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Dr. Dean (A Thinker & A Knower)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:15:17 -0800

Before reading Dr. Dean's blog I used to think that there was a lot I already knew. I actually know a lot more than some people think and think a lot more than those people know. In all fairness, those are my thoughts that I think I know about the people who think they know me and what they think I think about. However after becoming a regular reader of Dr. Dean's blog I now think that those people that thought I didn't know as much as I thought I knew were more knowledgable about me than I thought.

I know what you are thinking. Does Dr. Dean know more than I know? Honestly, I don't know but I truly think so. Think about it! He is a Doctor which should put him in a class of knowers higher than thinkers like me. Truth be told, I only know Dr. Dean from his knowledgable blog and thoughtful comments that he adds to mine. I say knowledgable blog because I think his blog is well thought out with tons of knowledge. As a reader, I know from his writing that he thinks through the thought provoking topics, narrowing down his thoughts to add insightful, reader friendly knowledge for the thousands of thinkers and knowers who read his knowledgable thoughts daily.

Look I don't want you to think I think I know it all because now I read Dr. Dean's blog. In fact, I think it's safe to say that Dr. Dean probably doesn't think he knows it all either. That's not the kind of thought I get from his online presence. Although, that being said, I now know I know a lot more than I knew before because Dr. Dean's got me thinking in a whole new thought provoking way which, between you and me, makes me more knowledgable than you could have ever imagined before you started reading today's topic of thoughts.

If you want to be in the know, go over and visit Dr. Dean and his blog at www.themillionairenurse.com.

Until Tomorrow,

Jai

Child Genius (Safety Product FAIL)

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:37:04 -0800

Before I get into the full story let me give you a little background on my 11 month old. When my daughter was cooking in mom I knew I was in for tons of overtime because my wife's stomach moved like a washing machine. I don't know if my daughter was warning me of her nifty hand skills or if she was excited to give me lots of love but less than 20 minutes after she was born she grabbed the nurse's jacket and didn't let go. The nurse said "OMG look at this! This has never happened to me before," as ALL the staff laughed. My wife looked at me as I gave her a constipated smile and swallowed my fear.

I can't deny my loving daughter, who we have nicknamed "La Garra" (the claw), gives lots of love and has nifty hand skills. A few months ago we were at a friend's house and she lunged out of my arms to grab a lonely glass of merlot that was sitting quietly on the table. She hooked on and tossed it onto the ground. Did the merlot deserve it? Maybe yes but nonetheless the glass and its mommy juice saw its demise.

Then a few weeks ago we were in a packed elevator and my daughter swiped a pair of glasses off of a fellow elevator goer. Fortunately we saved the glasses from an early and untimely death. My wife and I justified her behavior by saying something stupid like maybe she has a thing for Prada. The foolish man and victim on his face along with the passengers laughed at what they thought was a cute move from an adorable girl.

However, the other day my wife and son went for a walk and I stayed back with my daughter. I decided to get on the computer and try to get some work done. Click clack I hear behind me. I look and there is my daughter with the child safety outlet cover in her claw. I thought to myself maybe she wants me to put it back in being that I use the outlet as my phone charging outlet from time to time. So, I tussled, got it out of her hands, put it back in its place and turned back to work. Click clack I hear behind me again. I look and there is my daughter with the child safety outlet cover in her hands again. Wait a minute I think to myself. Isn't this supposed to be a child safe item? My daughter is only 11 months old. I sometimes struggle to take it out. So, I tussle with her again, get it out of her hands, push it firmly in its place and sit back and watch. Within a second I see her with my four eyes and hear her with my own 2 ears click clack. 5 times later I finally run to get my video camera to prove to my wife I am not making this stuff up.

Now before you watch the video I recorded I want to stress that I did research (after the fact) and apparently Safety 1st 30 Pack Secure Press Plug Protectors Safety 1st 30 Pack Secure Press Plug Protectors Safety 1st 30 Pack Secure Press Plug Protectors Safety 1st 30 Pack Secure Press Plug Protectors Safety 1st 30 Pack Secure Press Plug Protectors" target="_blank" title="">Safety First Press Plug Protectors gets 1 star for there are several other child geniuses (I had no clue) in the world that render this a product FAIL. I know my wife and I should have done better research and luckily I can sit and make light of my daughter's claw and Jai like genius in a blog post but why in HELL does this product still exist? If you are a parent and you are reading this please please please don't buy this product... Even if you child isn't a genius like mine.

Until Tomorrow,

Jai

Fun With Photography - Photoshop Self Into 5 Different Presidents

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:42:28 -0800

In celebration of President's Day I thought I would have a little fun with photography and photoshop myself into 5 different Presidents and for some more entertainment I added 5 fast fun facts about each one. Once you are done looking at President Jai Catalano of the United States from different historical periods, I would love for you to take the poll at the end that asks you... Which Jai photoshoped into the President looks the best? Happy President's Day.

George Washington
Who wouldn't want to be the first President of the United States? He might have turned down being called King but nobody can deny George is on top of the list.

Fun Facts About George Washington.

George Washington was 6 feet, 2inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He wore size 13 shoe. He had red hair when young.
Contrary to popular belief, George Washington never wore a wig.
By the time he was president of the United States, George only had one original tooth left.
The nation's capital, along with 1 state, 31 counties and 17 cities are named in his honor.
As a farmer, Washington grew marijuana on his farm and promoted it's growth.

Abraham Lincoln

Who wouldn't want to be Honest Abe? He is arguably the most popular President who people have placed on the highest pedestal. Even Abe is wondering what the hype is about.

Lincoln was the tallest President. At six feet, four inches, Lincoln towered over most of his contemporaries.
He used to store things in his hat, including letters and other documents.
Abraham Lincoln was a witty man. Many of his jokes and funny sayings have been recorded, including this one: "If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"
The16th President hated to go to the dentist. There was little anesthesia at the time, and one dentist has actually broken off part of Lincoln's jaw when pulling a tooth.
John Wilkes Booth's older brother saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son Robert!

Theodore Roosevelt
Who wouldn't want to be one of the toughest Presidents this country has seen? Ironically the Teddy Bear was named in his honor when he decided not to shoot a bear held by his men.

Roosevelt was known to go skinny-dipping in the Potomac River during the wintertime.
On October 11, 1910, Roosevelt took a four minute flight in a plane built by the Wright brothers, making him the first president to fly in an airplane.
Maxwell House coffee once asked the President what he thought of their product. He responded: "I'ts good to the last drop".
He lost the sight in one eye while boxing in the White House one day.
He had a photographic memory and could read an entire page in the time it took most people to read a single sentence.

John F. Kennedy
Who wouldn't want to be mack daddy JFK? He is undoubtedly the handsomest President who has ever strutted the White House.

Kennedy never carried cash with him and he used to constantly borrow money from his friends to pay cab fares, restaurant checks, etc. Though Kennedy was wealthy he never made it a point to pay his friends back, leaving them irritated.
he always kept the White House pool at 90 degrees.
In an effort to relate to the people, he said in German: "Ich ben ein Berliner," which roughly translates to "I am a Jelly Doughnut."
In 1943, Kennedy's PT boat was rammed and sunk. Despite being injured, he led his men to safety and even returned to active duty later in the war.
John F. Kennedy's father gave him $1,000,000 when he turned twenty-one. (Each of his nine brothers and sisters got a million dollars too!)

Barak Obama
Who wouldn't want to be the first non caucasian President of the United States? He might be the 44th President but he's definitely in a class by himself.

He can bench press an impressive 200lbs.
He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics.
In high school he was known as O’Bomber for his skill at basketball.
He has won two Grammy awards, each one being for the audio versions of his best-selling books, 'Dreams From My Father' and 'The Audacity Of Hope'.
He is fluent in Indonesian and Spanish.

Please take the poll below.

Week In Review - Photography, Unromantic Valentine's Gifts & Saving Money Dining Out

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:22:30 -0800

Did you miss any of my blog this week? Shame on you! How the HELL am I supposed to bribe my neighbor to move so I can build a thinking room & develop more genius? :)

Sadly all of the financial fun from the Doritos - Crash The Super Bowl video CRASHED. Well it was fun while it lasted. I'm already thinking of this year's video. Also I just finished writing another comedy skit To Be Filmed Soon. The theme you ask? Dance. :)

In case you were wondering... Yes that is an image of my daughter that I photographed the other day with all natural light that came through the bedroom window. I would love to say I am a great photographer but the subject truly outshines the skills. By the way my daughter will be 1 in a couple of weeks and I am almost done taking a photo a day of her during her 1st year. That will become a video too.

Did you know I photographed my son everyday too? Have you ever seen the video? I call it Father Takes A Photo Every Day For 1 Year. Click the phrase and let me know what you think.

Anyway, I gotta cut it short today (sorry SB) because my son has been home sick with a fever and he keeps asking me to play with him and when I tell him that I am blogging he cries. I keep thinking to myself why are you crying I am the one who should be crying. Have you seen my adsense account?

And now on to some numbers...

My new Alexa Ranking is 176, 891. Thanks Yakezie.

To read more about what I wrote about this week just visit the links below.
1. How Not To Hate Being Photographed
2. 5 Unromantic Things Not To Give Your Loved One On Valentine's Day
3. How To Save Money (Mom's Way)

Until Monday

Jai

How To Save Money (Mom's Way)

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:34:27 -0800

It wasn't until I watched my wife pull 2 watermelons out of her nostril that I truly appreciated my own mother. Watching a birth is not for the faint of heart and yes I survived twice. However, giving birth puts women in an elite category that guys will never understand... For that reason I make it a point to listen to all mother's with a sense of openness and humility, even if I don't fully agree, because deep down they are speaking from a place men will never visit.

That is why when Melissa Batai from momsplans.com sent me a copy of her ebook called "Mom's Dining Out Deals" I had to listen. Why? Because she is not only a mother but she is a mother times three so she is definitely speaking from a deeper place.

Side Note*** Hats off to you Melissa because between you and me I wouldn't want my wife to be deeper than she already is after the 2 watermelons she gave me.

Anyway, her ebook is AMAZING. It's a quick read with no extra fat in it (pun intended) so you get right down to the savings. Melissa has included a total of 70 different strategies to go about saving money when dining out and she places a little blurb on the strategy's strong points to make you see the overall picture.

Side note*** Unbeknownst to her, she turned me on to Ebates (1 of her goodies added to her strategy) a few weeks ago. Shhh

Anyway again, pick up a copy of her ebook Mom's Dining Out Deals because trust me you won't be disappointed. How do I know? 3 ways...

1. I read it and only knew 15 to 20 strategies.
2. It's only $5. You will most likely get that back times 2 after using just 1 strategy.

And

3. She has 3 watermelons.

Until Tomorrow,

Jai

5 Unromantic Things Not To Give Your Loved One For Valentine's Day

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:01:36 -0800

Click To Enlarge Image

It's Valentine's Day again and if you haven't gotten your loved one that special Valentine's Day gift or you have chosen to be the person who hates tradition and rebels against commercialism then being romantic isn't your strong suit. However if you are scrambling all over the place today to do last minute shopping for your loved one or you have had a change of heart and decided to give commercialism the benefit of the doubt there are 5 gifts you should stay clear of if romance is on your mind.

Bouquet Of Poison Ivy
Believe it or not, I knew a guy who was itching to give his ex girlfriend a bouquet of poison ivy as a token of his loving affection. It turns out that she got wind of his plan and called her new boyfriend to weed out the situation.

Lingerie From Your Previous Relationship
Believe it or not, (again) a female friend of mine one time gave a pair of elephant pouch underwear, that she had stolen from her ex, to a new guy she was dating. She swore to me that she had washed them and I swore to myself to never date her.

Jenny Craig Dinner
I am not going to lie, Jenny Craig is a great program. I have lost a significant amount of weight after I gained several pounds because my wife got pregnant twice. However, no matter how romantic the JC marketers design their Valentine's Day meals, I can't perform my Rudolf Valentino act with a 3 cheese ziti dinner for 2.
*
Trader Joe's Wine
Good Ole 2 buck chuck... Don't get me wrong Trader Joe's wine is fine for the other 364 days during the year but not for Valentine's Day. There are several companies that make inexpensive wine that don't have cheap ass mother f***king date written all over it.

Opened Box Of Chocolate
I am going to make this obvious one short and sweet... Unless you are a ping pong champion with a fishing boat who runs all over the world then don't open the box of chocolate because your name isn't Forest Gump.

Until Tomorrow,

Happy Valentine's Day

Jai

How Not To Hate Being Photographed

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:24:48 -0800

Click To Enlarge

Most people hate being photographed because the one thing your eyes can't see is your face. Huh? What I mean is we can see what is in front of our face but we can't see our own face unless we have a mirror. I have been in front of and behind the camera enough to not be concerned anymore because I understand that not every moment is going to look perfect. In fact I will be the first person to admit when I look horrible in a photo and I am not afraid to show it. If you don't believe me check out my before and after photoshop post. Yep that is me.

Luckily there are 3 ways to minimize the self inflicted pain of having your picture taken so you can finally enjoy those moments and say to yourself I don't hate being photographed.

Practice Facial Expressions
If you want your biceps to look big you have to lift weights. If you want your photographic moment to look unique and truthful you have to practice facial expressions. That is why I have a photographic exercise I make my clients do during their session which totally throws them off their game. I call it the Funny Angry Cute/Calm Excited and Sad exercise or FACES for short. That is right I have them make a funny face, angry face, cute or calm face, excited face and sad face. Why? Because once a client sits in my chair they automatically think they should start to smile... Survey says WRONG! in fact I could care less if you smile or not because whenever you tell someone to smile both sides of the lip muscle rises up into an awkward arc shape that resemble constipation. So, in order to keep my clients from being constipated (so to speak) I make them go through the F.A.C.E.S exercise first so that they get out of their head and stop thinking so I can take a great shot of them. Here are my F.A.C.E.S

Click To Enlarge

Take Self Portraits
Do you have an ipad, iphone, blackberry, or even a camera phone? If you don't then just pull out your digital camera and take a lot of photos of yourself especially right before a photo taking season like the holidays. Don't worry you can delete them when you are done analyzing them and if you are worried that someone will hack your device and post those horrible unwanted photos on the web... think again, you just aren't famous enough yet :). Taking self portraits in different situations helps you learn to fix the things you don't like seeing in the photo. Wether it's the angle you position your face or the curve in the angle of your nose that bothers you, taking a lot of self portraits throughout the year will make it a lot easier to set up your shot when someone in the crowd turns and says, "hey get together I want to take a picture of everyone."

Self Portrait Of My Wife And Me

Just Say F**k It
Have you seen your license and passport photo lately? Were you the deer in the headlights during the holiday family photo? If you think those are bad take a look at your high school graduation photo. Trust me both you and I hope to God those hairstyles don't come back. However the truth is that nobody really cares. Life moves forward wether you look great in the photo or not and sometimes, if you are brave enough, you can use it for a conversation piece. I one time asked a girl out on a date by showing her my horrid license photo and using a cheesy made up oneliner. This is what I said.

Me
Excuse me. Have you seen this criminal? He is wanted for ugly photo taking. If you happen to see him please try your best not to look at him.

Her
Is that really you?

Me
Unfortunately It is but please don't turn me in until after our first date.

Please take the poll.

Week In Review - Viral Video, Photography & Alexa Ranking Under 200K

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:56:20 -0800

Did you miss any of my blog this week? Shame on you! How the HELL am I supposed to sip cappuccino in Rome by day & overlook the French Riviera with my wife by night? :)

This has been the craziest week of my youtube video making, digital photography clicking, and finger blogging life. I can't even control my emotions to explain the wonderful week I have had making money doing all the fun stuff that I do.

HOWEVER! BIG WARNING... If anyone reading this thinks that this road I'm on doesn't have MANY CHALLENGES both financially and emotionally then you are NUTS. I am an educated man who happens to be born with just a little more risk taking then fear in my heart. If you want to make money then be a money maker.

Ok now on to the goodies.

I started making Youtube videos because I thought I had the ability to make funny videos that people would love which would bring lots of money. 4 years later I realize that it isn't that easy. However, late last year I won a commercial competition that gave me the emotional, physical and spiritual resurgence to continue making Youtube videos. That's when my loving wife called and said

Wife
Hi Peter.

Jai
My name is Jai.

Wife
Listen let's not nitpick. I don't have time to argue. You need to make a Doritos Crash The Super Bowl Video FAST. See you tonight Ray.

Jai
Jai.

Wife
Whatever. Good bye.

That was in late October 2011. So, I busted my ass thinking of something that would win us a million dollars so that I could have a little more financial freedom and my wife would finally have enough money to remember my name.

On November 14, 2011 I posted the video and a blog about the experience but thought nothing of it because I had about a 1 in 18,000 chance. However no matter what the outcome I was extremely proud that my submission video was a 100% family affair.

1. I wrote, acted and edited the video.
2. My wife did hair, makeup and costumes.
3. My brother directed and filmed the piece
4. And my 2 kids knocked it out the acting box and stole the show.

Disappointingly but not surprisingly I found out that I didn't make the cut on January 5, 2012 and blogged about that experience. However, 2 weeks before the super bowl my video started picking up hits by the thousands and the money started to roll in. Yes roll in. (I will blog about it once the adsense numbers are confirmed) Day after day I would call my wife over to look at what I was seeing which made all of us happy and proud of our success. We danced like little kids in the middle of the floor as our children watched us scream in a Merengue like fashion, "FINALLY WE HAVE A VIRAL VIDEO."

So you might be wondering...

Did I make a million dollars? No, but I made a nice little nest egg.

Does my wife remember my name? No, but now she calls me Joe which is really really close to Jai.
Anyway, enough about that... Let's get on to some other GREAT news.

IN JUST 45 DAYS OF JOINING THE YAKEZIE CHALLENGE I FINALLY DROPPED MY ALEXA RANKING BELOW 200K.

THAT'S RIGHT JAICATALANO.COM IS NOW AT 198,180.

Ok I am done typing loudly. :)

Before I wrap up for the weekend I want to say thanks to Yakezie and everyone else that has been a part of this fun crazy journey. Thanks to my family... especially my wife and my brother. They both have been super supportive on many levels. And I want to give a big shout out to Fanny (a dancer and friend from Dance On 2) who has always commented on my videos and has continually sent me positive energy. (Next stop 225 Fanny)

If you want to read more about this past week and have a smile at the same time, check out the links below.

1. 10 Questions To Ask Your Headshot Photographer Before The Photo Shoot
2. Who Does My Son Look Like Mom Or Dad?
3. What The Buck?

Until Monday

Jai

What The Buck?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:12:23 -0800

By the time I got home last night I was extremely tired and ready for a well deserved sleep.
Usually when it's very late I go right to bed but something inside me said to open my email.
Casually I sat at my computer waiting for everything to load up but sleep was creeping in.
KaBOOM!!! Suddenly and to my surprise I wake up to see an email from a Yakezie member.

Instead of just telling you what he said I want to take a moment to say it totally woke me up.
Not only was I half asleep driving home but I was all alone thinking of my sleeping family.
So when I got home I should have just gone straight into bed with all of my clothes still on.
Pretty stupid on my part I know but as an artist and a family man I have two sides to me.
I am obsessed about being the best in everything I do and I am a tiny whiny bit narcissistic.
Really! That is me in a nutshell. I mean I've many more sides to me but that is who I am so...
Even though I was tired my tiny whiny narcissistic side woke right up when I read...

Hey Jai,

Since your Super Bowl commercial entry was going viral, I forgive you for missing your surprise. Enjoy!

Buck Inspire

Click his name and see for yourself.

Buck you are a class act. I don't even think you can begin to know how nice it was to hear all those wonderful things.

Buck you do Inspire.

Until Tomorrow

Jai

Who Does My Son Look Like-Mom or Dad?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:39:24 -0800

Click To Enlarge Photo

Ever since my son was born I used to hear that he looked exactly like my wife and that the only thing that resembled me was his blonde hair and pale skin. However, lately I keep hearing more and more people tell me that the little guy up above looks a lot more like me and that my wife is really just the nanny. I want to settle this once and for all. Who does my son look like more? The nanny or me?

Please click the photos above to enlarge them so you can have a better view and then take a second to cast your vote below. Thanks.

Until Tomorrow.

Jai