Shoot

I wrote a post on Forbes about my most recent trip to the doctor after my breast cancer diagnosis. Mostly, the piece is about facing questions like: Should I get both my boobs chopped off? These are questions one would prefer not to consider, but then there they are.

As I write in the post, I took my camera with me, mostly as a way to deal with the environment, and also as a way of manifesting a fantasy of control. The camera helped. It made me feel like I could compartmentalize everything into a box: the framed picture.

I brought my camera along. I took a photo of the building from the outside. I took a photo walking down the hall to the place where I would be the youngest person in the room. I took a photo of myself in a smock in an examination room. The camera was like a weapon, heavy in my hand, the thing between me and where I didn’t want to be.

[READ]

I get email

Dear Susannah,

I was wandering if you would be so inclined to attend an office holiday party with me, as my date. With you, I can guarantee a beautiful, yet intelligent type, proven by watching some of your work. You would of course be paid. Could we work this out?

best regards,

[Redacted]

How much?

Well, I see that you have not really turned the camera on yourself much since you have taken up photography (that I can find) so I probably could use an updated photo. But unless you have a going rate, and since you have a fetish angle that I am rather fond of, how about ticket (plane), hotel expense included plus $7,500 for basically a 24-hour period. You can also forego the hotel if you wanted to hang out the rest of that weekend (Dec 16-Dec 18), as I have a place to crash. If you are not interested, no worries, as I have others in mind as well, I just wanted to run this by you first, as I do like you.

[Redacted]

[IMAGE]

Waiting

Waiting, Chicago, Illinois

Tough

The lovely Molly Crabapple created this awesome artwork in homage to my breast cancer diagnosis. Thank you, Molly! I will be tough like brass knuckles for you. She'll be auctioning it off and donating the funds to a breast cancer organization in the future.

[MOLLY'S HOUSE]

Award

Xeni made this for me.