babies don't get married
there are eccentric people, people who buy grossly extravangant gifts for inconsequential achievements and wear lime green running shoes with bright yellow plaid pants. there are boring people, people who have nothing to talk about -- mainly because they know little about topics of interest to "ordinary" people -- and dress in shades of grey. there are annoying people, those who are often loud or obnoxious -- often both -- and seem to always become exponentially more irritating when you're having a bad day. the human race is divided into many types of people, of which, one of the worst are the "babies".
often closely related to the extremely shy, babies will do anything to avoid confrontation, social relations, and even verbal communication if the purpose of which is anything more serious than meaningless chatter. it's not that i hate such people, i just find them incessantly frustrating. sometimes it's their relentless refusal to ask a salesperson for simple requests. sometimes it's their intransigent efforts to elude any remotely awkward encounter.
i've recently come across such a person. she, a coworker, approached me about employing my photographic skills in her upcoming wedding. after laying down a few initial guidelines, i acquiesced her request. abridging this anecdote, a month passes with yours truly probing the coworker with a multitude of questions. questions that were both personal and general; questions that were necessary of a wedding photographer if he/she wished to produce remotely respectable results. alliteration aside, the most insightful response i received over the thirty-odd days was "i don't know. whatever you think would work. i trust you." with very little to work with, i poured all available resources, time, and energy into studying techniques to ensure my performance on the "big day". two weeks before today, i tried to finally set a price. abridging again, her reply was that she had miraculously hired another photographer -- a professional apparently -- six days before today.
needless to say, i'm not impressed. i've been trying to contact her for a week now, in hopes of attending the wedding regardless of the new photographer whom i'm officially declaring a figment of the bride's bullshit OR grossly incompetent. my secret plan involves my attendance as a "second" photographer. the bride will then view my pictures, beg for prints to be made, and then be charged a significant price for said prints as a form of "life lesson". my extensive knowledge of her itinerary today, the day of her wedding, i'm fully aware that she's currently at home preparing herself. she is not, however, answering her phone when i call, nor has she done so the past four days.
she would carry substantially greater respect in my eyes if she had just informed me that A) she did not want to pay for my services, B) she did not require my services, or C) she did not want me to attend. such a gesture of common curtesy would not have hurt my feelings. i am not a baby.
often closely related to the extremely shy, babies will do anything to avoid confrontation, social relations, and even verbal communication if the purpose of which is anything more serious than meaningless chatter. it's not that i hate such people, i just find them incessantly frustrating. sometimes it's their relentless refusal to ask a salesperson for simple requests. sometimes it's their intransigent efforts to elude any remotely awkward encounter.
i've recently come across such a person. she, a coworker, approached me about employing my photographic skills in her upcoming wedding. after laying down a few initial guidelines, i acquiesced her request. abridging this anecdote, a month passes with yours truly probing the coworker with a multitude of questions. questions that were both personal and general; questions that were necessary of a wedding photographer if he/she wished to produce remotely respectable results. alliteration aside, the most insightful response i received over the thirty-odd days was "i don't know. whatever you think would work. i trust you." with very little to work with, i poured all available resources, time, and energy into studying techniques to ensure my performance on the "big day". two weeks before today, i tried to finally set a price. abridging again, her reply was that she had miraculously hired another photographer -- a professional apparently -- six days before today.
needless to say, i'm not impressed. i've been trying to contact her for a week now, in hopes of attending the wedding regardless of the new photographer whom i'm officially declaring a figment of the bride's bullshit OR grossly incompetent. my secret plan involves my attendance as a "second" photographer. the bride will then view my pictures, beg for prints to be made, and then be charged a significant price for said prints as a form of "life lesson". my extensive knowledge of her itinerary today, the day of her wedding, i'm fully aware that she's currently at home preparing herself. she is not, however, answering her phone when i call, nor has she done so the past four days.
she would carry substantially greater respect in my eyes if she had just informed me that A) she did not want to pay for my services, B) she did not require my services, or C) she did not want me to attend. such a gesture of common curtesy would not have hurt my feelings. i am not a baby.