There's a great Chinese place about 15 minutes south of where I live that makes a pretty authentic Chinese breakfast on the weekends. I don't go there all that much because the food is unquestionably bad for you and they don't accept credit cards, but every once in a while I stop by if I happen to be buying groceries in the area.

I whipped out my camera while I was waiting for my food and walked around the food court. No one seemed to care that much, though people definitely noticed and I felt pretty self-conscious. I think I definitely scared away this guy leaning on a railing as I was scrambling to compose a shot with him and the stairway, and he managed to step away right before I hit the shutter. There was also a girl who kept staring at me whenever I walked by her field of view, and despite my attempt at a friendly smile her expression remained decidedly wary.

I returned to my seat without taking anything that wasn't uninspiring or slapdash, and ended up watching this family next to me as the father entertained the kids. I only took one picture because I didn't want to draw attention and seem voyeuristic, but I'm glad it turned out pretty well.

On that note, I'm pretty glad that I've been able to post pictures of people recently. Even though the pictures are visually weaker and more ordinary than what I usually resign myself to take, I find that human presence contains this underlying, common empathy that adds a whole new dimension to the scene.