Photo 'a Go Go!: 2+ Weeks into my 365project...

It's been just a little over 2 weeks, already, since I started taking photos for my 365project, and I've only flaked on 2 of the days in all that time! I was feeling a bit like a failure at first for skipping days, but then I started seeing that a lot of other people doing the project also miss days, occasionally. The way I know this is because there's a neat calendar view feature you can access from everyone's photo page that displays a calendar with thumbnail-sized photos shown for each day that one was taken. So once I saw that I wasn't the only one with blank days, I felt much better. And if you're at all like me, it's not that easy to take a good photo that you're proud of every single day. Then again, (make sure you're sitting down for this one, folks) some people have said that I tend to be a perfectionist... But even that aspect aside, I'm simply not always in the mood, or I may not have the creative mojo flowing for some reason. Know what I mean? The last thing I'd want to do is snap off some dumb, random shot just so I could upload a photo for that day! Bottom line, though, is that I see no reason why I can't make up for the days I miss. I think that as long as I take and upload 365 days worth of photos it'll be okay if those days aren't all consecutively connected. It just might end up taking a lot more than a year to finish. And if that's not okay, or it's against the rules, well... then I'm changing the rules, right here and right now, for Anthony's 365project!

Wanna see some of the latest installments "hanging" in my gallery? Go ahead, take a look. I'd love to know what you think of them... (I decided that it was probably best to only display a week's worth of photographs at a time, so as to NOT exhaust your interest or patience!)





That's our Matt!

Right there, blowing into a toy crocodile's
head and making its "eyes" float, is my
good friend Matt. He's almost never too
self-conscious to do something silly, if it'll
make us laugh! I have certainly had some
of the best times hanging out with that guy.






A love creation

As I wandered around the house looking
for an interesting Show & Tell item to
photograph, I looked inside our "cabinet
of curiosities" and spotted this old collage
box which I assembled and gave to my
husband as a birthday gift many years ago.
In fact, I think it was actually about 16 or
17 years ago!

I can still remember how much fun I had
searching through antique shops, looking
for just the right cigar box and ALL of the
neat trinkets to place on top of it. I've made
several interesting things for my husband,
in the past, but haven't created any NEW
gifts in a verry long time. Hmm, his birthday
IS coming up fairly soon...






Skelebunny

Imagine our surprise when my
husband and I stepped out into the
garden patio, today, only to find
one of Tommy's fictional comic book
characters just sitting nonchalantly
in a small, fancy chair. We couldn't
believe our eyes! All this time
Tommy thought that he had
completely made up everything
about the Skelebunnies and their
well-intentioned, immoral exploits.

Have they really existed all along,
or is Tommy's imagination so
powerful that it brought them to life?
The little guy wouldn't tell us, as he
evidently doesn't talk to humans. He
did pose for my picture, though!






"I was almost beginning to
think I'd lost my marbles!"

A glass jar is a very good place to keep
your marbles, as it is very pleasing to
the eye. And you'll always know where
to find them, should you start to feel
as though they are "missing"...






Happy toy

I think most anyone who was a child
growing up in the late '60s thru the '70s
would recognize this familiar, iconic face
as that of the cheerily colorful Fisher-Price
Chatter Phone. Definitely one of my uber
favorite childhood toys!

It had a pull-string so it could be dragged
along behind you. And whenever you did,
its big blue eyes would roll up & down in
tandem with the clickety, clackety chattering
sound made when its little blue wheels
turned. Of course, it also had a rotary dial
that triggered a bell inside whenever your
wee fingers spun it 'round.

I would love it if I could pick up the bright
orange receiver and call my 5-year-old self,
way back in 1975. I'd want to tell him that
everything is going to be okay, that HE is
going to be okay, no matter how bad things get...






Fun, old books

Something else that I like collecting is vintage
children's books. I find them to be fun, colorful
and charming. However, I do not buy them for
storytelling. The two ways in which I do use
them are:

[1.] As pop-culture reference material.

[2.] As a vintage illustration/image archive that
I can cut 'n paste from while working on collage
art. Well, technically, I scan & print out whichever
book page has the image I like, and then THAT is
what gets cut up. I don't want to damage these
beautiful, old books any more than they already
have been!

The bookshelves have slowly been filling up over
the years, so what you see here is just a fraction
of my total vintage and pop culture book collection.






Monochromatic Solitaire

I enjoy ALL kinds of board games, especially
ones that are this attractive and well-made.
My preference, of course, is to play games with
other opponents, but this beautiful wood and
stone marble (Is "stone marble" redundant?)
edition of Solitaire makes those times I have
no one to play games with MUCH more enjoyable!



Thank you for visiting our 'Gallery of Fine Art Photography' tent, here at the one and only Pop Circus. Please, come again!


~All photos by Anthony (aka Antvision). Except top 'Photo 'a Go Go!' background dancers, I found them in a dark alley behind Google Images. They work really cheap!

It's official... I'm a total Gleek, now!

On the off-chance that you don't already know what a "Gleek" is, allow me to enlighten you. A "Gleek" is a devoted fan of Fox's hugely popular hit t.v. show, 'Glee'. If you haven't ever watched it (a whole episode, not just a clip), you're missing out on something pretty special! I'd consider any show special if it lifted your spirits and kept you feeling happy for an entire episode, but no others come to mind. It's just such a perfect mix of drama, humor and showbiz that you really would have to watch an entire episode to get an accurate feel for the magic that's going on here.

Up until last Tuesday's Season 2 opener, I had only seen a handful of episodes from Season 1. I enjoyed them, but was only on-the-fence about the show, at best. I think it was because I had an issue with its lack of reality when it came to the Glee Club's musical numbers. Some might even say they're a bit over-the-top! And it's completely obvious that everyone is lip syncing. But then it donned on me... The way 'Glee' was doing it, was the same way those old MGM musicals of the '40s & '50s were done! Don't know why I didn't realize that sooner? Besides, the creators of 'Glee' would never be accused of trying to portray any sense of reality! It's just a whole lotta fun and fantasy which happens to take place in a high school that has exceptionally talented students in their Glee Club.







Now that I view the show with this entirely new perspective, I'm absolutely loving it! I had already enjoyed the humor - Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, the nasty cheerleading coach who's hell-bent for Glee Club annihilation, is so priceless! She plays that character like it was invented just for her. Maybe it was, I don't know. The soap opera style of drama also really hooks you, if you like that sort of thing. And, yes, I most certainly do! Then, of course, the musical performances are the biggest highlight of every episode. Mr. Scheuster, or Will (played by Matthew Morrison), usually picks a specific theme for his club of showbiz kids to tailor their musical numbers to. For example, on last Tuesday's show, Mr. Scheuster announced that the new theme was "Hello", adding that they could select any songs they wanted for their numbers as long as those songs had the word "Hello" in the title. I was a bit surprised at how many other tunes there are, aside from Lionel Richie's obvious hit. See, look at that, the show can even be educational for some folks!

Well, I really don't want to bore you with my take on every character in 'Glee'. Just know that I consider every one of them to be another good reason for watching this awesome show!







P.S. - B.T.W. here's a little F.Y.I. just in case you're interested: Next week's show (Tuesday, April 20th) is going to be the eagerly awaited 'Power of Madonna' episode which will feature nothing but Madonna songs! I'm sooo there, you guys!


~All photos via Google Images~

Photo 'a Go Go!: My 365project

This should be a bit challenging, and a lotta fun!

A friend of mine suggested that I try the 365project because she had already been participating and was totally loving it. What is it, you say? Why, it's a year-long project/journey in which you photograph something with a digital camera EVERY DAY that's special, interesting, or even just plain ordinary. What you shoot is entirely up to you, and that's what I find especially appealing about it. You're really only limited by your own creativity and imagination! If this seems at all like something you'd want to do, go ahead and click on the link to find out more about it.

I just started the project Tuesday, April 6th, so I've only taken and uploaded 2 pictures. Here, check 'em out...






[Day 1] Glass Paperweight

Behold the beauty of glass!

This is just one of many glass paperweights in my personal
collection. I've always been fascinated with glass in its many
forms, from rough wave-beaten chunks of beach glass to
elegant cathedral stained glass windows. But I'm especially
drawn to handblown glass with its shiny bubbles and magical
swirls of color inside!







[Day 2] Office Toys

It's 'Take Our Toys to Work day'...
Every day!

If you know me, you know that I really like toys. For whatever
reason, I never outgrew them. Just having toys around makes
me happy, even if I'm not playing with any. And the more
colorful they are, the better! This is a shot of the computer on
my desk where I work daily. If I didn't have these little guys
giving their cheerful support every day, I'd surely stress out!




I have every intention of remaining committed to this project, I do not want to lose motivation and give up! I will see this through to [Day 365]! I feel like I'm off to a pretty good start, but this is only the first week. Check back in about a month, and see how well I'm doing then... Yikes, what have I gotten myself into?!


~All photos by Anthony (AKA antvision)~

"No, duh!" - Ricky Martin officially declares that he is a gay man, after all.

Finally, after dancing around the subject for waaay too long, 38-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actor, Ricky Martin, released an official statement on his own website confirming what many of us had suspected all along. Here is just a portion of what it said:


"These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn’t matter. I can only focus on what’s happening to me in this moment. The word 'happiness' takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."


Alright, I have just one question.

Did Mr. Martin really think that people still believed he was heterosexual after seeing the way he "shook his bon-bon", back in the late '90s?? No straight guy I've ever known could move the way Ricky can! That's for damn sure! Aaand I think most ladies, along with plenty of men, would also agree that he's real "easy on the eyes". So... Hello?! Everybody knows that a guy who's that attractive, and can dance that well, must be gay! It's just a basic law of nature, or something.

I do think it's absolutely wonderful that he has decided to finally be true to himself, living openly, honestly and without any sense of shame. It will be the best, healthiest way for Ricky to raise his adopted twin boys, and I know that he will find his life to be much richer and more fulfilling than before.

But, come on... This recent announcement certainly ain't news!






"Oh, shake your bon-bon, shake your bon-bon,
shake your bon-bon!"






(Sorry, I can't come up with anything
clever to say about this one. I'm a bit
distracted by the view...)






"Hey, you guys! Look what I just found
washing up on shore... Do you think I
could keep 'em?"

Ricky with his two twin sons, Matteo (L) and
Valentino (R), strolling along the beach in Miami.





~All photos via Google Images~

A Boy's Toy Joy: The Fisher-Price Little People Play Family Action Garage

This was yet another toy that fascinated me as a young'un. And yes, it was also made by Fisher-Price. Why such consistant brand-loyalty when it comes to my childhood toy memories? Well, I certainly wasn't a label whore! Not back then. It must have something to do with [1] My parents bought me a lot of Fisher-Price toys, and/or [2] All of those toys were super colorful and real fun to play with! So it's easy to see why they made such an impression, and why I remember them so fondly.

For sure, the Little People Play Family Action Garage was definitely one of the best! I loved rolling the cars up and down the ramp, a lot. It was especially satisfying to "drive" one of them into the elevator, crank it up to the top level and then let it roll back down the ramp super fast, all 'Dukes of Hazzard' style! Disregard the fact that I was too young to know what 'The Dukes of Hazzard' show was, and forget that it wouldn't even exist until 1979. All that mattered to 5-year-old Anthony was playing, and having lots o' fun with that toy!


~Photo by Laura McConnell of Dog Bone Art~

The Worst Album Covers Ever!: 'Love that Showbiz!' by The Castle Family

Artist ~ The Castle Family
Title ~ Love that Showbiz!

In the wake of the Osmonds, family variety acts sprung
up all over the United States. This happy-looking bunch
hailed from Minneapolis, Minnesota. And by the looks
of it, I'd say that "showbiz" wasn't the only thing this
brass-y Castle clan shared a love for... Did ya get a load
of those matching, kinky perms?!




I don't know about you, but I did a double take when I first saw this cover. I couldn't quite distinguish between male and female family members, mainly due to their dizzying cluster of matching poodle perms and shiny red satin. But when in doubt, look for boobs (or breasts, rather, because these folks are all "boobs" in my opinion)! Then, of course, it's completely obvious. The Castle men are wearing the matching red satin pants and jackets, while the Castle ladies are in cream-colored tops and red satin pants only, sans jackets. However, I'm not entirely convinced about all three of those Castle "men"...



~Image and info taken from the book, 'The Worst Album Covers Ever!' by Nick Di Fonzo. Published by Barnes & Noble, Inc.~

Happy Music: 'One Life Stand' by Hot Chip

This fun and quirky electropop band, Hot Chip, seemed
(to me, anyway) to totally come out of nowhere and hit me
like a train! They've actually been together since 2000, and just released their fourth album as of Feb. 1st, 2010. So, obviously, they didn't "come out of nowhere"... The problem was that I hadn't been paying any attention during that time. But I certainly was the other night, when I saw the music video for, 'One Life Stand', the first single off of their new album!

I instantly liked it because I'm a big fan of the whole electronic/pop/dance genre of music, and it has a real catchy beat from the very start. But as the song and the video played on, I liked it even more! I think it's great what the lyrics are saying, especially in the chorus:


"I only wanna be your one life stand
Tell me do you stand by your whole man?"


It wasn't only the groovy beats and lyrics, though. I think what really put a smile on my face was seeing how much fun those guys clearly had making the video. They're just goofin' around, being totally silly. Serving it all up with a deadpan delivery. Basically acting much the same way I'd imagine me and my own friends acting if we made a music video. I guess that some might watch it and think they're all just trying too hard to be wacky, but I was cracking up the whole time! I got the feeling they were all very comfortable and just genuinely being themselves. Did I mention that three of the five of them were old school mates? There's comfort level, right there. Plus, look at them. They must all share the same zip code... in Dorksville! But I truly do mean that in the best possible way because I think they're all totally rockin' that whole "geek chic" thing! Also, isn't it nice any time we see people in the entertainment industry that aren't cookie-cutter-perfect-looking or don't have what many consider to be an ideal body shape?!

Anyway, Roel Wouters, the director, devised a unique concept for the video shoot. He wanted to create an experimental environment in which the band were left alone to explore and develop their own music video. With the rest of the crew closed off from the set, the band became director, cameraman and even choreographer to create a promo that is nothing but "Hot Chip". The band had a minimal set-up to play with of just one fixed camera, one handycam and their instruments. A silver sphere was also suspended in the middle of the room giving the band further creative scope to experiment with different perspectives. The constant revolutions of the band, the sphere and the cameras moving around each other all work to create a surreal and almost trippy experience for the viewer. These visual elements together with the experimental nature of the video and the band's spontaneous input, combine to give the track's hypnotic rhythm a perfect visualization.


In other words, it's way cool! Enjoy...






~Hot Chip photo via Google Images~
~All 'One Life Stand' music video information, including director Roel Wouters, via CreativeBoom~