Sample Sale Shopping in LA

This weekend Cathy and I took a mini vacation for us. We dropped Benjamin off with his grandmas and we went to Los Angeles.

Today's entry is about the main purpose of our trip, sample sale shopping. Since I've lost almost 50 pounds I've found that I only have a limited amount of clothes in my wardrobe. So Cathy suggested a while back that we go to the sample sales in Los Angeles' fashion district. Cathy had gone previously with her girlfriends and talked about how you could get designer clothes that normally retail for $150-$200 for $30 or even less. So off we went to LA.

Every Friday the designers open their doors and sell off the sample merchandise they use to show wholesale buyers from the previous month. At the end of the month most designers just want to get what they put in for materials.

My overall impression is that sample sale shopping can be fun but for the most part it's for women and children. I was one of the few men who could be found roaming the buildings looking for clothes designed for men.

Meanwhile Cathy was hitting every office/shop in two buildings and finding great stuff for very little. I got frustrated after the first building. The only thing I could find for men in the California Market Center building were designers selling their sample suits. Considering I have one suit and it's 10 years old I left and went next door.

Over in the New Mark Building I found much more to my liking. Again the majority of the stores were for women but I managed to find mens' shirts and jeans.

I first picked up a pair of Tommy Bahama swim trunks for $10 and normally they go for around $60. They had some other things but size was a big issue in a lot of the stores which I will talk about later.

I was about to pass this one designer's store when the woman behind the counter waved me in to see what all they had. The men's shirts were in the back which is where I found the designer Georg Roth helping customers. Georg was a very kind and helpful man who took one look at me and knew I was a medium in his shirts. He then went over to some racks and pulled out some styles he thought would look good on me. I ended up buying four shirts and a pair of jeans because he took time and found things that complimented me and fit me the way I like. It was also cool to have the actual designer style you.

I caught up with Cathy and took her around to some stores I thought she'd like. We tried on some jeans for me but nothing seemed to fit. I'm a 33x30 and most of the jeans were 32x32. (You know because only male models shop at these things.) The shirts were sized large for the most part which I'm a medium. The only things I could do was find a limited group of shirts in medium and a pair of jeans that will now have to be tailored for my length.

Now the really bizzare part of this kind of sale shopping is that these designers don't have any fitting rooms. That's because wholesale buyers aren't buying for themselves they're buying for department stores and boutiques. So the only thing you can do is drop your drawers in the store to see if the jeans or shirt fit.

The experienced shoppers (women) will either wear lycra bottoms or a skirt (like Cathy) to try on bottoms without exposing themselves. Some women just don't care because it's by and large other women or the occasional gay man.

One of the stores I went to with Cathy was a bit uncomfortable. Most of the women were walking around in their underwear trying on various outfits while I held Cathy's bags. She headed over to this one rack to look at a shirt and there were two other women practically naked and I didn't have to pay a cover charge. Very weird.

At the ned of the day Cathy and I were fruitful with our shopping. We both felt like we found some great clothes and didn't spend a lot in the process. I have to say that I think I have found some better deals on better fitting clothes at the outlet malls in Orlando but it was a fun adventure.

And by no means do I have to surrender my man card.

Excited for Poop

A few weeks ago we noticed that Benjamin was giving us signs that he might be ready to start potty training. We found that he would take the small basket in which we drop his wet diapers and set the basket on top of the garbage can in the kitchen. Another time he went into his room and came out with a new diaper to show us he needed to be changed.

So Cathy went out and got him his first training potty which was of course Elmo. We sort of just left it in our bathroom not really knowing how we would introduce it to him. Then he started to go to it and sit down if he saw one of us go in to our water closet.

I tried sitting him down a couple of times and mimicking the grunts he makes right before one of his dirty diapers and I think he got the concept he just wasn't ready to go.

Well yesterday morning I decided that I was going to have a breakthrough with him right after breakfast. This kid is like clockwork every morning. About five minutes after he finishes breakfast he always starts to squat and grunt. So I decided that Friday morning we'd go straight to the potty after his breakfast and wait for nature to take its course.

I sat there with him and turned the pages of his Elmo book while he sat on the potty. He seemed entertained with the whole reading on the potty part. In fact, Benjamin took the book from me and looked through it all by himself trying to figure out how Elmo got back to Sesame Street.

Then I noticed him tinkling and it was going into the potty. And then I saw the poop. I had never been so happy to see poop as I was at that moment. I lifted my naked man up in to the air and he and Daddy celebrated.

As I took him back to his room (I forgot to bring the wipes over) I kept giving him positive reenforcement of what he'd just accomplished. "Yeah, Benjamin! Yeah, you used the potty," I said lifting him up in the air as he smiled.

Wiping is so much easier with the potty compared to when it's in the diaper. And the best part was I got to put the old (still dry) diaper back on him.

It was yet another point in my life where I realized that parenthood is so different than my life before. Nowadays I get teary-eyed over a little pile of poop in a little potty that doesn't even flush. Before I'd be equally excited about getting second row seats to U2 (don't get me wrong I got excited earlier this week when my tickets for U2's Tampa concert came in the mail). This just feels greater because I'm impacting my son's life and not just my own.

A Great Easter

Cathy and I hosted Easter lunch for my parents at the house yesterday. It was nice to see my step sister Gina and her husband Jose who drove over with my Dad and Sylvia. Needless to say Benjamin had a built in audience for his new performance which I captured on video.

He started doing this flipping thing this past week while sitting on the couch with Cathy and I. We don't know from where he learned this but he keeps doing it and yesterday my dad (no pun intended) put a new twist on it.

Here's the video. Enjoy.

Technology is Cool

I saw this video and thought it was way cool. It's shot using a Canon 5D Mark II which replaced the 5D which is my main camera. Anyways the new 5D is capable of shooting HD video in 1080P. Combine that with some of Canon's fast lens and the video almost looks film like.

This video by the folks at Timescapes.org and has a bunch of nature time lapse video set to the tune of Pink Floyd's "Learng to Fly". Anyways, just wanted to update the blog with a video I thought was pretty cool considering it's from a still camera. If you'd like to see a bigger version of this video you can go to www.vimeo.com/4038064.

Meeting a Star

Yesterday was one of those days since becoming a dad that were special. I took Benjamin to Epcot so we could spend some time with Cathy's cousin, Orietta, and her family while they went around the park. Right as we entered I saw guests lined up to have their picture taken with the character Stitch. How perfect.

For some reason Benjamin has always been drawn to Stitch. It's one of those mysteries of the world. He has two little Stitches at home that he takes everywhere with him and always has to go to bed with them. His Baka and Nono also bought him a medium and large sized versions as well. So he is a huge fan of Stitch and for me to be able to introduce him to his buddy was special.

We waited patiently in line to have our pictures taken with the blue alien when all of a sudden Stitch walked away. I guess it was time for a break (ya gotta love those union rules). About five minutes later he reappeared which was a big relief for me.

The family in front of us finished having their photo session when Benjamin looked up and saw a live version of his best buddy. I can't think of a time when he had a bigger smile on his face. You could see it in his eye. He couldn't believe he was with the real Stitch. He kept wanting to touch him and hold him. To Stitch's credit he was patient with him as well as me. I had Orietta's son Pete snapping pictures on my iPhone so I could email pictures immediately and his dad Richard taking better resolution pictures with my point and shoot.

After a few minutes I realized I was turning into one of THOSE dads who hogs up all the time with the character and doesn't allow the other families to get their moments. So we wrapped the photo shoot and that's when I traumatized my son.

Benjamin couldn't understand why he had to leave his buddy. I know he was thinking, "Come on Dad we just met Stitch. I want to hang out with him for a while."Then the crying began. Fortunately he was quickly distracted with something else.

Yesterday was definitely one of those days where I created another memory with my son. What a way to start my week.

Travel Day

  Today I flew to Greenville, SC for a couple of travel stories I'll be working on this weekend. I'll let you know when the stories run later but for now I thought I'd of go over how I pack for such an assignment. 

  First of all, since I was flying to this assignment I had to consider a few things when packing. Camera gear always flies with me and is never in checked luggage. I can always go to Target and buy some clothes but I can't afford to lose equipment.

  I have a roller case for my cameras and lens that fits in almost all overhead bins. This is my primary carry-on and if need be I'll carry on a backpack with other essentials as my "purse". If I can I prefer to not check any bags and just roll from the plane to the rental car. The worst is waiting around for your checked bag(s) to come around on the carousel. 

  For this assignment I'm borrowing Robert's underwater housing for some pictures I'd like to get during this assignment. This things is bulky and takes up more space than I'd like it to but kind of essential for what I want to capture. The key with a travel story is to pack light. Zoom lens and two bodies is the norm along with some other tricks but not too many.

  As you can see from the picture above I've packed two camera bodies along with my 17-40mm and 70-200 lens. In addition to those pieces and the housing I have a couple of specialty lens rounded out with a flash and transmitter. I also pack into the case my laptop and necessary cables to download and edit pictures while on the road.

  My checked bag holds everything else which leaves clothes, toiletries photo fanny pack and hip waders (Just to clarify the last one doesn't come with me on every trip but for this one they'll be of great use.) I have way too many experiences where the checked bag didn't make the connection or something was removed from my bag to leave anything to chance. 

  Another thing I like to do is board the plane ASAP. With today's flight I had to pay an extra $15 for priority boarding which allowed me to board the plane first. Even before old women in wheelchairs. The airline's policy also says that passengers who have priority boarding have the priority in the overhead bins. So if another passenger can't fit their carry-on above THEY are the ones who have to gate check their bag while my bag has dibs on the bin.

  So this is what it's like to travel with me when I've got gear. I'm sure Cathy and my father can tell you all the anecdotes about how I fought the security people in Stockholm about hand inspecting my film or stashing my photo backpack under the seat in the hopes the Nazi flight attendant wouldn't force me to gate check it. It's always entertaining (and heavy) when a photographer travels.