Boo York

After watching the Village Halloween Parade for the first time last year, I knew I have to join them this year. About a month ago, I started sensing the Halloween atmosphere when the leaves changed their colors to yellow and the streets covered up with pumpkins and skeletons.

To get into the Halloween spirit, before the parade, I had to go through several milestones. The first was to get a costume for Paxon. Obviously, with no kids in the house, I just have to practice on my cat, so I got him a lion's mane. Being such a good cat, Paxon didn't care about his new "hair extension" and was happy to model for the camera in exchange for a treat. The photos, however, wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin. Therefore, I went to the farmers market at Union Square to find myself a nice looking pumpkin.

Having the pumpkin, I couldn't resist carving it. My talented friend Alex drew a face on the pumpkin and we carved it together. It was very messy and cutting it is harder than you would expect, but after an hour or so I had a jack o'lantern in my apartment. I placed it next to the window and lit it. Without any candles, the nearest cellphone was sacrificed for this, as I placed it, flash on, inside the carved pumpkin. Paxon always likes to sit next to the window and the combination of the two represented a true Halloween spirit.

This year, first Halloween event was Shoshi's Halloween party. She was dressed as a football player and brought to the dog run at Washington Square Park. A lot of dogs showed up for the costume competition, but Shoshi did a great job chasing her football and won a price for most interactive costume. This is an upgrade from last year when she was dressed as a "working girl" and won the "most inappropriate but funny costume" category. 

Paxon, Shoshi and even jack o'lantern were all ready for the big day. I however still needed to find a costume that will keep me warm and comfortable to operate the camera during the parade. I choose to be a viking and the only things needed were a furry horned hood and leg warmers. More importantly, I wanted a new camera. Don't get me wrong, Canon 7D is amazing but it was getting old and cranky. Also, the 7D was always pretty terrible in taking photos under low light. For a long time I was debating between 5D Mark III, 6D and 7D mark II. Eventually, I found a nice deal and decided to go for the 6D. I received it just a day prior to the parade. The same night, I went to Times Square to practice, knowing I would find some cosplayers there. I wasn't disappointed.

Finally the big day arrived. Learning from previous parades in the city, I got a press pass and arrived at the location a few hours before it started. Getting there early with a costume proved to be a minor nuisance, as quite often I had to stop and pose for other photographers. An hour later the place was packed with cosplayers, professional artists and amateurs alike. The costumes and makeup I saw were phenomenal and the people in the costumes were very cooperative. Still having daylight during the preparations provided for lots of great photo opportunities. Another advantage of showing up early was meeting fellow photographers. The scene however was not complete until the sun set down.

When the darkness came the drums began to roll and the puppeteers with their huge skeletons and pumpkins opened the parade. Some of the photographers were also in costumes. I particularly liked a TV crew that stood in the opening line catching cosplayers for interviews; the two cameramen and the sound man dressed up as Super Mario and the reporter was dressed up as Princess Peach.   

I however did not stand still. I was walking with the skeletons, looking for the best place to take photos, a spot that will capture the atmosphere of the parade. Then I saw the Empire State Building.

Getting what I was looking for, I walked back to the parade's starting point, only to find myself in the middle of a big group of random cosplayers. I couldn't pass through them, I couldn't even lift my arm up to snap a photo. I was stuck. There was nowhere to go. Whenever I found an opening I squeezed myself in and half an hour later I was out! Looking behind my shoulder to avoid meeting this group again, I bumped into a zombie that tried to eat me alive. As a viking I had my own weapons and I managed to chase the zombie away to the cheering of the crowd. Unfortunately, no one recorded the event so I can't share it with you. I do however have a photo of some scary people from the parade.

Face to face with the zombie was one of the evening's highlights, but also the ending cue for me. Happy and exhausted, I left the parade, although the night was not over yet. Union Square, the subway and Times Square are also great photo spots for Halloween. I went to each and every one of them and stayed there until I got my moments. The new camera definitely stood up to the challenge. The night of Halloween was concluded after eight hours and 1222 photos of amazing encounters. This was easily one of the best nights I had in the city and I can't wait to see everyone again next year.

                  

Paxon & Morena

This Monday, just one day after Louie left, I went to the ASPCA to pick up Morena. Morena is an 8 years old, mixed Shih-Tzu with diabetes which made her almost completely blind. When I first saw Morena, I wasn't impressed by her looks and she doesn't seem to care to much about me. We both set together and waited for her medical instructions and equipment. That was the moment I first saw Paxon. Actually, I saw only his yellow eyes as he was hiding inside his carrier. A couple brought him to the ASPCA with a door-less carrier. I was intrigued.
The women was crying and the man explained to me that this cat came all the way from Russia. They adopted him from his original owners two weeks prior but it turned out that the man is allergic to cats. We were talking to each other and out of the blue, and I couldn't believe this was happening, I heard myself saying that I'll adopt him. The stuff of the ASPCA were very surprised, almost as much as I was, since only recently I brought back my beloved foster cat, Matthew. Nonetheless, they played along and told me that Paxon first needs to go through behavioral examination and neutering and that they can put him on hold for me. It was estimated that Paxon will be ready for adoption in two days. Although I didn't actually see Paxon, there was no doubt in my mind that I'll be able to adopt him and foster Morena at the same time. Later that day, I came back with my husband to meet Paxon in person and we decided we are going forward with the adoption.

I still had two days to think, nothing was final. When I left the ASPCA with Morena she was super excited to get into the cab and she quietly set in my lap the whole way home. It seems that Morena's main goal in life is to please her owner. She is one of the nicest and happiest dogs I have ever met, when we go out for a walk, even dogs that are described by their owners as "very unsocial", want to play with Morena. Also, I never need to worry that she might bite someone or even bark, but I do need to guide her through the streets and protect her from the chaotic city as her poor sight doesn't allow her to respond quickly enough to rapid changes (like approaching lampposts).

As for the diabetic part of Morena, it was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. She needs to get her insulin injections twice a day, but only after she finishes at least half of her food portion. At first, it went very smoothly, as each time I fed her she immediately fished all her food in less then 5 minutes. The tricky and most nerve-raking part was when I brought Paxon home.

Two days after I first saw him, I got an email from the ASPCA stating that Paxon passed his dog test (meaning that he will have no problems living with dogs) and that he is ready for adoption. Within a few hours we went to the ASPCA to adopt Paxon. On our way in we saw Matthew. I felt sorry leaving Matthew behind and adopting a cat I don't really know instead. I do love Matthew and I miss him but I feel like I can't completely trust him (generally, the book title "How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you" pretty much summarized our interaction).
The adoption process at the ASPCA was very efficient and professional. We met the behaviorist who examined Paxon, she said he is very shy but easy going. When she brought the dog in for the test, she had to literally wake Paxon up in order for him to notice the dog, he didn't mind about the dog and went back to sleep. After filling up `your dream cat questionnaire` and a bunch of forms we received a cat in a box. I saw two yellow eyes looking at me and I knew this was our cat.

We came home to Morena with the new cat and a few toys for her. She was extremely happy to get the toys so we took her to the hallway to play and released the cat in the house. He was not nearly as curios as Matthew. He sniffed for a bit and placed himself on the kitchen counter. After the cat choose his spot, we let Morena in and she was thrilled to find out about her new friend. The cat however, was significantly less excited about his new roommate. At night, we closed an area for the dog near our bed and let the cat roam free in the house. In the middle of the night, I woke up and saw him trying to snuggle underneath my blanket.

Next morning, the cat started stressing about all the noises coming from the dog so he decided to hide in his litter box. He refused to leave his litter box, therefore, I arranged another litter box for the cat and transform the existing one into a hiding place. I closed the area with a sofa in order to keep the dog out. I took the cat out of his box (he is the nicest cat, he was purring when I picked him up), replaced the litter with a blanket and put all litter in a different box. After I finished, and although the dog was out of sight, the cat immediately went back to his hiding place and wouldn't go out again until late that night.
I left everything as is, and by now, a few days later, the cat has no problem sitting next to the dog. He is completely confident moving around the house and sharing his space with Morena. It was pure joy for me to wake up with them this weekend. They were both very playful and cooperative. Morena and Paxon chased their toys and Paxon didn't stop purring while I cuddled him. Although Paxon still refuses to play with Morena, he tolerates her presence and while I'm writing these lines, Morena is sleeping in her bed under the desk and Paxon is laying on the desk behind the computer monitor.