2017 Selfie Challenge

The goal was pretty simple: introduce myself to 100 strangers and get 100 selfies. I didn’t get close to that number, but damn, was it fun.

Saxton and Kalsey

Location: Awaken coffee shop, Knoxville, TN

I was struggling with the Wi-Fi, and they helped me out. Also, Kalsey was wearing some dope maroon leather Nikes, so you know I had to compliment them. I remember having such a good conversation with Saxton about dreams. He is a sci-fi writer working on a novel about dreams. I told him about my super trippy lucid dream experience, and he shared details of his book. Our conversation went from dreams to super AI to Rick and Morty. I loved every bit of it.

Kelly

Location: Cool Beans, Knoxville, TN

I made a comment about her interesting feather decoration. Turns out it was her 21st birthday! Then she asked sign me… wait, what? Turns out, she had a list of challenges she had to do that night. Haha, I’m game. Another one was to take a selfie. Hey… that looked like a great chance to kill two birds with one stone! Thanks for making my night super interesting.

Brent and Johnny

Location: Knoxville, TN

I actually walked past them on a street in downtown Knoxville, but after like five steps, I decided they would be great to talk to for a few minutes. I’m glad I did. They were Jehovah’s Witnesses handing out pamphlets. Brent did most of the talking, telling me all kinds of fun facts. For one, Jehovah is the name of God… I didn’t know God had a name. Now, the phrase “Jehovah’s Witness” completely makes sense to me. In the past, it was just a phrase to me. I didn’t know the meaning behind it. Now, I do. Johnny was a kind man. He shared that his grandma was from Germany.

Mary and Alisa

Location: Knoxville, TN

These nice ladies were a little farther down the street from Brent and Johnny. They were part of the same group. However, their pamphlets were about teen depression. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve ever had full-blown depression, but I’m sure, like everyone, I’ve had periods of sadness and loneliness. So it’s a subject I was interested in. Mary shared her experience with being an insomniac and having a hard time sleeping, an experience I can relate to all too well. Luckily, these days I sleep pretty damn well. Alisa was very sweet and had very cold hands! lol

George

Location: YMCA, Knoxville, TN

This is George. George is a miner. George is a badass. He was doing over 150 lb leg presses at the gym. George also knows a lot about minerals and glass. We had a great conversation about Gorilla Glass, what’s in it, and how it’s made. I told him I hope to be in his shape when I grow up. haha

Mike and Indiana

Mike was shirtless when I first spotted him, laying out and looking at the Great Smoky Mountains with a cigar in hand and his wife by his side. I told him I wanted to grow up to be as cool as him. He’s a lawyer, a self-claimed right-wing hippie. I was confused. Those things don’t usually go together, but I love it. Indiana, his wife, is also a great character. I asked them how they were able to stay so young and have such vibrant energy. She started talking about how you have to take care of yourself, eat right, stay active, and then she blurted out, “and great sex!” Then she went on about how great Mike is… Haha! I love it. Mike was quiet at this point because, of course, he is a gentleman. But I told them I couldn’t agree more. Great sex is important. Moving on from great sex, we had one of the more memorable conversations. Of course, the view didn’t hurt. Mike called the view a “cathedral.”

Oh btw, the sun was in my eyes, so I couldn’t take a good picture!

Jeff and Nancy

Location: Urth Cafe, Los Angeles, CA

Jeff and Nancy (not in the picture) - I was in LA at Urth Caffe with a couple of my friends. They were busy on their laptops. I was bored, so typical me, I looked around to find people or things to entertain me. That’s when I spotted two people playing cards. I went over and introduced myself, told them how lame my friends were, and they invited me to join them. Jeff is a lawyer. Nancy is an interior designer.

November Project

Location: Iceland

Iceland - I can’t remember or spell anyone’s names, but thank you so much for an unforgettable experience. We hadn’t even checked in yet, and I had already had one of the most amazing experiences in Iceland. I saw a group of joggers while wandering around, asked them if I could join, and got the warmest of welcomes. I ran to my car, changed my clothes, and 30-something people shouted, “Welcome, David!” We ran around the block, and there was the most amazing view ever.

Mari, Christine, and Tatiana

Mari, Christine, and Tatiana - Sandholt Cafe - Reykjavik, Iceland. They were sitting next to us at this wonderful cafe in Iceland. Tatiana was wearing a badass leather jacket. Being a big fan of leather jackets myself, I complimented her. A realization dawned on me as soon as I said it… I was in another country. I had no idea if they spoke English or not! lol Luckily, they did, and they were super nice and awesome. They were vacationing just like us. However, they were on spring break. They all went to school in Boston. Tatiana is from Switzerland, Mari is from Mexico, and I never got a chance to ask where Christine is from. Anyway, we shared a brief conversation and a selfie… haha… Little did I know I would see them again…

A Night in Iceland

Iceland - Again, I can’t remember or spell names. It was Saturday night in Iceland; we had just finished our late dinner after a day of hiking. Of course, I was exhausted, but I had to check out the nightlife in Iceland. I’m so glad I did! I learned clubs in Iceland were basically the same as clubs everywhere. Even though I was dead tired, I ended up dancing my ass off and having a great time.

Sophie & April

Blue Lagoon, Iceland - So I actually forgot I had a face mask on when I approached them. lol They asked if I was YouTube famous. I’m not; I wish. I told them I’m just filming and trying to put together an awesome video at the end of the year. Side note: Blue Lagoon in Iceland was an amazing experience! If you get a chance to go, definitely do it!

Bob

Bob - This is Bob. Bob is a poet. He told me that before his wife passed away, he was an engineer at Oak Ridge. I would have definitely never guessed. haha He told me he just woke up one day and realized everything he did and had was because of what he felt pressured to do by other people, not what he really wanted to do or be. So he just left it all behind. I was amazed and awestruck. I love his mentality, being the little rebel I am too. Thank you for your wisdom, Bob.

Storm Trooper

Didn’t get his name - he had an awesome stormtrooper costume at Imagine Festival.

Girl and guy at Imagine

Didn’t get their names - you can’t really tell in the picture, but she was in a wheelchair. I saw them having so much fun dancing that I had to join and introduce myself.

Photobombed

Randomly photobombed them while they were taking a picture.

DeadMau5

Another Imagine Festival picture.

Lauren

Lauren - Memphis, TN - I had just finished my run at the park when this lady started walking toward me into the park. I just said hi to break the awkward tension, but out of nowhere, she smiled and nicely asked me, “With all the horrible things going on in the world right now, how do you deal with it?” (Some context: this was around the same time when there was a big issue with Confederate statues and all the protests and counterprotests.) This is definitely strange even for me. It’s such a heavy question to ask a stranger out of the blue, but I love it. I love moments like this, so we sat down and talked for a good 30 minutes. The gist of my answer was basically that, at the end of the day, all you can do is focus on being the best person you can be, and even though it may seem like the world is going to hell, it really isn’t. Bad news just travels a lot faster than good news and sells better. So even though the world is improving, people aren’t as conscious of it. Also, horrible pic of me. I think I missed my smile. I’m not mad in the pic lol

No-Face

I was walking around Market Square and spotted this character. Knew I had to get a picture. I loved the movie so much.

Smoky

Smoky. Nuff said.

Gabriel Lefkowitz

Gabriel Lefkowitz - Violinist - Concertmaster - He’s pretty badass. A professional violinist with an impressive bio. Interesting story with this one… I was on a date. My date wanted to kiss the concertmaster on the cheek. I had to ask for his permission so my date could kiss him, along with the selfie I wanted. Life is interesting… haha…