you’ll probably never see that person ever again. Helps one open up a bit. As you go, it will be great to hear some of the stories of those people you meet. How or why are they on the train? Where are they going?
Just spent some time on Flickr looking at your photos. Awesome!
I want to hear more of the gritty details. What did this stranger look like? sound like? smell like? What gestures convey “deep contemplation”? I like reading the detail of someone asking for change, and I want to hear more of those specific details. Thanks for writing. I look forward to reading more!
I think the people you meet will be fascinating. They will each have a small gift of insight to give you! Sounds like you’re off to a great start!