This was fun. The wee people were a trip dragging and dropping files with me. Seems they like the visual time line even if they can't read (LOL). Will it be useful? Hmm... Maybe... I have five more of these to do so lets see if I improve as we go along.

Someone asked me to do a stick figure animation for a non-profit. My kids are going to love our next multimedia project. They can hang with squiggly lines and stick figures. Come to think of it so can I (LOL). ;-)

.

Club Chaos Eye Candy: Alice In Wonderland Pavilion, Central Park, NY

I love this place. The wee people and I go here a lot. We are looking forward to sharing our fave eye candy spots this Summer.

New York City is amazing when it comes to monuments. You can spend the entire day admiring street art. I happen to have a thing for the arch at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn (LOL). We even hang out on the Brooklyn Bridge. The wee people and I have been on the hunt for some statue eye candy. If it happens to be connected to a park, that makes the game even better (especially if I get to play phone tag with Jessica. She makes me wish I had a smart  phone - LOL). ;-)

.

It is not easy being a photo-journalist when you are emotionally involved...

I am working on a project with my gal pal Jessica Klein and plan on sharing my by-line with her. I mentioned in Facebook that I was covering a 4-alarm fire that still has my neighbors and I in shock because we frequented the businesses that were destroyed in Rego Park.

Jess and I are doing a YouTube regarding the aftermath of the blaze and the music, photo-montage and video clips are edited, arranged but waiting for the final audio overlays for publication. This story is still unfolding and the Fire Marshalls are actively investigating the incident. I am still conducting eye witness interviews to get my facts straight. It is not easy being a photo-journalist... especially when you are emotionally involved. Investigative reporting requires a lot more effort than me being facetious about my kids. This is going to be a major Localism series because each business has a story. Jess and I aim to tell a couple of them...

I got to shadow a number of professionals who were on the scene and decided I'd tease you guys with a little eye candy of Tai Hernandez and Kristen Shaughnessy. They happen to be two of my fave people to watch when I do get around to catching up on the news while peeking at Internet TV. I am very pleased to be linking back to their coverage because I got to observe them create their reports. It takes hours of dedication to give you guys a two minute news snippet. Both news teams were very methodical, courteous and patient. I bet you'd be surprised if you really knew how much video was shot to make those little editorial news clips.

The ladies will bring you guys up to speed until Jessica and I finish our follow-up to this event. I go to the NY Sports Club just up the block so covering this is personal because the fire didn't just destroy some great Mom and Pop businesses, it emotionally and financially decimated a group of people I happen to care about.

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/queens/rego-park-fire-aftermath-20100524

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/119143/four-alarm-fire-destroys-queens-business-row/

http://www.ufanyc.org/cms/contents/view/8353

Off On Another Eye Candy Adventure

Today's Localism.com adventure will take me to Westchester where the lovely RuthMarie Hicks is going to show me a very interesting property that we have been spoofing about. The Outside Blog Minion Report is going to get really interesting this Summer because I'm dragging a couple of the brick and mortars into the fray to write for and with me.

We are going to share by-lines (and you've got to admit the idea is scaring a few of you because we all know how easily amused I am and that I have been crazy about uploading my digital film and pictures - LOL).

While you are waiting for a really neat treat later on today (e.g. Cooking with Lenn Harley, Patti Caldwell and SarahGray Lam video - two homes, two kitchens - LOL), I am going to send you over to my digital day job where I got to link back to Amber Naslund, Robert Swetz and Richard Weisser.

My New York Working Moms and newbie writers need to learn more about eye candy. Seriously... No one does eye candy like my ActivePeeps so I decided they need some Club Chaos Eye Candy to get them started. How can I not brag about you? You are my bay-bays. You need to be introduced to a new audience (LOL)

Check out:

1. Simple Steps To A Better Blog: A picture is worth 1,000 words and nothing beats eye candy

2. NY Mommy Chronicles: Spa Castle for men and women of all shapes, age and sizes

I had fun writing them. I also got to quote Sana for Spa Castle. How cool was that? Very! She was the one who gave me the idea to write about it when she treated her family to a relaxing day of pampering under the sun. Talk about an "inspired by the audience" moment when I dropped them off (LOL). I have to go back there with my kids and I am also going to have so much fun spoofing on the IBM PDF that had me tickled pink yesterday. Engineers are an interest lot, eh? Very smart cookies. I should go make friends with some. I only know one. I need to know more...  ;-)

Cunningham Park Through The Eyes Of A Seven Year Old (Noah E Starr)

It's the grin and the body motion that makes watching him take pictures so interesting for me as a parent with an Autistic son. He doesn't say much, but he starts moving with this happy, half dance step, using his body to zoom in and out while floating the camera around to snap shots. It always makes other kids come over to see what he sees. My fave part is when I get to see what he sees... I may have to start taking the video camera instead of catching him work with my cell phone (LOL). ;-)

An uberMental Branding Joyride: Some Things Just Need To Be Seen At Night...

Sometimes a picture truly is worth a thousand words... If you want to get a fresh perspective of the common things around you sometimes you need to make a date with yourself to revisit familiar places at night. If the area has architecturally interesting buildings, you can capture some stunning eye candy for your blogs and other websites.

My critics are 7 and 3, so if I get a cool response I know I am on the right track. My fave moment is when Stephen says, "Ooooooo... shiny..." It takes a lot to get my 3 year old kid to say that. Here are the Localism.com future Outside Blog Minion Report cover selections from the little minions who should be in bed but are not (LOL). I shall be writing about these locations later. If it warms up I'll take the shorties with me to get some updated shots. You can never have too many photographs of your fave areas and babies tend to appreciate the reminders of where they have been when they get older. To wee ones, the hunt for eye candy is like taking mini-vacations to enjoy a mental spa day (LOL). 

Newbie Rule: NEVER leave home without your digital cameras. You may miss a unique moment to create your own mental spa day for your blog post readers (LOL). It only takes a moment to capture a second in time. It is up to you how many photographs you decide to take. I took 27 tonight, but the boys only selected a few. If they had selected just one I would have been very happy with that. :-)

I love my kids, so I may be a wee bit biased regarding their choices, but I think my shorties have excellent and eclectic tastes. Check these Manhattan night shots out:

We have a lot more to show you. This is just a tease. Sometimes, teasing your readers can be very effective (LOL). I bet you're wondering just how far I wandered in 27 degrees. Big hint: went from the East to the West side and zig zagged downtown. ;-)

Wordy C is going on another Active Rain Road Trip

Thursday night is our Beer 4 Bloggers social media get together which will be held at the RallyPoint Sports Bar. There will be a national contest going on over there with the potential of winning $5000 so show up bay-bays! I expect to see lots of video cameras. You guys know how much I like eye candy and video sweets is a must. ;-)

Friday, November 6th is camp day! Be there at 8:30. Can you say all day event with 25 sessions? I'm high-jacking two of 'em and will be teaching (1) How to Write Transparently and (2) How to Monetize Your Blog. I may even be doing Confessions of a Google Whore during the interim while chatting about the Outside Blog Minion Report, Life With Wee People, Club Chaos, ActiveRain, Localism and our Jango Music project. Can't get any more or less transparent than that, eh? (LMAO)

Yup. Next page of Diary of a Google Whore will be live from North Carolina (LOL). ;-)

Life With Wee People: From Pre-School to Kindergarten... Or Is It A to Z ? (LOL)

Stephen the Blur Minion is having a very big day. It's Halloween and shorty has tasted every type of candy Big Daddy Minion brought into the house. The birthday party starts at four but I kinda don't want to interrupt his nap on the table. Seems he fell out after wrecking the bedroom while watching "Open Season." They play that movie at least three times a day. Noah has it scripted (LOL).

Normal mothers would never let their three year olds sleep on the table... but I'm not normal. I only pick him up if he falls asleep on the floor or laundry bag (LOL). "The Table" happens to be one of his fave spots. Ain't messing with him when he's in his happy place. Ever deal with a cranky PDD-NOS kid? You wouldn't mess with him either if you knew what I knew about Baby Taz (LMAO). ;-)

Nap time is sacred... :-) Will wake the little minion up to dress him as a ninja later. Mikey wants Ninja Eye Candy (LOL). This should get very interesting. Will be blogging live from a Halloween Birthday Party later. Never saw that one coming (LOL). Sad thing is I really wanna stay on my keyboards (LMAO). Oh well... kids gotta socialize, eh?

Update: Pulling out the Jap uniform (LOL). Less than four hundred people around the entire world own one of these. ;-)

Live From The New York State Capitol, Albany NY

This is the park directly across the street from the Capitol, Education and Legislative Buildings. There are some really neat monuments in there (and a grave) which I shall show you guys later (LOL).

While wandering about the facade of the educational building I noticed you get a really cool view of the Capitol (on your left) and the Legislative buildings (on the right). I enjoyed getting up close and personal regarding how people start with an idea, bring it to a lawmaker, then suffer through the journey the inner circle describes as the legislative process only to discover a good and bad idea have equal opportunity to be made into laws (LMAO).

Did I get an interesting education today? Yup. Shall be blogging about it very shortly. It really is a very cool and useful process. The problem lies in the fact that not enough of us are getting involved. We appear to be reactive rather than proactive. Lawmakers love proactive constituents... Hmm... I may have to make a new set of friends up here (LOL). BTW, AR makes an excellent think tank. Lots of great minds with good ideas to share. How could I not? (LOL)

I took 187 photographs during my visit so sorting through them all my take a while. Wanna see the inside of the Assembly/State Building? They have cool hearing rooms, art, lots of marble everywhere (except the ladies room - bummer - no cool bathroom shot - LOL).

Was driving 171.6 miles worth it? Abso-friggin-lutely. I am sooooo doing this again (LOL). On the hunt for food. Will get back to blogging live from Albany in a couple of hours. Still making friends, trading business cards and bragging about my bay-bays (LOL). ;-)

Wordy C Goes To Williamsburg Technical College, Kingstree SC

To Participate In A Lecture

Regarding Exceptional Children

Life With Wee People, The Outside Blog Minion Report and my ActiveRain Blog regarding Autism/PDD-NOS issues was incorporated into Professor Walker's Class in lecture room 117. Understanding child development can be very tricky issues because no two children are exactly alike and when you are dealing with learning disabled children, the spectrum of disorders and idiosyncrasies can be quite wide. Infinite in fact.

While I was wandering around campus with my mother I had no idea that today's topic would be how the brain functions. I also had no idea I would be participating and presenting for this particular discussion, so it was mad fun to dive in and throw a wild card seminar on my quirky kids and share through Q & A what life is like as a parent navigating the world of the learning disabled. My blog certainly has enough material and I hang around so many therapists I can actually articulate the insanity of my life (LOL).

The first question was my fave and cracked me up immediately: A student wanted to know which one was the one who toasted the cell phones (ROTFLMAO). Needless to say Wordy C got wordy after that. My Mom even participated and chatted about me since the topic was how the brain functions. We all know it has been debated bout me being Artistic and Autistic so how could she not put her two cents in? Seriously (LOL). We had a blast laughing over the wee ones and I also was able to share the actual music files we created together in addition to my blog posts. ;-)

Professor Walker would ask the students to apply what they learned from class to define the theoretical issues presenting throughout my conversation and observations with the students. I learned something new today from attending and participating in Professor Walker's class:

(1) An abundance of synapses accounts for plasticity. Children, more specifically young children, have plasticity which allows for their ability to learn new skills swiftly. In contrast, the adult brain is pruned. I believe that theoretical construct was from Murray in 2006. (Ergo, I have a pruned brain. Hmm... That could explain an awful lot, don't you think? I need a juicy brain... LMAO) ;-)

(2) Perception, in it's simplest sense, is interpretation of physical sensations... We're talking proprioceptive messages. I must look that word up because I do not know what it means but it is a Lefrancois theoretical from hailing from 1992. Taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell go hand and hand with that one. Noah has echolalic speech so I am looking forward to learning more bout this...

(3) Perception is related to the process of cognition, language and learning. Children are not systematic and frequently miss detail. Attention is voluntary and people choose to focus their attention... That is sooooo gonna be Cosmic Cow Pie talking point in the near future. We're talking major BananaTude people. People choose to focus their attention... Hmm... This could be mad fun... ;-)

Now, we all know how easily amused I am so of course I shall have to spoof on this later when I write my next menopause blog post regarding how the brain functions for menopausal blogging mommies with quirky kids (LOL). I think it will be fun to make fun of myself in this respect. After all, I have so much material and I have to give my ADD something interesting to do (LOL). When you are a transparent blog writer and you travel everywhere you go with your mobile office you can rise to any occasion simply by logging in to your ActiveRain Outside Blog and sharing the facts behind the creation of the posts under discussion. Being a guest of the class and showing off Noah and Stephen's ActiveRain adventures was a real treat. It was the most enjoyable moment of my afternoon so I shall have to share some more facts for you guys to go "hmm" and "duh" over regarding my shorties (LMAO).

Thank you Professor Walker and thank you class. :-)

In the meantime check out more of the Williamsburg Technical College campus. Very nice...