Root, Root, Root for the Home Team

I am in love with America's pastime - I have the body art to prove it. Because of this I felt it necessary to see one final game of the season at my favorite place in the 5 boroughs - Yankee Stadium. Although lacking the same feel as the recently closed stadium, it is the House that Ruth Built nonetheless.

There is nothing better then the crack of the bat, a handful of greasy garlic fries and the company of an old friend on a hot summer day. I am determined to watch my NYY's in Vietnam, thank God for the internet.

As always some of my favorites below and the rest here.

Oh, Graduation Day

6 days, 60 hours and so much ice-breaking only slush remains. I am now officially certified to teach ESL! I even have a certificate with a shiny little seal to prove it. Does this mean that I won't want to crawl under my desk on my first day of teaching? Absolutely not.

In the midst of my busy, yet wonderful, last weekend in NYC I was given the privilege of taking head shots for John. He is definitely next in line to be the next hot shot actor, and I knew him when. Central Park was the stage and my camera his muse. Enjoy the entire production here.

Colors of Summer

I have never spent an elongated period of time in a place which has only one season. Vietnam is a good example of one of these places. Dalat, where I'm going to be living, is usually between 75-90 degrees. I'm excited to experience eternal summer, however it got me thinking about the changes a place goes through during the course of the 4 seasons. Each season has its own color palate, and it's amazing to explore each. Will I miss the diverse beauty?

It reminds me of a scene in Sex in the City where Carrie is describing that moment where suddenly you realize summer is over. That first night that you have put a blanket on your bed to ward off the chill. I hope I find new moments like that, perhaps the first night after the rainy season where I don't have to sleep under a mosquito net? I think that will be even more welcome then a chill in the air!

I took a stroll down 25th Street today to capture the colors of NYC - which cannot be confused with the colors of summer. See the complete set here.

The Best Grime

Not an oxymoron - just an necessary NYC descriptor. I took a subway ride out to Coney Island on Friday. (Thank you Penton for giving me summer Friday's and thank you MTA for the 6 transfers I had to make on the way there) Nothing strikes me as more New York City then a digusting beach, even more digusting looking amusement rides, the Flea By the Sea, and hot dogs. Nathan's to be exact.

I am no longer privy to the grimy feeling that NYC used to leave on my skin, but if I was Coney Island would take the cake. I loved every minute of it. I can't even begin to discuss the animitronic mannequin who threw up in a toilet while water spewed from her rear. Priceless. I hope, upon return from my hiatus, the city doesn't begin to leave a film on me again, such a tourist feeling. I enjoy being jaded.

Check 'em out here and below!

Use the Stairs While You're Young

My time in NYC is winding down, only about 2.5 weeks left, so I have been trying to capture my surroundings more and more lately. With my camera, of course! At lunch today I wandered over to the High Line on 10th Ave. They have an interesting concept, a footbridge + garden. Only in NY would you be able to walk 30 feet above the busy street amongst flowers and greenery, the Hudson River to your left and a sea of brick to your right. It was throughly enjoyable.

What I found to be most enjoyable was a comment overheard by a pair of strolling old ladies. One becomes jaded to insane comments made on the street, there is even a website featuring all of these insanities here. However, today was different, the serene setting, the never ending beeping below, and a old lady loudly broadcasting, "Yea, I used to fall down the stairs a lot". It makes me applaud her for being so brave as to ascend the 5 flights of stairs onto the High Line. On second thought, maybe she took the elevator.

I digress, some of my favs below, and the rest of the pictures here and here.

What is Homework Again?

It has yet to sink in that in less then 2 months I will be teaching college courses. However, an 18 hour weekend of learning the abc's of lesson plans, classroom management and more icebreakers then a waddle of penguins (yes, waddle, wiki told me so!) is making this more real by the minute.

I keep walking out of the classroom with my head in a jumble, I'm not sure that it can hold all of this new info! My camera is, of course, my go-to stress ball and after class I took a stroll to Chinatown. Because of their close proximity, at least in NYC, Little Italy is the perfect partner location for a shoot. Enjoy some of my favorites below, and see the whole set here.

Teaching the Teachers

Today was my first day of an intensive ESL (English as a Second Language) course required for my trip. In college I always dreaded the 3 hour night classes. Thrice multiply that and you have my day. Such will be my life for the next 2 weekends. My mantra ... it will be worth it, it will be worth it.

In an effort to help me decompress, Tara and Steve offered up their faces in Grand Central Station. I was having a bit of trouble with the dim lighting, something I will have to work on in the future. Any suggestions?

See the full set here.

Bridging the Gap

One of my big concerns about immersing myself in such a different culture are the things I'm going to miss from home. These include Taco Bell, my hair salon and the ability to hold a complete conversation with anyone I please - just to name a few.

In order to quash some of those fears I have a bucket list of things in NYC that I would like to do before I leave. One of those was to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, an iconic, yet somewhat overlooked piece of the city landscape. Just a little bit of BK Bridge trivia:

Because the subway runs under the East River, and the vehicular level is under
the pedestrian level, it had been said that Brooklyn Bridge is the only place
on earth where an airplane could fly over a pedestrian who is walking over a
car that is driving over a boat that is floating over a train.
What can an experience such as this be without pictures? See the rest here.

Soul Stealing

I have read in multiple sources that one needs to be very cautious when taking pictures of the minority tribes that reside in Vietnam's rural areas. These groups believe that looking into the flash allows the camera to steal your soul.

In an effort to more fully understand this concept, I did some soul stealing with Mary and Michael this weekend. They opted to play at Hubbard Park in Meriden, CT. Enjoy some of my favs below, and check out the whole set here.

A Big Oooo, Ahhhh!

Happy Independance Day my fellow Americans! I just wanted to give a big shoutout to those ancient Far Easterners who pioneered the firework. The 4th of July wouldn't be the same without hot dogs, drunk relatives and some Asian inspired explosives. Below are some pictures I took below from my 4th festivities:

Tminus 49 days left in the red, white and blue.

Canon Says Are We There Yet?

It keeps staring at me, wondering when we are going to leave. 55 more days Canon, calm down. Job, plane ticket, and innoculations are all checked. The only things left are an ESL cert course, an amazing trip to Texas ... and oh yea, my last summer in NYC.

To preface the story, I am moving to Da Lat, Vietnam for the next year of my life. I will be teaching English at Da Lat University and have never formally imparted knowledge on anyone before. Those college kids don't know what they're in for.

I will be chronicling my trip here mostly through photos, maybe with a few words thrown in the mix. Until then enjoy a picture of the city that has my heart...

and one from my recent trip to New Hampshire...