Paige Seven

Viva Las Vegas

2012-02-25T14:31:00.000-05:00

Last week, I attended the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) Convention in Las Vegas with about 10 members of the Photography Ministry at my church, the First Baptist Church of Glenarden. The conference is a combination of a huge expo and days of Platform Classes (included in the $400 fee) and Master Classes (extra $, a la carte) from February 16th to the 23rd, all held within the MGM Grand Hotel.

Once I arrived in Vegas, I took a photo from my seat on the plane. Since Vegas is in a valley, it's really flat. But you know you're there because you can see the pyramid-shaped Luxor hotel. I didn't know it at the time, but I was staying in the hotel all the way to the left, the MGM Signature, which is attached by a series of indoor tunnels to the MGM Grand.

Vegas has lots of palm trees. None of them are native. Kinda like the people. It's nice. It makes you forget that it's 55 degrees outside.

This was the view from my room on the 18th floor of the MGM Signature.

Walking through the MGM is like walking through Disney World. There are a gazillion people who are all there to do different things like: see the Cirque du Soleil show, see David Copperfield, attend Mohammed Ali's birthday party, eat at one of the celebrity chef's restaurants, shop, or attend the WPPI conference with thousands of other people. Oh, and gamble. Because of this, you feel a little like you are in the midst of a constant stampede but nobody is going in the same direction. Like between classes in high school. Or New York City.

I stepped into a Showtime Photo Booth and got a digital image on the set of one of my favorite shows, Dexter.

People are also headed to the club, like Studio 54. By the way, there were a lot of hookers there. Since women regularly dress like hookers to go to the club, I couldn't tell the difference because the regular chicks and hookers wore the same uniform.

In every hotel (presumably) in Las Vegas, there is no separation between the restaurants, some really upscale, and the casinos. There is even a casino in the mall. And the airport too. Check out this restaurant in proximity to the slots and playing tables.

Time for a WPPI Platform Class! This class was offered by Lindsay Adler, about Fashion and Wedding Photography. I love going to these classes because the master photographers who give them are so giving of their techniques, tips, equipment, and software information. All you have to do is use it in your own way.

Some classes were so popular, that if you didn't pre-board it before the conference began, it would fill up (600 seats!) and you couldn't get in, and had to find another class. Usually 6-9 classes were occurring at the same time, plus print competitions, so that usually wasn't a problem. (Unless you snuck in!) One thing I noticed all week was the amount of babies at WPPI. The type that breastfeed. Maybe that's why they were there, because I didn't see toddlers or pre-school aged children, only babies. Hmmmmm. Good for you momma.

One night after a long day of platform classes, I went to Tom Colicchio's restaurant, one of two in the MGM Grand, called Craftsteak. I got this yummy salmon, probably the thickest piece of salmon I've ever had. Juicy all the way through.

And lobster bisque! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

After dinner, I finally left the MGM Grand to see what was outside. Believe me, you could spend an entire week there and never leave the MGM Grand.

There was New York New York, which seems to take up so much space on the block that I can't tell where it begins and ends. I did peep the rollercoaster, and people were on it, screaming, even though it was so cold out.

The Las Vegas strip reminded me a lot of Times Square. There are a lot of lights and eye candy, and street performers or people standing outside strictly to get their photo taken and you give them money.

You know what you won't see? Hookers. You know what you will see? Hooker solicitors. Men and young girls, two or three at a time, on brightly lit street corners, passing out flyers for hookers. Some of them make this clicking noise with their hands so that you glance down at their hand to see what the noise is, and then they can give you a flyer. And you can even get flyers and booklets for hookers from newspaper-like kiosks all over the strip. And people who don't want the flyers drop them on the ground, for the children to pick up and see photos of naked women, for those people who insist on bringing their children to Vegas.

This is in front of a souvenir shop on the strip. Bubbles are supposed to fly out of the butt of the toy.

Everyone will ask, "Did you see the water show at the Bellagio?" Yep. I saw it. Photos don't do it justice though. It's pretty cool. It makes thundering noises when the water shoots out which totally enhances the experience.

Time to walk back to Tower 3 (the one on the left) of the MGM Signature and call it a night.

The next day, Staci, Tami and I went to our 8 am platform classes, which isn't hard to do because we kept getting up at 6:30 am Pacific time, which is 9:30 am Eastern time. Getting up to go to 8 am classes was easy!

What wasn't easy was the walk to class. The series of tunnels between the MGM Signature to the MGM Grand is about a 1/2 mile. I downloaded a pedometer app which told me that I walked a mile from our room to go to Starbucks and then to class. There was so much walking, the tunnels include the walking runways like you'd see in the airport. My feet were screaming at the end of the first day.

Then, after the morning's platform class on Monday, it was finally time for the expo to open! At 9:45 am, photographers crowded the halls waiting for the doors to the Grand Ballroom to open.

Once inside, it was our mission to find the best show specials. If you come prepared, you know what to look for. I wanted a new website, and maybe new lights if I found a good deal.

In our search, Staci, Tami and I were stopped by Framed Network to do a 5-second promo. Cool!

I had to say, "My name is Insana Collins, I'm a Washington DC photographer coming to you live from the Framed Network!" Something like that. Then we were like, "What's the Framed Network?"

Tami got a free massage, which you'd need walking around with your heavy camera all day or bags of promo items.

There were these cool engraved flash drives.

We saw this guy with the thinnest camera ever, around his neck, and stopped him to ask what it was. It was just his iphone!

Of course Nikon was there. Canon and Sony too.

One booth caught our attention because there was a ton of people at it. Why?

They're selling an ICELight. What's an ICELight?

This girl is holding an ICELight above her head. She looks like a mannequin, doesn't she? She's not, I just shot these on two consecutive days. We're supposed to be paying attention to how she's illuminated with the ICELight. Cool right? It looks like a Light Saber from Star Wars.

We were so intrigued, until we found out it's $600. For one light. The battery lasts about 90 minutes and it's an adjustable LED. Still, $600? They had a show special of $500. We shoved on.

Soon, we came across these video lights, which were recommended by Damon Tucci, a photographer I really like. Plus he shoots with a D700, like me. I was like, these are LEDs like the ICELight. How much?

Not only were they a fraction of the price of the ICELight (under $100), they illuminated Staci's face just like you'd need on a shoot. So we bought some.

There were many, many, many vendors selling wedding album designs and printed products. Most were leather bound, but one company had these furry bedazzled albums.

This company sold skins for your lenses. You, too, can have a leopard skin 70-200mm lens.

And throughout the day, at many of the larger vendors, photographers were featured and offered a class to anyone who wished to attend. Staci, Tami and I set down for Damon Tucci's class, and he schooled us a little more on how to use the LED video lights. Right on time!

This photographer was doing a teach at Canon about group posing.

This woman was selling photo luggage on wheels. If you wanted to check it out, for some reason she would sit on the luggage and make you pull her around like a wagon. It was funny though.

A few companies sold custom backdrops. With glitter!

This album company had a hookah couch in the middle of their booth, behind beads. It was a pretty groovy set. I don't think anyone could actually smoke it though.

This unique company sold photo pendants. They were pretty cool.

This company sold painted frames that seemed to continue the photo within the frame.

This unique company personalized skateboards with photos.

Spin the wheel, win a prize!

Once we walked out of the expo ballroom, we saw a crowd of photographers taking pictures behind some woman. Who was she, and what are they taking pictures of?

Why, it's master photographer Bambi Cantrell.

Bambi made a dress out of newspaper, put it on this model, and was shooting her outside. I think it was a teach of some sort, but I was never quite certain who her students were. It was great though. I want to make this dress myself now.

Later that week, I took Bambi's class on wedding posing. She shared her equipment and post-processing tools.

After the expo, the photography ministry members got together at ministry president Teandra's suite at the Marriott Chateau to eat some homemade wheat spaghetti and salad. YUM-O. After being so scattered in classes and at the expo, it was good to get everyone together in one place.

After dinner, I headed out to find the Cosmopolitan Hotel, to meet up with my UMCP homie, Nat, who recently moved his family out to Las Vegas, where he manages a mall.

In both the MGM and the Cosmopolitan are these huge touch screen directories. They are so cool! Here is Nat using the one in the Cosmo.

Nat tells me that the Cosmopolitan is the newest and coolest hotel on the strip right now. It was awesome. Like the MGM, it was full of clubs and restaurants, and had a mall on the higher levels. And, of course, a casino. It was a beautiful place.

This chandelier is three floors high.

This is the lobby of the Cosmopolitan, made up of huge LED columns that are made to look like bookshelves, with slowly disappearing books. But since the columns are screens, I suppose you could go on another day and the columns could look like a tropical rainforest. Who knows? It was soooooo cool!

I had dinner with Nat and his friends at a place called Holsteins, which served alcoholic milkshakes. One even had Captain Crunch Cereal in it.

What a cool night. The Cosmopolitan was SICK!

Back at the MGM Grand, throughout the week, brides could be spotted in the strangest places. Not because they were getting married, of course, but because they were props in a photography class somewhere.

On our last day there, Wednesday, Staci, Tami and I went to Me Ra Koh's class. She's a mom photographer. Which means she is a photographer who has children. This is pretty important for other mom (and dad!) photographers to find a self-employed work life balance and not feel like they aren't spending enough time with their children. It's a pretty big deal and she was inspirational.

Then, after the morning class, I went outside on the strip, in the daylight, and it was a balmy 72 degrees! Which is never an excuse to ride your motorcycle in shorts. Ever.

There was a fake Zach Galifianakis on the strip, and lots of people had their picture taken with him. He even had the baby, Carlos, from The Hangover.

The Adidas store sold these wacky sneakers for $2-300.

I had to get some MandMs from the MandM store! This store is four stories high. I only went into two floors. The whole place smells like chocolate, which is kinda great. IF you like chocolate.

I paid too much for aqua, pink and purple MandMs because I knew I couldn't get them anywhere else. Other people were buying T-shirts and what not.

I also got a better look at some of the hotels.

More street performers. Just like Times Square. I wonder why we don't have this so much in DC? Is it that people are too busy to stop and listen?

Tami and Staci headed to the airport first, and we had to say goodbye. We had such a good time!

By the time I headed to the airport, I had exactly one photo left on my memory card.

I had an evening flight, a red eye to Dulles. And just before we landed, I was greeted by an awesome sunrise above the clouds.

Great time in Vegas. Learned so much I thought my head would explode. Signed up for a new web service. Do not bring children to Vegas. And wear comfortable shoes.

The End

Insana

Green Machine

2012-02-17T11:49:00.001-05:00

After working at this crazy job of mine for three months, I've gained 8 unwanted pounds. Time to shed them. To accomplish this, I've begun to drink Naked's Green Machine for breakfast. It looks gross, thick and green.

But check out what's in it! More than two apples! Half a banana! A third of a kiwi! A third of mango! And even some pineapple! And after all this, they've managed to cram some spirulina, broccoli, spinach, and wheat grass in there, amongst other things. No sugar added, totally natural. The ingredients list has just these things on it, with no additions. So what does it taste like? Like really thick apple cider with a hint of pineapple or something. Which, honestly, is quite good!

I hope it helps me lose weight though! I'll let you know if it works.

Insana

Viva Vidalia!

2012-02-16T19:24:00.008-05:00

In January for DC's Restaurant Week, Nicole, Sue and I went to Vidalia restaurant at 1990 M Street NW, not far from The Palm, Ozios, and Dirty Martini on Connecticut Avenue.

As soon as you walk in, you end up heading down a flight of stairs. Vidalia is underground? Yep, but it's ok, it's pretty posh!

We sat down starving. Luckily, we were served with yummy corn bread and onion bread (mmm, onion bread!) right away.

Nicole got a salad. It looked yummy. But I was doing great with the onion bread.

Sue got parmesan crusted fluke. I don't know what a fluke is, except that it's fish, and it's hard to resist anything parmesan crusted, but I did, because I don't like when we try new food and order the same thing.

Instead, I ordered the salmon. And let me tell you--this post is a month late because I've been thinking about that salmon ever since. It was so good. It sat on a bed of couscous and cranberry jus, which did more than add a little color to the plate. It was so good. Did I already say that? I think I did, because it was so good.

Then, as if it couldn't get any better, it was time for dessert. I got this minimalist chocolate concoction with caramel ice cream. It was the caramel ice cream that won me over.

Nicole got some sort of peanut butter crunch layered assembly. I think she liked it. It looks hearty, doesn't it?

And Sue got a mini pecan pie. I think she liked that too!

Writing this post just made me super hungry. I hope to go back to Vidalia soon--let me know if you wanna go!

Insana

Heidi Klum Gave Me An Awesome Beauty Tip

2012-02-16T13:32:00.005-05:00

When I do my hair in the morning, especially when I pull it back into a ponytail or put it up in a bun, I am always stuck with persistent flyaway hairs around my face. It may be hard for you to see them, but I can always see them and it makes me feel like an 8-year old.

What to do? Heidi Klum told me (well, not directly, but in an InStyle magazine article) that I should use clear mascara to smooth down those pesky flyaway hairs. So one day, I tried it and it found out: it works!

All you need is clear mascara--any mascara will do.

So, use your mascara on your hair like a teeny, tiny brush. I mean, that's really what it is. And glide it down your hair, to smooth it, about an inch wide at a time (as wide as your mascara brush is).

I use my fingers to smooth down each area even more to blend the mascara gel into my hair.

ALL SMOOTH, SON!

It's great, because it's not sticky or gross, or hard like gel would be. And I hate hairspray and even the smell of hairspray. I hate grease too. It's literally weightless, like it would be on your eyelashes, and when I touch it, I can't tell that I have used anything at all.

Yay! All smooth! If you get flyaways on the daily like me, you should try it!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Insana

Bone Thugs N Harmony II, 9:30 Club

2012-02-07T11:11:00.007-05:00

Since my first time seeing Bone Thugs N Harmony in concert at 9:30 Club, a couple of members have dropped off the tour, leaving only Wish Bone and Krayzie Bone (otherwise known as "the chubby one" and "the tall skinny one who looks like Snoop") to carry the show. After a lively pre-show performance by Dizzy and Dilemma (below), I couldn't wait to see how the remaining Bone Thugs turned out with only 40% of their original members.

I have to say, they did a pretty good job. The crowd was smaller than before, but then again, so was their group. There were enough people on the stage to lend the appearance that all five members were there, and they performed enough of each song to showcase their hits without revealing the missing verses, including Thuggish Ruggish Bone, First of da Month, and For the Love of Money. Then they paid their obligatory yet welcomed homage to EZ E ("cuz the boys in the hood are always hard, you come talkin' that trash, we'll pull your card..."), Tupac and Biggie. If you are a Bone Thugs fan, and I am, you too would have certainly had a good time.

Insana

p.s. Come back Bizzy and Layzie!

My Orchids are Blooming!

2012-02-06T23:25:00.002-05:00

And it's only the beginning of February! SICED!

Insana

Dookie Chain

2012-01-18T22:10:00.004-05:00

My Run DMC glasses and dookie chain (I didn't even know that's what it was called!) came in the mail today. I'm halfway ready for my Halloween costume already! I'm so excited!

tee hee hee

Insana

Ariana Sings Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2011-12-29T15:16:00.000-05:00

San Francisco in Photos, Fall 2011

2011-11-02T22:30:00.008-04:00

High Heel Drag Race 2011

2011-10-26T07:38:00.018-04:00

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011 - Dupont Circle held it's 25th Annual High Heel Drag Race on 17th Street, NW, between P and S streets. It's always an extremely fun event to witness, and although the race starts at 9 pm, spectators flock the streets at around 7 pm and have a blast watching the drag racers parade in their outfits. I met my homegirl Nicole down there and removed my lens cap. This is what you missed:

The AIDSWalk shoe!

This one was scary

Best group of the night: the PanAm Flight Attendants

Paula Deen!

These girls arrived all as Snookie last year. Think they're still Snookie this year?

Take a guess at how many Black Swan/White Swan pairs there were?

Love the airbrushed abs!

And finally...the race!

Made it to the end of the photos? Congratulations--you get to watch the video!

Who won? Who cares! I think I laughed for a whole 90 minutes!

Insana

Kings Dominion....Oh Yeah

2011-09-06T12:01:00.014-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, my buddies Kim, Lynda and I went to Kings Dominion near Richmond, VA. We hadn't been in years...and were pretty excited.

My Redskins tank got some hate within 5 mins of entering the park. It's ok, I expected that!

The first thing Lynda did was get on the Berserker (the big ship). That's her on the left with her light skinned arms flailing about.

Then we headed to Planet Snoopy to find water rides.

I got this ridiculous chocolate ice cream sundae covered with Oreo sprinkles. A mistake so early in the day.

Nobody wanted to get on the El Dorado.

While Lynda got on the Rebel Yell (or was it the Grizzly?), Kim and I got on the Ricochet, which is basically a children's coaster.

It looked too intimidating for Kim, she was reluctant to say the least.

What did we come here for, to look at the rides or get in? Let's go!

She complied.

See? Children are on it with their parents. How bad could it be?

I think that made Kim feel better.

But then the ride started. And caught us off guard because a kiddie coaster isn't supposed to have a drop like this...

Ha! Scared the hell out of Kim. (and me too) Kim had to follow that up with some fries.

I always forget what this is called but you've seen it a million times. I've never been on it! Now was the time.

I'm a sucker for a caricature. Except Lynda and Kim stood behind the artist and kept laughing as she sketched. Lynda said it looked nothing like me.

I found out a few minutes later that it didn't. At all. Drats. Time for funnel cake.

Mmmmm, strawberries and powdered sugar!

By the way, people do still dress alike at Kings Dominion, in case you were wondering.

Finally, water rides!

Our first stop was the cyclone. Or the tornado. Or the hurricane, whatever this is called.

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!

Then over to Pipeline Peak

Then to the wave pool. I swear we were in the water for 2 minutes before we had to evacuate. Rumor was someone number 2'd in the pool. Ew. Pirahna.

Then we went to find more rides and got accosted by Kings Dominion security for walking around without shirts. They took this pic of us.

While Lynda became a Mad Hatter

Then Lynda got on this ride, which appeared to be tame at first even though you roll around upside down, suspended at the top...

...but then fire shoots out and the whole thing seems to "rumble". Oh snap!

Afterwards, Lynda got on the Volcano, which she said was CRAZY, and she's a coaster connoisseur!

We had a grrrrrrrrrreat time and were thoroughly tired by the end of the day. Next time though, we're staying local and going to Cameron Run!

Insana

Fire Displaces 11 People...in My Hood

2011-09-02T10:40:00.004-04:00

Last night around 11 pm, I began hearing fire truck engines and ambulances enter my neighborhood. I'm not usually a nosy neighbor and I could see the lights and hear the sirens so I knew that something was going on, but it usually ends up being someone's medical emergency and walking outside in your PJs to look at flashing lights is no fun. So I stayed put. Then I heard more fire truck engines (they made my windows rattle). I became slowly aware that the emergency vehicles weren't just in the neighborhood, but on my block. I cracked my screen door open and sniffed the air for smoke...nothing. So again, I stayed put.

A few minutes later, I heard even more sirens and fire truck engines and only then was I aware that something serious was happening. I looked outside this time and saw that all of the light and smoke was coming from the direction of one of my good buddies' condos, so I text him and he wasn't home, but was instantly alarmed and wanted to know what was going on. So I finally had to walk outside and find out.

(above photo courtesy of PG Fire Department)

Many of my neighbors were outside, watching from a distance.

I walked past them to get a closer look.

As far as I know, especially from this article on WJLA, no one was hurt. And my homies' condo wasn't one of the units affected. But 11 people who lived in this condo unit cannot return because of damage. I will be praying for them.

Insana

Todai

2011-08-22T23:08:00.011-04:00

A couple of Sundays ago, my brother, Ashte', his fiance', Jenna, her mom, my friend Ian and I went to Todai, a Japanese seafood buffet in Fair Oaks mall. Although it was only about 5 in the afternoon, the place was packed!

Jenna and mom. Peep Ian and Ashte' politickin in the background.

There they go, there they go

What a friendly thing to see as soon as you walk in the front door!

We were there for dinner, which was $29.95 per person.

See? Packed!

Todai (like TOE-die) had all kinds of offerings, ready to eat until you couldn't take anymore.

I wasn't sure what to put on my plate, but then I soon spotted my favorite, lobster bisque!

And crab meat! Oops, it's imitation. I actually like imitation crab meat, but not in soup. What else is there?

Ashte' wasted no time filling his plate.

My first plate in progress. I'm pretty selective, even at a buffet. See that dumpling on the left? That's crab rangoon. About 5 minutes later, I discovered how YUM-MY it was!

The crawfish kept looking at me.

More crab!

Fruit! You know I can't resist getting the fruit.

Todai really has something for everyone.

And all types of sushi and sushimi.

Even the dessert looked like rolls. They were sliced so small that you could get a little bit of everything.

My final first plate with the lobster bisque.

Smashing it

The lobster is served just about every hour at designated times, and Jenna was nice enough to bring me one (it's stuffed). Doesn't it look like this crawfish and lobster are getting it on?

Jenna and her mom were nice enough to crack multiple crab legs for us, which is great because I'm an amateur and I always mess it up. Yum!

And dessert! We were all stuffed. The mango ice cream and fruit crepe made on the spot = more yummiliciousness.

If you're super hungry and like seafood, take a trip to Todai. And don't forget to call me so I can come with you! :)

Insana

I Got a Haircut

2011-08-09T09:43:00.003-04:00

I got a haircut last night. And I like it. It was the first time I got my haircut and wasn't sweating bullets in the salon chair. I must be a woman now.

Yippee!

Insana

Georgetown Cupcake!

2011-08-01T19:17:00.007-04:00

Thursday, I finally got a chance to visit the acclaimed Georgetown Cupcake, the cupcakery made famous by the reality show "DC Cupcakes" on TLC, featuring sisters and business partners Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis. Despite the cupcakery explosion of 2010, people flock to this location, take photos of it as if it's a historic DC landmark like the monument (the way I did below), and routinely line up in 90+ degree heat to taste the deliciousness (or famousness) that is Georgetown Cupcake.

See the group of people waiting on the right of the photo? They are waiting to enter Georgetown Cupcake. It is currently 91 degrees and 11:30 am. On a Thursday.

Whew! Finally made it inside.

So did all of these people.

They have tons of flavors to choose from, like Milk Chocolate Birthday (which means it has sprinkles on top), Chocolate Ganache, Red Velvet and more. The flavors of the day (Thursday) were Chocolate Banana, Chocolage PB Swirl, Coconut, Key Lime, and Pumpkin Spice.

Pssst, guess what? Georgetown Cupcake has a Facebook page. Big deal, everyone has a Facebook page. But everyday on their Facebook page, Georgetown Cupcake features a secret flavor of the day, not listed on their daily menu. If you request it by name, you get it for free! I overheard a woman in line ask, "Is the Facebook special still going on?" and hightailed it to Facebook on my phone. The secret flavor of the day was: Strawberry Lava Fudge. Would I be too late to order one? Had 100 lucky people already asked for one by 11:30 am? We shall see...

Mmmmm these looks so good!

While I waited for my order of a half-dozen cupcakes ($15, or $2.75 x 5 cupcakes), I visited the bakery window to see the employees creating the little edible fondant hearts, stars, flowers and whatever other toppings that make Georgetown cupcakes so pretty.

Other smarter people called their orders ahead, which waited to be picked up.

And before I knew it, my order was ready! There it is, on the top left, my free Strawberry Lava Fudge cupcake! Shouldered by vanilla and chocolate and milk chocolate birthday. On the bottom row are chocolate ganache, red velvet and strawberry.

Are they good? Well, I'm not sure I've ever had a bad cupcake in my life. The consensus is that the frosting is fantastic, but the cake is meh, which, to me, balance out. Maybe that's just me. I know one thing though. I've been to Georgetown Cupcake, so now I can try every other cupcake spot in DC. Poor me, lol.

Insana

Mouseo Is Dead

2011-07-28T15:00:00.003-04:00

Last week, I reported seeing a mouse in my house, to my horror and dismay. Today, I'm happy to report that I GOT THE BASTARD.

So I put him outside by my front door so that my friend/co-worker Mimi could come and free him because she said it's more humane. Since he's not a human, and he ate my dress, I don't care what happens to him, but I at least gave her the chance.

When she found out that freeing him meant pulling his glue-saturated skin off, she gave up and I put him in a trash bag. He's probably roasting right now in the 100-degree heat. I'm not laughing about this, but I don't care either.

Good riddance!

Insana

Happy 7th Birthday Yasmeen!

2011-07-25T10:08:00.002-04:00

Click to see more photos of Yasmeen's birthday celebration !

Insana

Mouseo Must Die

2011-07-22T09:59:00.004-04:00

I went into my garage today, where I keep a lot of clothes, and saw this on the bottom of one of my dresses.

I thought, wtf happened to my dress?

Must have been a mouse, I thought. Mice eat cotton? Word? It must die. So I set these glue traps out so that I don't bloody up my house. Yes, by the way, although that dress was in the garage, I saw it inside the house. Level 10 mortification.

Hopefully, there will be an update soon,

Insana

Mug

2011-07-21T23:11:00.001-04:00

Blank Project Collage Mug

Send special Valentine's Day cards from Shutterfly this year.

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy Birthday Bert & Ernie

2011-07-17T23:17:00.004-04:00

One year ago, two awesome red-eared slider boys were born and showed up at my house asking if they could crash. Their names were Bert & Ernie. They were only the size of quarters at the time, so I thought, why not?

Ernie was always shy.

While Bert was always outgoing...

...and the thinker of the pair.

Well it's been a year, and Bert and Ernie are still living together, and still getting along. They've even gotten a new house, six months ago, after outgrowing their old one. Now they're the size of your palm.

They're still young yet. They love to eat shrimp and hate to eat their veggies.

They like waterfalls and long walks on their beach.

Although smaller than Ernie, Bert is still the outgoing one.

And Ernie is still painfully shy.

But they are healthy and seem to be happy. Here's to many more years to come, Bert & Ernie!

Insana

Truckeroo!!

2011-07-15T15:32:00.002-04:00

Check out my photos from Truckeroo, a monthly festival held June thru October at the corner of Half St. and M St., SE showcasing food trucks from the Washington, DC area. 20-25 Food Trucks participate from 11 am to 11 pm, and there's live music and free admission.

Viva Riva! @ the West End Cinema

2011-07-14T15:07:00.006-04:00

Last night, I saw Viva Riva! at the West End Cinema at 2301 M Street, NW DC. The film is about a young man named Riva from The Republic of the Congo, where the movie was filmed, who returns home after a long stay in Angola with lots of money and confidence to match. Riva has seemingly made his tiny fortune from the stealing and selling of fuel, the current object of desire, demonstrated by scores of gasless cars scattered about the town of Kinshasa. Whoever has fuel is king, and everyone wants to be king.

But Riva doesn't just want fuel, he wants Nora, the girlfriend of the notorious town gangster, Azor. Azor wants fuel too, and so does everyone else. Riva's got fuel. So everyone really wants Riva.

No, it's not cocaine or heroin, but it's a good plot, no? Greed is greed. And I think that's what made me see this film, and why others mistakenly dub it the "African Scarface". Scarface it is not. However, I'm willing to bet it's the closest thing to Scarface The Republic of the Congo's got to offer.

See the gangster above, in the white sportscoat? He reminded me of Kadeem Hardison pretending to be a gangster. Which is silly, right? It was.

In the film, people would reguarly dine and dance (and pee) on the dirt, right outside of their homes but on special nights, they'd go out to Club Sai Sai, which resembles a thriving DC nightclub on a Friday night. How can those two settings exist in the same town? The director, Djo Munga, wanted viewers to see how the Congo really lives and breathes.

The film also stars French film actress Manie Malone, who looks just like Solange Knowles. I couldn't help thinking that every time I looked at her.

Viva Riva! contains a gratuitious amount of sex. Ever see a woman get the business behind an iron-barred window? You will, in Viva Riva!. In the film, the women of Congo weren't dressed like this:

They were dressed like this:

This line is used in the movie, "Money is like poison. In the end, it always kills you." Is that true? Or is it true in the Congo? Maybe Riva knew the answer, and his fate, from the very beginning.

I have mixed feelings about Viva Riva! Kinda the way I do about Scarface, only because of what happens at the end--and I think that Riva had more integrity than Tony Montana.

I saw this film at the only theater showing it, the West End Cinema, right near the corner of M and 23rd Streets, Northwest. It was a really cute place. Very orange.

The theater was complete with an 80-inch screen and about 75 seats. Here is my view from the third row from the back.

And when I left, they gave away free popcorn, which I looooove. I'd go back again. Who's coming with me?

Insana

Fallingwater

2011-07-11T21:14:00.018-04:00

On Monday, July 4th, my sister Soiyete, niece Ariana, Mom and Aunt Pat visited Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous architectural design, Fallingwater, in Mill Run, Pennsylvania (about 63 miles from Pittsburgh).

From the website: Fallingwater is the name of a very special house that is built over a waterfall. Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most famous architect, designed the house for his clients, the Kaufmann family. Fallingwater was built between 1936 and 1939. It instantly became famous, and today it is a National Historic Landmark.

Who are the Kaufmanns? The Kaufmann family owned a chain of fashionable department stores, now known as Macy's. The family paid Wright to design this house, and future department stores. Now, on to the house....

We visited the house on the way home from Ohio, about four hours away from DC. After turning onto a one-lane road from the highway near Mill Run, we drove for what seemed like an hour over hills and through valleys until we arrived at Fallingwater.

A visit to Fallingwater costs $20 for adults and $14 for children. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which now owns the house, also offers an "in-depth tour" for $67. That means I can't take pictures inside the house for my measly 20 bucks! Anywho, we're here...

Oh yeah, you have to make reservations to tour Fallingwater. You can't just show up and pay and see it. So we made our reservation for four adults and one child, and paid upon entry, before parking.

Entrance to the pathway to Fallingwater

And then I saw an inchworm. Oh yes, I brought my camera with me anyway. There were plenty of other visitors milling about and they all had cameras around their necks. So although I knew I couldn't photograph inside the house, I brought my camera with me anyway.

What, this pathway doesn't lead to the house? No, it doesn't, it leads to this octogonal waiting area. Here, you can register and get your group number and wait until your group is called.

It was a bit humid, but Soiyete and I were excited to see the house.

Ariana was excited too, and began to entertain us with random stories about her classmates, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.

Hungry? There's a Fallingwater Cafe in the waiting area. How thoughtful.

I took photos of the local fashion.

But boy was it a long wait. It was a little bit like being at the MVA, waiting for our numbered group to be called.

There was a gift shop for Fallingwater and a beautiful history room about the Kaufmann family. But after a while, even Ariana got bored.

Then on the loudspeaker, we heard "Group 33, now calling Group 33 to begin your tour of Fallingwater. Please begin your journey down the pathway to the house." Word?

In case we weren't sure which direction the house was in.

Long walk. But it was beautiful along the way.

We neared a gravel driveway, parted the trees (not really) and there it was! Fallingwater. Check out Too Cool Ariana in front of the house before our tour began.

Aunt Pat and my mom

Me and Fallingwater

And our tour begins. This is our tourguide, Roy, and his walking stick. Apparently, all of the tourguides employ walking sticks, whether they need them or not.

Here you can see how Fallingwater is such a masterpiece of architecture. There are no beams to support the levels of this house over this waterfall. You can literally walk from the main level, down these steps and sit on the bottom level of the house, and fish, with your feet bathing in the running water.

We entered the house and marveled at the construction, while at the same time thinking, "this place smells like my grandma's house." Old is old. It was built 75 years ago! But the furniture was like contemporary 60s chic. (photos courtesy of Wikipedia and Lee Sandstead)

The Kaufmanns were some seriously swanky people. They loved to entertain and hosted plenty of parties here. See that big red ball hanging on the wall? It's 200 pounds, made of cast iron and is made to insert coal and then swing inside the firepit (behind it) and opened to warm the room in the winter. The floor is made completely of stone and was terribly uneven, yet beautiful. Because of this, the Kaufmanns rejected Wright's original Asian barrel chair suggestion for the dining room, and opted for a three-legged version. Smart people. (Photos courtesy Lee Sandstead)

The barrel chair

vs. the three-legged chair

We walked outside onto the balcony on the main level of the house...and looked down.

See the edge of the balcony where my niece's hand is? The top of the ledge ended just above my knee. Which means a hard breeze could potentially send me over the edge to a watery grave. No way a house like that would be built today.

There was a kitchen, but we weren't allowed to see it. Maybe they thought we'd break something. [Photos courtesy of ZDNet]

We viewed the rest of the rooms of the house and noticed beautiful art, crazy narrow staircases without railings, windows that defied physics, impossibly tiny beds and hallways, low toilets and bathroom sinks. I wondered, were these Kaufmann people incredibly successful dwarves? [photo courtesy of Lee Sandstead and ZDNet]

17 panes of vertical windows

Windows without corner joists. Wright designed these, and the rest of the house, so that you can open them and be one with nature.

There's also a guest house! That's right, and it's higher up the hill from the main residence, which is equally as beautiful as the main house, at about a third of the size. You can walk from the main house to the guesthouse under this awesome multi-leveled canopy.

We exited the house through the quadruple carport. The Kaufmanns originally wanted garages, but Wright famously told them that cars are not horses that might run away in the night, and didn't need doors to keep them inside.

What a beautiful house! We walked the path to the "classic view" to photograph the house on it's famous double waterfall. Ariana celebrated the house by dancing the Dougie at the classic view.

...and then the Cat Daddy, she loves that dance

Fallingwater is awesome! Go see it for yourself!

Insana

Happy Birthday 7-Eleven

2011-07-11T15:07:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday 7-Eleven! Since today is the 84th birthday of 7-Eleven, the company celebrated worldwide by offering free slurpees to everyone! How yummy, despite it's size:

Did you know that 7-Eleven really was initially open from 7 am to 11 pm, hours unheard of in the 1940s?

Did you know that the Slurpee was invented in 1967?

Did you know that in July 2002, 7-Eleven introduced the Slurp & Gulp for a limited time: a 54-ounce plastic cup intended to hold 22 ounces of Slurpee and 32 ounces of Big Gulp. The two drinks were combined and covered with a domed lid with holes for both a Big Gulp straw and a Slurpee spooned straw.

Did you know that Japan has more 7-Eleven stores than anywhere else in the world? With 39,153 stores worldwide, 12,925 are located in Japan, with 1,713 in Tokyo alone, usually bearing the name "Seven & I Holdings".

Happy birthday!

Insana

Jeepers Creepers

2011-07-08T10:01:00.005-04:00

Last night, at 2 am, I arrived home and pulled into the driveway, next to my neighbor's truck. When I park, the flood light above my garage powers on and I thought I saw something weird next to my neighbor's truck (therefore, next to my truck, once I've parked.) I even backed up for a second to see what it was, thinking it was a bicycle inner tube under my neighbor's tire. I didn't think much of it, until I walked to the passenger side of my truck and stepped over the inner tube. This is what I saw. I froze.

What the eff?!! It sat there waxy and motionless, like a rubber toy snake. Was it fake? Why isn't it moving? Why is it all...wrinkly like that? After a moment, I crouched for a closer look.

Still no movement. Now I'm sure it's fake. I got my purse out of the truck, careful not to get too close to it, fake or not. When I opened the passenger door, I blocked the light coming from my garage for a second and could have sworn I saw it move.

I wasn't sure that it actually moved, so I blocked the light from the garage again on purpose, to see for myself. It DID, it moved! See how it's head is in an L shape now, when it wasn't at first?

It was seemingly wedged under my neighbor's tire, as if he'd accidentally run over it and now it was stuck and couldn't move and was likely dying. At least, that's my theory for why it never slithered away, and why it was shaped so strangely. You can even see a bit of its tail behind the tire below.

What could I do? I went in the house and straight to bed. I told my neighbor about it, but he didn't move his truck this morning, and when I went outside before work, it was gone! Where'd it go? And why didn't it move the night before if it could? It even gave me a bad dream!

Jeepers Creepers,

Insana

13 Assassins: On Blu-ray!

2011-07-07T13:34:00.002-04:00

Look what I got!! 13 Assassins! One of the best movies I've seen in 2011. $16.99 on Blu-ray at Target, for a "limited time only"!

This made my day!!!!!

Insana

All I Wanna Know Is...

2011-07-05T14:44:00.001-04:00

All I wanna know is...

You are not at home. Gross!

Work Can Be Fun

2011-06-30T14:39:00.006-04:00

Today at work, we held a "VSE Employee Fourth of July Cookout", which means everyone in the company was encouraged to pitch in and bring in food, tents, tables, foil, plates, napkins, the works. Although it was only announced two weeks ago, folks really delivered!

Today, some people even wore red, white and blue, like Sylvia.

And Tanzi.

And brought red, white and blue cupcakes!

Prep took all morning, because the cookout was scheduled to begin at 11 am. The cookout set-up crew began early, collecting food, drinks and coolers that employees brought in, filled with ice.

Amy being silly

The cookout began at 11 am and there was a line by 11:05 am.

We had a Good Humor man there, and a fully stocked cart with Choco Tacos, Strawberry Shortcakes, Ben & Jerry's, ice cream sandwiches, etc.

Yummmmm, pulled BBQ chicken

Great break from work

Even an old school custom joined us

Me and my co-worker Nikki

Me and my homie Armaad

We had a fantastic time and there was enough food for everyone. By the end, people were suggesting that we do this every year!

The cookout crew: Nikki, me, Diana, Sylvia and Kathleen. Go team!

Insana

5 Things You Should Know about Transformers 3

2011-06-29T11:11:00.008-04:00

Five things you should know about Transformers: Dark of the Moon:

1. This movie is really worth seeing. Director Michael Bay gives you exactly what you want, more metal vs. metal, humans vs. metal, more explosions, total city destruction, hot cars and a witty, fast-paced script.

2. It's cool to watch the scenes and figure out where the heck in Washington, DC they claim to be. There was a highway chase scene that took place on the "DC Parkway," according to police. I have to admit--they weren't anywhere near DC! But that's ok, because the chase scene was AWESOME and included the best sequence of the film. Go Bumblebee!

3. You absolutely, positively don't have to see it in 3D. What you do have to do is sit far enough away from the screen so that you're not lost in the mangled metal sauce during the fight scenes. Just watching each Transformer actually transform is confusing enough, if you're paying attention to how each one folds and unfolds. (I was)

4. You absolutely, positively won't miss Megan Fox. Newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley oozed sex appeal all over the screen and has lips to rival the former fox, plus a British accent!

5. Be prepared for at least one special guest cameo that you weren't expecting! Hint: you've seen two of them before in films that opened with huge numbers in 2011. Hollaaaa, City of Squallaaaaa!!

Transformers: 2 1/2 stars. Rated PG-13, 157 mins.

Insana

DC Caribbean Carnival 2011

2011-06-28T10:34:00.003-04:00

Saturday, I went to the DC Caribbean Carnival on Georgia Avenue. Thank God I went on my bike, because most of the streets were blocked off and finding a parking spot (for a car) was nearly impossible.

Carnival is so fantastic. It's a huge party and everyone is happy to be there and happy to see each other. I love it. You may have heard about the violence later that day, but it's the reason why I wanted to post positive photos from Carnival. In the end, I'm glad I went!

See more photos from the DC Caribbean Carnival 2011 here.

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 15

2011-06-27T20:26:00.003-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Quick Seats.

At the DC BBQ Battle on Sunday, I saw a man on the corner surrounded by tiny black seats, called Quick Seats. I've been looking to get myself a tiny seat (no, seriously) so I had to check it out.

He proceeded to show me how to fold up the seat, and let me hold it to see how light it was to carry.

It folds up to the size of a book!

The seller (inventor? named Hayes) claims it can hold up to 550 pounds, which is a huge claim. It's sturdy enough for Kim to sit on, which is good enough for me!

Even better, the guy sold them for $12 each, or 2 for $20. And now I have a new seat when I have to photograph events from a low angle. SICED!

Insana

DC BBQ Battle: Photos

2011-06-27T15:16:00.006-04:00

Sunday, I attended the DC BBQ Battle on Pennsylvania Ave with Ian, Lynda and Kim. And lots of other people and barbecued meat. It was a perfectly overcast day, totally comfortable and most importantly, we arrived hungry!

Junkyard Band performed and dancing ensued

What a great day!

Insana

Panera Bread Comes To Target

2011-06-21T14:01:00.003-04:00

Did you know that Target sells Panera Bread soup? Me neither!

I saw in on the shelf in the refrigerated section for $4.99: my favorite soup from Panera Bread, broccoli and cheddar.

It's actually a big bowl, literally a pound of soup.

So does it taste the same as it does when you get it fresh from Panera Bread?

Nope, but close! It's good in a pinch, I suppose. I'll head to the real Panera Bread next time.

Insana

Green Lantern

2011-06-21T13:06:00.004-04:00

In case you didn't know, Green Lantern sucks.

It cost over $200 million to make, and this is what made the movie bearable.

The casting director should be burned at the stake. Not only was 22-year old Blake Lively running a multi-million dollar corporation in the movie, but this man, Peter Saarsgard:

...played the son of this man, Tim Robbins.

In what universe is that believable? Oh and Peter Saarsgard's character had a balding rippling fivehead in the movie, making him appear even older. It was ridiculous. Half the budget must have been spent on wigs alone.

Shout out to Michael Clarke Duncan! We heard you, even if we didn't see you, homie!

Waiting for the next big thing,

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 14

2011-06-20T17:42:00.002-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Coldstone Ice Cream. Even in small doses, like this kid sized cup I got today at lunchtime. I even ate it with the tiny tasting spoon so it would last longer. Mm Mm Good.

Sweet cream ice cream with brownies, cookies, fudge and caramel. I can't believe I used to get the Gotta Have It size. I would eat that until my stomach hurt. MMMMM!

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 13

2011-06-16T09:55:00.006-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: My Big Family.

I'm one of seven children, and it's fantastic. Sure, we didn't get to do a lot of super fun stuff growing up because my mom wasn't a millionaire, but that's ok. Because my mom raised all seven of us without losing her mind, I think she is one of the strongest people I'll ever meet.

Also, because I was raised in a big family, as soon as I was old enough to work for money, I did. When I was 13, my mom told me that she couldn't afford new shoes for me for the first day of school. I was devastated for about 2 minutes and then realized I had to get the money for shoes myself. So I worked. I babysat, and sold candy at school. I still have that spirit and drive today, kinda like, "In order to get this, you must do that." Sounds simple, but people don't do it.

Also, growing up in a large family, it's tough to have a "woe is me" attitude. Aw, you fell and hurt your knee? Who cares, there are six other people in the house who need tending to. Your little brother hasn't been seen in hours and your sister's bike was stolen from the park (true story). If you have a problem, you take care of it yourself, because Mom has enough to deal with. You don't waste a lot of time feeling sorry for yourself.

You also learn to share. You HAVE to share. If you don't, whatever you won't share will get taken from you. Not only do you learn to share, but you learn to bring enough for others and to think about the people around you. In a big family, you learn very quickly that the world doesn't revolve around you. Nothing is about you. I wish everyone learned this lesson out of the womb.

The best part about being in a big family is that there are always people around. You are truly never alone. Everytime we visit a place, whether it's my mom's house, or the park or Red Lobster, it's always a party. We are automatically enough people to be considered a party and my nieces and nephews believe that everytime we visit my mom's house, it's somebody's birthday because it feels like a party. I'm serious.

If something happens, like I get a new job or someone is having a baby or is getting married--there are already about 10 people who require this information, and you must call, text or email them. If you need help with something, like moving, cooking, job hunting, painting, car trouble, etc., there are about 10 people you can call also.

My older brother Islam (#1)

Ashte (#5)

Umer (#6)

Me and my three sisters

My new brother's-in-law, Darrell and Phil

Oh, and don't let me forget to mention that my brothers and sisters made more people to love!

Even more than this, my mom is one of 12 children. Because of this, I have more cousins than I can count. Here they are with my granddad, who turned 90 this year.

Also, as a result of this, Thanksgiving is an event of grand proportions. I love it and look forward to it every year.

Birthday parties are always a big deal too. Nothing is done small in a big family.

Ask only-children how fun it was to play hide-and-seek when they were growing up. Or if they ever had trouble finding someone to play with. Or if they ever stayed up late making dumb scary noises in the bedroom with their siblings. Please! I wouldn't trade my big family for anything in the world.

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 12

2011-06-14T13:17:00.005-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Imitation Crab Meat.

Growing up in a Muslim family, my brothers and sisters and I were taught never to eat crabs, lobster, or any other shellfish because they are "scavengers" or "bottom feeders". So we didn't. Now that I'm adult and Christian, I can eat crab, shrimp, lobster, or any other shellfish I want. For a long time, I ate the crab meat in pasta salad, one of my favorite cold summertime dishes, always thinking of my upbringing and how tasty it was, eating this forbidden meat. Only I didn't know it wasn't crab meat. When I found out it was imitation crab meat, I was floored. But shock soon turned to bewilderment: what was I eating?

I was eating what'd I'd been eating all my life, rather than pork or beef: fish!

Who knew? No wonder I love it! I'm friggin used to it!

By the way, why does imitation crab meat contain shellfish, so say the ingredients above, under Allegen Information? Who cares, it's tasty!

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Yahoo! Mail Grinds My Gears

2011-06-13T10:18:00.010-04:00

For years, I've used Yahoo Mail as my primary source of email communication, mainly since I quit Hotmail (my email source from 1995 to 2000) because Hotmail has/had ridiculous space restrictions. Yahoo Mail didn't, and I appreciated it.

But Yahoo Mail has worn out its welcome. Over the years, I've subscribed to many a website using my yahoo address, and it's since become a space for spam, a marketing mecca, a promotional parking lot. That's fine, because I gave someone my email address, and they will email me and thousands of others until their server is blue in the face or I choose to unsubscribe.

Today, like many other days this year, I opened my Yahoo Mail to check email, of course. After wading through the mire to find an email of importance, I click on it so that I can read its contents. The reading pane below my list of mail messages is still blank several minutes later. Where's my email? What does it say? After several more minutes, I get this message.

Here's a closer look. Whatever this means.

So I do as I'm told and re-launch Yahoo Mail. What happens? Nothing. I just have to wait for the Yahoo Mailmen to get themselves together and check my email again at noon, by which time, I may have missed whatever I was supposed to know at 9 am. I'm speaking from experience. This has happened before.

But that's not all. Yahoo has a cool, yet non-functioning search function at the top of the page, to help you find important emails quickly and easily. Peep this email below, from a woman at my church named Phenola.

Now watch me search "Phenola" in the Search Mail box at the top of the page. Guess what happens?

That's right, no messages found. But you saw with your own eyes that I have at least one message from Phenola. Thank you, Yahoo Mail, for nothing.

Oh, there's more! When searching for that email from Phenola, not only were there no messages found, but I got another Code 504 message, just to be on the safe side, I guess.

But wait, there's more! More of less, I guess.

Let's say I wanna quit this Yahoo Mail business and just get my email forwarded to another location where I can actually read it. Well, Yahoo Mail won't forward your messages unless you pay to upgrade to Yahoo Mail Plus!

That's right! You too can pay money for what everyone else offers for free! Only $19.99 a year!

Yahoo Mail is awful. What's the point in having an email address there if you sometimes can't get mail from it? It's a little like going to the candy store and there's never any candy, or to the post office and they're always out of stamps. And I have to keep using it and checking it because I've had it so long, kinda like an old house address, to make sure nothing important lands there and gets lost in the sauce. Yahoo mail is not the business. Yahoo Mail is the weakest link. I wish I had an extra hand to give Yahoo Mail three thumbs down.

Insana

Saraia is an All Star

2011-06-10T11:29:00.002-04:00

My niece, Saraia, got a certificate at school today for being an All Star Student. Yayyyyyyy Saraia! And Yayyyyy for the last day of school! (I think)

Puddin' is an All Star Student! I love her, she really is an awesome little girl.

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 11

2011-06-02T00:56:00.003-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Jelly Belly jelly beans. They are no ordinary jelly beans, the kind that taste like sugar gelatin in a sugar coating, with dye and artificial flavoring. They use real fruit juices and natural flavoring in these beans, and the flavors are an EXACT match to whatever it's flavor claim is, whether it's pear, lime, lemon, bubble gum, etc. Don't get me wrong, Jelly Belly beans have their share of gross flavors too, including coffee, peanut butter, margarita, black licorice and butter flavored popcorn, but I commend the makers of Jelly Belly beans for making them taste exactly as they should!

I have to drive all the way to either Springfield Mall in Virginia or Arundel Mills to get a new quarter kilo of Jelly Belly beans every other week. But it's worth it!

mmm mmm! only 4 calories per bean!

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 10

2011-05-31T16:31:00.002-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Panera's Fuju Apple Chicken Salad. I love it. Usually without onions and tomatoes, but it comes on a bed of spring greens with chicken, fuji apple chips, gorgonzola cheese and pecans. And this yummy sweet fuji apple dressing. It's the healthiest and yummiest thing I can eat for lunch, so I could eat it almost every day and not get tired of it.

Get yourself some!

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 9

2011-05-31T02:08:00.003-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: my favorite food in the whole wide world--baked macaroni and cheese. When the roux is just thick enough, when there's just the right amount of cheese, the noodles stick together and it's browned just enough on top. I love it soooo much, and it's a shame that I usually get it only on special occasions, like Memorial Day Cookouts, another thing I'm thankful for!

mmmm mmmm good!

My grandmother made the best baked mac I've ever tasted. God bless her soul.

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 8

2011-05-25T22:50:00.007-04:00

Today I'm thankful that I live so close to Washington, DC. It's the political epicenter of the greatest nation in the world. It's a metropolis that counts as one of the country's "hotspots" in terms of where to move, where to perform, where to find a job, where start a life. Although we experience all four seasons, and I'd prefer we did away with winter altogether, the DC Metropolitan area rarely gets tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes or tropical storms.

We've got the Washington Redskins. I love the Redskins!

I'm sure no one celebrated harder than we did for Obama's inauguration in 2008. Here's a scene from U Street.

We have our own waterfront.

We've got Adam's Morgan.

We've got awesome shopping in Georgetown. Stores that only have two or three locations worldwide have a home in Georgetown.

On any given weekend, there's an assortment of carnivals, neighborhood celebrations, outdoor parties, etc to choose from in and around the DC area.

We have our own zoo.

I think we have the best fireworks show anywhere in the country on the Fourth of July.

There are ALL KINDS of people here. Making this area extremely tolerant and diverse.

We've got a ton of awesome museums, and most of them are still free.

Real estate is still cool here. Music artists want to hold their annual concerts here. The president lives here. People from all over the world save money to fly a plane and book a hotel room just to stay where we already live and work. This is not Tarzana, California, nor Gnaw Bone, Indiana, nor Ding Dong, Texas (true stories). If you say you're from DC, people don't ask, "Is that near Richmond?" They already know exactly where it is. I'm thankful for Washington, DC.

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Pasara Thai

2011-05-24T19:02:00.005-04:00

Today, Adrian and I had lunch at Pasara, a Thai restaurant off Englehardt Lane, near the Carlisle Circle off Duke Street/Eisenhower Ave in Alexandria, VA, not far from Old Town.

This is the west side of Pasara. There was another section of equal size around the corner. It was a pretty big place and there was a wait when we arrived around 12:30 pm. Totally understandable, and we were still seated within five minutes.

Nice looking spot. Here's the bar.

Wall Decor. Not chock full of fake mini-waterfalls. I appreciated that.

Adrian's Thai Iced Tea (I think). He liked it but I think it looks gross.

Me waiting for food

The spring rolls were tasty. I should have eaten more than one because it took FOREVER for our food to come!

Adrian looks as if he's burnt our food isn't here yet but this is his normal face.

Adrian said his pad thai was "too wet". I think all pad thai looks greasy.

My pineapple fried rice with chicken was GOOD! Although the rice was a bit overcooked. I must have been super hungry because it took me a while to realize they forgot to put shrimp in it.

Although this place was Adrian's suggestion, he said it was a major FAIL. To Galae Thai next time!

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 7

2011-05-24T17:18:00.005-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Smut music. That's what I call all mindless drivel rap music by the likes of Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Wacka Flocka, Pastor Troy, Bun B, Pimp C (RIP), Young Jeezy, Young Dro, Gucci Mane, all of Cash Money, all of Young Money, all of Maybach Music Group--and don't get me started why a group of rap artists named themselves after a car company, because I don't know. I like this music because it's not about anything, it just makes me want to dance and forget about how much traffic sucks or about my boring day at work or about the bills waiting for me in my mailbox when I get home. For at least 5 minutes at a time.

This is a CD that my DJ friend, Andre Foxx (Twitter @IAmRickDiesel), made for me today. I'm thankful for him too!

Sure, I bet these guys have something important and smart to say. But honestly, I don't want to hear it. Then it will make me think. I do enough of that already!

Go ahead, rap about swag, drank, your teeth, how you're from the hood and how much you spent on your watch. Let's dance!

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 6

2011-05-23T12:01:00.003-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Excitement. And anticipation. Remember when you were young and your parents were going to take you on a trip to Kings Dominion/Wild World/Busch Gardens, and you could almost burst with anticipation? Or your school was going on a field trip to Camp Schmidt, and you could not WAIT to go?

Well, I'm thankful to still feel like that as an adult, because for lots of people, that feeling goes away and nothing gets them excited anymore. I still get excited about upcoming concerts, trips out of town, free lunches at work, birthday cake with real icing and not the whipped stuff, and packages in the mail. Everytime I get a package in the mail, it's a little like Christmas, as if I don't know what I ordered, especially if it takes a long time to ship, like my newest Christmas present (in May):

The iPad 2! This thing took 20 days to get to me. TWENTY! But it's cool, it's here. And I'm so happy about it being here that I can now take my time to open the box and figure it out later.

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 5

2011-05-23T00:45:00.003-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: En Vogue. I truly believe they are the best girl group ever. EVER! Tonight I saw them perform at the Bourbon Street Ballroom in Baltimore, MD, with my sister, Soiyete, Amelia and Kikie.

And then we saw our old friend Rabena there! How great is that?!

If you've never been to the Bourbon Street Ballroom, it's kinda like Black Cat. Standing room only and if you get a 6'4 person standing in front of you, you're short. Literally.

But it was fine, because En Vogue put on a heck of a show! They performed all the oldies but goodies and MORE! I would see them again if they returned! Go Goldstar! Maybe that's what I'm really thankful for, hmmm...

Check out more photos and video of En Vogue, here. What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 4

2011-05-20T09:37:00.003-04:00

Today, I'm sick, so I'm thankful for Theraflu Warming Relief. It tastes like sin but it really does warm and make everything feel better.

I'll be more thankful when I'm not sick anymore. What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 3

2011-05-19T10:26:00.002-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: Photography. I love it as a hobby, as a job, as a way to make every experience, whether boring or amusing, so much more exciting. I love to capture everything to share it, to remember it and to be thankful for it later. Ahhhh *snap*.

What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 2

2011-05-17T13:47:00.002-04:00

Today I'm thankful for random lunches with my homeboy Adrian, my brother from another mother, whatever, lol. We just eat and he lets me jabber away, and he gives me a sane and unbiased male point of view sometimes. Sometimes.

It's good to have these bright spots in the week. What are you thankful for?

Insana

Thankful 30: Day 1

2011-05-16T20:34:00.002-04:00

Today I'm thankful for: popcorn. These days, the less butter, the better. But I love it. LOVE IT, I say.

For the next 29 days, I should be able to find something new, every day. Could you? What are you thankful for?

Insana

The Burger Joint

2011-05-11T14:13:00.005-04:00

For lunch, my buddy Adrian and I went to The Burger Joint, at 106 North Washington Street, in Old Town Alexandria. They have this cool BGR logo like Black Dog in Martha's Vineyard or OBX for the Outer Banks in North Carolina. I wondered if they sold BGR stickers inside. Since we always go to Panera Bread, I relented and let Adrian pick where we ate lunch. This is Adrian, picking The Burger Joint.

This is Adrian waiting in line.

The Burger Joint was a welcoming spot, with purple walls and the absence of a long line. We must have just missed the lunch rush, because almost every seat was taken.

Adrian ordered "The Burger" without lettuce (weirdo) which includes 'lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and mojo sauce' and I ordered "The Wellington", which includes 'deep roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, garlic, black truffles and a touch of mustard seed and blue cheese, on a buttery brioche bun with their mojo sauce', which is a house mayo. Sounds yummy, right?

Assorted beverages to choose from.

One of the things I liked about this place was the touch-screen digital soda machine. I've never seen one of these before. Maybe I just need to get out more.

We waited for our burgers to be ready and played with my camera.

And then, there they were. This is my Wellington. At first, I thought they'd given me two pieces of beef.

And then I looked closer. What I thought was a piece of beef was the black truffles. All the goodies, the caramelized onions, mushrooms and garlic were wrapped up in the black truffles, which looked eerily like dog shit.

Adrian's "Burger" looked good. He also got what BGR calls "The Orange Standard", their sweet potato fries.

I guess it was good!

Mine was pretty good, after I scraped off the black truffles. I just couldn't get over it. :-/

I'd go back to order some of "The Gold Standard", their golden fries. Oh, and there were no BGR stickers inside. Later for now, BGR,

Insana

9:30 Club: Balkan Beat Box

2011-05-08T22:31:00.004-04:00

On Friday, April 29th, my homegirl Nicole and I went to see Balkan Beat Box. Who is Balkan Beat Box, you ask? I didn't know either, but Nicole showed me her blog from her earlier BBB experience, and I was interested! Specifically by the words about their show, "It seemed as if the whole building was vibrating." Sounds like a party, right?

First, we met up at Ben's Next Door, where I got crab mac and cheese. Check out the huge lump crab meat!

Then, we headed straight over to 9:30 Club for the 11 pm show. BBB weren't really set to come on until midnight, we found out. So we jammed to the DJ spinning Middle Eastern techno. It actually sounded pretty good.

And then...Balkan Beat Box! I remember Nicole mentioning the band playing a ton of instruments, like a clarinet, sax, bass, congos, etc., and there they were!

Although some songs didn't have lyrics, BBB had the whole club rocking right out of the gate. Their sound is like a really funky 50s party band plus Middle Eastern techno, bass, congos, cowbell, marachas, and the all-important clarinet. Then, other songs sound like reggae!

You couldn't help but dance!

Nicole and I were loving Balkan Beat Box.

People LOVE Balkan Beat Box. As you can see here.

The ladies, however, loved the Middle Eastern frontman. I thought they were going to rip his clothes off. And he was eating it up.

Was it because he opened his shirt or because he's multi-talented and could sing/rap and play drums?

An hour later, the bouncers finally let the ladies (and other fans) on stage to dance with the band. It was such a funky good time.

They even returned for an encore, with at least five more songs! It was such a party in that place. See for yourself.

I got (another) new camera

2011-05-04T14:01:00.006-04:00

I got a new camera today. The Nikon Coolpix p7000. I hate that the word "coolpix" is in the title of it. It sounds like a plastic camera that you give to your child. Anyway, I read the reviews for this camera online, saw the YouTube videos of it's features vs the Canon G12 and played with it in the camera store--it's pretty darn awesome if you are a person with a DSLR who wants to carry a point-and-shoot 24/7, and not necessarily your DSLR, like me. You can control so many of the same features of a DSLR (ISO, bracketing, white balance, exposure value, etc) with the easy-to-reach controls on the top of the camera, which is why it's great, and honestly, also why it's pretty big, bulky and heavy as point-and-shoots go.

But it's great. It really is. When you press the shutter, the camera captures the image and displays it on the LCD almost immediately, just like my DSLR. No lag. No wait. 10MP. Also HD video (something I refuse to have on my DSLR). And it's supposed to be super in low light too. I can't wait to post some photos that I took with it. This one, below, obviously isn't one of them, lol.

Try before you buy, but you'll love this camera.

Insana

Video: Ariana as Bomquiqui

2011-04-14T22:44:00.003-04:00

Check out my niece Ariana as Mad TV's Bomquiqui. This girl cracks me up!

Feel free to leave a comment!

How To Save A Life

2011-03-22T12:05:00.004-04:00

Last week, I participated in work-sponsored First Aid and CPR training. First we learned to look, feel and listen for signs of life.

Then we are supposed to tell someone to call 911 and that someone is unconscious, if indeed, they are unconscious. Then we are to immediately give two rescue breaths and begin CPR. Luckily, in class, we got to use our trusty plastic germ protector, but in real life...good luck.

Then we all learned how to recognize signs of a heart attack, stroke, how to administer bandages and splints for burns and breaks, how to care for wounds, and how to use an Emergency Defribrillator (AED).

And after our written exams and "real life" tests, we passed with flying colors! I am now certified by the Red Cross to administer CPR, First Aid and an AED. That's right!

-Insana

Happy Birthday Grandad!

2011-03-04T17:29:00.001-05:00

Happy 90th birthday to my grandad, Harvey Collins!

Full Dark, No Stars

2011-03-02T10:58:00.003-05:00

I've just finished reading Stephen King's latest short story compilation, Full Dark, No Stars. In January, I'd heard awesome reviews about it and couldn't wait to get started on it!

Quoted from Publishers Weekly:

Eerie twists of fate drive the four longish stories in King's first collection since Just After Sunset (2008). In "1922," a farmer murders his wife to retain the family land she hopes to sell, then watches his life unravel hideously as the consequences of the killing suggest a near-supernatural revenge. "Big Driver" tells of an otherwise ordinary woman who discovers her extraordinary capacity for retribution after she is raped and left for dead. "A Good Marriage" explores the aftermath of a wife's discovery of her milquetoast husband's sinister secret life, while "Fair Extension," the book's most disturbing story, follows the relationship between a man and the best friend on whom he preternaturally shifts all his bad luck and misfortune. As in Different Seasons (1982), King takes a mostly nonfantastic approach to grim themes. Now, as then, these tales show how a skilled storyteller with a good tale to tell can make unsettling fiction compulsively readable.

Stephen King

These are "scenes" from the tales in the book. The nonfantastic approach makes each story that much more thrilling, because the lives of each of the main characters are sober and mundane...until they're not.

Does one rat scare you?

What about many?

You have a gun for protection, but are you ready to use it?

What would you do if you found out your awesome spouse of 20 years isn't who you thought they were?

Would you believe that someone is at the end of this road, waiting for you?

Sometimes I'll be reading a story and have to read two sentences again, twice, thinking, "What the eff just happened?! Whoa!" I love that!

Full Dark, No Stars gets 3 out of 4 stars.

Aruba Photo Challenge: Colors

2011-02-21T23:27:00.008-05:00

My homegirl Nicole challenged me to take a photo of every color of the rainbow while I was in Aruba. Well, I think I did that, and then some.

Check it out, a white cruise ship.

A less white seashell.

Yellow mac and cheese.

Orange mimosas!

More orange curry chicken.

A pink flamingo. Yes, I know pink isn't in the rainbow (as isn't white) but I tried to cover all bases.

A red Aruba license plate.

A huge red anchor!

A red mixed drink, sold all over the island, called an Aruba Ariba.

A green turtle (red-eared slider)

A turquoise lizard

The turquoise Caribbean Sea.

Blue fish

This cool blue art was next to the elevator on the 5th floor of my hotel.

The glowing blue (indigo?) hotel pool

Purple fountain water!

A girl in a purple bikini

I found this dark brown man on the beach.

An even darker brown swallowtail butterfly.

A blackbird scavenging on the beach. I know, not in the rainbow, but I liked this blackbird.

I looked high and low for more colors to show, but I think I got the job done.

More photo challenges! I love them! It's a great excuse to take pictures!

Why Aruba is Awesome, Part 2

2011-02-21T21:51:00.015-05:00

Looking for more reasons Aruba is so awesome? Have no fear, your reasons are here.

1. In Aruba, you'll see things that you're not likely to see anywhere else, ever again. Like a handicapped iguana.

and bologna chips

and barbecue ham Lays, unless you've seen these in America?

By the way, guess what I found near the barbecue ham Lays? My favorite: Chifles!!

I also found Mondongo at the market. Anybody know what that is?

2. In Aruba, you can eat at the Flying Fishbone, a restaurant off the beaten path. Here, you can eat at a table that is literally sitting in the water off the coast. It's a beautiful place to watch the sunset as the Caribbean Sea washes over your feet.

3. You can visit the Butterfly Farm. Ever been to a butterfly farm? Me neither! But in Aruba, you can go!

There were red-eared sliders inside the butterfly garden! Just like Bert & Ernie! (but way bigger)

The garden was a nice size to walk around for at least an hour taking pictures, at your own pace.

The Butterfly Farm instructor was really enthusiastic and charismatic. He seemed genuinely as interested in teaching us about the butterflies as we were to learn about them.

This is a swallowtail butterfly, can you tell why?

As the caterpillars form cocoons to become butterflies within the farm, the cocoons are collected and kept in a moist cabinet in order to mature in safety.

Can you locate the moth larvae in this photo?

Our butterfly guide showed us some of the different cocoons.

This reminded me of Silence of the Lambs.

How some of the cocoons appear to be solid gold is a mystery!

With one admission to the Butterfly Farm, you could return on any day during your visit after dawn to see butterflies emerging from their cocoons and literally spreading their wings for the first time.

By the way, I also learned that there is no such thing as a baby butterfly. The size they emerge is the size they will be until the day they die.

We learned that butterflies drink nectar, so there were these cool nectar fountains hanging within the garden.

I thought this sign was pretty funny.

The butterflies were beautiful, it was just difficult to capture the view of them all flying around you all the time.

Guess what these two butterflies are doing? That's right, mating. They stay like this for up to three days! And then the momma butterfly finds a great plant to lay her eggs.

One thing I learned at the farm is where momma butterflies lay their eggs. When you see a plant like this, obviously, caterpillars have been chewing the leaves.

But take a peak underneath the leaves of that same plant--the smart momma butterfly laid her eggs on an instant food source for her babies.

Some of the butterflies were HUGE. When the wingspan is spread on this one, it's actually a beautiful shade of blue. But when it's still and drinking nectar, it wants to be camoflauged like the trees, so it's brown.

And of course, you can take great photos there.

4. And now, for you Bonnarooers, Aruba had the most awesome port-o-potty that I've ever used.

First, look how wide it is.

Then, you go inside and see that it has a real flushing toilet. Well, as flushable as it can be.

And a trash can.

Then, there were real hooks to put your purse, jacket, or whatever you have to get out of the way to do your business without fear of dropping it into the abyss.

And THEN, a sink. A real sink, with running water. And a real soap dispenser, and not just a hand sanitizer.

There was a foot pump at the bottom of the sink to pump water into your hands to wash them. I don't care if they spelled sink incorrectly. I saw it as charming, since the bathroom was so awesome.

Bonnaroo needed about 500 of these.

To top it all off, their port-o-potties had mirrors! See? One million times better than regular port-o-potties.

5. This is for my brother, Ashte', who attended Xavier University in New Orleans. There's another one in Aruba! And it's a school of medicine!

6. You could go to a different beach every single day if you want to. I'm bad at relaxing, and I really relaxed there.

7. I found a woman there who could do my hair. And there's no humidity, so it stayed awesome and didn't frizz!

8. And...if you want a beer, you could get one. Wherever. And Aruba has their own beer--Balashi. Sold everywhere.

9. I finally saw where tourist shops find all of those hermit crabs to sell. Except Aruba is awesome and they don't have cheesy tourists shops like that, the type that sell you hermit crabs. They leave them alone on the beach.

10. Aruba has flamingoes that chill on the beach with you.

Still need more reasons?

Why Aruba is Awesome

2011-02-16T22:45:00.009-05:00

During the first week of February, while most of the United States was covered with snow and weathering 30-degree temps and below, I blew this pop stand and headed to Aruba, where the temperature is 85 degrees everyday. Don't believe me?

*side note* When the airplane approached the island, the pilot notified the cabin of the temperature in Aruba at about noon, of 82 degrees. The weary and bone-chilled passengers (some still wearing leather jackets and wool coats from the Philadelphia departure) applauded!

There are a bunch of islands near the equator that you could visit to escape the crappy winter we've been having, sure. But Aruba is by far my favorite. This blog provides proof that Aruba is awesome.

Staying at the Renaissance Aruba is awesome because it's in the center of "downtown" and you can walk everywhere and don't really need a car during your entire stay, unless you want one. The island of Aruba is only 20 miles long and 6 miles wide.

The Renaissance Aruba is for adults only, and has a casino, theater, Starbucks and mall inside.

More importantly, it has a moat. Inside the hotel. And a boat comes to scoop you up and take you to a private beach.

In case you don't feel like going to the private beach that day, the Renaissance has a pool that overlooks the Caribbean Sea and the cruise ships that come to port.

While you're in Aruba, you feel like you're truly in a foreign place, even though most people you run into speak English. But they also speak Dutch, Aruba's official language, Spanish, Portuguese and Papamiento, a mix of Spanish and Dutch. The street signs are in Dutch and even menu items.

This is a sign in Dutch, yes, but it brings me to another point. Like you will see things in Aruba that you might not see (at least not every day) in America. Like a bludgeoned snake placed on a sign warning you that you are entering a military shooting range. You might think this is gross but I think it's awesome.

Aruba reduces it's carbon footprint!

Aruba parties at the beach!

Aruba has a Ruth's Chris!

You can drive anywhere in Aruba and decide you want to go to the beach, pull over wherever you are, and go to the beach. 20 yards away.

You don't have to be a good photographer to take nice pictures in Aruba.

Aruba has an awesome climate, there's no humidity. There's sun and sand, palm trees, water and cacti. Barely any flies. Pretty birds. The streets are clean.

They serve shark bites. Shark nuggets. Whatever you want to call them. They are yummy! But not with tartar sauce like other fish, better with honey mustard, like chicken.

The Renaissance Aruba was so nice that people randomly stopped by to shoot videos right inside the lobby (was this a commercial? I have no idea.)

Iguana Joe's has yummy curry chicken, with raisins and carrots and plantains.

The Renaissance had yummy tapas in a box, mmmm.

And great dessert! Chocolate ice cream, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake AND fruit!

They had the Friday's Brownie Obsession! (although, regrettably, it didn't taste the same as it does in America. But they had it!)

More chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream!

And you can eat dinner and watch the sunset at a different restaurant every night of the week if you want. Or just on the beach.

Need more reasons why Aruba is awesome? Coming right up!

Bert & Ernie Get A New Home

2010-12-13T14:07:00.002-05:00

This weekend, Bert and Ernie got a new home. It's about three times the size of their old home (a 10-gallon tank), with all new fixtures and appliances. I'm not sure they even know what to do with all of the new space.

From these photos, you can't tell how big they've gotten, but their shells are much larger than the palm of my hand now.

Bert is still searching for something.

And Ernie would normally be afraid of me coming so close to the tank, but he's apparently asleep. It looks like his eyes are molting or something.

They still get along quite swimmingly, although they are the odd couple.

Be sure to stay tuned for the next episode: Bert and Ernie Get a Toy!

Insana :)