Saturday, March 10, 2007

3 Days in Hell

Travel is funny. Get to the airport, show your ID, check luggage, move like cattle through stanchions, show your ID, empty your pockets, take off your belt, off with the shoes, remove your computer, bag your liquids. Then on to a plane that’s too hot, too crowded, and usually running a bit late. And that’s on a good day. Often it’s long lines, secondary screenings, plane that are too, too hot, too, too crowded, too dirty, running very late. I get most of my exercise running to make connections. And yet I still do it, still love it.

But last week, well, that really tested me. Three cities, three days, three portraits. Nothing unusual there until you throw in that goofy weather that’s been going on in Northeast. On the advice of my assistant Lindsay, I carried on my cameras and one lens. What a life saver. We missed our connection-wait; I’ll just list all the things that happened.

March 7th
Missed our connection in Detroit because of weather. Eat lunch at the airport (I hate that)
Took a later flight with the assurances from the NWA agent that our gear would be on that flight.
Got to Syracuse, no baggage.
Drive to Ogdensburg, NY 5 hours late.
Drive into Canada by mistake, had to tell border patrol what a dork I was for doing that.
Drive back into the USA; get to Ogdensburg one hour to closing.
Take apart a store display to use as a light source.
Shoot the subject, drive back to Syracuse to retrieve my gear, go to hotel. Go to sleep.

March 8th
Fly out of Syracuse to Hartford via Philadelphia, no baggage.
Lunch at a pizza joint next to the airport, wait.
Leave the restaurant; notice the van has a flat.
Go back to Hertz; get into an argument with the desk person when he tells me I have to fill out an accident report. Get new van.
Pick up our gear from the next flight, drive to Torrington, CT. Arrive 1 hour before the subject has to leave.
Shoot the subject, drive to Rye, NY, go to hotel, get something to eat, go to sleep.

March 9th
Drive to Blue Ball, PA,
Arrive on time.
Ask for subject, he’s in bed with the flu and forgot about the shoot (I confirmed with him on the 6th).
He agrees’ to come in, we take his shot photo. Doesn’t look too bad.
Grab a late lunch at the “Worlds Biggest Buffet” just outside of Blue Ball. We are the smallest people in the place.
I eat too much, my stomach feels funny…..
Drive back to Philly
Get to the airport, check our gear, dump the car, show our ID’s check luggage, move like cattle through stanchions, show our ID’s, empty our pockets, take off my belt, off with the shoes, remove my computer, bag my liquids, chug a glass of wine, get on to a plane that’s too hot, too crowded, and running a bit late, fall asleep, wake up in Milwaukee.

Go home….

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