hi there. i am writing to let you know that i decided to not photograph strangers anymore, at least not in this particular fashion. if your curiosity encourages it, stay in touch with me via this site as i will undoubtedly begin working on other projects and will advertise their whereabouts here.
this project has been an epic adventure for me and i am sure that i will learn many more lessons from it even though i have stopped the process as we have come to know it. the daily routine eventually became very mentally consuming and i often battled with the decision to continue. from a photographic standpoint, i became bored with the imagery. and from a relational standpoint, i was rarely satisfied with the amount of time i was able to spend with each day's new stranger. with these things in mind, i will begin the process of finding a new project.
i do apologize to those of you who will be saddened by not having a new stranger to meet here every day, but i'd like to encourage you to meet one of your very own.
thank you for your patronage. thank you for your encouragement. thank you for your support.
joshua langlais
26 May 2010
25 May 2010
25 may, 2010
andrew . 43 years old / denver . colorado
i went downtown to pick up my friend hillary from work. i arrived early so i decided to begin the search for the day's stranger while waiting. by the time she finished her day, i had not found anyone, so we walked around together, looking for someone to stand out. we hadn't walked for very long when hillary said something about a helicopter. i hadn't noticed them, but four men were standing in a garden in front of a big building, flying toy helicopters. we made our way closer and watched them as they lifted a miniature, twin-propeller (are they called propellers on a helicopter?), army-green helicopter into the air. one young man held the controls as the other three gave him their opinions on how to fly it. in the end, it flew up very high and drifted over to the neighboring building, where it landed on the roof - a roof they didn't know how to access.
the three younger men took off, eagerly looking for a means to retrieve their stray helicopter. the fourth man, a bit older than the others walked by hillary and me and said something as he passed. he had a big smile on his face and had kind eyes, so i decided to ask him to be today's stranger. he tried to get me to photograph all of the guys together, but the other three were in hot pursuit. in the end, i think andrew was glad to be a part of it.
he asked if we wanted to see "the graveyard". intrigued, hillary and i followed him up the back stairs to his office where there was an entire shelf serving as the burial grounds to a number of deceased helicopters. andrew explained that those were the ones that have done their duty and are now out of commission. they are currently being used for parts. the guys take a few breaks throughout the day to fly their helicopters, most of which they purchase from china. when we met andrew he was carrying his own, which was of a bit higher quality than most of the others.
andrew said he has had two jobs during his working career: first, he served in the military as an interrogator and now he works as a headhunter for the remy corporation. he said they direct most of their attention towards the IT world. i don't really understand how it all works, so i will let you look into that on your own. i do know that andrew seemed like a really happy sort of guy. and, from what i could tell, he seemed like a very great boss. he said he really enjoys his job, something that was very obvious from our short interaction with him and his staff.
andrew complimented me for doing this project. i don't know if he could sense my current frustration with it, but the kind words he offered me served as a great encouragement. he told us that he really likes humans and finds them very fascinating. he compared some of the aspects of interrogating to my daily observances of strangers and made me feel credible. it was quite nice. in the end, andrew suggested that we go to a restaurant called "tag" and he gave us a voucher for a free drink. we went directly there and ran into another former stranger on the way and had a lovely chat with her. then, inside the restaurant, we were treated to a wonderful experience of the food and beverage variety.
thanks so much, andrew. really.
i went downtown to pick up my friend hillary from work. i arrived early so i decided to begin the search for the day's stranger while waiting. by the time she finished her day, i had not found anyone, so we walked around together, looking for someone to stand out. we hadn't walked for very long when hillary said something about a helicopter. i hadn't noticed them, but four men were standing in a garden in front of a big building, flying toy helicopters. we made our way closer and watched them as they lifted a miniature, twin-propeller (are they called propellers on a helicopter?), army-green helicopter into the air. one young man held the controls as the other three gave him their opinions on how to fly it. in the end, it flew up very high and drifted over to the neighboring building, where it landed on the roof - a roof they didn't know how to access.
the three younger men took off, eagerly looking for a means to retrieve their stray helicopter. the fourth man, a bit older than the others walked by hillary and me and said something as he passed. he had a big smile on his face and had kind eyes, so i decided to ask him to be today's stranger. he tried to get me to photograph all of the guys together, but the other three were in hot pursuit. in the end, i think andrew was glad to be a part of it.
he asked if we wanted to see "the graveyard". intrigued, hillary and i followed him up the back stairs to his office where there was an entire shelf serving as the burial grounds to a number of deceased helicopters. andrew explained that those were the ones that have done their duty and are now out of commission. they are currently being used for parts. the guys take a few breaks throughout the day to fly their helicopters, most of which they purchase from china. when we met andrew he was carrying his own, which was of a bit higher quality than most of the others.
andrew said he has had two jobs during his working career: first, he served in the military as an interrogator and now he works as a headhunter for the remy corporation. he said they direct most of their attention towards the IT world. i don't really understand how it all works, so i will let you look into that on your own. i do know that andrew seemed like a really happy sort of guy. and, from what i could tell, he seemed like a very great boss. he said he really enjoys his job, something that was very obvious from our short interaction with him and his staff.
andrew complimented me for doing this project. i don't know if he could sense my current frustration with it, but the kind words he offered me served as a great encouragement. he told us that he really likes humans and finds them very fascinating. he compared some of the aspects of interrogating to my daily observances of strangers and made me feel credible. it was quite nice. in the end, andrew suggested that we go to a restaurant called "tag" and he gave us a voucher for a free drink. we went directly there and ran into another former stranger on the way and had a lovely chat with her. then, inside the restaurant, we were treated to a wonderful experience of the food and beverage variety.
thanks so much, andrew. really.
24 May 2010
24 may, 2010
jeff . 18 years old / denver . colorado
now that i am preparing to move (across the world), my schedule seems even busier than it did when i was working every day. i have a lot of time that i can call my own, but it is not exactly "free". dedicating time to looking for strangers is requiring an even more conscious than usual effort.
after a breakfast/goodbye session with another photographer, i hopped off my bicycle while riding home to ask a man who was sitting on his front step. he was friendly and smiled as i began telling him about the project, but when i asked him to be the day's stranger, he declined the offer. that was fairly early in the day and i didn't get around to looking for strangers again until much later.
in the south pearl neighborhood, where i have been spending much of my time lately, i went out for round two of searching for a no longer stranger. i went with my friend, hillary, who is a great stranger hunting companion and has listened to more of my frustrations and opinions and heartaches over this project than most everyone else. today proved to be another of the more trying days and with it came another session of "blah blah blah" from me.
we passed by a very cute couple who i chose not to ask on account of their being too cute. i get worried that people will think i am trying to create another fashion blog. i worry that people will judge me for only photographing "attractive" people. i worry about a lot of things, but this particular concern is one i felt like i could control today. the cute couple passed by and hillary and i spent a few minutes talking about how cute they were. then, not long after, i spotted an older gentleman who was out walking his dog. he was cute, too, but in an old man sort of way, so i justified asking him. he didn't want to be part of it. he wanted to know why i didn't want to photograph any of "those kids" as he motioned towards a table of attractive, young people. my answer wasn't good enough and he sent me on my way.
we walked the length of the south pearl business district several times and with each passing block, my mood worsened. i do not enjoy the search. i seem to spend the whole time looking for a stranger worrying about not finding one. unfortunately, i haven't figured out how to combat that. i eventually grew so weary of the mental battle that i took a seat at a table under the shade of a tree. i collected my thoughts and did some more bitching to hillary and then, slightly re-energized (or perhaps just concerned that i would run out of daylight), stood up to begin the search again.
as we neared the first corner, i spotted the cute, young couple who we previously passed up. i decided to go for it this time. i complimented them on just how cute they were and told them what i was up to and asked them to participate. they agreed. i asked jeff if he would be the day's official stranger and asked jackie if she would be in the second photo with him. they both agreed. it turns out that jackie had seen this project when it was featured on the news and she was also with kelsey (02 march, 2010) when the troop of girls stopped me on the street to ask me to participate in kelsey's own project. i asked jackie if we had met on that day and she assured me that we had not. so... we were still technically strangers.
jeff and jackie just graduated from high school and they both have plans to attend colorado university here in denver. jeff is toying with the idea of studying urban planning, but can't decide between that and pursuing a career as an english teacher. jackie is pretty set on teaching and will be studying english. it doesn't seem as if it was that long ago when i was in their situation, but it has been 10 years now. that thought makes me sad... the ten years don't seem nearly as substantial now that i look back on them as they did while they were taking place.
jeff and jackie had just come from 5 green boxes, the store that josiah (from the other day) works at. someone gave jackie a gift certificate and she found the little hearts they are both wearing. jeff told me that jackie asked him if he would wear the red one. he said he wouldn't. then she asked him if he would wear it if she wore one, too. that changed his mind. i thought it was quite fitting that today's stranger was already wearing a red heart...
the four of us had a lovely chat on the street and jeff and jackie afforded me more time than usual to take the photos. our interaction was so positive and sweet that i walked away feeling much better. more energized. glad that i kept searching. i feel that way after i meet the stranger. the key word being "after".
jeff and jackie, thank you so very much.
now that i am preparing to move (across the world), my schedule seems even busier than it did when i was working every day. i have a lot of time that i can call my own, but it is not exactly "free". dedicating time to looking for strangers is requiring an even more conscious than usual effort.
after a breakfast/goodbye session with another photographer, i hopped off my bicycle while riding home to ask a man who was sitting on his front step. he was friendly and smiled as i began telling him about the project, but when i asked him to be the day's stranger, he declined the offer. that was fairly early in the day and i didn't get around to looking for strangers again until much later.
in the south pearl neighborhood, where i have been spending much of my time lately, i went out for round two of searching for a no longer stranger. i went with my friend, hillary, who is a great stranger hunting companion and has listened to more of my frustrations and opinions and heartaches over this project than most everyone else. today proved to be another of the more trying days and with it came another session of "blah blah blah" from me.
we passed by a very cute couple who i chose not to ask on account of their being too cute. i get worried that people will think i am trying to create another fashion blog. i worry that people will judge me for only photographing "attractive" people. i worry about a lot of things, but this particular concern is one i felt like i could control today. the cute couple passed by and hillary and i spent a few minutes talking about how cute they were. then, not long after, i spotted an older gentleman who was out walking his dog. he was cute, too, but in an old man sort of way, so i justified asking him. he didn't want to be part of it. he wanted to know why i didn't want to photograph any of "those kids" as he motioned towards a table of attractive, young people. my answer wasn't good enough and he sent me on my way.
we walked the length of the south pearl business district several times and with each passing block, my mood worsened. i do not enjoy the search. i seem to spend the whole time looking for a stranger worrying about not finding one. unfortunately, i haven't figured out how to combat that. i eventually grew so weary of the mental battle that i took a seat at a table under the shade of a tree. i collected my thoughts and did some more bitching to hillary and then, slightly re-energized (or perhaps just concerned that i would run out of daylight), stood up to begin the search again.
as we neared the first corner, i spotted the cute, young couple who we previously passed up. i decided to go for it this time. i complimented them on just how cute they were and told them what i was up to and asked them to participate. they agreed. i asked jeff if he would be the day's official stranger and asked jackie if she would be in the second photo with him. they both agreed. it turns out that jackie had seen this project when it was featured on the news and she was also with kelsey (02 march, 2010) when the troop of girls stopped me on the street to ask me to participate in kelsey's own project. i asked jackie if we had met on that day and she assured me that we had not. so... we were still technically strangers.
jeff and jackie just graduated from high school and they both have plans to attend colorado university here in denver. jeff is toying with the idea of studying urban planning, but can't decide between that and pursuing a career as an english teacher. jackie is pretty set on teaching and will be studying english. it doesn't seem as if it was that long ago when i was in their situation, but it has been 10 years now. that thought makes me sad... the ten years don't seem nearly as substantial now that i look back on them as they did while they were taking place.
jeff and jackie had just come from 5 green boxes, the store that josiah (from the other day) works at. someone gave jackie a gift certificate and she found the little hearts they are both wearing. jeff told me that jackie asked him if he would wear the red one. he said he wouldn't. then she asked him if he would wear it if she wore one, too. that changed his mind. i thought it was quite fitting that today's stranger was already wearing a red heart...
the four of us had a lovely chat on the street and jeff and jackie afforded me more time than usual to take the photos. our interaction was so positive and sweet that i walked away feeling much better. more energized. glad that i kept searching. i feel that way after i meet the stranger. the key word being "after".
jeff and jackie, thank you so very much.
23 May 2010
23 may, 2010
matt . 38 years old / estes park . colorado
my friend hillary and i went on a field trip today. we decided we were due for a trip out of the city and we were desperate for some adventure. we made a stop in lyons, and then continued up the road, finally resting in estes park, after spotting some elk and finding ourselves as close to the mountains as were dared venture for the day. i carried my camera gear with me at each stop we made, keeping a keen eye out for strangers, but hadn't found anyone until estes park. lately i haven't had much energy for the search and i haven't had much time to dedicate to the post production.
we walked around the town, but it was difficult to pick someone out of the masses. it was considerably colder near the mountains than it had been in the city, but that didn't seem to have any effect on the number of people eating ice cream. i was lost in the seas of big families with matching "colorado" sweatshirts and large waffle cones full of cold sugar.
we finally found a quiet spot on a pathway that runs along the st. vrain river. the sun was warm there and the number of people was significantly lower, making it a bit easier to choose a target. i spotted a guy pass by on roller blades and then noticed that he took a seat. we approached him and i began telling him about the project. without much persuasion, he agreed to being the day's stranger.
matt is originally from pittsburgh, but is currently living in colorado springs. he made his way out there as part of his second term in the army. he served in the military when he was younger, then 15 years later rejoined when he felt like he didn't have control over his life. he said he liked colorado and decided to stay here after he left the army. he left the springs earlier today to have his own adventure. he stopped a few times on the way and eventually, like us, settled in estes park. he said he had been roller blading for a few hours, exploring the town.
matt said that his latest stint in the service was good for him. he spent 15 months in iraq and learned a lot. he said that the army did a lot of good in the particular place he was in and in the time he was there. he is hoping to return to school in the fall and explained the government's new version of the g.i. bill, called chapter 33, which came about after the 911 attacks. matt made it sound as if it was a great opportunity to study and learn something he is interested in. he hopes to attended colorado state university and earn a degree in environmental science.
good luck to you, matt. thanks so much for your time today.
my friend hillary and i went on a field trip today. we decided we were due for a trip out of the city and we were desperate for some adventure. we made a stop in lyons, and then continued up the road, finally resting in estes park, after spotting some elk and finding ourselves as close to the mountains as were dared venture for the day. i carried my camera gear with me at each stop we made, keeping a keen eye out for strangers, but hadn't found anyone until estes park. lately i haven't had much energy for the search and i haven't had much time to dedicate to the post production.
we walked around the town, but it was difficult to pick someone out of the masses. it was considerably colder near the mountains than it had been in the city, but that didn't seem to have any effect on the number of people eating ice cream. i was lost in the seas of big families with matching "colorado" sweatshirts and large waffle cones full of cold sugar.
we finally found a quiet spot on a pathway that runs along the st. vrain river. the sun was warm there and the number of people was significantly lower, making it a bit easier to choose a target. i spotted a guy pass by on roller blades and then noticed that he took a seat. we approached him and i began telling him about the project. without much persuasion, he agreed to being the day's stranger.
matt is originally from pittsburgh, but is currently living in colorado springs. he made his way out there as part of his second term in the army. he served in the military when he was younger, then 15 years later rejoined when he felt like he didn't have control over his life. he said he liked colorado and decided to stay here after he left the army. he left the springs earlier today to have his own adventure. he stopped a few times on the way and eventually, like us, settled in estes park. he said he had been roller blading for a few hours, exploring the town.
matt said that his latest stint in the service was good for him. he spent 15 months in iraq and learned a lot. he said that the army did a lot of good in the particular place he was in and in the time he was there. he is hoping to return to school in the fall and explained the government's new version of the g.i. bill, called chapter 33, which came about after the 911 attacks. matt made it sound as if it was a great opportunity to study and learn something he is interested in. he hopes to attended colorado state university and earn a degree in environmental science.
good luck to you, matt. thanks so much for your time today.
22 May 2010
22 may, 2010
josiah . 22 years old / denver . colorado
on the first very hot day of the season, i stepped outside in shorts and a t-shirt and walked leisurely in the quaint south pearl neighborhood, taking in the sunshine and looking for strangers. after several blocks, i came across a store called “5 green boxes” and saw a young man standing on the front stoop. he looked extremely kind and i liked his hat - those were the two factors contributing to my asking him to be the day’s stranger.
i asked him if he was working. he said he was. i asked if he might be up for being today’s stranger anyway and he said he was as long as he could take care of customers when they needed a hand. deal. 5 green boxes turned out to be a bit busier than i anticipated, but i didn’t have any other pressing obligations, so i hung around for a while.
josiah is from denver, born and raised. he laughed when he said that, but he seemed to still be embracing the place he is has always been. i often wonder what that feels like. i have moved so much that "home" is an altogether foreign concept. he has been working for the owners of the shop for three years and he said they are good people. if the people they hire are any sign at all of their character, then josiah is proof of them being wonderful. he was so kind. so calm. he struck me as a refreshingly gentle person, seemingly sharing a contagious kind of peace with everyone he comes into contact with.
during short breaks in the waves of customers, i took several photographs of josiah. having my regular workflow interrupted was a nice change of pace and it helped me understand that i still have some growing room in the area of thinking on my feet. josiah was, not surprisingly, very patient with me, though.
josiah has been taking a break from school, but will be going back in the fall to finish his degree in art history. he said his dream job would be to design exhibitions - working with individual artists to create shows and providing viewers with an interesting way to see them. i’d like to think that one day i will need to call on josiah to give me some professional help.
thanks so much for your time today, josiah.
on the first very hot day of the season, i stepped outside in shorts and a t-shirt and walked leisurely in the quaint south pearl neighborhood, taking in the sunshine and looking for strangers. after several blocks, i came across a store called “5 green boxes” and saw a young man standing on the front stoop. he looked extremely kind and i liked his hat - those were the two factors contributing to my asking him to be the day’s stranger.
i asked him if he was working. he said he was. i asked if he might be up for being today’s stranger anyway and he said he was as long as he could take care of customers when they needed a hand. deal. 5 green boxes turned out to be a bit busier than i anticipated, but i didn’t have any other pressing obligations, so i hung around for a while.
josiah is from denver, born and raised. he laughed when he said that, but he seemed to still be embracing the place he is has always been. i often wonder what that feels like. i have moved so much that "home" is an altogether foreign concept. he has been working for the owners of the shop for three years and he said they are good people. if the people they hire are any sign at all of their character, then josiah is proof of them being wonderful. he was so kind. so calm. he struck me as a refreshingly gentle person, seemingly sharing a contagious kind of peace with everyone he comes into contact with.
during short breaks in the waves of customers, i took several photographs of josiah. having my regular workflow interrupted was a nice change of pace and it helped me understand that i still have some growing room in the area of thinking on my feet. josiah was, not surprisingly, very patient with me, though.
josiah has been taking a break from school, but will be going back in the fall to finish his degree in art history. he said his dream job would be to design exhibitions - working with individual artists to create shows and providing viewers with an interesting way to see them. i’d like to think that one day i will need to call on josiah to give me some professional help.
thanks so much for your time today, josiah.
21 May 2010
21 may, 2010
gregory . 24 years old / denver . colorado
so far, my having more free time hasn't really encouraged me to get this work done on time every day. i have been enjoying every second of the last few days, though. every second, which is an awfully nice thing to be able to say. in the midst of packing and downsizing and planning, i did make my way out into the world of strangers. i walked around for nearly an hour, came up empty handed, and had to pause the search to pick up a friend from work. then i decided to hunt for the day's new friend in a different neighborhood - taking advantage of new backgrounds and the adventure of not knowing every foot of every street.
i asked an older gentleman if he might be willing to be the day's stranger. he was very friendly and told me that if i was still in the area in about 30 minutes then he would be up for it. i wasn't up for waiting the half an hour, so i told him that i would "leave it up to the gods" and see if i found anyone in the meantime. i walked on and, just a few blocks later, saw a young man sitting on a chair on a front porch. he was filling out some paperwork and looked as if he might have a few minutes to spare.
i told him what i was up to and asked him to be the day's stranger. he said he was up for it. greg told me he was working for the u.s. census as an enumerator. i didn't realize until a few minutes later that he was actually working right then. we were standing on someone else's porch - someone who obviously hadn't completed their census form. there was a brief moment of concern when a car parked in front of the home, but it turned out to be ok as it was just a neighbor.
greg is from new hampshire. we discovered that we grew up in the same town. i moved in and out of the town of nashua for several years and we attended different school systems, but still, it was interesting to share that history. greg studied real estate in connecticut and graduated the year the market crashed. he said he would have more than likely been a lot better off had he graduated one year earlier. things do have a way of working out, though. or maybe it's just that we have a way of making the very best of lousy situations. either way, greg had a good attitude and a ready smile - a couple of tools that very often come in handy.
he made two close friends during a study abroad program in italy. during their time there, the three of them decided to move somewhere together and, out of all of the places to go, they chose denver. greg said he likes it here. we probably could have talked for a lot longer, but greg was in the middle of working and, well, we were on a stranger's porch.
thanks for taking the time to chat, greg.
so far, my having more free time hasn't really encouraged me to get this work done on time every day. i have been enjoying every second of the last few days, though. every second, which is an awfully nice thing to be able to say. in the midst of packing and downsizing and planning, i did make my way out into the world of strangers. i walked around for nearly an hour, came up empty handed, and had to pause the search to pick up a friend from work. then i decided to hunt for the day's new friend in a different neighborhood - taking advantage of new backgrounds and the adventure of not knowing every foot of every street.
i asked an older gentleman if he might be willing to be the day's stranger. he was very friendly and told me that if i was still in the area in about 30 minutes then he would be up for it. i wasn't up for waiting the half an hour, so i told him that i would "leave it up to the gods" and see if i found anyone in the meantime. i walked on and, just a few blocks later, saw a young man sitting on a chair on a front porch. he was filling out some paperwork and looked as if he might have a few minutes to spare.
i told him what i was up to and asked him to be the day's stranger. he said he was up for it. greg told me he was working for the u.s. census as an enumerator. i didn't realize until a few minutes later that he was actually working right then. we were standing on someone else's porch - someone who obviously hadn't completed their census form. there was a brief moment of concern when a car parked in front of the home, but it turned out to be ok as it was just a neighbor.
greg is from new hampshire. we discovered that we grew up in the same town. i moved in and out of the town of nashua for several years and we attended different school systems, but still, it was interesting to share that history. greg studied real estate in connecticut and graduated the year the market crashed. he said he would have more than likely been a lot better off had he graduated one year earlier. things do have a way of working out, though. or maybe it's just that we have a way of making the very best of lousy situations. either way, greg had a good attitude and a ready smile - a couple of tools that very often come in handy.
he made two close friends during a study abroad program in italy. during their time there, the three of them decided to move somewhere together and, out of all of the places to go, they chose denver. greg said he likes it here. we probably could have talked for a lot longer, but greg was in the middle of working and, well, we were on a stranger's porch.
thanks for taking the time to chat, greg.
20 May 2010
20 may, 2010
kelli . 28 years old / denver . colorado
spring/summer seems to have finally arrived in denver. the sun for which this city is so famous has been out in full force and everything is green and blooming and people seem to be a bit happier because of it. or maybe it is just me that is happier. i suppose that is enough to change my perspective, though, and then it doesn't really matter if everyone else is happier or not. i walked around in the lovely weather with my friend's dog, searching for strangers and stopping to smell every single thing we passed in the process. after a long time of walking and searching and smelling and peeing, i decided that i would drop bayou (the dog) off at my apartment and then continue my search.
it wasn't too long after heading out on my own that i asked an older man if he would be the day's stranger. he told me wasn't interested in being on anybody's website. he was nice about it, though, and thanked me for asking him. a few blocks later, i spotted a woman sitting on the front steps of an apartment building. i passed by and then stopped short, turned around, and told her what i was up to. i asked if she minded that i come over to her (she was on the other side of a fence). she received me warmly and we started chatting.
kelli is originally from detroit. she went to college in central michigan and then started on an acting course that brought her all over the place. she eventually settled in denver, where she attended the national theatre conservatory. she just finished the three year program there and received her master's degree in fine art. when i met her, she had just returned home from a musical rehearsal. she said she was part of one of three five-minute performances that will soon be put on for little children.
kelli will be spending one final summer here in denver, teaching theatre to young kids, and then she plans on moving to new york city in the fall. she was very excited to be a part of an actor's union and was hopeful that she will be able to find decent paying work in the city. she had a beautiful smile and very bright, warm eyes. she spoke very confidently and exuded a positivity that one rarely comes across. i concluded from our short interaction that she wouldn't have too much trouble finding work. i hope i am right.
thank you so much for your time today, kelli.
spring/summer seems to have finally arrived in denver. the sun for which this city is so famous has been out in full force and everything is green and blooming and people seem to be a bit happier because of it. or maybe it is just me that is happier. i suppose that is enough to change my perspective, though, and then it doesn't really matter if everyone else is happier or not. i walked around in the lovely weather with my friend's dog, searching for strangers and stopping to smell every single thing we passed in the process. after a long time of walking and searching and smelling and peeing, i decided that i would drop bayou (the dog) off at my apartment and then continue my search.
it wasn't too long after heading out on my own that i asked an older man if he would be the day's stranger. he told me wasn't interested in being on anybody's website. he was nice about it, though, and thanked me for asking him. a few blocks later, i spotted a woman sitting on the front steps of an apartment building. i passed by and then stopped short, turned around, and told her what i was up to. i asked if she minded that i come over to her (she was on the other side of a fence). she received me warmly and we started chatting.
kelli is originally from detroit. she went to college in central michigan and then started on an acting course that brought her all over the place. she eventually settled in denver, where she attended the national theatre conservatory. she just finished the three year program there and received her master's degree in fine art. when i met her, she had just returned home from a musical rehearsal. she said she was part of one of three five-minute performances that will soon be put on for little children.
kelli will be spending one final summer here in denver, teaching theatre to young kids, and then she plans on moving to new york city in the fall. she was very excited to be a part of an actor's union and was hopeful that she will be able to find decent paying work in the city. she had a beautiful smile and very bright, warm eyes. she spoke very confidently and exuded a positivity that one rarely comes across. i concluded from our short interaction that she wouldn't have too much trouble finding work. i hope i am right.
thank you so much for your time today, kelli.
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