Day 365, motherfuckers!

Hey, what are you guys doing tomorrow? Nothing? Yeah, me either. I certainly don't have any pictures to take, or anything. Remember that blog we had? Yeah, that was fun. Little project, nothing major. I can't possibly wrap my brain around the fact that it's been a year. So, so, SO much has happened in the last year and I'm pretty psyched that I have this as a record. Hey, remember this? I thought I'd give a nod back to the beginning as we bow out. Pho365 has been a huge part of my life and I'm feeling lots of things as we wrap it up. Thanks to everyone who told us it was a stupid, impossible idea. I'd like to say now, that you can suck it. Thanks even MORE to those who read it daily or just stopped in now and then. I appreciate you.

Um, I'm not sure how to end this. So, I guess I'll just... end it. Over and out!

day 365: no looking back (the end.)

man oh man - is it here already? is tonight the night? a little over a year ago i had a crazy idea to take a picture every day and blog about it. i was both a blogging and photography amateur so the adventure was ballsy. i enlisted a friend and not a few days later, we got started. that was sept. 1 2008 and now one year (365 days) later this is our final bow!

It's been fun, its been hard, we've had tardy posts and pictures both good and bad, but at the end of the day - i feel accomplished! I hope it's been entertaining. If you've got some time, do what this puppy is doing and look back to our older posts. you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dance a little dance and you'll thank us for it....

snapped this little guy on my way home. he knew it was day 365, i'm convinced he was giving me a little pose. what a ham!

gnight, all!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Day 364

Stanford put up this massive display literally overnight. I was there yesterday and had to stop by again today and I found this. It's called the Glass Pumpkin Patch and it's huge. The base is covered with thousands of little glass baubles and there are probably 100 blown-glass pumpkins spread around, not to mention the 10+-foot sculptures in the middle. At first I thought it was kind of gaudy and insanely pretentious (it is Stanford Shopping Center, after all) but upon further inspection it's really pretty amazing. Good work, SSC!

day 364: late day snack

well, here it is folks. the eve of the completion of our 365 days project. I'm feeling all kinds of nostalgic, but I'll try to hold off the waterworks for you fine readers. to the picture...

this dude was INHALING, i mean - barely chewing, stuffing the food into his mouth as fast as he could INHALING this sandwich. It was intense. I stopped my walk to the train and went through the effort of getting my camera out to try and capture this feast on the street (on broken trees?) just for you all. Plus the light looked really beautiful, which helped.

I've been just as hungry as that many a times. But now I know it aint cute to look at. lesson learned!

Day 363 hocks its wares

The step-sis decided to host a garage sale today. No one told me it was happening. I was awakened by the step-mom knocking to search my room for extra crap I had to sell. I didn't have any. My contribution was immortalizing the event, Pho365-style. You're welcome, family.

Day 362 draws smiling faces everywhere

I passed a tiny outdoor restaurant right off Castro St. in Mountain View and saw these chairs with faces and bandanas attached. Super creepy, paparazzi-like, stalker-style I stuck my camera through the gate and snapped this shot. I have no idea what they're for but I think they're hilarious.

Day 361 and the secret garden

The backyard is my favorite part of my dad's house. He and my stepmom have been working on it continuously since we moved in over 10 years ago and it's still a work-in-progress. The back corner is my dad's domain and it's where he keeps his vegetable garden. It's grown in size over the years and they decided to put in an arbor through which you could enter the very back corner where we had a table and chairs. The garden kept growing and eventually needed a second arbor which led to a path which led to the first arbor through which you could get to the back seating area. The table and chairs have been removed and we don't really the very back anymore but I really like the view through both gates, especially when the vines are in season.

day 363: the little things

small things like this really get me sometimes. Just someone rockin their own homemade, tattered and torn american flag antenna ornament. love it.

day 362: all a blur

back story behind this picture... I was trying to take a secret picture of this odd looking girl walking towards me on the street. My covert operation was foiled so i went to move the camera. and somehow while moving the camera managed to still press the 'take picture' button (multi-tasking, that's my game). This was the result. I'm feeling it! while i didn't get to capture the oddity of this lady, i now present you with this instead.

gnight all!

day 361: i think i know this game.

alternative title option for this post: "i love lamp." clearly this poet needed to share some prose with us all via temporary construction walls. and i truly feel as if we're better for this shining piece of insight into his genius.

thank you, dickchicken artist. thank you.

day 360: back to the birds

there is this one spot on the a street i walk by often where there is ALWAYS food. always, always someone's food thrown carelessly onto the street. Usually it looks pretty nasty and the presence of this food always goes along with a large presence of scavenger pigeons. it's pretty nasty and unsightly but its so very downtown (you knew i was gonna say that) at the same time. Here's some of the scavengers eating... idk.... bread? yum....

Day 360 is asleep on the job

Vegas: Day 4. The bro and I cruised the strip for one last time and had a celebratory last drink (or seven). We hopped between casinos and took advantage of the killer drink specials. Along the way we stopped in here (absolutely no clue which casino it was) for $1 margaritas and beers and happened upon this gentleman hard at work. There's nothing sadder than the dealers who stand by their empty tables just waiting for someone to save them from eternal boredom. But falling asleep standing up takes it to a whole new level. Soldier on, buddy.

Day 359 spins me right round, baby

Vegas: Day 3. More strip-walking, sight-seeing, and mid-day drinking. We went back to the Bellagio because they have a floral gardens exhibit at the moment which is out of control. The atrium right off the lobby houses this massive ferris wheel which is lit with 2500+ light bulbs and surrounded by 10,000+ flowers in various arrangements, topiaries, tropical birds and amazing fountains. Aside from the fact that the Bellagio is unbelievably gorgeous, this exhibit is worth the nightly rate on its own.

Day 358 is as fragile as blown glass

Vegas: Day 2. More ceiling! The front lobby of the Bellagio has a ceiling hung entirely with Chihuly blown-glass. It's lighted from above so the colors shine any time of day. It's so amazing it literally stops you in your tracks. Chihuly is one of my favorite artists of all time. If you don't know who he is, look him up. Right now. Seriously, you need to see this stuff. So incredible.

Day 357 reflects from above

Vegas: Day 1. We checked into the hotel and then hit the strip (We were staying off-strip. Very off-strip.) for a few hours. Among the places we visited was the Mirage, home of the greatest Cirque show of all time: Love. I saw the show not long after it opened two Summers ago and wanted to see if we could get tickets to see it again. That part was unsuccessful but we did spend a good long time looking at the merch. I'm telling you, no one in the world is as over show merch as I am but this stuff is unbelievable. Even I would buy most of it. This ceiling hangs between the box office and the store (yeah, they have an actual store) and it's pretty amazing. The epitome of flashy, detailed decor: Vegas-style.

day 359: city cabs

once again, i took a bus ride home because you really do get some great shots from a bus window! nothing beats walking the streets, but on a hot and humid day - the bus will do. (important note: buses = air conditioned). today's exhibit? a close up examination of the top of a taxi.

gnight all!

day 358: new york summer sunset

sometimes after i get home, i'm wiped out. and what that basically translates into is literally fighting to find the energy to take a picture if i haven't already done so. but here i was able to capture a pretty spectacular sunset. enjoy!

day 357: the numbers

j.j. abrams is behind this, i can tell. random numbers on a subway station wall, with no rhyme or reason to them? he's behind this and this is a code for time travel or at the very least something to do with polar bears (sorry, LOST reference.)

day 356: rockin it!

it seems that if i see a pair of converses (or similar type of shoe) i need to snap a picture! I have at least 7 different pictures, from different days, of different converses. Here's an addition to the collection. Still love them. I think its because they epitomize youth, awesomeness and confidence in a single pair. obsessed!

Day 356 can't read the writing on the wall

I know I've posted similar pictures in the past but, come on! Missing letters are always hilarious!

Day 355 drinks the rainbow

BevMo had these pre-mixed cocktails in every color. Sounds gross, looks cool. Plus they're made in Israel. M'tzuyon!

Day 354 can see forever

This is at the top of the Dish, an area of preserved land that belongs to Stanford. It's a 3+ mile trail that we frequently run or walk both for exercise and to get away from life for a while. I think I may have posted a picture from up here before but it's one of my favorite spots in the world and Friday was so clear you could see the Bay Bridge, San Francisco, and the East Bay. I'm still sore from running.

Day 353 #parkingfail

Fail. Need I say more?

Ps. Sorry for the delay, internet has been out for a few days.

day 355: the bus

new discovery! i love the bus. I love the people who get on the bus. I love the bus drivers and i love the erratic blue bus seats. its just a great (air conditioned) place to cruise around for a few hours.

day 354: sunny stroll

sometimes sunshine is just what the body needs. friday was sunny and hot and gross. the brief moments i was outside were enough to make me willing to pay any price to blast my air conditioner for all of eternity.

day 353: G-EAZ(Y)!

soho "street art" is so very interesting for me. I'm not sure what drew me to this pole and this sticker, but I was feeling it. I like how the composition came out, too. I tried a few different angles, but this one was the fave. enjoy!

day 352: shaggy

this man took residence in the union square starbucks. Judging by the number of cups on the table, he's been here for a while. No one seemed concerned about him, not even giving the situation a second glance. Me? I busted out the camera and made it happen. done and done.

Day 352 lights the way

I saw this chandelier in a hotel lobby today. I thought it was so interesting that I went out of my way to take a picture. The bright green against the stark black-and-white lobby is so cool. I wish I lived here.

Day 351 is bowled over by great ideas

So my flight was delayed. Surprise, surprise. The too-friendly, overly-chatty gate agent thought she would help out by entertaining everyone as we debated whether we hated Virgin America or our lives more at the moment. She informed us all (by loudspeaker) that there was bowling set up at the front for the kids. First question: who has bowling pins lying around? After a rousing game of kids-throw-the-ball-at-everything-except-the-pins, she told us it was time for a game for adults. (Woman behind me: I'd like to play a game called "get on the plane! HAHAHA!!! Suddenly everyone hated her the most.) It was a delightful contest to see who could make a paper airline fly the farthest. It felt like we all lost this game. Being unable to sit in a sea of morons any longer, I took a walk and snapped this picture. The whole thing is mildly funny after-the-fact. Mildly.

Day 350 is the window to the soul

I woke up Monday morning at 5:45 as the sun was just coming up and this was my first view. It was so inspiring that I actually got up, grabbed my camera and snapped this before passing out again. Me likey.

Day 349 waxes philosophic

Passed this. Stopped. Walked back. Stared at it. Read it. Snapped a picture. Felt content. Posted this. Fin.

day 351: artistic ventures

this was hidden behind a fence downtown. i caught a glimpse of red walking by and it sparked my curiosity. so i, ya know.... opened the fence (hey, it wasn't locked!) and wandered closer to get a good shot. I'm sorry this picture doesn't do justice to the scale of this. the top of my head would be about the nose of either of the portraits you see. they're probably about 7ft tall. it's pretty sweet!

ps. 2 weeks from today. the end is near, my friends!

day 350: i spy

I noticed some interesting looking shadows in a restaurant window and reached for my camera to get some shots. the result is so much better than i realized. I really like this photo. with 15 days left, this may be one of my favorites. enjoy!

day 349: watching the tide roll away

oh man, the beach does magical things to me! i get all giddy just thinking about the ocean and sand and people in bikinis who should never be in bikinis and old men in speedos, the makings of a wonderous day! PLUS you're in the sun and you can tan while tuning out the rest of the world. today, the atlantic ocean decided to be warm enough to warrant a few swims. my soul = rejuvenated.

day 348: i got a feeling

another photo adventure yesterday! took another crap tone of pictures so i had a lot to choose from, here's one of my favorites. it has a very "new york" feeling, which my sister (hi only reader!!) doesn't enjoy, but sorry sister, i love it!

Day 348 is fool-proof!

I'd say this needs no introduction. I saw this on the way out of the building in the morning which means I hadn't had coffee yet. Thank goodness I had the presence of mind to snap a picture. Once I woke up more I thought back to it and just lost it. Too funny.

Day 347 find solace where you'd least expect

This button sits near the bottom of the panel in the elevator in the theatre. What's it for, I wonder? If you get worried in an elevator do you press it for some inner strength? Having a bad day? Hope a ride on the elevator! Baffling!

Day 346 goes to the theatre

I've taken pictures of every theatre so far so I thought it was time for Fifth Ave to join the ranks. This shot is a little blurry but you get a pretty good idea of the incredible ceiling inside. I'd say it's by far the most beautiful house I've ever seen. Truly breath-taking.

day 347: photo fun day!

so i took my new lens out for a test run today. completely random and unplanned photos happened left and right, and it was the perfect day for it! I did get a lot of cat calls ("hey baby, wanna take my picture?" me: "ugh, no.") throughout the day, but i got some fun shots so it made up for it. Here's one of my top pics from the day! Not photoshoping done whatsoever and i'm obsessed with the zoom quality and the color. more photo adventures to come!

day 346: numbers of luck

its weird that just about a year ago was the start of the beijing olympics on 8/8/08. i was a huge olympic watcher and fanatic and when i saw this i instantly thought of my summer nights watching athletes do their thing for hours on end. Eight really is a pretty number (fyi about me: i HATE odd numbers. i set my alarm clock to end in even numbers, for example... i woke up this morning at 7:42 lol.) also, i was on 8th avenue, just around 8pm at night. lookey there!

Day 345 sees the sights

Okay, I know. It's lame, it's touristy, it's annoying, I know it. I'm no better than those people who stand in the middle of the sidewalk and take pictures of Times Square. But, come on! I had to do it. And you know you were waiting for it. (It's a beautiful view, anyway!)

day 345: cruel and unusual?

oh yes people, that is a dog in that man's messenger bag. and yes, it is a legally blonde "bruiser" dog. And yes, that poor dog was crying and whimpering for the whole 2 blocks i walked behind them until i literally crossed the street out of my way to get away from this mess! where do these people come from?? that poor, poor puppy....

ps. just 20 days left??! say it ain't so!!

day 344: blimey!

when I saw this I had to take a moment to remember where i was (still in new york, phew!). Don't you usually see these in your friends pictures from their trip to London or in Harry Potter movies? Yeah, i thought so. Anyway, after I got over that shock, i thought it was pretty cool. And red.

Day 344 doesn't speak dot

When the boys were in town we passed this store and B made a joke about the sign being in Braille. I forgot all about it until I saw it again today and actually laughed out loud on the street. Is it the leftover holes from an old sign that used to hang there? Is it "art"? Is it in Morse code? I'm baffled. And amused.

Day 343 is from a different era

The parking garage under the building also houses the garbage cans. As I took out the trash today, I noticed the sun streaming through the only window, lighting up the back of this bright-green VW van. Something about it made me stop and take a picture. It's like something out of a different decade. I can't quite explain it, but I like it. See? Beauty appears even with trash.

Day 342 falls apart

I walked out of the building yesterday morning to find a disaster on the front lawn. Both signs were knocked over next to a (single) flip-flop and a pile of dog poop. It was a confusing and distressing start to the day. Needless to say, I doubled up on the coffee.

Day 341 shines on.

The 5th Avenue Theatre offices are on the 7th floor and I have to go up before and after every show. The view is pretty amazing (you can see all the way out to the Sound) but the lights at night are really spectacular. I'm glad I finally captured it.

Day 340 shares the road

Walking home the other night I saw this and thought there was something off about it. I'm not sure if I'm just "misreading" it or it's double-painted or what but it caught my eye and I think it's funny. Capiche?

day 343: open your.... eye??

saw this on the street. it freaked me out. freaked me out so much that i stood in the middle of the road on the UES to make sure i got a good shot of it. yes, photography!

day 342: rainy sunday blues

there are few things that can keep New Yorkers from their Sunday brunch. Bad weather is one of those things. Sunday was overcast in that 'impending doom' type of way. The result? lots of empty tables set up outside restaurants. Did it stop myself and CL from enjoying some brunch festivities? absolutely not!