Family Weekend Breaks - How To Dream Again
Taking a few family weekend breaks throughout the year can help you and your family in so many ways. It can help you recharge your battery while building deeper memories and stimulating fresh motivation for your return to the hustle and bustle of the real world. However, there is one very important element that we lost during adulthood, but with just a few family weekend breaks a year, we can tap into once again. My son is 2 years old. He, like every other young boy, wants to be a fireman when he grows up. I don't know if he has a career in firefighting waiting for him in the future and I won't stop him from being one if he so desires. However, in order to be a fireman you MUST DREAM about it first. Family weekend breaks give us the opportunity to let our daily guard down and dream again no matter how simple or crazy we dream. It allows us to sing those simple songs from our hearts that we haven't sung in a long time. It lets us dance like nobody is watching. It permits us to laugh freely and it gives us the ability to tap into our childhood that we have spent years learning to get away from. You might be wondering how just a few family weekend breaks a year can help you dream again. Well let's do the math. There are 7 days a week. 5 of those 7 days you and your kids are at work and school. After coming home, you have about 3 hours to catch up from the day you just had, eat a little dinner, clean up, and then get ready for bed so that you can do that same routine all over again. Sound familiar? Let's be real... There are 7 weekends during the year that turn the end of the week into a long weekend and there are plenty of places to go out-of-town or close to home that are affordable. And, dreaming doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. That means that you don't need to quite your job and redesign your life and career. It just means that you can get away from time to time and have fun exploring the endless possibilities that are just waiting to be discovered. Ultimately, I am only sharing my personal experiences with you. But let me ask you this... What kind of father would I be if I didn't let my son put on his fireman outfit? Or, what kind of husband would I be if I didn't listen to my wife tell me that she wants to learn how to salsa? Better yet, what kind of man would I be if I wrote this article and hadn't taken up a dream of my own after just taking a few family weekend breaks? Jai Catalano is a NYC Headshot {hotographer, YouTube Partner, Salsa Dancer, Husband of 1, and Father of 2. When I am none of the above I try to take a nap. Until Tomorrow. Jai
11 Comments
Before Photoshop Yes that is me. I woke up, set my camera on its tripod and took a self portrait to do a before and after photoshop touch up job on myself. However, I must tell you that this guy in the self portrait didn't have any coffee, didn't take a shower, didn't put on make up, didn't have clean clothes on and didn't have a desire to take a self portrait. Ok! Let's take a closer look at what you are looking at.
After Photoshop  Not bad for someone who just woke up however, the sad thing is that there are millions of people that want to look as perfect as the photo I created above. They become depressed, lack self worth and don't know the full truth while striving for the unattainable. I am not saying that people shouldn't strive to look and feel their best. On the contrary, I am saying that people need to know that what they are looking at isn't quite what they think they see.
Please Know The Facts. Television and magazines create illusions. Hollywood celebrities and models have many more issues of self than you and I can imagine. As a headshot photographer I have yet to see anyone come in for a session who looked as flawless as I photoshoped myself to look. To further the point here is a good article that I want to share with you from 10steps.sg. 40 amazing before and after photo retouching photos of celebrities. Until Tomorrow. Jai  Photo By Jai Catalano
Anyway I finished taking real estate photos of 21 NYC buildings (check out the photo above) in the freezing cold for an agent and friend over in Corcoran. I don't know if you have ever taken multiple photos in the freezing cold but curse words are an uncontrollable and inevitable part of the process. :) I still love you Terrence. By the way today I am proud to say I have been with the Yakezie Challenge for 1 month. Thank you Yakezie. And now on to the new numbers for the week. 1. My Alexa Ranking dropped to 271,039. (remember the goal is to go below 200k) 2. I reached another 12,000 views on my Doritos Crash The Superbowl video. (it's gotta be the superbowl buzz because I didn't even win) and my favorite... 3. My daughter said dada. If you want to read the whole story and more please check out the links below. 1. Wedding Photography Scam 2. My Daughter Said Her First Word 3. Website Shout Out - Life And My Finances 4. How To Dance Salsa - (A Funny Story & The Fastest Video Lesson) Until Monday, Jai  Jai Catalano & Desiree Dicupe
Rob Calls Me The Night Before The Show I was working day and night to get all of my facts in order for the 4 shows. I would watch all the dance clips of the semi finalists, memorize facts from everyone's bio and pray to God that I didn't butcher the dancer's names. If I am not mistaken I was praying to God at that very moment when the phone rang. Jai Hello Rob Jai. It's Rob. How many times have you taught salsa? Jai Oh I don't know Rob. 5000 times give or take 2 or 3. (Laughing by myself) Rob What's the fastest class you have ever taught? Jai I taught a class in San Francisco once for 12 minutes. Why? Rob Because I need you to teach people how to dance the salsa basic in 2 of the 4 shows. Jai Of course Rob. How much time do I have? Rob You have about 30 seconds give or take 2 or 3. (Laughing by himself) The Day Of The Show They say you can do a lot in 30 seconds however I only needed 22. I have never taught a faster basic step in all of my life. Until Tomorrow
Jai 
My Daughter Has The Control
Lately things are starting to come together for her as she starts to make her way in the world around her. Just yesterday she picked up the remote control from the floor, pointed it to the TV and then repeated the steps in hopes to get the tube to turn on. After several attempts she dropped the devise and moved on to another project. As long as she doesn't watch Mob Wives I will be happy. :) Beating Up Her Brother I am not lying when I say my son snatched something that was his out of my daughter's hand and she threw a fit. So much so that she crawled over to him and took a swing at him. He, in turn, got even angrier and took a swing at her. She then screamed at him and started swinging her arms as if she were swimming olympic style laps around the pool. I am so happy that she isn't afraid to defend herself and, honestly, I feel sorry for my son once my daughter gets sturdy on her 2 feet. Uh oh... Come to think of it maybe she is trying to watch Mob Wives. :) Until Tomorrow, Jai 
Hello.
Am Tim Wood,i got your contact from a friend who has told me more about your photography works,actually my daughter will be having her wedding by 11th of next month in (New York)and i want to ask for your good service at the wedding taking pictures at the occasion,kindly let me know if you will be available so that we can proceed from here. Regards. Tim Wood At this point I am thinking to myself... WOW I don't do too many weddings but if I was recommended by someone then all the better. Here was my quick response. Hi Tim, Thank you so much for contacting me. Could you please send more information about the event? Thanks. Here was his response. Hello . Thanks for the mail and happy to hear you are available on the 02/11th/2012 this is date of the occasion,also let me know what other details you will need from me kindly get back to me with your website or attachments of your past works,a friend called Jones told me about your works. I would have love us to meet face to face so that we can discus things out but i wont be able to do that now as i will be traveling to the UNITED KINGDOM soon but as soon as am back will meet and talk better,i would be so glad to have a very clean and perfect pictures from you and if possible you can copy the pictures in a CD .please see below the date and location of the occasion.Also have it in mind that additional transportation fee will be included. Date. 02/11th/2012 location.HELEN MILLS, New York City Party Starts:11:00 am Party Ends:6:00pm Attendance: 200people Please do get back to me with the list of services you render with prices so that i can select my desire plan. Regards Tim Wood How do I know it's a scam? 1. I never said I was available in my response. 2. I am a headshot photographer and not a wedding photographer. 3. I don't know anybody by the name of Jones. 4. Why is United Kingdom in all caps? and finally what made the whole picture clear... 5. When I called Helen Mills they had nothing scheduled by a Tim Wood. Be savvy and ask questions. Until tomorrow. Jai 
And now an update on the numbers...
1. My Alexa Ranking dropped to 340,333. (remember the goal is to go below 200k) 2. I had 1,111 visitors on Monday visit my site (I am not making that number up) and... 3. I took a beating from all the angry women who wanted my wife to buy the $47 turtleneck. Good news ladies. You win. She bought it. :) If you want to read the whole story and more please check out the links below. 1. 5 Quick Way To Tell You Are Not A Photographer Yet. 2. Husband Vs Wife. 3. Financial Wars. Have a great weekend. Until Monday Jai 
Financial Samurai I didn’t know much about Sam Yoda the first time I visited his site. In fact, I only knew that if I wanted to be member and a Jedi Blogger I was going to have to join a network of other Jedi Bloggers. As I was browsing around I found a lot of great content. I read articles such as “How To Make Six Figures A Year At Almost Any Age,” & “How To Get Girls If You Live At Home With Mom & Dad.” After reading so much great content I felt the force strong within me, which guided my eyes to find a tab called About/Contact. Smiling without any hesitation and fear, I clicked it and that is where I first encountered Sam Yoda. Sam Yoda Sam is a wise man who realized that education is the “key to freedom and wealth” and that money isn’t a “driving factor.” In fact, he is “now motivated by having a balanced lifestyle.” He writes because he “enjoys the experience” which makes his site Financial Samurai “a blast.” Sam Yoda has a fun side too because he is an avid tennis player, however, he can’t play “5 days a week” because his body continues to “break down.” Yes it’s true. Sam Yoda is a Jedi Master Blogger but at 874 years old his body too is breaking down. At that very moment the force grew stronger, which forced my mouse to click the Yakezie Network tab. I clicked it fast and I clicked it fast for 2 reasons. 1) I knew that 2011 was coming to a close and 2) I didn’t know if Sam Yoda would be around to celebrate 875. Yakezie Network I read all about the Yakezie Network and became convinced that if I were going to follow in other Jedi Blogger’s key taps I was going to have to reach out to Sam Yoda and prove to him that I was up to the challenge. I emailed Sam Yoda and this is what was said. Jai Keytyper Sam Yoda my name is Jai Keytyper and I spoke with Obi Wan Crystal who told me to train with you by taking the Yakezie challenge. Do you think I have what it takes? Sam Yoda Yes young Jai Keytyper I think the blogging force is strong within you but you need to write 2 to 4 times a week and selflessly promote others as well as build relationships. Do you think you can do that? Jai Keytyper Yes I do Sam Yoda. Is there anything else? Sam Yoda Yes put the Yakezie Badge on your website and proudly type around it whenever you blog. Oh and you must confront Darth Debt. Jai Keytyper Darth Debt? Sam Yoda is it true Darth Debt killed my father? Sam Yoda No worse. He put him in a financial fiasco. To read more about Sam Dogen please visit him at www.financialsamurai.com
To read more about the Yakezie Network please visit www.yakezie.com Until Tomorrow Jai 
Her Unbiased Denfense
She says she wants to buy a Michael Stars' beautiful black fitted turtleneck in a classic shine fabric because it's a must-have item for every woman. It's perfect for layering or to wear on its own and it only costs an affordable $47. My Unbiased Denfense I know for a fact that discount department store Conway is selling $5 neon pink or turquoises colored turtlenecks for their winter clearance sale. That means she can buy 8 (4 pink and 4 turquoise) turtlenecks which will last her for more than a week. And, she will be able to walk away with $7 to grab herself a couple of slices of pizza and a diet soda. Or, if she were a little more thoughtful about her loving husband (me) she could buy 1 turquoise colored turtleneck and use the remaining $42 on me. Here are some things she could buy me. 1. Superman caped pint glass - $9.95 2. Buttered popcorn jelly beans - $4.95 3. Star Wars talking key chain - $8.95 4. Cock blocker bottle stopper - $7.95 and 5. The I will drink you bitches under the table t shirt - $9.95 Total cost $41.75... which is still .25 cheaper than buying 8 turtlenecks at Conway. What's your unbiased thought? Until tomorrow. Jai |
Loading
Jai CatalanoThere are 3 things I can't change... my 2 kids, my 1 wife and my 0 rights. Archives
January 2013
 |
JAI CATALANO - Photographer | Videographer | Editor
973.715.0018 | New York, NY | Morristown, NJ
973.715.0018 | New York, NY | Morristown, NJ
Copyright Jai Catalano © 2004 - 2021