Mexico Dispatch

Wake up tired. Get yourself + kid 1 ready for school. Kiss wife and kid 2 goodbye. Drop off kid 1 and sit in traffic for 45 min. Get to work.

Work.

Sit in traffic for 1h. Get back home, relieve wife so she can get some shut eye before she leaves for work. Put kids to bed. Plopp down in front of PC. Achieve nothing. Go to bed.

Repeat.

Welcome to Punxsutawney, population ME.

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” - This is what they meant.

I’ve been striking out on every attempt to do anything creative for the better part of the year. My wife’s return to work after having our second child hit me the hardest. Yes, yes, it wasn’t all roses for her either but this is my story dammit. I’m the hero and the victim here so buzz off.

Actually don’t, I still want you to read this (fine, it was worse for her and I’m an insensitive jerk, there, hope you’re happy).

The months were passing by and there was no end in sight to the grind. As any unfulfilled photographer would, I turned to the instant gratification of gear. I may not be able to buy time but I can buy cameras! That ought to make me feel better right? Kinda.

One sleepless night in June I sent a dirty offer on an Ebay listing for a pristine looking Fuji GFX 50R. Lo and behold it got accepted. Victorious I was beaming at work the next day, I pulled off a coup! As I was sitting there, planning which meals to skip so I can afford my most recent acquisition (which was very very cheap - in case my wife is reading), I get a notification on discord. Beers&Cameras Chicago is going on a trip! A 5 day Mexico City extravaganza organized by F8 And Go There!

Dookie!

While my BMI could easily take the hit, no amount of meal skipping would get me to Mexico with the crew. Time to call in the big guns. Cue puppy eyes, soft voice check, speed-dial to my wife.

“Heey honey, something amazing came up! I understand it’s a big ask and it is 100% fine if it’s a no, but…”

Ka-Ching!

Guess who got a presidential pardon and gets to go to Mexico City?! Come on guess!

I was mentally packed the same day. I just needed to wait for October to roll in so physical me can follow and get to where my mind already was.

Surprisingly, the sense of time flying and days merging under immense pressure at work and home went from being an enemy to an ally. October was here before you could say Gesundheit! Time to pack and abandon the family for a week. Daddy gets to play photographer in another country. Woo-hoo!

A hop, a skip and a very uncomfortable flight later I was finally in Ciudad de México. Exhausted but truly happy. I landed at 5am and had big plans for the day + I was working remote, but again, the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. I crashed out in my beautiful room with the biggest grin on my face.