i have been going bananas for the last couple of weeks.  so much stuff going on!  i have a bunch of albums that are about to be released... so excited to show them to you... and a new project i've been working on (on the side of the side).  it's top secret right now, but in a few more weeks i'll make an announcement.   i've also sent quite a few albums to print and some have been delivered and making lots of tweaks for clients so that their books can go to print!  so busy, busy, busy.  it's all good.

this is my birthday month and i have already splurged.  because of my friends (and fellow photographers) matt and sarah antonino, i've invested in the coolest timesaver i've ever bought... i've been justifying my purchase for the last 12 hours.  since it IS my birthday month, and i didn't take a vacation, and my car is almost paid for, and i don't spend a lot of money on other things like booze and fashion (although, i'm trying to be more fashionable), i decided to treat myself on something the antonino's recommended...

watching this thing chase xander around the house, and seeing him confused and barking at it was almost worth the $300 price tag.  the fact that i was completely disgusted by what it picked up made me pretty sure i've made a great investment.  it's a ROOMBA!!  the one i got is the 530 model.  it's adorable how it goes back to it's dock to charge up.  everything you need comes in the box, except the batteries for the 'virtual walls'.  there are 2 and they each take 2 "D" batteries.  but you don't need them for the roomba to work.  you do need to let it charge up when you first get it, so plan on letting it charge for a full day.  (maximize that battery life)

i wonder why we do that?  why do we feel the need to justify wanting something?  i do it way too much.  i just wanted this thing.  i think it's awesome!     yes, it was pricey.  but life is too short!

i will be taking some photos of the fun ~ ciao!

I came across this video on GMA's news videos.  It was about this great professor - who happens to be in Pittsburgh!  There was only a snippet of a very long lencture, so I found the entire lecture...

Randy Pausch

i will warn you that it's quite long - about an hour and 20 minutes - but it's so worth watching.  puts a whole new perspective on the question "what would you do if you only had 6 months to live?"  the best part of the lecture (imho) comes about an hour in - Randy's lessons learned are really great.  How to live your life...

Thank you, Randy. 

ENJOY 2008 and beyond!

i saw this story and i thought it would be nice to remind you to keep our soldiers in your prayers.  and remember that soldiers come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, and as you see here, may not even be people!  God bless all those who give so much.  This photo is from the CNN website where i saw the story.

thank you to our military who sacrifice so much.

we love you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

FOOD:

ok, yesterday i mentioned this website, and today i got this great recipe for GNOCCHI.  i can't believe that there may be people who don't know what gnocchi is, but it's an italian pasta made with potatoes.  and it is delicious!!  if you don't feel like making it, look for it at the store to try it.  these little dumplings are heavy, so eat them when you are starving!  I found this photo on www.fotostock.com.  great with sauce on them (my favorite), or butter.

DRINK:

and i've mentioned THIS website, too, and what a good eHOW we have today!  cider!

SAVE:

i've posted this before.  (wow!  today must be reruns)  BUT, here is a way to save some $$$.  gas prices are ridiculous, i'm not telling you anything new.  are you getting the BEST gas mileage you can???  i've done these 3 things and i've seen a 17% increase in the gas mileage i was getting before i made these changes.  i thought of this today because it's SOOOO cold out, and this will negatively effect your tire pressure - a factor that has a HUGE impact on your mileage.  so here are the 3 things that you can do to improve your gas mileage!

1 - make sure your car is tuned up.  and the next time you let your gas get down to 1/4 tank, pour in a bottle of fuel injector cleaner. (this one from STP is available everywhere, and it's the one in the black bottle). and check your oil!  (ok, that's technically more than one thing, but it's all about the same idea)  Note: cleaning your fuel injectors is as easy as putting gas in your car.  just wait until your tank is 1/4 full, open your gas tank, and pour the cleaner in...  then drive a little more - then fill up as usual. that's it!

2 - CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURE - this is big, especially going into winter when it's cold.  make sure your tires are properly inflated... you can safely add 2-3 pounds of pressure more than the pressure stamped on your tires, but that's all.  (this is how i inflate mine- just a couple pounds over)  i cannot tell you how many cars i see with low tires - it makes me sooooo sad.  you will waste so much gas riding on low tires!!!!!!  the proper tire pressure is printed right on your tires!!!  if you are unsure, take your car to a service station and have them check it - but it's so easy - if you are driving a car you should be able to do this yourself.  it's soooooooooooo worth it, you should have your own tire gage.  but, if you don't they are sometimes built right into the air pump machine.  i usually stop at BP, and they all seem to have these machines.  it might cost a quarter, but $0.25 is nothing compared to what you will save.  i promise!  i know it's crappy-cold outside, but fill those tires!!!

3 - SLOW DOWN!  and don't gun your engine!!  watch the RPM (revolutions per minute) that your engine runs at.  each car is a little different, but i know if i stay under 2500 RPM when i'm on the highway, i see a HUGE difference.  for me that's 63 MPH.  if i go 65 MPH, my car sucks the gas down.  but if i go 60 MPH, there's no huge benefit.  you will need to experiment, but slowing down will save you a lot.  in traffic, no rabbit starts!  i do a LOT of highway driving, so the speed i travel at is key.  63 for me!  (i use this speed for both the honda and the benz - they are both 4 cylinder engines, if that helps you determine your best speed).  6 cylinder cars will use more gas, but the 'native speed' (my term for the most efficient speed your car will drive at) will be faster, too.  BOTTOM LINE... slow down.  3-5 miles per hour will make a difference. try it!  and really, 3 miles in an hour isn't going to get you there THAT much faster.

~ciao for now!

in 3 days...  it will officially be winter!  this is exciting  because after saturday, the days will be getting longer.  saturday is the winter solstice, and the shortest day of the year.  unless, of course you live in australia or new zealand, where it marks the beginning of summer.

in 2 days...  i begin my Christmas break!!!  yahoooooooo! 

in 1 day...  the UPS man will bring Brenda and i 2 MORE cameras!  The 40d is so awesome that we are replacing our 20d bodies.  A big investment to purchase 4 cameras at once, but well worth it.  for anyone interested, our 20d bodies will be for sale.  i'll make a post when the time comes.  we need to get conformable with the new ones first, then i'll post about the 20d bodies.  they will be available here for a short time, then off to eBay. 

TODAY!... just a fun link...Dr. Weil is a Harvard trained medical doctor who established integrative medicine.  THIS is his website.  i subscribe to his daily recipes, and i thought i'd mention the site to you because it's full of good ideas for healthy living. 

AND A REMINDER to be generous this season...  my family doesn't exchange big gifts - just little 'open-ups'.  i feel very fortunate to be able to buy gifts for my family, but the truth is, we really don't NEED anything and my Mom prefers to just have us all visit and spend time and go to church to celebrate, so that's what we'll do.  (pretty old-school, huh?)  anyway, this year i decided to make a donation to a different organization in each person's name.  maybe you could choose a cause and send something on behalf of your family.  every little bit helps - and check with your accountant - it could be tax deductible.

~ciao for now!

If you have seen me in the last few months, you know that my hair is really getting long - and that picture of me over there to the left is dated.  I haven't had my hair cut in over a year. YIKES!  I just had been too busy for a haircut - ridiculous you may think, but it's true.  Well, i then decided to actually GROW it so that i could donate it to Locks of Love.  I  need 10" minimum to donate.  I've decided to continue to grow it until at least the spring.  If i cut it now i would probably have the minimum length, and the longer the better.  So in a few months, when i have a good, long crop (and it's a little warmer outside) i will probably return to the style at the left.  The hair pieces for children are very expensive and it takes 6-10 pony tails to make a prosthesis. 

IN THE MEAN TIME... i received an email from another great DJ, Bonny Diver.  She has a fabulous organization called Hair Peace Charities.  HERE is the website.  http://www.hairpeace.org/  This organization provides financial assistance for patients needing wigs due to chemotherapy.  Please consider sending a contribution and please BE GENEROUS!  These hair pieces are less expensive, since adults can wear beautiful, ready-made wigs, and every $100 buys a wig for a woman undergoing chemotherapy.

Just a reminder that Bellissima donates 10% of all print sales to charities.  This month (December) we are donating to the American Cancer Society.  (They will benefit from a lot of Christmas print sales!)  We are hoping that after the New Year people continue to order prints because January will be Hair Peace Charities month. 

THANKS FOR READING!

~ciao for now

we worked with Jeremy at a number of weddings this past year and now he's doing something NEW!  you can listen to him LIVE!  this is really a treat.  if you have never been to a big city where the DJ mixes it up, you now only have to travel to your computer becasue Jeremy is the one to hear!

JUST GO HERE, to Jeremy's blog, FOR HOW TO LISTEN

We'll see J at Rena and Mark's wedding on January 19th at the Carnegie Musuem Hall of Architecture.  SOMETIMES, I don't think people give enough though to the importance of their music choice for their wedding.  Be sure you are really in tune with your DJ or band (no punn intended).  These people can make or break your entire evening.  Jeremy is, hands down, one of the BEST in the biz.  Be sure to listen in for yourself - what a treat!

See you soon, J - congrats on such a cool way to share your gift!

Jeremy's website

Listen Live Thursday, December 13th.  GO HERE for how.

~ciao for now~

how cute it this.... i saw THESE instructions for folding a towel swan.  cute, huh?

gosh, i use the internet for everything... tv watching, working, researching, business building, friend-making!  i think it's amazing how small the world is because of the internet.  it may seem pretty common place now, but, i've 'met' people and do business with people all over the world through the computer!  this still amazes me - especially since the phone i remember as a child looked like this... and there is still one in my mom's basement!  if you want one, they are now called "RETRO"!  and you can get one from HERE.  i cannot believe the prices!  wow.  i feel old. 

we are getting new phones at work today - they just put one on my desk.  it came with an instruction book, so i'm sure the features are insane.  it's a voice over IP phone, which means that the calls will actually go over the internet.  and we were just talking about how the new thing will be to send internet over the electical lines.  from what i understand you will be able to plug a computer into any wall jack for internet access....  new frequencies and such being used.  all about current.  it's funny - i hated, i mean HATED my "elecrtical engineering for non-electrical engineers" course. (no kidding - that was the title!)  i just couldn't grasp the difference between alternating and direct current for the longest time.  i studied so hard for a 'B' in that awful class.  but, now i'm glad i know all that junk.  i'm not sure, but i think i actually USE it! 

as far as the BROADBAND OVER POWERLINES, this might sound like a step backward, but it's really interesting.  HERE'S were you can learn more about it, if you are a geeky-type, like me! 

as 2 Pittsburgh wedding photographers, when we make a new purchase, it's usually twice as much... because we buy 2!  we each shoot with 2 bodies and are adding a brand new baby to the lineup!  there are 2 of these on their way to us right now.  how exciting!!  we will still retain our other cameras, so we'll have a great back up for our backups.  We are CANONGIRLS! 

there are a lot or reasons for this choice. the focusing, the sensor size and the buffer are 3 of them.  i still maintain that the GLASS is the most important link in the chain.  and we definitley have a PREMIUM collection of glass.  anyway, i just thought i'd share my christmas JOY! 

we order everything from B&H - so, if you're looking, give them a call - great prices and terrific service.  if you have any questions, they'll have the answer!

if you are looking for your own camera - just a little digital gem - here's my recommendation.  Any of the CANON SD powershots.  like THIS one, for example.   i have the SD450 and love it .  i think it was discontinued, but the SD powershots are all great.  if you are looking, and have quesitons, feel free to shoot me an email.  i'll try to help!

this is a great website -

i subscribe to it, and recently i got these 2 great 'how tos'...

this one on how to spot a fake check, and this one on how to make a gingerbread cookies!  there is such a range of info - it's awesome!  you can even write 'how to' articles and submit them.  so if you are ever looking for HOW to do something, check out eHow!

Congratulations to the Patriots - they are really a fantastic football team.  I'm sad the Steelers didn't win, but a least they made it a game.  I'm sure they'll meet again, and we'll see what happens then.