A Restless Seattleite

Trying To Keep In Mind:

2012-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

Fitzgerald's List Of Things For His 11 - Year Old Daughter To Worry About -

2012-01-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

When you hear the name F. Scott Fitzgerald, a lot of things come to mind. The Jazz Age. The Lost Generation. His tumultuous married life with Zelda. His difficult friendship with Hemingway. Alcohol! But the fact that the famous author was also someone’s dear old dad probably isn’t one of them. And in fact, Fitzgerald’s relationship with his only child, Scottie, grew to be just as estranged as the one with his wife in the later years of his life.

This closing from a 1933 letter to his daughter, which was spotted by Lists of Note, reveals that even in those troubled times, he still worried about her future happiness. In case you’re curious about how things turned out for Scottie, she managed to have a pretty normal life for someone who grew up hanging around cultural icons like Dorothy Parker, Picasso, and the aforementioned Hemingway. She went on to become a journalist, writing for such publications as The New Yorker and The Washington Post, and a staunch supporter of the Democratic party. Avoiding her famous parents’ battles with mental illness and tragically early ends, Scottie died in 1986 at the age of 65.

Things to worry about:

Worry about courage
Worry about cleanliness
Worry about efficiency
Worry about horsemanship

Things not to worry about:

Don’t worry about popular opinion
Don’t worry about dolls
Don’t worry about the past
Don’t worry about the future
Don’t worry about growing up
Don’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you
Don’t worry about triumph
Don’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault
Don’t worry about mosquitoes
Don’t worry about flies
Don’t worry about insects in general
Don’t worry about parents
Don’t worry about boys
Don’t worry about disappointments
Don’t worry about pleasures
Don’t worry about satisfactions

Things to think about:

What am I really aiming at?

How good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:

(a) Scholarship

(b) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?

(c) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?

With dearest love,
Daddy

I Want To Be A -

2012-01-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

A Great Gatsby Pillow?

2012-01-10T19:50:00.001-08:00

Who doesn't love The Great Gatsby?

I saw the bags at Barnes And Nobles

and knew I didn't want to use the bags

as well - bags but

as pillows...

And here is the final product.

Ballard Locks

2012-01-08T16:06:00.001-08:00

I love Ballard...

But the funny thing is -

I have never been to the Ballard Locks.

So Jonno and Mia took me

(Just like the child that I am)

To go watch the boats going through the locks.

It was quite interesting, fun and impressive.

Mia and me...

'Do Not Get Off During Lockage' - It's dirty...

Opening for a boat...

During the Spring apparently there is fish... Salmon that comes through.

Kiss the octopus?

Perfect Love Story - In Stop Motion

2012-01-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

Call me a sap.

But this stop motion video almost had me in tears.

It was perfect.

They even paired it with Sigur Ros music that was in Penelope

which of course made me feel all gooey.

Devour I Shall...

2012-01-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Who's That Girl?

2012-01-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

When I heard that Zooey Deschanel was going to have a new show

I kind of felt blah about it.

I am a huge fan of She And Him.

I love her dead pan humor but New Girl

just looked like - Blah.

But curiosity got the best of me.

I checked out the first episode and I couldn't stop laughing.

A day later - I am all caught up and addicted.

Damn it...

Zooey Deschanel is too cute for her own good.

My Goal For The New Year...

2012-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

La Banquise

2012-01-01T22:45:00.001-08:00

When we arrived at La Banquise -

There was a line out the door in the freezing rain.

And I understand why.

Their long list of different poutines is

diverse enough to make you come back,

no matter what you are craving.

Upon finishing my dish I almost

wanted to order another one...

But thought twice of it considering it is fries.

But now that I am home

I am craving some more.

Joy, me and Steffi Poutine happy...

Mushrooms, green peppers, onions, cheese and gravy.

I finished the whole damn thing.

Random Adventures In Montreal

2012-01-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

Everyday that we went out my cousin called it an adventure.

That it was.

She only being in Montreal for 2 months and me being a tourist.

We somehow manged to get around,

and asked a lot of strangers for directions.

Completely random and complete fun.

I love traveling...

Inside Eaton Centre which is part of Montreal's Underground City.

Fuck the snow storm... I wanted to see Place Ville Marie.

Dirty boots after two days of walking in the extreme snow.

It's a glass door? A sliding door?

Whatever it is: I found it humorous.

Ringing In The New Year In Montreal

2012-01-01T00:06:00.001-08:00

People in Montreal sure know how to party!

Ringing in the New Year in Old Montreal

was an eye opener.

Seattle seemed a bit lame when it came to New Years -

That is until we saw the fireworks...

A bit disappointing.

Nonetheless it was quite the adventure

full of laughs with Cameron and Steffi.

And me trying to tell my French speaking only taxi driver

how to get home was even more humorous...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Old Montreal was full of people...

I think everyone and their Momma were there.

What is that we see?

Hooray for the New Year!

Crazy. The ice skating ring was opened till 1:30 am.

Even though it was freezing.

Happy New Year everyone!

Taking the metro to downtown was interesting.

FULL of people.

Drunk people.

I got talked to quite a bit by a girl who only spoke in French...

I didn't know how to tell her I couldn't understand...

Grocery Shopping The Montreal Way

2011-12-30T22:39:00.000-08:00

Besides using public transportation -

I love shopping at the local grocery store.

I enjoyed it more in Montreal due to everything being in French.

I got a kick out of walking around

attempting to read everything.

And was surprised by some items!!!

Cheese. They call it P'tit but I've never seen them wrapped this long.

This is milk! In plastic bags?

I'm sure I can find this at Pike Place, but this was at your

traditional grocery store.

Honey with the honey comb.

Abandoned carts due to the extreme ice and snow.

Old Montreal

2011-12-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with Old Montreal.

Cobble stoned streets, boutique after boutique,

and complete charm.

I didn't want to leave.

I wandered around and around

and finally gave up when

the weather got beyond cold.

The oldest street in Montreal: Rue Saint - Paul.

Snow covered cobble stone street...

I believe Van Houtte Cafe is a Montreal coffee chain

but their coffee with chocolate shavings were delicious.

Trees, benches and snow near the port.

Perfection.

They had crepes with maple syrup. It was interesting. I ate it all though!

It is snowing in Old Montreal.

And I am smitten.

Poutine fries with mushrooms and onions from tourist trap

Montreal Poutine.

Old Montreal at freezing conditions.

Sadly it was time to go home...

A Little TOO Adorable...

2011-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

I think Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon - Levitt are just
the most adorable people alive...
And them singing one of my favorite Holiday songs -
What Are You Doing New Years Eve
together got me all tickled happy.
Could you get any more cuter?

A Dream Partially Crushed...

2011-12-30T00:27:00.000-08:00

- Inspiring Bookstore Shakespeare And Company In Paris -

For as long as I can remember:

I have always wanted to open up a bookstore.

A cozy, indie, creative bookstore.

But with the growing increase of ebooks -

Independent bookstores and even chain bookstores

are shutting down and settling for the world of the Internet.

This completely shattered me as I have come to realize that my hopes

for a bookstore of my own is coming to an end.

Deep down inside I hope we will return to real things

instead of everything being via the Internet.

That people will start to miss the feel and the smell of a worn old book.

Or even the company of people reading together in a welcoming bookstore.

But until that day comes:

I will stash my ideas of my bookstore

deep down in the back of my vault...

The Metro

2011-12-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

I had such a fun time going from place to place

thanks to Montreal's amazing metro system.

Honestly -

Out of all the places I have visited

Theirs is the most easy to navigate.

It makes me a bit jealous...

When will my beloved Seattle

finally finish the light rail?

Art in the metro...

We suspect The Three Musketeers in this one.

A bum catching up on some sleep in the metro...

Happy me because I don't need a car

to get from point A to point B..

Basilique Notre Dame De Montreal

2011-12-29T17:34:00.001-08:00

Finding Basilique Notre Dame De Montreal

was a bit of a trek in the snow.

I first went to the wrong church!

But gladly Canadians here are super friendly

and I met someone who not only directed me to the church

but also said it was his favorite among all he has seen in the world.

Upon stepping into the church I can see why.

It is stunning, beautiful and moving.

Not grand like the churches of Rome.

I loved the blue and green colors,

the wood cravings and the

over all serene feeling you get by

just sitting in a pew.

Worth the extreme cold to find

this amazing cathedral.

Up close. I think those are wood cravings...

The upstairs with the designs.

I want the green print for my own future home.

I lite a candle...

With wishes to travel half the world next year.

I fell in love with this for some reason.

This again just took my breath away.

You look forward and it is beautiful.

Then you look up and it is also beautiful.

Your surrounded by beauty.

From the outside...

Me in the cold in front of the church.

"Can You Picture How Drop Dead Gorgeous This City Is In The Rain?"

2011-12-28T21:23:00.001-08:00

"I mean I can give you a checkmate argument for each side.

You know, I sometimes think, how is anyone ever gonna come up with a book,

or a painting, or a symphony, or a sculpture that can compete with a great city.

You can't.

Because you look around and every street, every boulevard,

is its own special art form and when you think that in the cold,

violent, meaningless universe that Paris exists, these lights.

I mean come on, there's nothing happening on Jupiter or Neptune,

but from way out in space you can see these lights,
the cafés, people drinking and singing.

For all we know, Paris is the hottest spot in the universe."

I knew by the title alone that

Midnight In Paris was going to be a favorite film.

And once I heard the synopsis -

I was already in love.

A man wandering the streets of Paris

only to be transported to the 1920's

to share drinks with some of my favorites:

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway,

Picasso, and Salvador Dali...

I literally was jumping out of my seat with excitement.

Can you imagine discussing your work and life

with one of your heroes?

What sorts of inspiration would you be overcome with?

This movie was magical beyond words.

Woody Allan has created another gem.

And this one I will watch again and again -

To be captivated by the mystery and beauty

of Paris and all the great art that

was inspired by it.

Another Bookstore Bites The Dust...

2011-12-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

I try my best to shop at local bookstores or

especially second hand bookstores

before succumbing to a mega chain store.

But working in University Village -

Barnes And Nobles had become a sort of haven.

A place to kill time. A place to wander.

A place to relax.

So when I heard they were closing down

I was a little bummed.

Where I am going to hangout at?

The big (And much loathed by me) Starbucks?

Musee D' Art Contemporain De Montreal

2011-12-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Upon discovering that Montreal's

contemporary art museum was free -

I made the trek in the snow to check it out.

I understand now why it is free...

It wasn't impressive.

It wasn't stunning.

It was really random.

But nonetheless -

Nothing beats wandering a museum for free!

Post it note art?

I love this gold skull.

Surrounded by feathers...

But for some reason it made me think

of bacteria...

What I'm Looking Forward To On My Next Trip...

2011-12-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas At The Gamponia's

2011-12-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

Something was missing with Christmas 2010

and that was the fact that Steffi wasn't able to come

home to visit...

But let the tradition of a Gamponia Holiday continue in 2011!

We ate tons of food that the aunties insisted we eat

while random people sang to their hearts content on the karaoke...

Laughs, jokes and silly pictures ensued with

Steffi, Derek and I and

by the time I got home in the wee hours of the morning

I was all smiles.

Thanks Steffi for making the Holidays bright!!!

Thumbs down for the Holidays almost being over...

"Again Steffi?!?" "Sorry..."

Me, Steffi and Derek

Merry Christmas From My Home To Yours!

2011-12-25T16:40:00.000-08:00

This has been my most favorite apartment and

January is my last month here.

(Yes expect more photos again...)

So I spent Christmas here

enjoying the decoration,

the simplicity,

and lots and lots of egg nog!

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I was really into making snowflakes this year...

Paper Christmas tree inspired by Anthropologie.

My theme of my Christmas tree this year?

Seattle of course.

Pine cones, rain drops, coffee sleeves

and gray ball ornaments for clouds.

All topped with the Space Needle...

Oh yes I love my city...

The People Who Matter...

2011-12-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

"Impossible Things Are Happening Every Day!"

2011-12-21T23:06:00.000-08:00

What girl

- Or in my case: Woman -

doesn't like the classic story of Cinderella?

As unrealistic as it is,

it is nice to believe that one day all your

dreams will be handed over to you.

And while watching 5th Avenue Theater's

version of Rogers and Hammerstein's

Cinderella that was exactly what I felt.

I got swept away with the beautiful dresses,

thoughts of being a princess and of course

prince charming.

The music was a bit lacking to be honest

but they made up for it in stage decoration,

costumes and the hilarious step sisters.

(Which one of them was played in drag.)
Unforgettable evening of laughs, hopes and dreams.

"They're Dangerous At Both Ends And... Crafty In The Middle. Why Would I Want Anything With A Mind Of Its Own Bobbing About Between My Legs?"

2011-12-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

The second Sherlock Holmes:

- A Game Of Shadows -

was exciting and funny

but it just didn't have that

Ooohhhh Ahhhhh Wooowww feeling.

Which surprised me since I have always been a major fan of

Robert Downey Jr and director Guy Richie...

But nonetheless -

It is as it was advertised:

Action pack with great commodore between

Watson and Holmes.

It would make a good -

Rental DVD.

Best E Card EVER

2011-12-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

Made With Love. Lots Of Love...

2011-12-18T23:44:00.000-08:00

- Chocolate Truffle Cookies with my new favorite mug -

One of my favorite things about the Holidays

other than egg nog?

The excuse to make the shit out of things.

Which is exactly what I did.

I find that creating

soothes me...

Even if it doesn't turn out perfect.

And what's even more fun?

Giving your creations away.

"Happy Holidays Everyone!"

I thought I needed to add a little something to my

Chocolate Truffle Cookies.

But I didn't intend on them looking like nipples.

Needless to say:
I did not give these out.

But it is pretty hilarious.

I got a little obsessed with creating bark.

My most favorite was the

Oreo Cookie Bark!

I found a recipe for Beer Marshmallows.

I am not sure if I like them.

But homemade marshmallows is a fun science experiment.

Thanks to my mother's old sowing machine:

I had a hell of a fun time creating very

imperfect pillows for close friends.

Maybe by Spring I will be making dresses...

Handel's Messiah

2011-12-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Having grown up with only listening to

classical, musicals, and Christian music

but only to branch out to more

'worldly' music as an adult -

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to

Handel's Messiah at Benaroya Hall with my Mother.

Even more surprised by how much I remembered

from performing it as a child.

I initially went as a gift for my Mother who was in all smiles

during the show

but in the end it was also a sort of gift for myself.

Sometimes I forget how beautiful something can be

even if it's in relation to something religious...

Photo 30: In My Bag

2011-12-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

"You Make Perfect Scrambled Eggs!"

2011-12-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

Tradition!!!

As we have done for more then 3 years -

Get together, eat food and be merry.

And in deed it was fun because we have been

reunited with Mary who has returned from South Korea!

We sadly had too much fun chatting to take photos

but me, Tricia and Mary were able to snag one

in front of the gnome Christmas tree before

the evening was over!

(Until next year - Happy Holidays!)

"We Are Not Fucking Puppy Dogs!!!"

2011-12-16T12:47:00.000-08:00

I am so majorly late in catching up with

True Blood: Season 4.

And I don't care what other people say.

I loved this season.

It may be of the extra screen time

Eric Northman aka Alexander Skarsgard got.

It may be of all the gooey cheesy love everyone has for Sookie.

I don't know what it was but it caused me to be

mad crazy about True Blood all over again.

Something season 3 did not do for me.

So here's to Alan Ball getting back on track

and now I can not wait for Season 5.

(I want it now please...)

Don't Panic...

2011-12-15T03:22:00.000-08:00

Ok... I will...

Leavenworth 2011

2011-12-14T00:04:00.001-08:00

I have always wanted to go to Leavenworth for the Holiday Lights.

Oddly I have only visited during the Spring time.

So I was ecstatic when my family said

they wanted to make the road trip.

I was in complete bliss.

Not only because of the lights and the festive spirit

Leavenworth puts you in but because

of the cold weather and snow.

Needless to say -

Leavenworth for the Holiday season

was a perfect mini vacation...

Crowds and crowds of people

for the lighting.

Lights!

Spaetize noodles with cheese and caramelized onions at Cafe Christa. Delish delish delish.

Pretzel Christmas tree at The Danish Bakery.

Breakfast! Danish pastry...

Everything is in this font. Even Bank Of America and Starbucks.

Feeling cold? They had these little fires pits around the block.

Snow clusters. I found them very pretty...

Photo 24: Favorite Object

2011-12-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

-I thought and thought about what was

my favorite object and as always

it ends up being my vintage piano-

Photo 21: Gratitude

2011-12-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

Photo 20: Landscape

2011-12-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

Photo 19: Hands

2011-12-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

(I could only take a photo of one hand cause my other hand was holding the camera of course.)

Photo 18: Journey To Work

2011-12-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

What Is Magic?

2011-12-05T23:26:00.000-08:00

Photo 16: In My Fridge

2011-12-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

(Left over from Thanksgiving...)

Photo 14: Purchased

2011-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

"Life Is Only On Earth. And Not For Long..."

2011-12-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

I was drawn to Melancholia because

it was reviewed as a

beautiful movie about the end of the world.

I convinced one of my good friends to view it with me,

claiming it had to be one of the best movies ever.

The first eight minutes of the film was

a stunning (Yet confusing.)

visual sequence set to Richard Wagner's

Tristan Und Isolde.
Now eight minutes felt like a long time...
And once the movie actually begun,
I was already becoming irritated.
(And I even love classical music!)
It was filled with family awkwardness,
slow dialog, and despair.
I found myself more impressed with the tiny details:
The decor, settings and landscape.
That was what made the film beautiful.
It is like one big giant piece of art.
It should be a painting.
Or a music video.
Just not a movie.
As to whether I liked it or not?
I am not sure.
I feel like I need to re watch it again.
And perhaps skip the first eight minutes...

The trailer: Which I did not view before the film.

Photo 13: My Front Door

2011-12-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

Photo 12: Someone I Love

2011-11-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Sooner I See The World...

2011-11-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

Which Way?

2011-11-29T23:32:00.001-08:00

Photo 11: Favorite Color

2011-11-29T13:33:00.000-08:00

"I Think To Be A Well-Rounded Person, You Have To Experience Good And Bad, Wonderful Moments And Pain." - Adrien Brody

2011-11-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know what got me in the mood to

watch as many Adrien Brody films as possible.

But that is exactly what I did this week...

I watched:

Dummy, The Jacket, Darjeeling Limited
The Village, Hollywoodland, The Pianist
and
Love the Hard Way

After many hours of watching him on screen
I have come to this conclusion:
Adrien Brody is a
beautiful, talent and smart person.
He just sometimes chooses wonderful roles
in somewhat week movies.
Which to a larger audience -
might make him appear
himself as a week actor
when in fact he isn't.
I hope he continues to play conflicted and interesting characters
but in much stronger films.

Photo 10: View From My Window

2011-11-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

"Snake Doctor, We May Have A problem." "What Kind Of Problem?" " The Fully Automatic Kind."

2011-11-28T00:28:00.000-08:00

Let's be honest.
I don't really believe in the Army.
I have a tiny bit of faith in other areas of our government
but the Army is not one of them.
So it completely shocked me when I ended up
getting majorly addicted to
The Unit.
A series that follows the lives of five men
in a black opt unit.
Every time I forced myself to turn off the TV
(To actually get some rest.)
I would question myself:
Why in the world do you like this?
And I have finally come to an answer.
The Unit gave me a bleak eye into what I have
always believed about the Army.
Sometimes you do things for your country
not because it is right or wrong -
But because you were ordered to do so.
It was nice to see a series
that didn't sugar coat what it means to work
for your country.
It is bloody, it is selfish, and it is blind.
But that doesn't always mean the people are too.
It was those elements depicted in the show
that I really enjoyed.
Paired with some world politics and witty dialog -
It is a series I will own and re watch again and again...

Photo 9: Shoes

2011-11-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

Photo 8: Morning Routine

2011-11-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Photo 7: Self Protrait

2011-11-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

Can Love Happen In 24 Hours?

2011-11-25T00:38:00.000-08:00

When I start to miss a place,
I either look for music, books or movies to
sort of 'bring' me back to it.
I was missing London when I stumbled onto
Forget Me Not.
Sort of an indie film gem,
it immediately drew me into the
some what sad dialog between the
two leading characters -
Which was put to the amazing landscape of London.
The movie wasn't only my fix for the
beautiful city I was missing,
but also gave me a bit of hope
in a certain area where I have become
extremely jaded.
(Love)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving again

fell on me.

Mother was working at the hospital

and of course I had the day off already

to prepare and cook.

This year I did less dishes but

more people contributed so we had

10 times the more food!

It was wonderful.

And we seriously stuffed ourselves silly.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

This is only half of the food made.

My plate - Along with turkey.

Yes. I the vegetarian ate turkey.

But it was turkey that died happy.

(Not eating its own shit.)

Mia and Jonno joined us for Thanksgiving.

It was lovely.

My first attempt at glutton free pumpkin pie.

According to Mia :

Not bad.

But I shall perfect it.

Photo 6: Breakfast

2011-11-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

Photo 5: My Handwriting

2011-11-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

Keep In Mind This Thanksgiving...

2011-11-23T00:35:00.000-08:00

Photo 4: The Sky

2011-11-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

'Gnomeo, Are We Really Doomed To Never See Each Other Again? Why Must You Wear A Blue Hat? Why Couldn't It Be Red Like My Father, Or Green Like... Like A Leprechaun... Or Purple Like, Ummm, Like Some Weird Guy .'

2011-11-22T01:12:00.001-08:00

Gnomeo And Juliet was one of those movies on

my must see in the theater list

but life kept getting in the way

of me having fun and

giving me the time to go see it.

Now that I have seen it

I am completely mad with myself.

It was like Romeo And Juliet gone happy.

There is a family feud but at least:

It ends with no one dead.

And what made it more delightful?

Listening to the voices of

James McAvoy and Emily Blunt.

Now if you haven't seen it yourself:

Shame on you.

Cause this movie will just brighten your day.

Photo 3: What I'm Reading

2011-11-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

Fantasy Lights

2011-11-20T18:52:00.001-08:00

My mother claims she used to take me to

Fantasy Lights as a child.

But I honestly don't have any

memory of it.

So it was interesting and fun to rediscover it.

We walked in the freezing cold

laughing and singing songs

from Nightmare Before Christmas.

It is not even Thanksgiving yet

and I am already psyched for Christmas!

Mia and me freezing by twinkling snowflakes.

It's Santa on a boat!

I fell in love with this tree.

I want it in my backyard.

If I had a backyard...

Photo 2: My Closet

2011-11-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

How To Show Someone That You Love Them...

2011-11-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

Photo 1: Where I Sleep

2011-11-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

30 Day Photo Challenge

2011-11-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

I came across this while browsing the

ever addicting and interesting blogs on Tumblr.

The idea is to post a photo per day from the list.

I will start tomorrow

and try to keep it as creative as possible!

Rain On A Good Day. Rain On A Bad Day...

2011-11-15T23:58:00.000-08:00

"For Those Who Are Lost, There Will Always Be Cities That Feel Like Home..."

2011-11-15T01:10:00.000-08:00

I initially was drawn to

Everything Beautiful Began After

because of the book cover.

Then upon reading the name -

I decided to just go ahead and buy it.

I started reading it without a clue what it was about.

And the more I read, the more I was impressed.
Simon Van Booy writes with the soul of an wise
and older person.
Someone not from this era.
It was like reading poetry more than
reading a novel.
And by the end I was crying and
(At the risk of sounding cheesy.)
felt like a breath of life was blown into me.
There is no way to describe the book other than saying:
It was beautiful.

Millions Of Bananas

2011-11-14T23:50:00.000-08:00

I typical don't like bananas.

Actually, I hate them.

But when my co teacher suggested I take

the left over bananas from work

(Instead of wasting them.)

to bake some muffins -

I couldn't say no.

I had tons of fun cooking these muffins

though I myself wouldn't eat them!

Banana Muffins:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
(I Added These Ingredients)
1 bag chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2.In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
Then add chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

"For A Few Immortals To Live, Many People Must Die."

2011-11-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

I am not a fan of Justin Timberlake.

He has never done anything to influence

my decision on not liking him.

I just don't like him.

But to be fair and open minded -

I went along with some friends who really

wanted to see his new movie

In Time.
I was surprised to see Cillian Murphy in this film
and seeing him on screen definitely caught my attention
but the movie otherwise was lacking.
Character build up was weak,
lines weren't that good
and let's not get into what I think of the acting
but despite all that -
It had an interesting message that could be
targeted at our class system in our society.
After the movie we started talking about it:
Rich verses poor in terms of
health care, healthy food and better education.
If the writers goal was to send awareness
(To those of us that choose to be ignorant.)
about our class system and the long term affects of
poverty and bad education
then I would consider this film a success.

Flight Of The Frenchies

2011-11-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

The trailer for Flight Of The Frenchies

left me completely impressed.

In fact, I am speechless.

While watching this

I felt the need to be more free.

Take risks

Get out more.

Live.

Apparently there is a 40 minute documentary

now available online

and you can also support them at

http://www.sebmontaz.com/

Cool Is A Concept Devoid Of All Meaning...

2011-11-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

I'd Rather Be This French Bulldog...

2011-11-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

"Whenever We Needed Money, We'd Rob The Airport. To Us, It Was Better Than Citibank."

2011-11-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

Goodfellas really got my attention.

I have always been a fan of mob movies

but this one ten times more

due to the fact that it is based on a true story.

It's funny how the main character is a complete asshole

and yet you end up rooting for him the whole time.

Definitely a movie I need to have in my collection

and perhaps a book I need to read...

Show Me...

2011-11-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

Modern day note from My Fair Lady?

Show Me Now!

My Favorite Prince Charming

2011-11-06T00:42:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how the topic of Disney's
prince charmings came up
but I found myself discussing why
Prince Eric was my favorite prince charming.
And funny thing is -
It wasn't about looks but more about personality.
(I know but humor me.)
He loves music, he travels on a boat,
has an adorable dog,
loves to help people
and he fights for his true love though she is a mermaid...
I mean what's not to love?
Somethings (Since my childhood.)
does not change.
Prince Eric will always be my favorite
prince charming
no matter how old I get...

Top 15 - November Mixtape

2011-11-05T01:07:00.000-07:00

The Playlist:

Crying Lightningg - Arctic Monkeys
Muscle Museum - Muse
What's This? - Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
Bon Voyage - Drew Grow And The Pastors' Wives
Hagrid's Beard - Harry And The Potters
St Germain - Vanessa Paradis
Deep Cuts - Cataldo
Eating Paper - David Bazan
I'm Sorry - Feist
Delicate - Damien Rice
Naked As We Came - Iron And Wine
Misread - Kings Of Convenience
An Ocean And A Rock - Lisa Hannigan
Winter Wonderland - Ella Fitzgerald
Dawn - Pride And Prejudice Soundtrack

Five Simple Rules

2011-11-02T01:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Conflicting Desires To Be Unique And To Be Part Of A Group...

2011-11-02T00:40:00.000-07:00

" I Don't Want To Stay In My Comfort Zone. I Want To Take Risks And Keep Myself Scared." - Michael Fassbender

2011-11-01T00:48:00.000-07:00

Because he is talented, smart and beautiful -

I am dedicating this post to Michael Fassbender...

His words along with his photos....

Everything I put my name to and take part in,

I want to be good. That's not saying it will always happen.

But I want to make bold choices.

We live in this society where nowadays if I want something,

I take it, I eat it - it`s so easy and readily available.

When you take all that away, you actually become more appreciative of the things around you.

I don`t want to do it again, but there is a level where it humbles you in a good way.

Even if I'm playing a superhero, it has to be steeped in reality.

Everything I put my name to and take part in,

I want to be good.

That's not saying it will always happen.

But I want to make bold choices.

You use words like 'introvert' and 'extrovert,'
various traits of a personality.

A lot of that stuff, we used in drama school,
and that was kind of interesting,

to realize my teachers sort of ripped off a lot of Jung.

And how much of it is part of our society now,
these phrases, introvert and extrovert,

where it actually came from.

This Is Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T23:56:00.000-07:00

This year's Halloween was pretty mellow.

I noticed it is getting more and more so every year.

(I guess it comes with age?)

After passing out pencils in front of our center

in University Village,

I went to see the William Castle

double feature -

13 Ghosts, Tingler

at the newly renovated SIFF Uptown Theater.

In complete costume of course!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My spider web nails done by friend Laura...

Homemade skeleton costume...

Miss Mickey Mouse Mia and Skeleton me in front of Uptown Theater...

"I Don't Like Graveyards, And I Need Something New. There Must Be More To Life Than Just Yelling, 'Boo!'"

2011-10-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

To get ready for Halloween,

I always make time to watch

The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Not only does it get me excited for Halloween

but for Christmas as well!

So in honor of All Hallows Day and Tim Burton's classic film,

here is the original poem Tim Burton wrote

which inspired the movie...

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

By Tim Burton

It was late one fall in Halloweenland, and the air had quite a chill.

Against the moon a skeleton sat, alone upon a hill.

He was tall and thin with a bat bow tie;

Jack Skellington was his name.

He was tired and bored in Halloweenland--

Everything was always the same.

"I'm sick of the scaring, the terror, the fright.

I'm tired of being something that goes bump in the night.

I'm bored with leering my horrible glances,

And my feet hurt from dancing those skeleton dances."

I don't like graveyards, and I need something new.

There must be more to life than just yelling, 'Boo!'"

Then out from a grave, with a curl and a twist,

Came a whimpering, whining, spectral mist.

It was a little ghost dog, with a faint little bark,

And a jack-o'-lantern nose that glowed in the dark.
It was Jack's dog, Zero, the best friend he had,

But Jack hardly noticed, which made Zero sad.

All that night and through the next day,

Jack wandered and walked. He was filled with dismay.

Then deep in the forest, just before night,

Jack came upon an amazing sight.

Not twenty feet from the spot where he stood

Were three massive doorways carved in wood.

He stood before them, completely in awe,

His gaze transfixed by one special door.

Entranced and excited, with a slight sense of worry,

Jack opened the door to a white, windy flurry.

Jack didn't know it, but he'd fallen down

In the middle of a place called Christmas Town!

Immersed in the light, Jack was no longer haunted.

He had finally found the feeling he wanted.

And so that his friends wouldn't think him a liar,

He took the present-filled stockings that hung by the fire.

He took candy and toys that were stacked on the shelves

And a picture of Santa with all of his elves.

He took lights and ornaments and the star from the tree,

And from the Christmas Town sign, he took the big letter C.

He picked up everything that sparkled or glowed.

He even picked up a handful of snow.

He grabbed it all, and without being seen

He took it all back to Halloween.

Back in Halloween a group of Jack's peers

Stared in amazement at his Christmas souvenirs.

For this wondrous vision none were prepared.

Most were excited, though a few were quite scared!

For the next few days, while it lightninged and thundered,

Jack sat alone and obsessively wondered.

"Why is it they get to spread laughter and cheer

While we stalk the graveyards, spreading panic and fear?

Well, I could be Santa, and I could spread cheer!

Why does he get to do it year after year?"

Outraged by injustice, Jack thought and he thought.

Then he got an idea. "Yes. . .yes. . .why not!"

In Christmas Town, Santa was making some toys

When through the din he heard a soft noise.

He answered the door, and to his surprise,

He saw weird little creatures in strange disguise.

They were altogether ugly and rather petite.

As they opened their sacks, they yelled, "Trick or treat!"

Then a confused Santa was shoved into a sack

And taken to Halloween to see mastermind Jack.

In Halloween everyone gathered once more,

For they'd never seen a Santa before.

And as they cautiously gazed at this strange old man,

Jack related to Santa his masterful plan:

"My dear Mr. Claus, I think it's a crime

That you've got to be Santa all of the time!

But now I will give presents, and I will spread cheer.
We're changing places--I'm Santa this year.

It is I who will say Merry Christmas to you!

So you may lie in my coffin, creak doors, and yell, 'Boo!'

And please, Mr. Claus, don't think ill of my plan.

For I'll do the best Santa job that I can."

And though Jack and his friends thought they'd do a good job,

Their idea of Christmas was still quite macabre.

They were packed up and ready on Christmas Eve day

When Jack hitched his reindeer to his sleek coffin sleigh,

But on Christmas Eve as they were about to begin,

A Halloween fog slowly rolled in.

Jack said, "We can't leave; this fog's just too think.

There will be no Christmas, and I can't be St. Nick."

Then a small glowing light pierced through the fog.

What could it be?. . .It was Zero, Jack's dog!

Jack said, "Zero, with your nose so bright,

Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

And to be so needed was Zero's great dream,

So he joyously flew to the head of the team.

And as the skeletal sleigh started its ghostly flight,

Jack cackled, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

'Twas the nightmare before Christmas, and all though the house,

Not a creature was peaceful, not even a mouse.

The stockings all hung by the chimney with care,

When opened that morning would cause quite a scare!

The children, all nestled so snug in their beds,

Would have nightmares of monsters and skeleton heads.

The moon that hung over the new-fallen snow

Cast an eerie pall over the city below,

And Santa Claus's laughter now sounded like groans,

And the jingling bells like chattering bones.

And what to their wondering eyes should appear,

But a coffin sleigh with skeleton deer.

And a skeletal driver so ugly and sick

They knew in a moment, this can't be St. Nick!

From house to house, with a true sense of joy,

Jack happily issued each present and toy.

From rooftop to rooftop he jumped and he skipped,

Leaving presents that seemed to be straight from a crypt!

Unaware that the world was in panic and fear,

Jack merrily spread his own brand of cheer.

He visited the house of Susie and Dave;

They got a Gumby and Pokey from the grave.

Then on to the home of little Jane Neeman;

She got a baby doll possessed by a demon.

A monstrous train with tentacle tracks,

A ghoulish puppet wielding an ax,

A man-eating plant disguised as a wreath,

And a vampire teddy bear with very sharp teeth.

There were screams of terror, but Jack didn't hear it,

He was much too involved with his own Christmas spirit!

Jack finally looked down from his dark, starry frights

And saw the commotion, the noise, and the light.

"Why, they're celebrating, it looks like such fun!

They're thanking me for the good job that I've done."

But what he thought were fireworks meant as goodwill

Were bullets and missiles intended to kill.

Then amidst the barrage of artillery fire,

Jack urged Zero to go higher and higher.

And away they all flew like the storm of a thistle,

Until they were hit by a well-guided missile.

And as they fell on the cemetery, way out of sight,

Was heard, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

Jack pulled himself up on a large stone cross,

And from there he reviewed his incredible loss.

"I thought I could be Santa, I had such belief. . ."

Jack was confused and filled with great grief.

Not knowing where to turn, he looked toward the sky,

Then he slumped on the grave and he started to cry.

And as Zero and Jack lay crumpled on the ground,

They suddenly heard a familiar sound. . . .

"My dear Jack," said Santa, "I applaud your intent.

I know wreaking such havoc was not what you meant.

And so you are sad and feeling quite blue,

But taking over Christmas was the wrong thing to do.

I hope you realize Halloween's the right place for you.

There's a lot more, Jack, that I'd like to say,

But now I must hurry, for it's almost Christmas day.

Then he jumpedwink of an eye,

He said, "Merry Christmas," and he bid them good-bye.

Back home, Jack was sad, but then, like a dream,

Santa brought Christmas to the land of Halloween.

10 Seattle Band Inspired Costumes - No One Else WIll Be Wearing This Halloween

2011-10-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

This was just hilarious...

And I wish I seen it before

I had picked out my outfit!

I would have loved to be a

Head and a Heart...

Brilliant ideas...

It’s a time-honored tradition to dress up as your favorite musician for Halloween. Come this weekend, we’re sure there will be many a David Bowie, zombie Amy Winehouse, and generic “rock star” wandering around Capitol Hill. Bands even impersonate other bands and play cover shows, like at the “Come As You Aren’t” concert happening at the Skylark. Nationwide is great, but let’s get esoteric: can we plumb the depths of local Seattle bands for costume inspiration?

Death Cab For Cutie

Dress as a bloodied taxi driver and approach cute girls offering them the ride of their lives.

Gold Leaves

Coat yourself in something sticky (molasses is a flavorful glue substitute) and roll around on the sidewalk. There’s a nice patch of fall color by our office if you need help leaf-scouting. Then liberally apply a few cans of gold spray paint. The end result: Martha Stewart craft project meets hamster nest. Want something less sticky? You could just rob the house party you’re crashing of any jewelry. This also nets you jewelry.

Fleet Foxes

Dress as foxes. In sailor suits. Of course, you run the risk of being branded a furry, and no one will believe your explanation.Or if you want to go as a different adjective + animal, dress as a mouse and don’t talk to anyone all evening.

The Globes

You’ll also have to bust out the papier-mache for this one. Making a sphere is challenging, but here’s some words of advice: yoga ball. Just remember to do half at a time.

The Head and the Heart

One of you is the head. The other is the heart. It’s Halloween, so liberal application of blood is required. Bonus points if the heart squirts.

More ideas:

Blue Scholars

Combine Tobias Funke’s Blue Man with a graduation gown and mortarboard and you’re good to go. Have a friend help or you’ll be bluing yourself.

These Arms Are Snakes

Ideally you would use living pythons, but rubber ones will do in a pinch. Time to hit Archie McPhees’!

Throw Me The Statue

Carry a small gargoyle or plaster cast of “The Thinker.” Hand it to random people, then order them to toss it back to you. You could also bleed into a nifty Indiana Jones costume if you want to get really meta.

Don’t Talk to the Cops

Dress however you please. Call in a noise complaint and just hide from the SPD when your party gets busted. Also to be avoided: Seattle band The Cops.

Partman Parthorse

Centaurs. The end.

Wolves in the Throne Room

Take a page out of Game of Thrones and don some winter garb, a crown, and train a wild dire wolf cub from birth. Or, y’know, just get a stuffed animal.

Pickwick In Suzzallo Reading Room

2011-10-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

It is already obvious

how much I love love love

Pickwick...

And my love just grew ten times more with

this stunning video of Blackout

filmed at the UW Suzzallo Reading Room.

Just simply wonderful...

29 Ways To Stay Creative

2011-10-26T02:39:00.000-07:00

I Am In Love With This Photo

2011-10-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous Voice Paired Perfectly With A Gorgeous Video

2011-10-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

I have been going on and on and on

about how amazing Cataldo's new album

Prison Boxing is...

And apparently this video of Deep Cuts

is fairly old but is new to me...

It made me fall in love with the song all over again

and definitely is the most perfect Northwest depiction.

People singing in the light rain?

Completely gorgeous...

I Love The Way...

2011-10-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

"There Is A Part Of Me That Needs To Have This Kind Of Stimulation To The Brain. I Must Have Fucking Stimulation." - Johnny Depp

2011-10-20T00:43:00.000-07:00

Vanity Fair always does the

most stunning photographs and

most personal interviews

of my most favorite and most admired

human being alive:

Johnny Depp.

This month's issue was no exception...

Love the photos?

The interview is even better...

"Her Life? Which Life? The Life She Lived Or The Life She Dreamed?"

2011-10-19T01:45:00.000-07:00

I will admit:
I watched Angel only because
Michael Fassbender was in it.
And he honestly is the only thing
the film had going for itself.
The leading character - Angel
has to be the most annoying character ever written.
Her disbelief of her own life,
the truths she somehow misses,
creates her downfall.
Only you don't have any sympathy for her...
Making the film almost entirely unlikeable.
But somehow -
No matter how minor his role was,
Michael Fassbender redeems the movie...
Proof of talent in my opinion...

Fernweh - My New Favorite Word

2011-10-18T04:56:00.000-07:00

'We're Gonna Be Fine. We Have To Do It, It's The Right Thing To Do And Nothing Bad Happens When Your Doing The Right Thing.' 'Is This Your Personal Theory? Cause I Can Shoot Holes In It.' ' Well There's Exceptions To Every Rule.'

2011-10-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

I dived right into The Ides Of March

without knowing much about the film

other than the fact that

it was directed by George Clooney.

And that was all I needed to know to

be aware that it would be worth my time.

And WOW was it.

I was taken by surprise by the smartness

and the subtleness of the movie.

Ryan Gosling goes from being a naive believer in politics

to a jaded campaign leader.

The change is done without words that you

almost miss it.

To me:

This sort of acting and directing is complete brilliance.

Go see The Ides Of March

for yourself...

Be wowed by the bluntness of politics

and a movie well put together...

Typical Chick Flicks...

2011-10-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved this article from

The New Yorker so much that it

needed to be posted on my blog.

She is so on spot about typical

chick flick movies...

Flick Chicks: A guide to women in the movies
By Mindy Kaling

A few years ago, I sat down for a meeting with some executives at a movie studio that I will call Thinkscope Visioncloud. Thinkscope Visioncloud had put out several of my favorite movies, and they wanted to see if I had any feature ideas. I was very excited. I have a great job writing for “The Office,” but, really, all television writers do is dream of one day writing movies. I’ll put it this way: At the Oscars the most famous person in the room is, like, Angelina Jolie. At the Emmys the huge exciting celebrity is Bethenny Frankel. You get what I mean. It’s snobby and grossly aspirational, but it’s true.

The junior executives’ office at Thinkscope Visioncloud was nicer than any room within a fifty-mile radius of the “Office” studio. After I finished pitching one of my ideas for a low-budget romantic comedy, I was met with silence. One of the execs sheepishly looked at the other execs. He finally said, “Yeah, but we’re really trying to focus on movies about board games. People really seem to respond to those.”

For the rest of the meeting, we talked about whether there was any potential in a movie called “Yahtzee!” I made some polite suggestions and left.

I am always surprised at what movie studios think people will want to see. I’m even more surprised at how often they are correct. Based on what I’ve learned from my time in Hollywood, the following titles are my best guess as to what may soon be coming to a theatre near you:

“Bananagrams 3D”

“Apples to Apples 4D” (The audience is pummelled with apples at the end of the movie.)

“Crest Whitestrips”

“Sharks vs. Volcanoes”

“King Tut vs. King Kong”

“Streptococcus vs. Candidiasis” (Strep Throat vs. Yeast Infection)

“The Do-Over”

“The Switcheroo”

“Street Smart”

“Street Stupid” (“Street Smart” sequel)

“Fat Astronaut”

“The Untitled Liam Neeson Vendetta Project”

“Human Quilt” (Horror movie)

“The Cute Bear from Those Toilet-Paper Ads Movie”

Those movies all sound great to me, and, incidentally, I am prepared to write any of them, if there is interest. But what I’d really like to write is a romantic comedy. This is my favorite kind of movie. I feel almost embarrassed revealing this, because the genre has been so degraded in the past twenty years that saying you like romantic comedies is essentially an admission of mild stupidity. But that has not stopped me from enjoying them.

I like watching people fall in love onscreen so much that I can suspend my disbelief in the contrived situations that occur only in the heightened world of romantic comedies. I have come to enjoy the moment when the male lead, say, slips and falls right on top of the expensive wedding cake. I actually feel robbed when the female lead’s dress doesn’t get torn open at a baseball game while the JumboTron camera is on her. I regard romantic comedies as a subgenre of sci-fi, in which the world operates according to different rules than my regular human world. For me, there is no difference between Ripley from “Alien” and any Katherine Heigl character. They are equally implausible. They’re all participating in a similar level of fakey razzle-dazzle, and I enjoy every second of it.

It makes sense, then, that in the romantic-comedy world there are many specimens of women who—like Vulcans or Mothra—do not exist in real life. Here are some examples:

The Klutz

When a beautiful actress is cast in a movie, executives rack their brains to find some kind of flaw in the character she plays that will still allow her to be palatable. She can’t be overweight or not perfect-looking, because who would pay to see that? A female who is not one hundred per cent perfect-looking in every way? You might as well film a dead squid decaying on a beach somewhere for two hours.

So they make her a Klutz.

The hundred-per-cent-perfect-looking female is perfect in every way except that she constantly bonks her head on things. She trips and falls and spills soup on her affable date (Josh Lucas. Is that his name? I know it’s two first names. Josh George? Brad Mike? Fred Tom? Yes, it’s Fred Tom). The Klutz clangs into stop signs while riding her bike and knocks over giant displays of fine china in department stores. Despite being five feet nine and weighing a hundred and ten pounds, she is basically like a drunk buffalo who has never been a part of human society. But Fred Tom loves her anyway.

The Ethereal Weirdo

The smart and funny writer Nathan Rabin coined the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl to describe this archetype after seeing Kirsten Dunst in the movie “Elizabethtown.” This girl can’t be pinned down and may or may not show up when you make concrete plans with her. She wears gauzy blouses and braids. She likes to dance in the rain and she weeps uncontrollably if she sees a sign for a missing dog or cat. She might spin a globe, place her finger on a random spot, and decide to move there. The Ethereal Weirdo appears a lot in movies, but nowhere else. If she were from real life, people would think she was a homeless woman and would cross the street to avoid her. But she is essential to the male fantasy that even if a guy is boring he deserves a woman who will find him fascinating and perk up his dreary life by forcing him to go skinny-dipping in a stranger’s pool.

The Woman Who Is Obsessed with Her Career and Is No Fun at All

I regularly work sixteen hours a day. Yet, like most people I know who are similarly busy, I’m a pleasant, pretty normal person. But that’s not how working women are depicted in movies. I’m not always barking orders into my hands-free phone device and yelling, “I have no time for this!” Often, a script calls for this uptight career woman to “relearn” how to seduce a man, and she has to do all sorts of crazy degrading crap, like eat a hot dog in a sexy way or something. And since when does holding a job necessitate that a woman pull her hair back in a severe, tight bun? Do screenwriters think that loose hair makes it hard to concentrate?

The Forty-two-Year-Old Mother of the Thirty-Year-Old Male Lead

If you think about the backstory of a typical mother character in a romantic comedy, you realize this: when “Mom” was an adolescent, the very week she started to menstruate she was impregnated with a baby who would grow up to be the movie’s likable brown-haired leading man. I am fascinated by Mom’s sordid early life. I would rather see this movie than the one I bought a ticket for.

I am so brainwashed by the young-mom phenomenon that when I saw the poster for “The Proposal” I wondered for a second if the proposal in the movie was Ryan Reynolds’ suggesting that he send his mother, Sandra Bullock, to an old-age home.
The Sassy Best Friend

You know that really hilarious and horny best friend who is always asking about your relationship and has nothing really going on in her own life? She always wants to meet you in coffee shops or wants to go to Bloomingdale’s to sample perfumes? She runs a chic dildo store in the West Village? Nope? O.K., that’s this person.

The Skinny Woman Who Is Beautiful and Toned but Also Gluttonous and Disgusting

Again, I am more than willing to suspend my disbelief for good set decoration alone. One pristine kitchen from a Nancy Meyers movie like “It’s Complicated” compensates for five scenes of Diane Keaton being caught half naked in a topiary. But I can’t suspend disbelief enough, for instance, if the gorgeous and skinny heroine is also a ravenous pig when it comes to food. And everyone in the movie—her parents, her friends, her boss—are all complicit in this huge lie. They constantly tell her to stop eating. And this actress, this poor skinny actress who obviously lost weight to play the likable lead character, has to say things like “Shut up, you guys! I love cheesecake! If I want to eat an entire cheesecake, I will!” If you look closely, you can see this woman’s ribs through the dress she’s wearing—that’s how skinny she is, this cheesecake-loving cow.

The Woman Who Works in an Art Gallery

How many freakin’ art galleries are out there? Are people buying visual art on a daily basis? This posh/smart/classy profession is a favorite in movies. It’s in the same realm as kindergarten teacher or children’s-book illustrator in terms of accessibility: guys don’t really get it, but it is likable and nonthreatening.

Art Gallery Woman: “Dust off the Warhol. You know, that Campbell’s Soup one in the crazy color! We have an important buyer coming into town, and this is a really big deal for my career. I have no time for this!”

The Gallery Worker character is the rare female movie archetype that has a male counterpart. Whenever you meet a handsome, charming, successful man in a romantic comedy, the heroine’s friend always says the same thing: “He’s really successful. He’s”—say it with me—“an architect!”

There are, like, nine people in the entire world who are architects, and one of them is my dad. None of them look like Patrick Dempsey.

For Independent Video Store Day - Consider Long Live The Round Disc

2011-10-15T01:49:00.000-07:00

-HAPPY INDEPENDENT VIDEO STORE DAY-
Today is the celebration of Independent Video Stores nation wide.
My most favorite video store is of course
Scarecrow Video.
And in correspondence with today's celebration
they posted this article from
Outlaw Vern blog.
It is something to think about before you
decide where you buy or watch your next film...

Long Live the Round Disc

Why we’d have to be stupid to let hard copies go away

You and I, we love movies. We might even love music. Possibly books. We might’ve been happy living our lives going to movie theaters, watching videos or DVDs at home, putting on a record or a CD, then cracking open a paperback. It worked pretty well, nobody had any complaints really. But we live during the time of a massive technological shift that’s changing everything we do, including our viewing, listening and reading. Come to think of it it’s changing our way of life.

There are countless great things about digital technology, but there are also some huge drawbacks to abandoning some of the old ways. In our lust for the latest gadgets and conveniences I wonder if we’ve put enough thought into what we’re on the verge of giving up.

I wanted to finish this column before Saturday, because that’s been declared the first annual Independent Video Store Day. But one thing that got me thinking about these issues a few months ago, I was maybe gonna get a new computer. Some new models of Mini Macs had just come out. They’re way faster than the old piece of shit I have, and not as expensive as I thought they would be. The only drawback I noticed: no optical drive.

It’s true, most people don’t load software from CDs anymore, it’s mostly downloads. Fair enough. But that was never the reason why optical drives have been an expected built-in feature on all computers for years. College kids watch DVDs on their laptops, and people like me listen to CDs on their computers. Come on man, I did what you asked. You lured me into getting rid of my stereo, I play music on my computer and then I put the songs I want to on my iPod. Pour one on the curb for Steve Jobs and everything, but pretending the optical drive is obsolete is a dick move by Apple. It’s an abusive monopolistic type of strategy: make it less convenient to use long established high quality formats (forcing you to buy a separate external drive to do something that used to be built-in) in hopes that more people won’t want to bother and will start using iTunes.

NOT WANTING TO BOTHER

The shifts from VHS to DVD and from that-old-ass-TV-I-had-for-years to HD were caused by a rise in quality. After I saw what BARBARELLA looked like on DVD I wasn’t gonna go back to the tape. Unfortunately some of the other shifts we’re making are more like a home-cooked-meal to TV-dinner type of shift. It’s not as good as the real thing, but it’s easier and cheaper.

This next complaint would’ve started a shit storm if I brought it up just a couple months ago, because it’s about Netflix. I think I got a safe window here because people are mad that they raised their prices. Before that people loved that corporation more than their own grandmas. Richard Corliss learned that when he had the nerve to write in Time Magazine about his “misgivings about the service’s usefulness, especially compared with that of a real, well-stocked video store, and about the possibly harmful effect that Netflix and other online retail outfits may have on American society.” Admittedly the headline (”Why Netflix Stinks”) sounded more inflammatory than the article itself and got people’s blood pumping so they didn’t notice what the actual article said, which was mainly that he misses going to the really great video store that used to be in his neighborhood and wishes he wasn’t forced to give it up for a service that he doesn’t think is as good. But by the hostile reactions he got in various rebuttals and comments sections you’d think the headline used the n-word three times divided up by reader’s unlisted home phone numbers.

People never got that defensive about corporate chains like Blockbuster, Starbucks, Subway or Best Buy, but Netflix was different. It was okay, even cool, to wrap your identity up in their branding. Like Corliss said you couldn’t impulse-rent because you had to wait for the mail, and the selection wasn’t as good as some video stores, but it was a good deal because you pay the monthly fee and get them to mail you a whole bunch of movies. It made rental stores, who if they weren’t part of a big chain had to pay more for their movies as well as cover all the overhead of having a building and electricity and employees, seem expensive. But as it turns out, what Netflix was charging wasn’t enough to cover their overhead either.

That was the Netflix rope-a-dope that went mostly uncommented on. What most people saw as just a raise in prices was also an admission that their business model wasn’t sustainable. Getting to rent movies for that much cheaper than a store seemed impossible because it was. Using the time-honored “first rock is free” method of salesmanship they got people hooked, then brought the price up a little. Honestly, the prices now are still cheap, but they devalued movie rentals with their previous prices to the point where their customers can’t comprehend that.

Unlike the crack dealer I’m comparing them to, Netflix lost some customers with that move. DVD by mail is not as good of a service as crack delivery, it turns out. But they don’t care, because they don’t even want to be in that business anyway. They split off the mail order side of the business and even tried to rename it so they could kill it off. That’s the larger admission: not only was their previous price structure not going to be profitable, their new one isn’t either. They want out of the game. They don’t want to send you stuff, that’s a pain in the ass. They just want you to push a button to have a shitty compressed version of a movie pumped into your house like the food in MEET THE HOLLOWHEADS (a weird 1989 movie listed on the Netflix websight but not currently available):

In the movie they have everything piped into their houses because it’s some kind of post-apocalyptic situation where it’s dangerous to go outside. We just have everything piped into our houses because we want to.

THE TRADE-OFF

Of course you can’t deny the many advantages of these new technologies. For the artist (or owner of the art) there’s the matter of not having to print up copies of a DVD, record or book and ship them to people, you can just have a file available for download. That makes it easier to make art available at less financial risk, and therefore it encourages the weird and the obscure. The advent of print-on-demand books got me into the world of publishing, and it was an ebook that attracted my real publisher. Also we’ve all read about that girl in her 20s who became a millionaire writing vampire ebooks, and we all tried to figure out how to get in on that shit. The new gold rush. I wouldn’t even have to get rich, just pay the bills that way and I’d fall in love with the Kindle, even though I don’t personally plan to ever get one.

For the viewer/listener/reader, I guess the advantage is storage. Your copy of BARBARELLA is not an object, it doesn’t exist as physical matter, so you don’t have to make space for it. We got tired of all the shit in our apartment so we switched to digital files. Then we got tired of our hard drives dying and losing all our files so they want us to be on “The Cloud,” storing our files somewhere else, through the air. Another great way to convince everybody they gotta pay a monthly bill to a corporation for something they never previously thought they needed.

But I don’t know if that’ll catch on. Maybe they’ll come up with something better. I can see why people are down with switching to files instead of hard copies, but let’s just be sure everybody understands what we’re signing on to. This is the main point I want people to consider, so I’m gonna bold this shit: We’re not just using a newer technology, we’re agreeing to a re-definition of what it means to buy art and/or entertainment.

When you buy a DVD, or a CD, or a book, you aren’t buying “intellectual property,” you’re buying a vessel that contains a movie or an album or a story or what have you. You own that vessel. It belongs to you. If you get sick of it and don’t want it anymore, or if you just need the money, you can go sell them to a pawn shop or a used bookstore, or on ebay. But you can’t sell a file used. When you buy a file on iTunes or Amazon you don’t own anything, you’ve just licensed some software for home use.

It’s a weird philosophical shift, but not necessarily a big deal for most people if they don’t get hard up for money and need to sell off their shit sometimes. Or if they have things that are more valuable they could sell, like tools, jewelry or music equipment. Fair enough. But there are other ramifications. Changing the definition of buying these things also limits the possibilities of archiving them.

Let’s say the Weinstein Company buys the American rights to a great Asian film and don’t bother to release it for a couple years. What you can do now, you can find out if there’s an English-subtitled Asian release of that movie and you can import it. You might need a region free player, but you can get it, or you can watch it on VLC player (if your computer has an optical drive – ah, shit!). The Weinsteins don’t want this, so if they find out an American company is selling the import they’ll send cease-and-desist orders and scare them away. Everybody knows they have no legal ground for that, it’s just a good bully tactic because they have more money and lawyers than you do, so fuck you. Eventually they’ll release their version, Bey Logan will have a pretty good commentary track on it, everything’s fine now. Later, if they stop making that DVD, you can still find used copies for sale online, or you can rent it from a video store, maybe even borrow it for free from a library.

Now imagine this happening in a future where movies only come as downloads or streams. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that the Weinsteins and other companies won’t suddenly turn into our best buddies because of the new technology. There might still be guys out there who act like dicks, is what I’m thinking. It seems possible, anyway.

In this scenario I’m not sure how different regions will be controlled. I assume they will be able to stop overseas companies from streaming or uploading the movie to American computers, but I’m not sure how exactly that will work. But after they release that movie, if they decide it’s no longer in their interest to keep it available, or if they lose the rights and nobody else picks it up, or if they decide they want to keep it out of circulation so they can do a new version later, or whatever, it will disappear. There will be no archive.

Right now, out of print means “harder to get.” You can legally buy it, it just might be more expensive, depending on supply and demand. But without hard copies you simply can’t legally buy it. If the corporations aren’t making it available at that moment then getting it will be illegal. We’ve already seen that corporations can track who is uploading a file, who is downloading it, and that they are sometimes willing to prosecute people for it. If Disney doesn’t want you to see TRON before TRON LEGACY comes out, you won’t fucking see TRON. If they want to put PINOCCHIO in the vault for a while then you’re not seeing it. Sorry.

And out-of-printness won’t only be at a corporation’s discretion. It will also come from economics. Let’s say Netflix has HOLY MOUNTAIN available for instant viewing. (I don’t think they do, this is just a hypothetical example using a movie that oughta fucking be available at all times.) That means the Netflix corporation has made a deal with whoever owns HOLY MOUNTAIN to have the exclusive rights to stream it for such-and-such window of time. Once that window ends they may decide not enough people are interested in the Sanctuary of 1,000 Testicles to be worth paying for that contract again. Then it’s gone until some other company can pony up the cash.

I mean, don’t panic. I still have the dvd and the blu-ray sitting on my shelf. I’d be happy to loan it to you. But for movies that come out in a post hard copy world you won’t be able to count on my shelf.

So you see, we’re making space in our apartments, but we’re giving up our tried and true system of archiving.

I believe our boner for supreme convenience will cause us to wake up one morning lying next to an ugly corporate monster. And wearing a wedding ring. Just as nerds have increasingly learned to call their beloved characters and mythologies by business terms like “franchises” and “properties,” movie fans have learned that they’re no longer watching movies, they’re watching “content.” In this world there’s no room for a piece of art or a story or a historic document, there’s only catalogs and rights packages and availability windows.

Will there still be room for companies like Criterion or the old Anchor Bay, groups of movie lovers with a passion for a certain type of film, who search out the ones they love most, lovingly assemble them for us, try to share them with us in the best presentation possible? Or will there just be a list of titles on channel 0 that we scroll through with our remote while an infomercial for some new Kate Hudson movie plays? Where in on-demand world is there room for anybody who gives a shit? We’re not asking for tender loving care, we’re asking for content. Shove a tube in my head and stuff that shit in there as fast as you can.

OMEGA STORE

Ideally the future would include the convenience of the computery business but retain the availability of discs and books. Plenty of options for everybody. I think this is what most people assume will happen. But is it really feasible? Video stores, record stores and book stores have been falling at an alarming rate. Not too long ago we used to worry about chain stores putting locally owned ones out of business, now even those monoliths have trouble surviving, so we’ve seen the death of Hollywood Video, Borders Books, Tower Records, the bankruptcy of Blockbuster Video, and I heard Barnes and Noble isn’t doing too good either. If these companies, with the massive advantage of the deals they get by buying products by the cubic shitload, are not able to survive, imagine how hard it is for the little guy. In New York, the legendary Mondo Kim’s found that it was more profitable to sell off their building than to stay in business. In your town the independent video and record stores, if there are any, are probably struggling. I shouldn’t even say independent. The video and record stores, period.

I like going into stores. I like browsing, exploring, stumbling across things by accident. It’s a huge part of what I do here, because as much research as I do to find movies I want to see, sometimes it doesn’t beat just picking up a box and seeing Rowdy Roddy Piper or a crazy tagline or painting on the cover and realizing I never heard of that one before. Sometimes I even like human interaction: Have you seen this one? Have you heard anything about it?

When “brick and mortar” stores are gone and replaced by our computers we won’t only be losing that experience, we’ll be losing an entire segment of business. In a world of streaming and on-demand there is no such thing as an indie, is there? Under the current rules we just have to pick the store we trust to gather all the things we like. Even the so-called “Blockbuster Exclusives,” by law another video store was allowed to rent them out if they purchase them. Under the new rules of no-hard-copy we are giving complete control of what is available either to one monolithic corporation or (more likely I think) we’ll have to assemble our viewing piecemeal from a series of competing services who own the rights to different movies. There’s no going to the place you like best, there’s no supporting a business in your neighborhood that sponsors local events and charities, there might not even be not-supporting-the-one-that-gives-to-the-anti-gay-groups. There’s just you, your screen, and the corporation that shits the content at you.

THE SOLUTION

Well, the solution is to keep hard copies alive at least as a niche industry. I don’t know if it’s gonna be possible to keep these places in business, but it might be. I thought vinyl was gone forever in the ’90s, but there are still record stores in Seattle today that sell records, new and used. And I don’t know, it seems like the studios wouldn’t want to abandon hard copies of some kind. How are they gonna double dip on files? How are they gonna do special editions? How are they gonna get you to buy your dad a file of THE GREAT ESCAPE for Christmas?

But I don’t know. Who’s gonna sell the blu-rays to us if the stores can’t afford to stay in business? I guess just Amazon. If the post office can afford to stay in business.

I’m not trying to make anybody feel bad about how they get their movies, and I know there are many parts of the world where you don’t really have a choice other than Netflix, On Demand or a fucking vending machine in a Safeway parking lot. But that’s sad, isn’t it? I wish you guys had a choice, and I want to keep mine. Since I spend so much of my time watching movies and writing about them, this is my way of life. And I think it’s worth protecting. I’ll continue to support my local businesses as long as they hang in there.

Please feel free to sing the praises of your favorite local video, record or book store in the comments. Living or dead.
(Or if you know the solution to all this that would be even better, please post that.)

Cory For President

2011-10-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

I love Cory Murchy from Minus The Bear...
Especially at the end of the show
when he does thumbs up!
But this video was just fabulously hilarious.
I'd give my vote for Cory to be president!!!

Blue Bird Perfection

2011-10-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

After visiting Blue Bird Ice Cream for the

who knows how many times -

I realized I needed to rave how

amazing their Caffe Vita ice cream is.

And I guess you could argue that

Molly Moons is still my favorite:

But it has become a battle of the taste buds...

While Molly Moon's have grown and thrived,

there is something distinctively organic and raw

about Blue Bird.

And as long as they are serving Caffe Vita ice cream.

I will be returning as often as I can

to get my fix...

Remember This: We Be Many And They Be Few...

2011-10-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Our strategy should be not only to confront empire,

but to lay siege to it.

To deprive it of oxygen, To shame it. To mock it.

With our art, our music, our literature,

our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance,

our sheer relentlessness -

And our ability to tell our own stories.

Stories that are different from the ones

we're being brainwashed to believe.

The corporate revolution will collapse if we

refuse to buy what they are selling-

Their ideas, their version of history,

their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability.

Remember this:

We be many and they be few.

They need us more than we need them."

- Arundhti Roy

I'm Just Saying You Only Get One Life. There's No God, No Rules, No Judgements, Except For Those You Accept Or Create Yourself. And Once It's Over, It's Over.

2011-10-12T02:23:00.000-07:00

Six Feet Under is seriously the best series ever created.
Having just finished the last episode in the last season,
I am completely amazed and of course emotional.
I don't think there has even been a show that
embodied so much about life.
There is no greater theme in the series
other than the characters trying to grow
and understand the balance between
life and death.
So simple but it is what makes it so great.
Watch it for yourself
and I hope it inspires you to
ponder the big and small
things in this world...