Death of A Camera Part II Go Fund Me

I got my new camera!

Thank You!

Read all about it here.

UPDATE Below!

The story goes like this and it's not a fish story, nor is it embellished as some may have you believe I tend to do with tang and giggles:

I killed a second camera.

Truth. I was scoping shot locations for an upcoming wedding. Juggling my big cam, baby pro cam and mobile cam. (I've been practicing this skill and actually, I'm pretty darn good.)

The grass was dewy, slightly overcast; the sun making all efforts to appear. Click. Click. Then I reached for my baby pro cam - my oxygen, my favorite child, my lover, my confidante - my anti-depressant - and could not find her.

Panic set in. Eyes quickly darting in the vicinity of green. Nothing.

Heart races. Chest tightens. Tears well up. Oh. My. God.

Foot Stomp.

Loud, very loud f-word.

The story continues:

I say (out loud)

"God. You don't want me to be a Photographer do you?"

"God! Twice!!!"

"God. Are you sending me a message?"

"God. My creative output is really, really flowing well lately. Come on!"

"God. I'm pretty pissed off at you lately. Middle East! Airplanes! Tornadoes!"

"God. Are you punishing me?"

"Dear God. Maybe if people really do love my work, they may chip in to help me get another one quickly."

"God?"

Well, the camera landed in Walters Falls. Depression has set in.

Maybe you would like to help.

UPDATE:  You have funded 10% of my $600 goal in 1 day! Thank You So Much!
GOAL: $600 by August 18, 2014

Canon Powershot G16

I am the Editor of the 'Embassy of Ideas'. Please visit it here: http://www.pattifridayphotography.blogspot.com

Joannie Rochette: I Believe

OFFICIAL CONFIRMED ADDRESS: Joannie Rochette c/o David Baden IMG 304 Park Avenue South, 5th Floor New York, NY 10010 USA (if you would like to send her a card)

To Haiti With Love

Support the Haiti relief efforts with the Fashion for Haiti tee - 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this shirt go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to support its ongoing commitment to rebuilding Haiti. Created on behalf of members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the ultra-soft Pima cotton tee is printed with "To Haiti with Love" on the chest with a map of the nation symbolizing the word "Haiti" above "Hope Help Heal Haiti". "Fashion for Haiti" is printed at the left sleeve. Available at RalphLauren.com and Rugby.com. $25. You can purchase one here. Hope. Help. Heal. Haiti. It's an investment in your wardrobe and their life.

LOVE HAITI

When you are lovin' your life, your family, your children, your car, your work, your meal, your outfit, your shoes, your fabric swatches, your hotel room, your iPhone....your crafts, your music....please save an asterisk smidge of LOVE for HAITI. All you have to do it open your heart a tiny bit and tuck that LOVE inside. Hold it close. LOVE HAITI. (click to enlarge the image and enjoy....print it and tack it on your inspiration board.)

Friday Night's Little Miracles At Home

Two little girls with messy 'Playtime with Bubby' hairdo's (stopping for a late, late, late dinner), scenes from my kitchen counter and cuddly, wet-nosed-pup poking out for a visit from under my skirted studio desk (what's all the commotion...I'm trying to sleep) - candles burning for those who are suffering. Little miracles everywhere.

Love Heals

Is your stomach uneasy too? Are things about to get worse? Do they actually know that the world 'is' coming to help them? Will the journalists who are so bravely reporting going to be safe? Will the Aid Workers aid with protection and without danger surrounding them? Will the emergency response personnel be able to get to everyone? There is one thing I know for sure. Love heals.

UPDATE: Friday, January 15, 2010. Can love really heal? I've just watched the most horrible thing on FOX news from last night. A woman lost 4 children in the Haitian earthquake and has now lost her 5th (and last) child in the aftermath. She is rolling around on the ground, wailing - obviously (now) insane, tormented, agonized, traumatized - and no one is there to help her or sedate her or hug her or ?. Will love be able to heal her? Even the reporter falls to pieces and can't finish the segment. Watch HERE.

New Pre-Fab Houses for Haiti

Why not offer this type of home to Haiti? (Please. I know. I'm jumping the gun and discussing things like this w-a-y too soon, but I know it will take a lot to get kits like this put together....and they weigh virtually nothing!!!!) They can be the smallest, basic plan - lightweight (made of styrofoam) and easy to transport and build. Earthquake & hurricane proof - safe, affordable. Read more......

IMPORTANT INFO: (Thank You Suzanne)

WORLD RELIEF ORGANIZATION -

Their representative in Haiti is Dr. Hubert Morquette, who operates King's Hospital in Port au Prince and also King's Garden Orphanage and school.
RED CROSS INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE FUND
SAMARITAN'S PURSE - This is a faith-based organization that has been working in Haiti for many years. They have people on the ground and a network in place. They've already sent two DC-3 cargo planes loaded with medical supplies and doctors. More to leave today.

Wyclef Jean's foundation, Yele Haiti.

Earthquake Dome House

In today's NYTimes OP-ED there is an interesting article on not just the helping of Haiti, but also the responsibility of rebuilding the country...properly. We could do this. We really could. We could all work together, politics aside, to assist the Haitians with self-sufficiency and safe, affordable pre-fab housing. Now is the time to make things right there. And I believe the people of Haiti want our help. Japanese car-maker Toyota is into much more than just cars. In fact, Toyota has been in the home-building business for more than 20 years. These fabulous prefab designs (bottom photo) employ auto-manufacturing technologies that build totally modern and earth-quake resistant homes. These homes are not what I would call 'affordable' (they start at $200,000.00 - good for California?), but there must be a company out there who could create a much cheaper alternative. That way, we could build many quickly and economically. They don't have to be big homes! Another new design are the 'Dome' homes of Japan. (Check out more photos HERE) Dubbed the “habitat for the 21st century,” the Dome House is an igloo-shaped structure built from snap-together wall sections made of 100% expanded polystyrene foam (styrofoam). It might seem like an odd choice of material for a house, but the company lists a number of advantages that styrofoam has over traditional materials. Unlike wood and metal structures, for example, the styrofoam (non-crushing...if trapped, light-weight to push off oneself.) Dome House does not rust, rot or attract termites. It is also highly resistant to earthquakes and typhoons. In addition, the walls, which are treated with a flame retardant, emit no toxic fumes in a fire. The Dome house is ultra-low-cost (about $40,000 U.S.D.), environmental, gale/hurricane resistant and durable. This Dome Home excites me! I'd live in one!!! Perfect for Haiti - they only weigh 80kg each...easy to ship over to them and younger citizens could help construct them. (Here's an American Dome House company. More great info on Treehugger too!) Got 22 seconds? WATCH this! (even we bloggers could build one of these dome houses - perfect for Haitians! And we could paint them all pretty Caribbean colours.)

http://www.i-domehouse.com/

Michaelle Jean Speaks About Haiti

OTTAWA - In an unusual move, Haitian-born Governor General Michaelle Jean (Her Excellency) spoke movingly and at length about the earthquake in Haiti today, at times tearing up as she told the people of Haiti to “stand courageously before this challenge.” Please watch this short video.

Haiti: The Quake The Needs

I find it extremely hard not to focus on disasters such as the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday. Did you know that a floating hospital is heading toward the island? I didn't even know there would be such a thing -how naive can one blogger be? My mind wanders to the Mothers and the babies and the injured and, God help them, the trapped. Can you imagine being under rubble, unable to move, little air, blood, thirsty, tears, pain, fear, missing loved ones, alone, straining vision in blackness? - this post was not to upset you this morning. This post is my selfish need to get off my aching chest the thoughts swirling inside me. I feel helpless as they feel helpless. I want to jump on a plane with my camera and head to Haiti right now. I want to document the event; the human side of this. I want to take photos and give them to the people. I want to take photos of their loved ones, their homes, their hands, their faces, their tears - making the image tiny and placing it in a locket or on a pendant for them to keep. I want, but I can't. The best thing I can do now is spread awareness of the great need in Haiti with facebook, twitter (The Red Cross (@redcross) is also tweeting for support: "You can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in #haiti.") and my blog. The next thing is money. Canadians are encouraged to support Red Cross relief efforts by making a financial donation to the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake fund. Donations can be made online at www.redcross.ca/donatenow , by calling toll free 1-800-418-1111 or at any Red Cross office. Americans click here. The island will need, need, need. Thank God for our online community - the powerful, loving, quick, supporting communication net. It is not life as usual today.

Moola

The Queen's eye sees all the debt racked up on credit cards over the Christmas season. I've just watched a report on television about the stress level of holiday shoppers. The bills are now arriving!!! From blissful happiness into the pit of financial despair. All it took was that one reach into the mailbox. Plunging, hopeful, new year attitudes are fading quickly. We have always paid 'cash' for our Christmas, so I don't know the feeling of post-shopping horror - but I do know the feeling of pre-shopping panic....never enough moola. Are you dealing with your credit card bills this January?

Life 'IS' In The Details

It is so easy to slip into a negative mindset when there is a life-challenge. I'm not talking about a tragic loss, as witnessed by all of us today. No, no, that is, as Joni said - torture - and completely normal. Humans must mourn the losses of their loved ones and to lose a child must be the worst moment in a life. How does one go on living? (Cottage Rose, you inspire me. You go on living a beautiful life even after losing your daughter and her unborn child. What a strong woman you are!) And it is in times such as these, where we could decide 'nothing matters' - why are we focusing on paint chips and fabric swatches and linen slipcovers? - but like lightening striking, I realized today after reading about Baby Gavin and thinking of my own children and wee grand babes - that every second counts. Every ounce of energy we can pour into our environments, our homes, our family, our tables, our food, our hugs, our time, our smiles - and yes, our wall colour and decorative vignettes and sconces and the glued crack in an heirloom collectible......they all matter. Linda of Surroundings continues to make beautiful spaces although she is missing her Father; she knows. Life 'is' in the details and I am so very glad I've got all of you to share them with - you give, I receive, I give, you receive. Life 'is' in the details and our give and take; while we have each other. Let's fuss.

A Blogger's Loss (Gather Around This Family)

Gavin has gone to heaven.

The Camera Angel

They appear out of nowhere. You won't recognize them as angels for their wings are hidden behind their huge giving hearts. This was the gift handed to me. Placed ever so gently in my hands; with a look of happy pride in his eyes. I've know this angel for about a year. He knew I was a photographer. Silently, quietly he waited. And then the gift. He said this: 'I've enjoyed this for many years, but I knew you needed it...(he took a breath)...so now...it's yours.' The 1980 Mamiya ZE-2 Quartz. The Camera Angel. Thank You.

Jordan Fierce

The look of a powerful, beautiful woman. But don't let that femininity fool you. She has a face holding strong with steel-edged determination. She doesn't need to be this busy. She could stay in the palace and relax and soak and graze. A mother; a wife; a boss; an advocate; a humanitarian; a queen. She has a Kingdom and a crown. She is Jordan Fierce.

(You must click on this image to see into the eyes of a woman who knows what she wants)

Born Into Brothels House Party Oct. 2nd

On Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, the Kids with Cameras Foundation will celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 140th birthday and the United Nations' declared International Day of Non-Violence with a historic worldwide screening event of the Academy Award-winning film Born into Brothels. We are asking our fans and supporters to help make a difference in the lives of more children in Calcutta like those featured in the film - just by having a house party. By hosting a movie night in your house, community center, school, house of worship or other local venue, you will join our supporters on four continents already registered to host a "House Party for Hope." All proceeds raised on October 2, 2009 will help us to build the film's legacy project called "Hope House" - a home that will provide mentorship, counseling, and a private day school education for 100 daughters of prostitutes living in Sonagachi - the largest red light district in Calcutta. Hope House will be the source of necessary support and opportunity to provide a different future for these vulnerable young girls who have been or will be another statistic of human trafficking.

Here's how to host a movie night:

1. Log on to http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/home/

2. Sign up on our home page to be a host of a "House Party for Hope" as part of our worldwide screening event of Born into Brothels on October 2, 2009.

3. Donate $20 to KWC to receive a copy of the film and our special companion DVD to introduce your guests to the plans and vision for Hope House.

4. Using our online event management system, invite your friends to your party and encourage them to donate to Hope House either when they register or at your event. KWC has suggested a guideline of $30 per person, $50 per couple, or $20 for students but your guests are welcome to contribute any amount of their choosing.

5. If you can't host a party, check back on the KWC website to find a party in your area to attend. If there is not one nearby, consider making a donation to Kids with Cameras or buying one of the prints, books, or copies of the Born Into Brothels DVD available here.

Born into Brothels by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2005. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born into Brothelsportrays several unforgettable children who live in Calcutta's largest red-light district, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new eyes. As Ross Kauffman, said

"It was a dream of ours as we made the film to have a place for these children to learn and grow. The dream is close to becoming a reality. There is no better way for anyone that watches the film and falls in love with these kids, just as we did, to make a difference in their future."

Here's the Born into Brothels trailer. Now you have a chance to make a difference in their future as well, just by hosting a little hope.

VOTE for My AVON 'Paint it Pink' Collage

For a great cause: Breast Cancer. VOTE here. Share too please...with all your blog readers, twitter and facebook friends. Invite friends to vote for my picture. Avon will donate $2 per vote to breast cancer organizations across Canada, up to a maximum of $500,000*. Imagine...Avon will donate $2 per vote received for Breast Cancer!!! Please vote today. Deadline is Sept. 30th, 2009 at midnight. I'm not joking! This is the real deal! Avon gives $2 per vote. All you have to do is agree! (and that's FREE) Love Ya! Big Hug. LPxo

Footnote: Each time you do (vote), Avon’s Foundation for Women will donate $2 to breast cancer organizations across Canada.* Remember you must validate your vote when you receive the email that will be sent to the below address. (your email) You can vote as often as you would like for your favourite photo however, you will be limited to one vote per email address per day.

*Funds will be distributed to breast cancer organizations across Canada as decided by the Avon Foundation for Women – Canada, up to a maximum of $500,000. One vote per email address, per day.

VOTE HERE NOW !!! XO

Portrait of An American Dynasty

To learn more about The Kennedy's and see their Family Tree, click here.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." - Matthew 25 (Teddy's favorite scripture - a life of service, a decision to serve, a need to serve.)



The coffin of Sen. Edward Kennedy sits on the edge of a hearse before being carried in to the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help for the funeral the senator August 29, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. Senator Kennedy, the last brother of a pre-eminent American political family, died this week of cancer after a storied career in politics.

Funeral Program for Senator Ted Kennedy

Watoto

Uganda. Aids. War. Poverty. Hunger. Children. Big eyes. Big smiles. Big dreams. Big hope. I had the pleasure of meeting these children last week. Backstage my tears jumped out of my eyes, literally. It was just me and them. I told each of them I loved them. They are orphans without parents. Lost in a land of a health and human rights crisis. I received a warm and cuddly hug from each of them. Their skin dark and tender with young years of sorrow and sadness under the surface. They had come to Canada to perform; sing happy songs of their culture - sharing their stories and asking for help to build a new life, home and education. Watoto is a response to the cry of the orphaned and vulnerable children of Africa, whose lives have been ravaged by war and disease. The Watoto model encompasses the construction of Children’s Villages, which provide a homely environment, where children are housed, clothed, fed, educated and spiritually discipled, with the intention to train and equip them as future leaders. You may download their brochure here, find a performance location here or book the choir here. Watoto blog too! If you feel you can and want to help the children of Uganda, here is a priority needs list. The boys were 'cool' and posed for me. The girls were excited and giddy and jiggly dancing all over...hence the blurred photos of them! LPxo