In the morning last Wednesday I was editing and uploading some portraits for a law firm.  At two I was driving down to long beach looking forward to a giant coffee with Kathleen the fabulous. At three I was standing across the dock, watching Kathleen and Yiorgios in his boat motor towards me, wondering what movie set I stepped on to and where the life preservers were kept.  And wondering why I never knew there were boats behind some random grocery store. And thinking just a little about the knife I was carrying in my back pocket… just in case. But there was nothing to worry about. I’m pretty sure Kathleen decided she was going to have a day straight out of “Lost in Translation” and then just made it happen. Between bites of food (that I briefly considered our host could have poisoned in order to prepare our nubile young bodies for some sort of ceremonial slaughter) and the glass of wine I accepted in order to try and be like less of a square for once in my calculated life, I looked at Kathleen and tried to get a read on the situation: So, listen, this seems really cool and all, but are we going to get Dextered? And I quickly realized no, this was just a really hospitable Greek gentleman who loves a captive audience to tell stories too.  If there’s one thing that keeps an audience captive, it’s water.  And some fresh seafood. And wine (which I characteristically ignored after a bold start). And Kathleen is a badass that climbed to Everest base camp and eats like a future cowgirl soldier and also manages to run an amazing business under her own damn terms.  So if she can take an afternoon off and hang out in this guy’s boat and be cool, I could certainly try too. Because the great thing about Kathleen - and what I think she has in common with Yiorgios - they’re the type of people that aren’t going to treat any day any different just because something strange is happening. I really admire people who can just get out there like that - be working, be playing, be on a boat… but be present for whatever the challenge is.

In the morning last Wednesday I was editing and uploading some portraits for a law firm.  At two I was driving down to long beach looking forward to a giant coffee with Kathleen the fabulous. At three I was standing across the dock, watching Kathleen and Yiorgios in his boat motor towards me, wondering what movie set I stepped on to and where the life preservers were kept.  And wondering why I never knew there were boats behind some random grocery store. And thinking just a little about the knife I was carrying in my back pocket… just in case.

But there was nothing to worry about.

I’m pretty sure Kathleen decided she was going to have a day straight out of “Lost in Translation” and then just made it happen.

Between bites of food (that I briefly considered our host could have poisoned in order to prepare our nubile young bodies for some sort of ceremonial slaughter) and the glass of wine I accepted in order to try and be like less of a square for once in my calculated life, I looked at Kathleen and tried to get a read on the situation: So, listen, this seems really cool and all, but are we going to get Dextered?

And I quickly realized no, this was just a really hospitable Greek gentleman who loves a captive audience to tell stories too.  If there’s one thing that keeps an audience captive, it’s water.  And some fresh seafood. And wine (which I characteristically ignored after a bold start).

And Kathleen is a badass that climbed to Everest base camp and eats like a future cowgirl soldier and also manages to run an amazing business under her own damn terms.  So if she can take an afternoon off and hang out in this guy’s boat and be cool, I could certainly try too. Because the great thing about Kathleen - and what I think she has in common with Yiorgios - they’re the type of people that aren’t going to treat any day any different just because something strange is happening.

I really admire people who can just get out there like that - be working, be playing, be on a boat… but be present for whatever the challenge is.

Tags: stories