Category Archives: carry a camera

December 22, 2008 · 9:20 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Nothing Like Family

Before I start this post check this out! One of my 50-something moms posts was picked up by the Fresno Bee! (ok, so it’s not the NYT but it’s a start)

This Time to Cry Tuesday mixes things up a bit and starts with a laugh. For those who are regular readers, you have heard mention of Gary’s toddler dance more than once.

Now don’t get all excited out there (especially you MizLiz, as I know you are dying to see it), this video does not feature Gary. But it does star our kids who named this dance and hold it close to their hearts. So without any further ado, I bring you The Toddler Dance by Danny and Jana.

Where is the time to cry piece, you ask? No worries. A good friend once told me it is good to both laugh and cry every day, then you know you have lived your day to its fullest.

Family. Some cringe at the word, break out in hives, get indigestion, run for cover. Especially this time of year with all the forced reunions and pressure to celebrate. Me? There is nothing more important. I was raised this way, it is in my blood. And I am fortunate enough to be able to say that when I hear the word family I am happy.

There is no feeling greater for a parent of a college student than the moment before they close their eyes and know that everyone is in their own beds under one roof. These times become more rare and increasingly precious. My kids may roll their eyes when I get this way – certainly Danny does because he has not left yet – but I know that in their hearts they feel the same way.

It is a tough world out there, and we as a society are facing very scary realities. But when you sit at a dinner table with your whole family and can laugh and enjoy simply being together, the world out there seems a little easier to face.

Thanks kids, for humoring me. Oh and being the first video on my great new Hannukah present…

a Flip Video camera.

How did daddy know I wanted this? Oh right, because I only mentioned it 1,000 times.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under carry a camera, danny, home video, Jana, products, teenagers, Time to Cry Tuesdays

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December 22, 2008 · 12:25 am

Humanely Raised Ham?

humanelyraisedham

I came across this sign in one of my favorite eateries in the Flatiron District, The City Bakery.

This sign struck me as being sort of silly. Humanely raised before we slaughter you and slap you on a piece of bread with gruyere. Is part of the humane treatment to avoid humiliation by being paired with a pedestrian cheese like ordinary american?

Yes, this noise in my head is truly never ending.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under absurdities, carry a camera, New York City, places of interest

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December 10, 2008 · 10:30 pm

Not so hard to be a saint in the city

saint-elizabeth

You can drive down a street 100 times and never see  something and then one day… BAM, there is the most extraordinary finding.

Down by Battery Park hangs this sign. Shrine of the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, first American born saint. Quite a gig, huh? She was pretty cool, check out her Wikipedia page.

So, what exactly, is my point? To get you all to take a look around and notice your world. I bet there are some amazing things that you pass everyday but you are too busy worrying about ‘what’s next’ to see ‘what’s here’.

Hmmm… Philosophical Thursday? Nah, has a weird ring to it.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

 

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Filed under carry a camera, museums, New York City, signage

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November 23, 2008 · 11:48 pm

Are Bloggers the new ‘Media’?

callaheadsite

There is much talk about bloggers being viewed, or perhaps narcissistically viewing themselves, as media. Me? I view my self as someone with an off-beat view on everyday life that keeps me entertained and helps me from not going over the edge from the stresses of life. I have long kept my friends entertained this way and started to blog to bring this warped vision to a bigger audience. (friends and family getting bored).

You can only imagine how surprised I was to find a link in my stats that brought me here. For those too lazy or not inclined to click that link, my blog post about CallAhead portable toilets has been featured on their website in the media section!

This is where I tell Gary about how bloggers get free stuff all the time when they mention people’s products. Hey, CallAhead has a better social media strategy than J&J for Motrin? Yikes, way to go potty guys! Do you guys Twitter? You can find me there @amyz5.

Gary’s response: Great, so what will we get, a free porta san on the front lawn? You couldn’t blog about BMW?

Ok, so here’s the thing. If the social media director at BMW is out there scanning blogs I just want to let you know that I am a really loyal customer and I love, love, love, my X3 and the lease is coming up soon. And Gary happens to have a really sweet 325ci convertible that is getting kind of old and we have a kid in college and another one on the way into college so car $ are tight and I would be real happy to blog all the time about your fantastic products because frankly BMW is my life and we could do a thing called extreme vehicle makeover where you drive away my old car and bring me a new one just because I happened to write about a billboard with a funny slogan on it about being #1 at picking up #2…

Alright, so maybe the CallAhead on the front lawn is a little more realistic.

A girl can dream, can’t she?

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under absurdities, blogging, carry a camera, education, humor, humor, marketing, news, photography, products, social media, twitter

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November 12, 2008 · 9:30 pm

We are #1…

no1atno2_small

…at picking up #2?!

Oh yes, you read that billboard correctly. This is an advertisement for Callahead. And who, might you ask, is this company? Well, if you live in the suburbs near a house under construction, or you attend an outdoor concert or event, then you would know that Callahead would be a supplier of…

… you guessed it, porta-sans. Yes, my friends, here is a company that capitalized on the funkiness of its product with a campy name. Then went one step further in the school of ‘i know you are but what am I’ advertising and came up with what I think is a brilliant tagline. Seriously, how can you not laugh when you see this? Come on all you lofty sophisticates and award-winning creatives. I challenge you to say that this is not effective and memorable. At the risk of using a marketing term with a double entendre, this sucker is extremely ‘sticky’.

So you get the full picture of why I took this shot, let me first say that my sister-in-law called me the day before I saw this billboard to tell me that she saw the truck and did not have a camera. The next day, there I am driving into the city for brunch and right on the ramp to the Midtown Tunnel is that crazy billboard. I missed it on the way in, so on the way out I hung my camera out the window facing backwards and caught it at the last minute. NO, I was not driving. Give me a break, I am not that nuts.

I was going to crop it till I noticed the Empire State Building, that crazy sky and the wild angle and decided the whole shot was a keeper.

callaheadJust in case you were wondering what these look like in person, I took a picture of one on my walk this morning. This baby is the Econo-Head. Oh, how I love that name. As the website states, ‘this product has evolved dramatically over the years… Econo head is one of our most attractive portable toilets available today.’ Wait, here it comes…

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How did anyone write that copy with a straight face?

Hold on, this gets better. Here are a few of my faves in the product line: The Special Event Toilet (for those special events, you know what they are). The Construction Flush (is that like a Royal Flush?) and my all time favorite…

The Job-Site Head. OMG, this one kills me. Go ahead, think about that one. Job? Head? This reminding anyone of anything here? Really, who would not like a little head on the job site? If you remember way back when I did a post about ‘a little head would be nice’. (You really need to click on that link now, don’t you?)

Face it, bathroom humor and infantile behavior always gets a laugh. And remember, this ain’t no mom blog 7 days a week, that’s for sure.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog where Jana joins in the election bloglove.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under absurdities, carry a camera, humor, marketing, New York City, photography, road signs, sex

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October 28, 2008 · 9:56 pm

Halloween (vol. 4) – Restraint Costume

restraint mask and costume

Here we are, back to the ridiculous costumes theme. If you missed the last one you can see it here.

Where do I start with this one? Let’s see, why not go straight to the small print.

Costume includes:

Straight jacket with tie-back (wow, that is some beginning)

Open end sleeves for free hand movement (ok, practical so you can still eat and drink. and um, trick or treat if perhaps you are a pedophile)

Pajama pants (alrighty then, you should certainly be comfortable)

I like that it is ‘one size fits most’. Most what?

Ahhh, now this one simply freaks me out in a Silence of the Lambs sort of way …

muzzle mask with adjustable elastic bands (yeh, right. this would be something a healthy person would want to slap on for the big Halloween bash. Honey, your date is here. He looks kind of cute but I can’t tell because he is wearing a MUZZLE MASK – are you sure you want to go out with this guy?).

But of course my number one favorite part about this costume is that it is an ‘Adult Costume’.

Seriously, anyone out there considering running out to purchase this sucker for their kids? Mom bloggers, help me out here. You in or you out on this baby?

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms where they are celebrating their 1 year blogaversary. And at 50-Something Moms Blog… Poor is the New Rich and Sarah Palin Condoms show up here as well.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under absurdities, carry a camera, holidays, humor, trends

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October 19, 2008 · 9:20 pm

Living la vida lunchbox

Oh, my. Kind of creepy, right? I had to take a picture of this! Sadly, poor old Ricky M. was on the discount shelf at the art supply store. Who would have thought the artist with the 1999 song that topped the charts would end up here?

I got a particular charge out of this as that song was the theme of my 40th birthday dinner with the First Thursdays.

I guess every lunchbox has its day.

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Filed under absurdities, carry a camera, humor, humor, music, trends

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August 31, 2008 · 10:48 pm

The Perfect Labor Day Outfit

I will be shamelessly self-promoting my new photo blog, leaving the zip code, here from now on. You won’t be disappointed, I promise. Let’s see if some of you will take the ‘submit’ challenge.

Once again, I have illustrated why you should always carry a camera. Or why I should, anyway.

The image gods dropped this babe for me from photography heaven.

After the most perfect beach day imaginable, spent with my one of my BFFs from childhood, we stopped at a local lobster market to pick up dinner.

As we were getting back in the car we happened upon this couple. Fumbling for my camera we lost sight of them. Off we rode down the block into the belly of the beast of bars and restaurants until we caught up with them.

I love black leather boots on Labor Day Weekend! What was that rule about wearing white?

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Filed under carry a camera, fashion, friendship, humor, photography, trends

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August 20, 2008 · 9:53 pm

Why You Should Always Carry a Camera…Everywhere!

NOTE: Shameless self-promotion here. Check out my new photography blog, Leaving the Zip Code. Scroll down and take a look at the past posts. And note this one is designed to be participatory – see the Submit page for details.

For those who have been reading along, you know I have been carrying my camera everywhere. You never know what you might see. This great little camera has a vid option that is kinda cool in a raw and artsy sort of way.

Everyone, meet my dear old friend Seth Diamond. You will find his picture next to the word ‘character’ in the dictionary. This vid was taken at breakfast in a tiny little town in the Adirondacks called North Creek. The waitress was rumored to have a beautiful voice but was quite shy. Seth volunteered to sing first and, well, he got carried away. Gary went back to the our room at the motel and of course he happened to have the Stylistics song on his ipod.

Seth, you make us all feel brand new, baby!

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Filed under carry a camera, friendship, humor, video

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August 12, 2008 · 1:02 am

Baby You Can Drive My Car


Don’t laugh, she can probably drive better than me (those who have driven with me will confirm that).

Mel has a sweet habit of jumping into the driver’s seat to wait for our return. It is pretty funny to watch people when she does this in the convertible. Sometimes I will sit in Starbucks and watch the people point at her as they pass by.

She, like Gary, is a good sport.

I love the graininess, lighting and color in this shot. I shut the flash to capture the moment. And OK – a little photoshop work – but I just screwed around with the levels to bring up the detail. I swear.

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Filed under carry a camera, mel, pets, photography

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