Sep 14, 2009

I'll fly with you

IMG_9801

I'm in Chicago right now, away from the 2 K's. Never thought I'd miss them so much : ( The reason why I'm here? To attend Print09 on behalf of Océ North America. I'll be signing books they produced using text and images from my blog.

They have generously offered to print a few copies for me, so if you'd like a copy of the book, please shoot me an email with your name and shipping address (I'll cover the shipping costs for the first 10 people).

From their press release:

September 8, 2009 – Trumbull, CT– Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, today announced that it will produce a fully-finished full-color book live at Océ Booth 1863 at Print 09. The photo book, "Where's My Birthday Cake?" is being printed on the Océ CS665 Pro color system, showcasing the system's amazing speed and color quality for high-visibility projects like photo books.

The book transforms a photographic web log, created by professional photographer Jason Lee, into a full-color case-bound book featuring his daughters Kristin and Kayla, illustrating how digital book production technology is fueling self-publishing trends that transform digital content like blogs and digital photos into books, creating a high-quality permanent artifact.

Social media experts estimate there are currently some 200 million blogs on the Web, a number that is growing exponentially. Meanwhile, with the ongoing migration from analog to digital photography, people are looking for ways to preserve their digital photographs. In both cases, cost-effective digital color printing enables bloggers and shutterbugs to cost-effectively memorialize their work.

When Jason Lee's mother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2006 and couldn't spend time with her granddaughters, Lee began snapping pictures of Kristin and Kayla and posting them to a blog to share with his mother. What started as a blog evolved into a more complex personal project documenting the children's growth using a variety of lighting techniques and showcasing Lee's creativity and talent as a photographer.

At Print 09, Océ is transforming Lee's blog into a stunning, full-color case-bound photo book, highlighting the exciting opportunities available to bloggers, self-publishers and photographers who want to publish digital content. "I had always planned on creating an album of the images in my blog to present to my mother," said Lee. "I love the idea of producing a book that transforms something transitory like a blog into something permanent, preserving treasured digital images of Kristin and Kayla in printed form forever," said Lee.

As an industry leader in the fast-developing field of digital book printing and publishing, Océ is demonstrating live production of "Where's My Birthday Cake?" at Print 09. The book is being produced in an automated digital production workflow that produces color interior pages two-up on 12" x 18" paper and color covers on 11.5" x 38" stock on the Fogra-certified Océ CS665 Pro color production system to deliver an unmatched balance of outstanding color quality, speed, throughput and support for a variety of media. The imposition and workflow is managed by Océ PRISMAprepare™ software and the Océ PRISMAsync™ color controller, enabling end-to-end document preparation and production from pre-press to fully finished books, which are case-bound using On Demand Machinery case binders.

A limited edition of "Where's My Birthday Cake?" is being produced at Print 09. The author, Jason Lee, will be in the booth on September 15, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM signing copies of the book. To experience the work of Jason Lee and view more images of his daughters Kristin and Kayla, visit www.kristinandkayla.com.




Sep 1, 2009

the 5 year old 1st grader

the 5 year old 1st grader

Well, actually she'll be turning 6 in about a month. Kristin just finished her first week of school as a first grader. I still can't believe my little girl is in 1st grade already. She started in a different school this year, but luckily some of her friends also transferred to the new school. Instead of a 10 minute drive, we can actually walk her to school now. I'm excited to see how much she'll be learning this year.

Aug 13, 2009

You're the best Dad in the whole wide......

Last year we took Kayla to Six Flags for her birthday. This year, we asked her where she wanted to go, and of course, it was Six Flags....again. So we braved the hot weather for fun day filled with junk food, sunblock, aquatic animals, and kiddie rides.

six_flags_01

Kayla isn't particularly fond of roller coaster rides, as evident by the next 2 pictures.

six_flags_02

six_flags_03

Kristin is another story. She loves these rides.

six_flags_04

.....And splashing around in the water area

six_flags_05

You can't tell by this picture, but Kayla really enjoyed the water area as well.

six_flags_06

She liked it so much, she started doing her happy dance.

six_flags_07

six_flags_08

After a long day, we had a late dinner and Kayla enjoyed a nice big slice of cheesecake.
After finishing her dessert, she then looked at me and said, "DADDY, DADDY! You are the BEST dad...in the whole...wide...TABLE!" Table? TABLE?

six_flags_09

Aug 12, 2009

You light up my life

you light up my life

Kayla turns 3 today. Another year gone, so many memories. I can't believe she's 3 already : (

This is how I still picture her, right after she was born:

IMG_2627


Jul 28, 2009

Want some whine with that cheese?

We spent the last couple of days in Yountville CA, where the kids got to see the wine country up close and personal, and Selina and I got to enjoy some R&R. Even though the Wine Country is only an hour away, it was nice to stay someplace other than home. Selina booked 2 nights at the Villagio Inn & Spa, where she enjoyed a relaxing spa treatment while I got to watch the kids. When we go to Napa, we always end up going to the outlet stores, so this was the first time I really got to 'see' Napa. It really is a gorgeous place.

napa_2009_01

napa_2009_02

napa_2009_03

napa_2009_04

napa_2009_05

Right outside Villagio, they had their own little vineyard.

napa_2009_06

napa_2009_07

napa_2009_08

The kids enjoyed all the water around the inn.

napa_2009_09

Our room was right next to the pool.

napa_2009_10

Kristin got to try on her new goggles.

napa_2009_11

Kaylas cheeks were too big to fit in the goggles.

napa_2009_12

When I asked Kristin what her favorite part of the trip was, she replied enthusiastically "SWIMMING!"

napa_2009_13

Kayla enjoyed the outdoor shower.

napa_2009_14

napa_2009_15

Kristin enjoyed the foot washing basin thing they had. I need one of these things at our house.

napa_2009_16

napa_2009_17

napa_2009_18

There weren't many kid friendly things to do in Napa, so we asked the Concierge for suggestions. They told us about Sterling Vineyards which had a gondola ride and a factory tour. While the kids didn't really care for the tour, they definitely liked the ride.
napa_2009_19

Wine tasting.

napa_2009_20

napa_2009_21

Afterwards, we went to Castello di Amorosa, which was a castle/vineyard straight out of the movies. Apparently Disney filmed a portion of Bedtime Stories there.

napa_2009_22

napa_2009_23

napa_2009_24

napa_2009_25

Today, before we left, we walked around Yountville, and they had a store called "Sisters".

napa_2009_26

The kiddos, dreaming about someday being able to wear a wedding dress.

someday..............

Jul 24, 2009

it's like pulling teeth

it's like pulling teeth

Kristin lost her first tooth a few weeks back. It had been loose for the longest time, and another tooth had begun to grow behind it. We brought her to our dentist, and were told that it would eventually come out on it's own. One day, while Kristin was blowing up a balloon, I tugged at the balloon and Kristin started complaining about her tooth hurting. She was really mad at me for pulling the balloon out of her mouth : (

The next morning, the tooth came out and she had forgotten all about being mad, since she knew the 'tooth fairy' was coming to give her some money. I hope the next tooth comes out without so much drama.