Mobile Blogging: New York Minute, Day 3

Woke up. Still tired. Went back to sleep.
Woke up again.
Had hotel breakfast (hey, it's included in the room price. May as well.)
Headed out.
Hit the Brooklyn Bridge.
Took photos. Lots of photos.
Walked to the Brooklyn side.
More photos.
Walked back.
Got some Starbucks.
Walked to World Trade Center site.
Stopped at Memorial Preview Center.
Was overwhelmed with emotion.
Walked to Ground Zero.
Said a little prayer. Was emotionally overwhelmed. Again.
Walked around some.
Found a subway station.
Rode the train to Times Square.
Took the subway shuttle to Grand Central Station.
Had lunch. Salad. Fresh. Yummy.
Talked to husband.
Received confirmation my iPad arrived.
Did a goofy chair dance in celebration of iPad arrival.
Ate a cupcake. Delicious!
Took photos. Watched people coming and going.
Walked around some more.
Walked to Bloomingdale's.
Did some window shopping.
Used the bathroom. At Bloomingdale's!!
Bought a lipstick.
Bought a gift for a friend.
Texted a photo of Medium Brown Bag containing gift to friend.
Talked to husband.
Returned to hotel. Rested.
Got fancied up for Broadway show. Wore Ruby Slippers.
Saw Chicago.
Sang along. Quietly.
Applauded. A lot.
Went to dinner at Carmine's.
Hired bicycle "rickshaw" for ride back to hotel. Forget cabs.
"Rickshaw" ride is way more fun. And scary.
Updated blog.
Crashed. Hard. Again.

Here's to Broadway and bicycle rickshaw rides!

Mobile Blogging: New York Minute, Day 2

Woke up early.
City abuzz.
Texted husband.
Got up. Showered. Got dressed.
Ate complimentary hotel breakfast.
Went out.
Rode the subway.
Stopped at 34th street. Got off train.
Rode NY Skyride, helicopter simulation.
Went to top of Empire State Building.
Shot some photos.
Walked around observatory deck.
Got buffetted by winds and foreigners.
Shot more photos.
Wrapped up at Empire State Building.
Got coffee at Starbucks.
Rode subway uptown.
Walked to Pier 17.
Talked to husband.
Had lunch while waiting for water tour.
Got on boat.
Cruised around Manhattan.
Took more photos.
Tweeted photos.
Tweeted status updates.
Finished cruise.
Walked inland.
Took a bus to BH Photo.
Bought a tripod and filter.
Walked to Bloomingdale's.
Couldn't find Bloomies.
Found Greys Papaya.
Had a hot dog.
Walked some more.
Shot more photos.
Texted friend.
Got tired.
Rode subway back to hotel.
Relaxed a bit.
Headed out for Indian dinner in the East Village.
Ate yummy Indian food.
Exchanged texted with hubby and friend.
Watched filming of HBO's Bored to Death on First Avenue.
Shot photos of Jason Schwartzmann and Ted Danson on location.
Rode subway back to hotel.
Talked to husband. Said goodnight.
Posted blog update.
Crashed. Hard.

Here's to NY being one giant film set!

Mobile Blogging: New York Minute, Day 1

Woke up early.
Got on a plane.
Flew halfway across the country.
Took a cab ride into the big city.
Tweeted about the cab ride.
Talked to my husband.
Checked into a hotel.
Had lunch in a pub.
Took some photos.
Checked out Times Square.
Took more photos.
Walked around.
Walked some more.
Wound up at Rockfeller Center.
Continued to shoot (photos, that is.)
More walking around.
Talked to my husband.
Thought about tweeting a photo of Rockfeller building.
Went to St. Pat's Cathedral.
Saw bagpipers.
Took photos of St. Pat's.
Window shopped on Fifth Ave.
Used the bathroom at Tiffany's.
Texted my husband.
More window shopping on Fifth.
Texted a friend.
Walked around some more.
Back to the hotel to rest.
Rode the subway to Little Italy.
Ate some yummy pasta.
Talked to my husband.
Texted a friend.
Rode subway back to hotel.
Updated blog.
Talked to husband.
Ready to crash.

Here's to NY minute blog posts!

Mobile Blogging: The Truth Hurts

Yesterday, my husband said something to me that cut to the quick. He
didn't say it to be hurtful or mean, and it was prompted mostly from
his exhaustion (he's been working a lot lately), but I know he was
speaking the truth.

My initial reaction was to go on the defensive, to start making
excuses in an effort to justify or rationalize away what he said. I
was ready to dismiss his words as merely a product of his frustration
and tiredness. I felt myself start to get angry, and resentment was
quick to rise.

Then I took a deep breath and a step back. I pushed away the
frustration and tried to look objectively at the situation. Why had
his words hurt so much? Was it the delivery, or that his words rang
with truth, a truth I already knew and was in denial of accepting,
thereby striking a deeper chord?

I'm sure it was the latter. Being confronted with the truth is never
fun. But being confronted with a truth you already know, subsequently
being made to realize you're not fooling anyone, is particularly hard.
And when all of this is delivered by the one you love most... Well
let's just say, the truth hurts.

Nonetheless, I am grateful for my husband's words (though his delivery
could use a bit of polishing.) After all, if he can't speak the truth
to me, who can?!

Here's to brutal honesty.

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Mobile Blogging: Restaurant Review

In less than three days I will be on my way to New York City armed
with my trusty Canon and my iPhone. Yes, you read that right. Just my
camera and my phone. No iPad. No netbook. No MacBook. {sigh} I need a
small break from technology. If for no other reason than to prove to
myself I'm not completely addicted. (OK. Maybe I am. A little. We'll
just call this my own personal intervention.)

In an effort to prepare myself for the mobile blogging effort, I'm
getting an early start by posting all of this week's blog entries via
my iPhone. Considerably more challenging than you might think,
considering my phone's propensity for changing 'are' to 'ate' and
other such idiosyncrasies. Nonetheless, I'm giving it the ol' college
try, starting with tonight's restaurant review.

This evening we visited Wildwood Grill in Southlake TX. This was not
our first time to eat at this lovely establishment, however it likely
may be our last. On previous occasions, our meals were delightful and
the service was attentive without being overbearing. Tonight, our meal
was either over-seasoned or flat out bland, depending on what you
ordered. And our server, while friendly enough, came off more annoying
than anything else. Like I said, i just don't think we'll be going
back to Wildwood Grill.

Here's to mobile blogging and better dining experiences. 



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Updates and Other Such Nonsense

It's been a while since I posted and man, have I missed you guys! So much has been happening that I have much to tell you.

First, I have a new job! This actually happened about four weeks ago; I went to work for a company I'd worked for about six years ago. So far I'm having a blast; my new team is awesome and it's wonderful seeing so many old friends. The work is challenging and is giving my brain a much needed workout. Second time I've been really blessed with a job I love.

Now, a brief update on the weight loss. I am happy to report I've lost four pounds in the last week. Not as much as I'd hoped, but I keep hearing that slow and steady is the best way to lose weight... and keep it off!

I think I've sorted out the issues that were preventing the slideshow from loading on my website - yay! If you happen to check it out and see issues, please come back and leave me a message so I can fix this!

I've finished at least one photo editing job and am well into the second. Hope to have that done soon and am super grateful my friend has been ultra-patient with me on getting her images back to her.

I'm learning daily all kinds of new features on my camera; this thing is amazing!
I can't wait to shoot the Big Apple with this baby.

And that brings us to the best update.
I'm just a week away from starting my NYC Photo adventure! Now, while I am beyond excited about this, there is one tiny hiccup in my grand plan. Maybe two.

First, my 3G iPad will not be delivered in time for me to take it with me; [insert mournful wail here]. There went my plans to blog on the magical device while in the Big City. Worry not my lovelies, I have every intention to do a bit of micro-blogging on the trusty iPhone. I don't want to bring the heavy Macbook, so any images I post while in the city will likely be taken with said trusty iPhone. But as the primary purpose of this trip is to exercise the new photog hardware, rest assured, upon my return, I will be posting many photos of the city and [not as many] of our [mis]adventures. The second possible hiccup: the current weather forecast is predicting rain for the five days I'll be in New York. Boo.

With or without the iPad, rain or shine, I'm excited, ecstatic, overjoyed to be returning to the City. The energy, the myriad of cultures, the food! Looking forward to visiting some old, touristy haunts: the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center as well as checking out some new spots (at least, new for me): Balthazar, FAO Schwarz, the musical Chicago, the offices of Aperture. There's an unending parade of things to see and do in this fantastic city, and I plan to soak it all up and in while photo-documenting the entire experience. THIS is what God wired me for. The whir of the focusing apparatus, the sound of the shutter going off, the weight of the camera. The freeze-framing of a moment that will never again occur in time. Hm. I gotta go. My camera beckons.

Here's to happy snaps in the Big Apple, at home, and around the world!

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Exercise in Discipline

I have this image of myself in my head. In this image, I am thin. I am wearing frayed denim shorts, a flowy white top with lots of long bead necklaces around my neck. My hair is in a loose ponytail and I've got the coolest, shorty cowboy boots adorning my feet. I look great. And more importantly, I feel AMAZING.

I have a ways to go before I make this image a reality, despite the fact that I've already got the shorty cowboy boots. I realize that this image will involve some work, serious  commitment, and a big helping of discipline.

Since all of these have been lacking the last few weeks, and subsequently I've seen the scale stick at a number I'm still not happy with, it's time to get back on track with my program.

The first step? Cut out those things that stimulate my appetite. Most of these involve sugar, which I still try to have in limited quantities. But I have a definite weak spot for coffee. Drinking coffee somehow makes me want to nosh on tasty things, usually baked goods chock full of things I have no business eating. I realize it is likely a purely psychological connection but be that as it may, I will do whatever it takes to achieve that image in my head. Even if it means no coffee. It is a form of disciplining myself back into a mindset of mind over matter. It is a form of reminding myself that I am not controlled by food. It is the first step in bringing the girl in my head to life.

Here's to hippy chic in shorty cowboy boots!

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No iPad for My Case

The iPad has finally made it to store shelves. This past Saturday, Apple put it's newest, most magical device out into the wild, to be consumed by the masses. Reports so far are pretty positive, and very much as expected.

Today, I received a text message from my husband saying that my iPad had arrived by way of FedEx. For just one split second, my heart skipped a beat as I thought, "Oh my gosh - it came EARLY!". Just as quickly, however, I realized that what had arrived, in fact, was not my long awaited 3G iPad, but rather just the Apple case for the iPad that I pre-ordered back on the 12th of March.

When I told my husband that it wasn't the highly anticipated, magical tablet, but just the case, I received his reply, "Why would they send just a case?"

I had to laugh. Why, indeed! Oh, rest assured, I know why... because I ordered it when I ordered the iPad! And it just so happens that I ordered the 3G iPad which isn't scheduled to be released until later this month. The case, on the other hand, was released with the WiFi flavored iPad this past weekend.

Nothing earth shattering here. It was merely a matter of logistics that brought me to a place where there's no iPad for my case... yet!

Here's to magical table devices filling cases around the world!

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Shutterbug

Back in February I wrote about my husband buying me a new camera. It's a beauty and takes amazing photos, when I bother to actually pick it up. I let so many other things get in the way that I've neglected my one true passion - photography.

There is something about the weight of a camera in my hands that gives me a sense of peace found in few other places. I am most comfortable with my eye to the viewfinder, and the sound of the shutter curtain opening and closing, sometimes as fast as the blink of any eye, is music to my heart. Ask anyone; you'll never see me happier than when I'm shooting.

Today I finally got my act together and grabbed my camera as we headed over to my in-laws for Easter Sunday dinner. My incredibly photogenic nieces and nephews would be there so this would be a great opportunity to exercise the new hardware.

Sadly, one of my little nephews was sick and so he and his family didn't make it (poor little guy) so this shoot was limited to the niece and nephew that were there.

The fun started almost upon my arrival as I begged the kids to come "pose" for me. They were really good sports, considering they were ready to get the egg hunt underway and I was completely holding up the process.

This was it for them at this point. They could no longer contain themselves and the egg hunt was underway.

Once all the eggs were found, we headed inside where my niece decided to attach herself to my side. We chatted about school and her recent ski trip, and then, when I realized what great light we were getting in the room we were sitting in, I just had to snap up a few more photos. She was a great sport and even posed for me! I think she wants to be a little model, this one.

This looks like a school photo, don't you think? But the light! I love this light!

We moved from one room to another - experimenting with the lovely light.

I shoot the girl more than her brother simply because she lets me. Her brother tends to sit still for one, maybe two shots and then he goes back into his own little world. But hey, at least I got this shot! (I love his freckles!)

Tired of the indoors on such a pretty day, we headed out for a quick "smell the roses" moment, even if the roses weren't blooming yet, we found some lovely flowers.

Then back inside to show off newly acquired reading skills. (Yes, that's my iPhone she's reading from; she asked me to download Dr. Seuss's the Cat in the Hat and I simply couldn't say no!

And finally, back outside to burn some calories after an awesome dinner.

All in all, a very good day of shooting. I really need to make time to get out and shoot more. I've missed it and am ready to get my shutterbug on!

Here's to making awesome images!

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