Zeus...My day was looking pretty dismal until I saw this face. I had spent most of my day inside trying to figure out some of my planning for the future but I got very little done. It was one of those cases where you sit inside all day, all cooped up in a small room and your head begins to pang. I was frustrated with the day, myself, with life. Thoughts of all of my life's grievances and slight failures dominated my brain. Negativity set in and the lens that I viewed the world was distorted.
Things got better after my parents and I went downstairs through the hotel lobby and out to get a bite to eat. Down in the lobby, we met a man with perhaps the biggest dog I have seen in my entire life. The man's name was John and his dog Zeus (which was a Boerboel -- some kind of South African breed) was sitting there with him in the lobby. I asked John if I could take a picture of his dog and then we struck up a conversation. He told me all about Boerboels and a lot of things about his life -- how he had grown up in the Air Force (with his dad being a pilot), moving around, traveling in Europe, about how he would later become a pilot in the Air Force, how he and his wife have traveled the world a great bit, and then a little bit about photography. It was a real nice encounter and it helped me feel a little less camera shy -- that is, initiating a conversation with a complete stranger and attempting to capture something about them, or in this case, something about a part of them (Zeus) that I could. All around, it changed my mood and I was feeling better about going out and back home.
We ate at El Rancho Grande (an awesome Mexican food restaurant in West Chester) and then I headed home to Athens. I just got back a few minutes ago and I am relieved to be home. The roads for the past 50 miles were pretty disorienting. There was a moment of brief terror as I was passing a snow plow about 10 miles outside of Jackson. There wasn't enough snow on the ground for the plow to efficiently operate, thus sparks were streaking across the highway where the plow met the asphalt. As I passed the plow I squeezed the wheel hard and just barreled through. A big wave of relief went through me as I made it past the truck and enough distance away to get back into the non-passing lane.
Anyways, it's good to be home and safe. I am about to meet up with Caitlin to go to sleep or maybe stop by a friend of ours' party and then go to sleep. I'm exhausted.
