Spicuzza Photo A Day

Tummy Time

2011-09-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

At nearly 4 months old, we can really see the personalities emerging from my two little boys.

Here we see Ethan and Tummy Time. He's finally enjoying his tummy time after having a difficult time with it early on due to some neck troubles. But he's doing much better now.

And this is Colin's idea of Tummy Time.

Yep, that's about all we get out of him for Tummy Time.

It's kinda the same exact scenario with the Jumperoo as well.

Scared Straight

2011-09-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today we visited Terry's young, childless friend, Paul, and his beautiful girlfriend, Tracy. Tracy said she would love to have twins one day, because it would be so nice to get it over with all at once, which had Paul sweating quite a bit. So we gave them a twins test drive today.

Here in this pic, we have Paul holding Ethan and Colin. We told him this was what his future had in store.

Before leaving, Tracy said she just might be rethinking that twins notion she had.

Our New Favorite Thing

2011-08-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

HANDS!!!

Yum:)

Let Sleeping Babies Lie

2011-08-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Just take lots of pictures of them while you do.

Snowman Tomato

2011-08-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Picked from my garden today, The Snowman Tomato

Please Mommy, no more pictures

2011-08-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

"Please Mommy, no more pictures!"

It's a BIG Day!

2011-08-22T12:51:00.001-07:00

It's a BIG day! Alexis heads off to her very first day of middle school, in a new school district. I convinced the school district where our new house will be, to let her in early.

And the boys are 3 months old today! My babies are getting BIG!

Since Alexis is off to school, it is the beginning of my adventures in parenting twins alone all day.

And Terry has something fun and exciting today too, but mum's the word on that one for the moment.

Blue Boobie Blanket

2011-08-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is my blue Appaman baby blanket. With it's nice modern graphic of a monkey face.

That when turned upside down, turns into a blanket full of blue boobies.

Couch Tater Tot

2011-08-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

That's Ethan, enamored by the TV already.

Putting the baby to sleep

2011-08-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

No joke, they are both asleep like this, sitting on the couch. He has no idea I took this picture, he might be a little mad!

School Supplies

2011-08-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to look a lot like BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

Holding on

2011-08-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

He's just holding on to that for later.

Onesie Funsie

2011-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Ah, the fun you can have with twins and onesies!

Island Kicks

2011-08-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

The footwear of choice for islanders, nothing but ink.

Cook Islands Day, San Francisco, Aug 10, 2011. Yeah I was supposed to post this yesterday, but life with 3 kids makes me busy, and it didn't get here til today.

Dreams So Sweet

2011-08-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

It's a Magical Thing

2011-08-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a scene that has not been seen in over a month, my two boys napping together in the crib. And I have this little musical, glowing toy I found for $10 on the clearance shelf at TJ Maxx. Worth every penny. It's a magical thing, I put them in there, sleepy but not sleeping, turned on the toy, and it did all the work for me. It may never work again so easily, but it worked today, so I am happy.

Phonography 101

2011-08-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have never been fond of phone photography. I scoff at the notion that my phone will someday completely replace my camera. HA! But I have just discovered an app that makes me actually interested in shooting with my phone. It takes all the flaws of the camera phone and amplifies them, in a good way.
I spent years altering film to get freaky results, off colors, odd focus, confusing light spots. It was all done in the name off art, not error. Without film, I have not been able to enjoy that any longer. Yet this app comes close. It takes that flawed exposure, questionable focus, and spotty resolution of a camera phone and makes it into what cross processing and pin hole cameras did so many years ago. It doesn't work all that well, it took 43 shots to get something I thought was usable, and then I still had to lighten it up in Photoshop. But, I just might reach for my phone every now and again before my camera.

Not My Day

2011-08-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

It was not my day today. Nothing seemed to be going right, and then snowballed even more from there. I was just waiting for the cops to pull me over, or a pipe to burst to cap off the day (didn't happen, whew!) I kinda just wanted to go to bed and start all over again tomorrow, but that's just not possible when so many humans rely on me.
So, here's my minimalist effort today, the one and only picture I took all day long. And I am so grumpy, I just don't care. And since I can see that only about 5 people look at this every day, I don't feel too much effort happening right now. Bah Humbug and grumpity grump.

BTW, I love the 5 of you who do show up. Thanks and see you tomorrow.

Happy Baby

2011-08-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

Colin is not often a happy baby. He suffers from acid reflux and it tends to make him very cranky. Some days it feels like he's never happy and that we spend every moment he's awake, trying to keep him from fussing. But never happy isn't the truth. He has his moments. Like this one. He spent many minutes laying on his playmat, looking at his favorite person in the world, Mommy, and he was just kicking, grunting and letting out the occasional happy coo.

You can see the live version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90m3eDXjDLI

It's just 2 minutes of kicking and grunting, just as I said, but it warms a momma's soul.

The Brown Blur

2011-08-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

While photographing the boys by natural light today, I encountered a problem.

Over and over, there appeared to be a strange brown blur.

It was only once I added a flash did I discover the culprit.

Smiling for the camera.

Hold

2011-08-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Show me those pouty lips now, baby

2011-08-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

My Sweet

2011-07-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

With camera in hand, I leaned in to get a smooch from my sweet Colin and took an accidental shot (not this exact shot). It looked so nice, I tried it again, this time on purpose and came up with this.

This one goes out to a pretty lady named Michelle

2011-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

All Tuckered Out

2011-07-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Gotta love CraigsList

2011-07-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to good ol' CraigsList, the boys have all kinds of new toys, and they were rock bottom, dirt cheap. Here they are enjoying the playmat, they have been under this thing since I brought it home. I think it's a hit. We also have a new swing, only $5, and a white noise machine which we have hopes on helping these boys sleep in their cribs during the day. Fingers crossed.

Yahoo Family Fun Day

2011-07-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

If only I could keep her in that thing!

Yahoo Family Fun Day 2011

Pudge

2011-07-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is my Colin, whom I affectionately call "Pudge". Here he is in all his pudgy glory.

Alex Morgan Fan Club

2011-07-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!

Ok, it didn't work out all that well for us. Congratulations to the Japanese women's soccer team and the nation of Japan. But Colin and Ethan enjoyed watching the game with us.

Here's the whole fam enjoying the game. (ok, well Ninja is sleeping through it all in the back there, but all here none-the-less)

Not Interested in Education

2011-07-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Already finding books to be a bit boring.

Sleeping Babies

2011-07-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, I have been busy. But I have ambitions to start up the daily blog again, with great inspiration. I have 7 week old twins to keep my shutter finger snapping. I can no longer promise for certain I will have a daily photo, but will certainly try. Like I said, I've been kinda busy.
Today we have Colin, napping in his favorite spot, the boppy. And the former baby of the family, Ninja, perched above him on the couch pillows, snoozing along with him.

This is Christmas

2010-12-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

Click on photo for larger view

A mound of crumpled wrapping paper, toys and such strewn everywhere, Dad sleeping on the couch after being drug out of bed at the god-awful hour of 8:00am, and the child fixated on the favorite toy of the day. This is Christmas. Hope yours was merry.

Holiday Cheer

2010-12-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

The box is the best part of the gift

2010-12-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

Alexis got a box full of presents from her grandma today. She can't open the presents for a few day, so she found a way to have fun with what she could play with. Ninja was along for the ride, not always willingly.

House Decorating

2010-12-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

Glue it together.

Pizza Break while it dries.

Make a front door.

Decorate.

It's not done yet, but looking good. To be continued...

Smart Cookie

2010-12-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

I really wasn't planning on making holiday cookies this year. But my daughter had her own idea. Now she's a smart cookie, she didn't come to me and ask me to make cookies. She asked, "Can you show me how to make those little butter cookies? I want to learn." Can you ever say "no" when your child comes to you and says they want to learn something? So, with my supervision, and my mother's amazing recipe, she made a batch of butter cookies. Judging by how many she and her dad put away, they must have come out pretty good.

Happy Perogi

2010-12-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

During dinner, whilst listening to my husband and daughter squabble about their not so jolly holiday shopping adventure earlier in the day, I looked down and saw a happy face smiling back at me. It was my perogi. I showed it to my family, and the smile on my perogi seemed to take the stress and bickering right out of the room. Thank you little perogi, you brightened our day, and tasted so yummy too.
NO PHOTSHOP, so shut up all you naysayers, this is as my perogi was at dinner last night!

Grandma Candy

2010-12-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a long semester at school, but now it's over, and I will now be able to get back to posting a daily picture for your viewing enjoyment!
To my surprise, my husband came home with a bag full of old time candy last night. The kind your grandma used to keep in a dish on the coffee table. When you try to pick up one, you actually get about 12 pieces stuck together, and despite the varying colors, they all taste exactly the same.

Morning light

2010-12-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

(Click photo for larger view)

I know I can hardly call it a Photo a Day blog lately. It's been a long semester in school, and the end is in sight. Once the finals are done, you can look forward to more daily photos.
This is my sleepy pup Ninja, as the morning sunlight creeps in the windows.

Booby Trapped

2010-11-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Recently, my husband was caught snooping through my daughter's room in search of the Halloween candy stash. She was quite upset, but I was proud that she told him, "if you had just asked, I would have given you some." But now, the room has been booby trapped to prevent further snoopage. I was a bit surprised when I tried to enter her room this morning, finding the door jammed by various toys purposely placed behind the door, and this elaborate lego trap. As you can see, it kept Ninja at bay. Don't know how well it will work on her dad.

No Parents Allowed

2010-10-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Click on photo for larger view

This is from yesterday's 5th grade field trip to the California Academy of Science. For some reason, I volunteered to chaperon with over 100 loud and hyper 10 year olds. It was an interesting place, but I could hardly enjoy it. Every other minute I was searching my surroundings and counting 1-2-3-4-5. Counting the 5 kids I was in charge of keeping safe. In a large, child filled, often dark museum, that's not such an easy task.
Here's a pic of when I could let them get away from me. They all traveled down the 3 foot tall tunnel to a special spot where apparently no parents are allowed.

mundane

2010-10-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

I just happened to set my glasses down on top my laptop, when I looked over and saw this. I liked the shadows from the rims, contrasting the bright highlight. The accidental perfect placement of the logo in the frame was catchy too. I just had to take a picture. Sometimes mundane stuff makes cool pictures.

Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest

2010-10-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today was the World famous Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, where the largest pumpkins in the country come to weigh in. And what's a pumpkin festival without a pumkin pie eating contest.

Alexis wanted to prepare for the contest by skipping lunch. She didn't do all that well at skipping lunch once we passed the row of booths with the likes of turkey legs, garlic fries, pizza, corn on the cob, tamales, sourdough bread bowl clam chowder, you name it, there was a booth for it.

Later she reflected that his must have been her downfall, and that she shouldn't have eaten anything, then she might have placed in the contest.

This portly lad was the second place winner, and very proud of it.

This is the third place and second place winners.

Here's what Alexis managed to do to her pie when all was said and done.

Though the contest was done, Alexis apparently was not.

Arch Enemies

2010-10-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

Ninja Vs. Hoover in the classic battle. I'm not too sure there was a clear winner here.

Alexis and the Nerf Gun

2010-10-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

The big kid went out and got the medium kid (can't call her little anymore) one of those toys every mother is just so happy to see in the house.

A girl and her pup

2010-10-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Studio

2010-10-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you don't have a studio, and your unrelenting teacher constantly asks you to go above and beyond what any reasonable student should be able to accomplish? That's right, improvise. So I had to take some advertising shots of my pasta sauce project. Without access to a legitimate studio, I made my own natural light studio in my kitchen. I have a skylight in the kitchen that always gives me great lighting, so I set up below the skylight, and used and old dry erase white board to bounce light back in to the shadows. Hopefully, no one will ever know. Here's what my kitchen looked like during the shoot.

Been workin' hard

2010-10-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick photo of my project I have been working on in my Image and Promotions class. Been busy busy busy with so many school projects.

Evil Ice Queen

2010-10-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Nights

2010-09-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

If your keeping tabs, you will notice two days that have gone by without a Spicuzza Photo of the Day. Sorry kiddos, schoolwork comes first. I have actually taken photos on those days, they are just for my class project, which I have been working on diligently.
This is a look into my Tuesday night, between Dreamweaver/CSS class and Image and Promotion class, I sit at a fairly unsanitary community desk, eat my dinner, and work on some homework. Today, I am working on a logo, eating a salad, and chugging a Jamba Juice ColdBuster to aid in killing the sickness my daughter was so happy to spread through the entire household. This is pretty much what my Thursday night will look like as well.

Bark in the Park

2010-09-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today was the annual San Jose Bark in the Park.

Ninja took part in the costume contest, but didn't really have a chance. He was wearing his Ohio State Buckeyes football jersey. We think the judges must have been from Michigan.

Dorothy and the Scarecrow, part of the foursome that came in second place in the costume contest. The cowardly lion is nearby, chewing in his mane, and the tin man was busy trying to get the silver funnel off it's head.

Ninja tried out some agility training. This is the only apparatus he totally mastered.

Pup Chef.

A crowd of small children formed around this micro tiny chihuahua.

These would be the lovely toes of a dainty Great Dane, and a boy doggie as well.

New Crocs

2010-09-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter lives in Crocs. Those hideous fashion nightmares and molded of an alien material, have adorned her feet for at least half her life. She will wear no other shoes, unless she must. Thank goodness Crocs are not allowed at school. Today we went on a shopping trip to the outlet mall in Milpitas. They have a Crocs outlet store, in which she found these gems. These are no ordinary Crocs, these are fuzzy, fleece lined Crocs that she can wear all winter long. Crocs aren't just for summer anymore, yipee! (Please read my sarcasm in all that). Despite the near 80 degrees and unseasonable humidity today, she is still wearing her wonderful new Crocs, no matter how much she says her feet are sweating in them.

It all seems so simple

2010-09-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a tasty view at my snack today. I always have peanut butter in the pantry, and quite often have celery in the crisper. Yet it's been many, many years since I put the two together. This is a fond snack from childhood. It all seems so simple, yet, I have not bothered to make it in so very long.
It was very tasty.

Homework Reject

2010-09-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is a reject from a homework photo shoot. This is just one piece of several for the project. I tried to involve Phoenix, my boa, but he wasn't very cooperative, so he may get axed from the final. Stay tuned kiddies, to see how the project winds up.

Night Class

2010-09-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

These are just some scenes around Mission College campus after my night classes.

Justin Bieber Style

2010-09-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Having really short hair is kinda fun. I can change it up pretty much every day. Hopefully I will never look the same way twice. Today, I'm rockin' a Justin Bieber style. I'm thinking I'll be trying the faux hawk soon!

pretty flowers

2010-09-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

Fresh Haircuts All Around

2010-09-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ninja and I have both come from fresh trims at the salon (not the same salon!) So, we are sharing the spotlight today to show off our new coifs.

new look

2010-09-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

cuddle pup

2010-09-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

It's been far too long since we saw cute puppy pics of Ninja, so here's some of my cuddle pup snuggling up to me today.

Man Hands

2010-09-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone has physical attributes about themselves they nit pic, and just don't like. I have big, ugly man hands. They are large, craggy skinned, scar ridden, with bulgy veins. They are terribly weak to boot. You'd think with hands this big and ugly, I could crush cans with ease. Nope, I have to play the whiney girl when I need a pickle jar opened. I don't see how that's fair. Shouldn't I have gotten really strong and ugly hands? Or even really dainty and weak hands? Nope, this is what I got.

Blah Blah Blah

2010-09-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Morning Chai

2010-09-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

Click photo for larger view

hourglass

2010-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Table for Two

2010-09-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Click photo for larger view

Lakeside Cafe, Shoreline Park. Mountain View, CA.

Monochromatic Sapphire

2010-09-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Our lady bearded dragon, Sapphire.

Cooking with Chris

2010-09-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me, knows my love for photography is only rivaled by my love for cooking. I really love cooking ethnic fares, my favorites being Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, pretty much all of Asia.

Today, I am cooking Italian. I don't usually find Italian dishes to be a challenge, but I heard veal scallopini isn't so easy. For the record, I found it very easy.

Now please, no one get all PETA on me. I don't enjoy the idea of Bessie's baby being sent to slaughter. I am an omnivore. I have come to grips with that. And veal was on sale. So, there you have it.

The recipe didn't call for garlic, but I add it to everything.

Sizzle Sizzle

Mushrooms and onions for the sauce.

Sauté them all together.

Add some whole wheat egg noodles, so I can pretend it's healthy, and voila! So, it doesn't look like those gorgeous magazine pictures, but do you have any idea what they do to the food in those pictures??? Mine is lacquer free, edible, and was very tasty.

Back to School for Mama too!

2010-08-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Click photo for larger view

I got to head back to classes at Mission College this week. I had way too long of a vacation, and need to get back in the swing of things. This is the inside of the main building at Mission College. From my understanding, this building won't be around too much longer. Apparently, having all the empty space in the middle, with a large heavy ceiling above it, is not such a good idea in the event of a major earthquake.

Why couldn't the melons get married?

2010-08-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

because they Cantaloupe!

Yeah, I went there. So what. You wanna fight about it?

Digital Parenting

2010-08-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

What's worse than sitting idly by as your small child shovels in enough food for three at the all you can eat buffet? Doing so while the child is absolutely glued to mobile tv. How bad a parent are you that you need to hypnotize your child with such a device at a restaurant?
I hate being judgmental, but this one was so very wrong. Bad parent! Bad, bad parent!

Happy Birthday Mom

2010-08-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hallmark sux! Especially when you can use your blog to tell the world how much you love your mom on her birthday.

I love you Mom!

This one is from Alexis, of course. Completely her idea, and execution, I just snapped the pic. It's hard to read, but it says "Happy Bday Grma!"

Happy Birthday Mom, you are so beautiful. Wish we were there with you to celebrate.

Purdy Birdies

2010-08-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge, Alviso, CA

I'll pencil you in

2010-08-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

That's my 10 year old, mulling over her planner. Busy, busy, busy is the life of a 10 year old. I guess I should be happy it's just on paper and she's not syncing Microsoft Outlook on her phone so she can respond to an e-vite as to whether or not she'll be home for dinner. Those years are coming.

Bored

2010-08-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Holy Hell it was hot in valley today. We're cresting the hump of a three day meltdown on the West coast. With no air conditioning in my tiny shack, there is no salvation. Yesterday's high 90's had me filling ill, so with the temp expected to surpass that today, the only thing I could do was skip town to the breezy coast. The temperature reading in my car read 98 when we left, and hit 109 just before hitting the Santa Cruz Mountains. Upon arrival to the beaches in Santa Cruz, it was back down to the 80's. That's easily the highest temps I've seen it in Santa Cruz.
The calm waters were filled with sleek, black suited surfers. If even a tiny, three foot wave made it's way in, there was a tussle for a spot to hitch a ride. Certainly it was a fine excuse to cool off in the chilly Pacific waters. As you can see in this picture, there was a lot more sweet boredom than boarding.

Resubmitting homework from 17 years ago

2010-08-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

The first assignment in Mrs. Flament's photography class in 1993 at Euclid High School, was to photograph light. This was my very first assignment in my very first photography class. Basically, it sounded like I could photograph anything, because ultimately light would be in the picture in some form or another. There would be no photography without light. I really didn't get it. I ended up turning in a picture of a halloween decoration that adorned the costume shop where I worked. I am certain I could find that assignment somewhere in a box in my garage right now.

I hadn't had the capacity to understand the beauty of light dancing on surfaces, sparkling in a reflection, or glowing through the cracks of a dark room. I couldn't see it. It took a few years for me to understand, even a few years after leaving art school to really get it.

I start each day not knowing what will end up on this page. Likely I will see something to spark interest, or hope to be at the right place at the right time to catch something interesting. I can't expect to be at the zoo to catch gorillas playing with Nintendos every day. Sometimes, it's just the way the light falls on the coffee table on a pile of folded paper and origami bits left by my daughter. It's not really about the origami, but the highlights and voids around it.

I don't remember what grade I got on that assignment in Mrs. Flament's class, but I am providing these as a resubmission for the assignment. I get it now, Mrs. Flament.

fun with mirrors

2010-08-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

Trouble

2010-08-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

As the parent of an only child, I have to play big sister and play games with my daughter.
As the parent of a child with Asperger's Syndrome, I have to pretend to lose at least 50% of the time in order to prevent meltdowns and further self esteem pitfalls.

Ninja Attack

2010-08-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if that's really, really cute, or really frightening.

O Happy Day

2010-08-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Happy New School Year. This was a glorious morning, seeing all those kids converging on school grounds.

There was a disturbing amount of helicopter parenting going on. I never saw this many parents anywhere near my school as a kid, even on school play night. These are 5th graders, not 5 year olds that might cry or pee their pants anytime soon. Drop them off and let them go.

At the end of the first day, I picked my daughter up from class. She was surprised to hear me calling out her name as she was running from the classroom.

And so very happy to see me, once again with the camera in my hand.

Looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow.

Turtle Rescue

2010-08-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

We made a terrible mistake today, we showed up to the Cal Academy of Art on what turned out to be the 1 free day per month. The line went on for over a half mile, no joke, nor exaggeration. So, we passed on that circus.
We were already in beautiful Golden Gate Park, so we took a stroll around our favorite spot, Stow Lake. There's a path around the lake, and a few bridges crossing the water to get to an island in the middle. There's a waterfall, a chinese pagoda, and lots of little critters all around.
Along the way, we spotted this turtle on a sloping bank. He looked like he was heading uphill. As I was trying to take his picture, he seemed agitated and snapped a few times. Soon, we came to realize that he was stuck in his present spot. He tried and tried to climb in any direction, but only managed to dig himself deeper into the nook in which we lay. So, our good deed for the day was to point him back downhill and he quickly scurried back to the water.

mornin

2010-08-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am having an anti-pretty pictures day. So this is a first thing this morning picture, sans makeup, coffee, and brushed teeth.

And since Ninja is never more than a few inches away from me, he got a morning wake up shot too. He didn't brush his teeth either.

Doin' the Bat-Stroke

2010-08-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed a trend in the past few posts. We have been on a whirlwind tour of the city by the bay. We picked up a San Francisco City Pass last week, and have been masquerading as tourists in the city. Sort of a last hurrah before school starts. Today was the Aquarium of the Bay.

The bat rays were showing off their Bat-Stroke.

I had a hard time identifying this fish. It didn't seem to be displayed on the sign in the exhibit.

I don't usually like taking pictures of fish in aquariums, but I just kinda liked this fish playing in the anemone.

Where's Waldo?

2010-08-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I am a fragile person, on the inside at least (the outside is pretty damn sturdy). I don't handle the inevitable cruelty and criticism that come with exposure. It seems people will say anything they damn well please, as long as they can post it with the anonymity the www will provide. So, I have been a bit down since the recent influx of looky-loos to my blog and flickr page. Thank goodness it's just about over, and everything can go back to normal. But I let some of the negativity get to me. Since then, photography has lost some of it's appeal. I don't feel good about most things I've photographed since then. The wind is out of my sails.
We visited the SF Museum of Modern Art today. I like art, but I am very critical. If it looks like something a small child could paint, or isn't much more than a heap of garbage poorly glued together, I don't like it. I would say that I found about 10% of the art at the MOMA to be interesting and deserving of merit. Yet, someone likes it. They must, to be in a museum.
So, I pondered the criticism thrown my way, and came to realize that art is very personal. The art one creates usually only appeals to a small demographic. The old adage, "You can't please everyone" comes to mind. And I never wanted to.
It's just a shame that for every ten compliments I get, it's that one person who feels the need to piss all over everything I do that resonates.

I took this picture from inside the MOMA today. It's certainly nothing about technical nor aesthetic achievements. It's just for fun. It's a life size "Where's Waldo?" Just like the books, in this photograph somewhere is Waldo. Red striped shirt, Waldo. If you've been to the MOMA, you probably know where it is already. Your going to have to open the picture to the larger view to find it, no doubt. Let me know if you find him!

Crabby

2010-08-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

I know your not supposed to play with your food, but i don't ever remember anyone saying anything about posing them for pictures.

Strips of Self

2010-08-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

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Fun at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Hole in the Wall

2010-08-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's a hole in a window, but that doesn't sound as nice for a title. This is taken at the infamous Alcatraz prison. It was nearly impossible to get the great photos that I wanted because there were people everywhere. It was packed almost wall to wall. These two faces popped up into my shot a micro-second before I snapped the shot, but in this and only this photo, I don't mind the people ruining my shot. I like their curious faces.

Confidence in Your Back Pocket

2010-08-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

It's back to school time. (hooray! hooray!) It's time to fill up those new backpacks with brand new pencils and perfectly clean notebooks. It's not a bad idea to send them in with a little confidence in their back pocket either. Make this school year count.

Ghosts of Schoolyear Past

2010-08-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

The discarded remnants of last school year, left to collect dirt all summer at the edge of the blacktop at Stocklmeir Elementary School in Sunnyvale, CA.

Caged Beauties

2010-08-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

What a time to have my camera break, when the WORLD is watching my little blog. Anyone got a nice camera they can send me? I'm doing the best with what I have.

This one looks like it's holding up little arms to surrender. I didn't mess with the plant, I swear it was like that when I got there!

Home Sweet Maybe?

2010-08-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

We are one step closer to home ownership, maybe. We wrote an offer on the house pictured above. That's my daughter and our wonderful realtor, Bill. It's a short sale, which is so prevalent in today's market. The difference between Silicon Valley and most of the rest of the country is, houses still sell fast and sell high here. We were told the bank will likely not accept our first bid, but that opens the door to negotiation. They have had a few offers already, but people have walked away because the banks just take too long to answer. We are willing to be patient, and see what happens. I won't get my heart set on anything just yet, but we really like the house.

This is a pic from the apple tree in the back yard. Along with an orange tree and lemon tree. Apple pie anyone?

Viral

2010-08-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

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The response to yesterday's pictures from the zoo have been overwhelming. I was ecstatic when the pics of Ninja and Alex attracted a few hundred lookers, but I never expected anything like this. This is a look at my flickr stats page, showing just how many hits those pictures have gotten. Over 14,000 yesterday, and as I type, it's closing in on 3,000 since 5:00pm PDT, 1 hour and 40 minutes ago. The pics were reposted on blogs and websites all over the world.

I am not posting this to brag. I am astonished, and humbled. I am just really happy that so many people enjoyed my pictures. So, thank you to every one who stopped by flickr to see them.

I also posted this pic because I didn't have too much I could take pictures with. I took this pic, and my camera shut off right afterwards again. I sadly might have to downgrade to my hubby's camera, or even my daughter's camera. That will just provide me a challenge, to get great pics from very simple point and shoot. That's looking at the bright side of the situation.

You got Donkey Kong on this thing?

2010-08-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

Please view photos on flickr.

CAMERA UPDATE: I now believe I know the problem with my camera after my sweet little doggie, Ninja, crashed into the lens the other day. I cannot exactly pinpoint what is rattling, but there seems to be a problem with the power. Shortly after arriving at the SF Zoo today, it died. But, always being prepared, I had spare batteries. Then about 10 pictures into the new batteries, the red "low battery" signal showed up again. I could take a picture, then it would shut off. Then I could turn it on again, take one picture, then it shut off again. Good news is, I can still take pictures, bad news is, I can only take one and I don't have very long to do so.

So as I said, we went to the San Francisco Zoo today, and were treated to a very funny incident when a gorilla got hold of a Nintendo NDS that a little boy dropped into the gorilla habitat.

The gorilla was very interested in his prized new find.

It wasn't long before the little gorilla wanted to see what it was.

He was trying to figure it out.

Then he flipped it around to see if that would work.

Then they both held it very close to their eyes to try to see through it.

Of course, the little guy thought he could do a better job and figure it out. Kids, ya know.

Then, I began taking this video. But it wasn't very long into it, that my camera died. At the very end of the movie, you can see the gorilla start to get up. It was at that moment that a trainer lured him over with an apple, and traded the game for the shiny red apple.

The little boy got his game system back, a little beat up and slobbered on, but it still worked.

Hi-Ya!

2010-08-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

My daughter tried her hand (and foot) at Tae Kwan Do.

testing... testing...1-2-3

2010-08-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

So, today I was trying to get a good action shot of my doggie, Ninja, running through the back yard; a shot I have been trying to get since we brought him home three months ago. He's a fast little bugger, my yard is a bit small, and my camera is a bit slow. So I have yet to get a shot I like. Well, today while trying to get that coveted shot once again, I laid in my grass, which is a hazard in and of itself, and held the camera in front of my face at about a 15-18 inch height off the ground, eye level with my poochie. Called out for my Ninja to run to me, and he did. He didn't stop. Nor did he dodge, turn, nor jump over me. He ran full force into the lens of my camera (wish I had that shot). There was a rather loud thud of skull meeting lens. then clicking and rattling from my lens. I checked out the dog, he seemed ok, and gave me his regular "I'm sorry" look. But the camera was still in questionable condition. So far, so good, but there is still definitely something loose and rattling in there. So, I had to do some testing on it to see if it's all working ok.

So, I took a picture of the fishing frog and Bruce Lee that adorn the desk in the office/library/endless crap room we have.

I wasn't certain if it was completely sharp, so I messed a little with focus and depth of field.

Then I just thought it'd be silly if Bruce Lee kung-fu'd you with a Ricola.

The thick layer of dust on the desk stands as a testament that the PC is dead in La Casa de Spicuzza, and receives little attention.

I'm still pretty bummed, because I know the rattling inside my camera cannot be a good thing, and worry that every picture might be my last. It's been a great camera, I've only had it a year now, and really don't have the money to replace it. So, unless a wealthy person with big heart wants to buy me a new set-up, I must treasure every picture that comes out of my camera, because they could be my last for a while. I will certainly not be a happy gal if that's the case.

Ninja fell asleep watching tv

2010-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

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Drink at your own risk

2010-08-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

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There's a reason I have told my daughter over and over to avoid public drinking fountains. Yuck!

Hi-jinx of a 10 year old

2010-08-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today's photo is courtesy of my 10 year old, and the fun she had with a promotional clown nose from the circus and her sleeping model, her dad.
Not bad, I will just have to share with her the macro button for further close action like this, so it's a little better focused next time. Thank you, Alexis.

You can make up your own title on this one

2010-07-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

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You can make up your own title here, I'm not really making a religious statement right now. I just wonder how many people are convinced to change their mindsets because a person holds a sign and yells into a microphone or bullhorn, or just plain shouts.
But this is America, and I love that we have the freedom to do this, no matter what the sign says, or the person is shouting.

Just a little off the sides please.

2010-07-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

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Child's Play

2010-07-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

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