3rd generation Prius Hybrid

This is the best commercial ever! Check out the "making of" video followed by the full commercial...

Do I see a pattern here?

Oh, Buddakan. I miss you so.

The snow crab dumplings.

The wasabi mashed potatoes.

And the five spice Dip Sum doughnuts. With blackberry jam, chocolate sauce, and ginger cream cheese, of course.

My husband and I are in Philadelphia right now. It is one of my favorite cities, and I am planning on eating my way through this city like the Tasmanian devil on Bugs Bunny.

Here are some pix I shot while our mildly snotty waiter wasn't looking.

El Vez

Oh, El Vez, El Vez. I miss you so.

The manchego salsa.

The mahi mahi tacos.

And the El Vez margarita. On the rocks, no salt, of course.

My husband and I are in Philadephia right now. It is one of my favorite cities, and I am planning on eating my way through this city like a hurricane (do hurricanes eat? did that make sense? oh well).

Here are some pix I shot while our uber cool, white hot italian waiter wasn't looking.

Toyota iQ

iQ font - When driving becomes writing / Full making of from wireless on Vimeo.

Kent collage

Michael Kent Thompson

I had the pleasure of taking a few photos of my brand new nephew, Michael Kent. Here are a few of my favorites.

Marilyn Minter

I just ran across these images online by an artist currently working in NYC. Love them! Here's a quick summary of all things Marilyn Minter by James Danziger:

Minter could perhaps best be described as a post-pop artist. Both a photographer and a painter, Minter goes back and forth between the two mediums with each informing and enriching the other. The work she's making today, however, comes out of a long and winding career. Starting off as a photographer in the 1970s, Minter switched to painting in the 80s and 90s with a series of much noticed but also much criticized works referencing hard core pornography. Out of these images came the thought that the real glamour and the real porn was the glitter of luxury consumer culture.

Using both photography and painting, Minter's new millennial work consisted of hyperrealistic close-ups of makeup-laden lips, eyes, and toes, whose luscious colors and glossy surfaces were appealing and disturbing at the same time. Minter's exaggerated images copied and subverted the visual seductiveness of advertising while providing a visceral pleasure-laden punch.

A 2005 show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and a star turn in the 2006 Whitney Biennial quickly put Minter on the contemporary art map. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Pool Construction Observation Station

To say that my nephew, Matt, is fascinated with tractors is like saying typos are mildly irritating to me: both are massive understatements. To Matt's delight, some tractors came to visit Grandma and Granddaddy's house the other day to dig a hole for a pool.

The photo really speaks for itself. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. Complete with snack and beverage.

Photo courtesy of Grandma.

Hoax

So, a couple of French kids won a really prestigious award for a visual story they submitted about students and the things they have to go through nowadays to live, go to school, etc. When they accepted their award at the Sorbonne, they admitted to everyone the whole thing was a hoax - they "wanted to enter the contest in order to show the codes used too often in photojournalism and to prove that something real could be translated into something staged." They had basically looked at award submissions for the 2008 prize and found a formula photographers used for success and wanted to make a point.

I have been in conflict with my family since I was 16. Even if I

don't have a scholarship nor parental assistance, I have always

fended for myself. - Amin, 23, Master of Sociology

I don't know about you, but if I were one of the judges, I would totally want to kick these kid's asses. Right there. On stage. Regardless of how funny and/or cool this might be.

Am I glowing?

Yesterday, I enlisted the help of a friend of mine that has access to an x-ray machine in an effort to take some "alternative" self portraits. We took all the necessary precautions with the lead coat and all, but we might have taken more pictures than people normally do in one sitting. Consequently, a couple of hours later at Celtic Crossing's trivia night I found a burn on my arm and realized I was buzzing...as if I was on speed. In fact, I must admit that I still feel that way a little as I write this, the next day.

I am a little concerned, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Except never to do that again. My parents seem to think I'm planning on using the x-ray machine as a tanning bed, though, because I received this email from my dad this morning:

Kate - At my age, sometimes you feel like your children no longer need you, and that is a good thing. Means things are going well.

In your case, I think you need me a bit longer. Now listen good...

DON'T PLAY WITH X-RAY MACHINES

I don't think I need to go any further with this, but I am watching and there will be trouble if you do this again. I hope your arm burn is the only organ affected.

I should probably feel offended but, sigh, I guess I deserve it.

*Update July 6, 2009 - I checked with a friend of mine that is a radiologist, and he assures me that I am JUST FINE.