3-on-3 #1: The Long Way Down to Las Vegas

I have decided to, for lack of a better word, force myself to blog on a weekly basis and will do so on Tuesday. Why? Because like Garfield, I love lasagnas and hate Mondays with a fat-cat-like passion. And why "3-on-3"? Because in Vietnamese, Tuesday is "Thu Ba," which roughly translates to "the third day." So, there it is, 3-on-3. Here we go:

(1)

Let's start on a positive note with things I hate (*smirk*): rubberneckers, tailgaters (the ones who follow you closely on the road, not the parties), and the expression "dress to impress." On the flip side, I love good pastries and coffee. Coffee....

(2)

I went to the WPPI trade show and convention for wedding and portraits photographers this year. I had forgotten how crazy the whole shebang was - and awesome, too! It helps me a lot to know what products are available and what services other photographers are providing their clients. The last time I was there was in 2008 and flew in Las Vegas for the day and left the same day. This time, I took a road-trip and I think I'm road-tripped out for a little while (stupid rubberneckers and tailgaters!).

(3)

Finally, since I had a lot of time to think while on the road, I thought about things like our dependency on the digital, what people "need" versus "want" and how growing older changes those things, the scariness of intimate relationships, and how I should be nicer to my boyfriend. I really should be nicer to him. But don't tell him.... :-D

And now, a photo, just because. This buddy was at a neighborhood birthday party:

Kinda Under-Read

I'm a little (a lot sometimes + not at all other times = "a little") ashamed that I'm not more well-read. Don't get me wrong, as a proud holder of a B.A. degree from UC friggin' Berkeley in English, I can hold my own in most discussions, especially when I haven't read the text (which is statistically likely given how many books there are in the world and how lazy I am).

Only in recent years - after getting out of school and not having to be forced to read - have I learned to enjoy this past-time. In all honesty, what I lack in page-turning, I excel in scrolling and absorbing information speedily via the Internet. I don't know if I should brag about that, but there it is.

As a non sequitur, I absolutely enjoy the Better Book Titles site. Hilarious:

I may have read this at some point....

Appel & Frank : Babes & Babies 2011

Check out my photos from the Babes & Babies event held by Appel & Frank. So many pregnant women and little kids in one place - it was astounding! (I should go ahead a note that I don't make it a point to hang out at OB/GYN offices so, yeah, seeing more than 5 pregnant women on one day - let alone within a span of two hours - leaves me in awe.)

I met Jake from Stitch Labs and saw a bunch of really amazing designers at the event. Nancy Alcott (baby and child photographer) was on-site to provide quick portraits and seeing her props and sets was so cool - she's got quite the baby-hat collection!

Next Thing You're Walking Llamas

I have been needlessly AWOL on this blog and time keeps flying by. And by flying I mean ZOOMING PAST ME AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT! I vaguely recall it was just the very start of 2011 and now it feels like we're well in it already. What's happened?

• I walked with some llamas last weekend. Four of them. They didn't spit at me, thank goodness.
• I participated with Dima in the No Pants Subway Ride. Photos to come, perhaps. If someone would just process them already! (That's me, BTW, putting things off. Last year I didn't share photos until maybe April. It took place in January.) Oh, and this happens every year so if you want to walk down Market Street in San Francisco without pants and want someone to go with you, be sure to email me! Crazy in groups is not crazy at all.... (;
• Three of my friends (and probably a lot more acquaintances) and three of my family members turned a year older.
• Stupid radio stations won't stop playing Fireworks by Katy Perry. Actually, they all constantly play Katy Perry or Rihanna. I'm sure there are better artists out there. Or at least more diversity, please.
• Oh, speaking of music, I went to my first Jay Brannan concert (love him because Pandora randomly played his cover of Zombie and I thought, "Wow"; then I went to his Facebook page and thought, "Wow." HOTTIE-ALERT!). Jhameel opened for him and I thought Jhameel was incredible live! You should watch some of his music videos, like this one.
• We experienced UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME weather (sunny, warm) and rubbed in it to our snowed in brothers. Well, now we've got rain, which in Bay Area living is pretty much the worst thing ever outside of an earthquake (knock-on-wood) so, I guess we've got our comeuppance.

What will happen?

• I'm headed to my second WPPI trade show in a couple of days. Instead of flying in and out of Las Vegas on the same day like I did in 2008, I'm taking a little road trip there with a detour to the Grand Canyon. I'm very excited about it all, especially the Grand Canyon: I hear it's huge. (Sometimes I wonder if people can sense the smirk I constantly have on my face when I blog. Well, if you didn't know, now you know.)
• More blogging. For real.

And a photo of a Muttville dog 'cause it's a cutie!