Time flies, and this summer goes with it.  I had a great time with the kids, and so I have no complaints.  It’s funny, but I always started itching the feeling that I wanted to go back to school right about now, and I can tell that they are feeling the same way as well. I know that it’s going to be a busy time. Cebastian will be in Track & Field, and Isabelle will be doing tennis.  I’m going to try and not overextend myself, which is something that I usually find myself doing.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Tony, who is an avid photographer, approached me with one of the best ideas I have heard in awhile. He said that he wanted to organize a photowalk in DC. The clincher is that instead of people needing digital or film cameras, they would be using their mobile phones. With most smartphones coming equipped with cameras over five megapixels, and the increase of popularity of having them, a mobile photowalk sounded better than ever.

When? Where? How?

The first official DC Mobile Photowalk will be on October 23, 2010 and it is planned to be a walking tour of the DC monuments and museums. We are still finalizing the details, but we will be putting them out as soon as we know. Please come equipped with your iPhones, Androids, Blackberries, Palms, and any other smartphones I failed to mention. A Flickr group has been created so everyone can upload their photographs in a central location.  A Tumblr site was also setup for the same purpose as well.

First and foremost, this is a fun social event where people, who love taking photographs, can meet and have a good time. S.A.D, Inc. will be the featured cause at this event. We are very happy and honored to be in the forefront of an event that is going to grow because of its innovation and sense of community.

We will be giving prizes and holding contests leading up to the photowalk and during, so it’s a win-win for all involved.

What is a Photowalk?

The first question I always gets when I tell them about the DC Mobile Photowalk is “Ummm…what is a photowalk?”

A photowalk is a very simple concept.  You meet at a designated location with other photographers. All of you walk around while you take photographs of anything that grabs you.  While you are snapping away, you are having wonderful conversations, tips, and laughs with one another. It’d be great if everyone had a little extra time to sit down to talk after the photowalk. One thing about picture taking is that everyone has a different point of view, so not two photographs will be the same. They will have their unique twist to it.  There might even be things that another photographers snaps that you didn’t even pay attention to, and now you are amazed at its beauty.

Come Out and Join Us

Please come out and join us.  To get updates of the first DC Mobile Photowalk, please follow us on Twitter. In the near future, we will be having a Facebook Page if you prefer following our updates on there. If you are thinking, well, I’d love to go, but I don’t really have the greatest smartphone, please come. We would love for you to join us with whatever camera you have. It is preferably calling for mobile phones, but it is also a way for avid photographers to meet one another.

I anxiously await the World Cup.  I never miss it.  The commercials are just as amazing as the actual games.  Here are some of my favorite:

There are some that are missing, but I can’t find them anywhere.  They are:

1. Degree commercial with Mexican Goalie where the people are hiding his deodorant while he runs all over town
2. Verizon Wireless commercial where everyone is watching the World Cup through their smartphones in places where they shouldn’t be doing it. At the end, the father, who is supposed to be watching a school play, jumps up screaming  “Gollllllll!!!!”
3. “Se Armo” Bud Light commercial where the guy invites all these people over at a house that isn’t even his.
4. The car commercial where the kids are playing futbol in a dirt field, and then the big trucks come, and the kids look all disheartened.  They build a field for the kids to play, and then the kids invite the guys to help them play futbol with them.  Forgot who the car maker is.

This commercial has nothing to do with the World Cup, but it’s the only time I saw it.  It’s way better than the Snickers commercial we have in the U.S.  Instead of “divas,” we have zombies. To watch it, here is the link: http://www.snickers.com/espanol/ads/spots.html

I know that there are probably a couple I forgot.  Which ones are your favorite?

My friend N. invited me to go to Zumba yesterday.  It was my first time going, so I was excited.  The class was going to be two hours because it was a monthly charity event hosted by Azuka-Bom.  The proceeds go to Children in Vietnam living with HIV/Aids.  It’s a great cause, and anything to help children, I am there. 

Before the class, I was a little too cocky.  I’m a pretty good dancer, so I thought it wasn’t going to be too hard.  I was wrong.  Before the first dance was over, N. and I were breathing hard.  I was a little shocked being that I usually exercise 4-5 times a week, and it’s usually for 1.5 – two hours.  The leader Azuka was amazing.  This girl was tough, but also had a smile that made you forget that you were sweating profusely.  Her backup dancers were just as good. By the third dance, I got the hang of it, and I was able to do it without breathing like I had run up 1,000 flights of stairs.

I couldn’t believe that it had taken me this long to try Zumba. For someone who loves to dance, this was a class made in heaven.  I was able to get a great workout while dancing and helping a good cause.  N. and I decided that this has to be part of our workout regime.  It’s always great to mix different things together, so your body is constantly surprised.  I told N. that with biking, running, weights, and this, we were going to have rock-solid bodies.  I definitely want that before heading to Mexico with the kids.

To check out how great this class is, I found a video of Azuka and her dancers:

My friend R. told me about a food drive that a local church was having for Thanksgiving.  I quickly volunteered.  The kids and I woke up at six in the morning, got ready, and headed there.  As a thank you for coming with me, we headed to Chick-Fil-A to have their chicken minis (NOM!).

Around eight, we arrived at the church.  There was a huge line of people waiting for the food drive to begin.  The kids and I went to a side door to begin volunteering.  W each got our own name tag, and the coordinator told us to go to one of the tables filled with food.  I have never done a food drive, and I was shocked at the amount of food there was.  It seemed like grocery stores donated food to the church, which I thought was wonderful.  I even noticed an IT consulting company was volunteering as well.

The kids and I were in charge of the Instant Meal/International table (don’t know how the two are similar) and were told our job.  We were suppose to restock the table as soon as a person made a decision of the item he/she was going to put in the grocery bags.  Luckily we got the table that had stairs behind us, so the kids could sit.  A few moments later, the food drive began.

I was impressed on how organized it was.  The head coordinator was very efficient in any issues that arose.  A volunteer would help an individual/family go to each table, which were theme based, and help them pick the amounts of items they could get.  If a person had a question, the person assisting them or one of the people in charge of the tables would help them with any questions.

At first, the kids didn’t understand the point of all of it, until they started seeing the smiles on people’s faces.  The quickly began helping me restock.  There were times that I didn’t do anything but stand there awaiting the next person to come because they kids quickly helped replace any items.

They also helped me send messages back and forth.  I was really proud of them. At the end, they didn’t want to leave.  I had to push them out of the door.  Cebastian later said, “Mommy, that was fun!”

Cebastian had these extra thoughts:

After that, we headed to my parents’ house.  My 11-year old cousin was there, so the kids played with her until their father came to pick them up.  I said a few minutes later, “I miss them.”

My cousin said, “Already?!”

My mother is doing some consulting work for the Library of Congress, so she asked if I could run some Thanksgiving errands for her. My cousin and I got in the car and headed to Sam’s Club to get the apple pie and pumpkin pie that the kids love.  I also picked up some sparkling wine for them as well.  We took some time to go to Border’s and roam around.  I was a little disappointed in their sales section this time around, so we went home empty-handed.

After talking to my mom for awhile, I noticed the time.  I had to start getting ready for dinner with Chaesco and Choodomir. By that time, I had only slept four hours, and I hadn’t taken a nap, so I was dead tired.  However, I got up, went home, and got ready to go to dinner and then out with my friends.

It was nice meeting Chaesco.  He is wicked smart, so I loved hearing him speak about the things he was doing at AnimeUSA.  We went to Jaleo and ate Spanish tapas.  I could have eaten more, but everyone else had stopped eating, so I decided not to.  Choodomir and I left Chaesco and headed to the Science Club to meet my friends.

They arrived and we had fun.  Well, that is until I started crashing.  I could barely keep awake, so I decided that it was time to head home.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend doing wonderful things and being with wonderful people.