a pressure that’s ok
Upon leaving my Google Books/Scholar learning session, I was approached by an Asian lady outside of Torgersen bridge. I noticed she was initially walking in a circle and then walked towards me with a meek look. She was holding a thin digital camera and asked me very humbly, in a wonderful, wonderful accent, if I would take her photo with the Torg bridge as a background. Being the amateur at photography that I am, I was happy and eager to play my part. We were a little too close to the bridge for me to stand and have it in the background, so I knelt on a knee, made the alignment appropriate, counted down, and listened to the faux shutter sound.
She walked towards me to check the photo, we both looked at it on the giant LCD viewer, and she, with a huge smile, thanked me in elation. We both wished the other a good day and continued on our merry way.
That, my friends, was awesome. Google Scholar is pretty awesome, too, if you’re on campus (since the university network recognition allows you to read full “scholarly” articles, rather than view snippets).
But that brief rendezvous with a stranger was a peculiar highlight of my day. The rest of the day is still unfolding, but I can maintain a sincere smile when I recall that quick-take photo shoot.