James and I work in the same building yet it’s taken nine months for us to meet next door for an after work drink. James is the probably the latest in the food chain of people who know people who know people who get people jobs in television. He may have been shown the in door but he walked through it on his own merit and has been killing it not without notice.

We sat down at the swanky five star lobby bar and ordered two ‘Pin-Up Girl’ cocktails which after a few James was calling ‘Girls Gone Wild’. He’s allergic to fish and I don’t eat red meat so we were pretty much stuck with sharing a cheese plate which we devoured while watching Geddy Lee throw out the first pitch at the Jays season opener. James didn’t know who that was which reminded me of our age gap.

At 40 you can find yourself in situations where you share company with people who could literally be your children, biologically anyway. Emotionally James and I aren’t that far apart. I don’t know if that says more about him or me. Career wise James is just beginning so I have that on him, but we both are stuck on the question of how to advance in television and if television even has anywhere to advance within. We both also do photography on the side. Again he more than I but at his age I was fully enthralled. In fact the genesis for this particular date was, besides this blog, James photographing me and I supplying him with alcohol. Instead we went dutch and I’m going to photograph him back.

Every time I pick up a camera I remember it’s something that gives me pleasure. Maybe it’s because I inherently just want to please people and who doesn’t want a good photograph of themselves. I always joke that there are no good photos of me because I can’t take them. So my session with James was both fun and functional. I also feel I’ve shot so so many people over the past twenty years that I know what the camera likes. Chin down, smile with your eyes but don’t squint, 3/4 angles are flattering, shade is your friend.

Speaking of friends, after a number of girlie cocktails our night was reduced to recounting favourite moments from Friends. I will defend that show til the end and never turn off a rerun no matter how many times I’ve seen it. I told James about my recent discovery of Friends blooper reels on youtube. Enjoy.