“There are only versions of ourselves, many of which we have not embraced, most which we wish to protect ourselves from. For the stranger is not foreign, she is random, not alien but remembered; and it is the randomness of the encounter with our already known – although unacknowledged – selves that summons a ripple of alarm. That makes us reject the figure and the emotions it provokes – especially when these emotions are profound. It is also what makes us want to own, govern, administrate the Other. To romance her, if we can, back into our own mirrors. In either instance (of alarm or false reverence), we deny her personhood, the specific individuality we insist upon for ourselves.” – except from “Strangers” by Toni Morrison.
I read “Strangers” and this last bit really sparked something in me, more of a question really. How many people have I met and not really understood or thought I did and judged prematurely? How do I get that real conversation? Not fluff but a genuine, open conversation, the kind where new friendships born and there is a potential to grow from it. For a self admitted “people watcher” I have always been fascinated with the people and conversations I witness in coffee shops. Something about the caffeine rich atmosphere can draw complete strangers into passionate discussions and breed new friendships, sometimes tempting the most standoffish among us. When I started this project I didn’t really know who I should approach, let alone how. After a few attempts I worked on my tack a little and met some pretty interesting people. I try my best to keep the conversation about them, adding just enough of myself to fan the flame of conversation. The key I think is what I’m looking for… them. I want to learn something about them, to find the common ground, or least try to see something from a different perspective. It’s a developing project, one that for me is surprisingly rewarding. It is teaching me a tremendous amount about interviewing, human interaction and connection. Come join my curiosity driven exploration of the local color in Ventura, California, through the coffee shops that can so often provide a spark of community between the otherwise distant.
Mark
I’m originally from the east coast born in New York, grew up in New Jersey. I moved around a lot on the east coast. What brought me out to Califonia believe it or not was a woman I met on the Internet and she lived in California and we talked almost every night on the phone, and I was ready for a change, I came out to visit her and see California, I’d never been out here before and I just fell in love with it. That was nine years ago I moved around quite a bit in California too, just trying to find my niche. I have had lots of ups and downs don’t get me wrong, this economy has hurt me like everybody else, in the last nine years I’ve lost five jobs, lack of work, companies hire then close down but I always seem to bounce back on to my feet somehow and find something else. I’m just keepin on going and things will work out
I just moved back to Ventura a few months ago, I moved away from ventura about a year ago from thousand oaks California, and I just happened to meet a woman there at a Starbucks one day and asked her what she did and she said she was a movie extra, and I asked how she got involved and how I’ve always wanted to do that, so she gave me her card and the rest was history, I went and registered and I’ve been working ever since, and I’m lovin it. I’m not really sure if it’s going anywhere but I’m meeting people all the time on sets, just like I met you today, everywhere you go you meet somebody, and you never know where that’s gunna lead to… I’m just going with the flow. Haha
Life is good I’m really enjoying what I’m learning out here. A friend of mine invited me to come along with her to The Center for Spiritual Living and it sort of spoke to me, I liked what they were saying, I liked the philosophy, I took a couple classes there called foundations class to learn about the philosophy I just liked it, I keep saying it just spoke to me. I had a couple of ah ha moments.
The way I look it is like every religion the people that practice their religion think that they believe in it that its right for them, and for them it is right, and theres like 10 or 12 different religions on the planet and if it all works for them then,
that tells you something, that theres one common denominator and that’s sprit ya know. We’re all on the planet having a human experience. And without getting all religious and stuff that’s what I believe Jesus Christ was just a man trying to tell he was spreading the word of god or whatever your god is and just spreading the word of the universe and how it all works. That my disclaimer, Haha.
