Wednesday, September 17, 2008

MOOD SWINGS AT THE 20 MONTH MARK


It's been over two weeks since I started this posting and to be honest it feels like a year. I have had time to go in way too many directions. When I started the first draft of this I had only a vague idea of which pictures I would pictures online since I had the benefit of an onsite editor at both conventions and never really looked at my stuff. I started writing in the airport waiting for my flight but I was groggy from an early wake up call that followed the final late night of the RNC. Then I was too nervous from a bumpy flight due to turbulence brought on by hurricane Hannah. I never got around to finishing it as I spent the whole flight clutching the arm rests.

After two crazy weeks on the road covering both the DNC and the RNC I had the brilliant idea that when I returned to New York I would cover the wonderful world of fashion. That lasted 8 grueling 15 hour days in tight photo pits. I immediately followed up with 3 more days of Wall Street turmoil. Again, I blew off the blog.As I type this I am now a cranky, sleepless little photographer with achey knees that really wants a vacation but is really not in to the idea of flying for a while. After the aformentioned ride home from Minneapolis I feel like I could use a break from air travel. Why on earth did I choose this profession that has recently involved so much travel if I hate flying so much?

Okaaaaay. Kinda off topic. Moving on.
The point of this posting was to be a follow up to the DNC posting. The problem is that after 20 months of covering the U.S. presidential election I feel like I am either at the goal line or the end of my rope. I'm not sure which. The week covering the DNC seemed inspiring and historic. A few weeks later the whole process seems so silly. All the cheap shots(screw you for trying to help people community organizers. Fucking losers.), backstabbing(talking about you Lieberman), flat out lying (Kindergartners taking sex ed? C'mon? Really?) is not what I was expecting from this election. We supposedly have two mature candidates that were supposed to rise above it all in a year when the sky seems like it's falling. Sue me, I'm naive. I hoped to hear more on the issues. I may be a journalist but I do vote. As a photographer I am supposed to be eyes not ears but to be honest with all the stuff I have heard recently I don't really care about what shade of lipstick the pig is wearing. Right now I just want 8 hours of sleep, a juicy steak, and a long overdue vacation. Maybe after that my mood will swing in the other direction.