Mmmm, sweet nothins.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
William, It Was Really Nothing
I celebrated Valentine's Day the way I have for the past four years: with my closest friend, doing things much too frilly for an average weekend. Our girlish pursuits center around sweets and love stories, the sillier the better.
This year's Valentine's Day entertainment was the film of the same name. It had some nice moments, but I have a problem with love being about large gestures or I-had-no-idea-I-was-actually-in-love-with-my-best-friend revelations. The six degrees of separation plot line seemed in place just to allow certain celebrities more screen time, and half of them cheaply referenced their real-life fame. The story never flowed and seemed to be made of chunks of thrown out screen plays threaded together in an attempt to one-up Love Actually. (It didn't.) Still, Jennifer Garner was cute, and Julia Roberts can always save a film otherwise in distress.
And just as Jessica Biel went into yet another misanthropic melt down about being perfectly beautiful and perfectly unlucky in love, a ripe burning smell followed by blasting fire alarms rushed us out of our seats.
The childish fear of being trapped in a burning building swooped in for a few seconds of premature group panic, until the usher stopped the group at the door.
"We're really sorry for the inconvenience, but there's no fire."
One man addresses the obvious. "Then what's with the smoke?"
"Well, there was a little fire."
We ended up missing about 10 minutes of a movie that really never had a plot in the first place, so catching up was never an issue. In the end, two best friends fall in love and those who opted to be alone were marked as villains. I kept wondering if Hallmark put them up to this? I never saw Valentine's Day as romantic. I'd rather spend it carelessly smirking at a version of love that doesn't exist, no roses required.
After a night that almost went up in flames, I needed something less polished to fill my head, and The Smiths happily carried me home.
This year's Valentine's Day entertainment was the film of the same name. It had some nice moments, but I have a problem with love being about large gestures or I-had-no-idea-I-was-actually-in-love-with-my-best-friend revelations. The six degrees of separation plot line seemed in place just to allow certain celebrities more screen time, and half of them cheaply referenced their real-life fame. The story never flowed and seemed to be made of chunks of thrown out screen plays threaded together in an attempt to one-up Love Actually. (It didn't.) Still, Jennifer Garner was cute, and Julia Roberts can always save a film otherwise in distress.
And just as Jessica Biel went into yet another misanthropic melt down about being perfectly beautiful and perfectly unlucky in love, a ripe burning smell followed by blasting fire alarms rushed us out of our seats.
The childish fear of being trapped in a burning building swooped in for a few seconds of premature group panic, until the usher stopped the group at the door.
"We're really sorry for the inconvenience, but there's no fire."
One man addresses the obvious. "Then what's with the smoke?"
"Well, there was a little fire."
We ended up missing about 10 minutes of a movie that really never had a plot in the first place, so catching up was never an issue. In the end, two best friends fall in love and those who opted to be alone were marked as villains. I kept wondering if Hallmark put them up to this? I never saw Valentine's Day as romantic. I'd rather spend it carelessly smirking at a version of love that doesn't exist, no roses required.
After a night that almost went up in flames, I needed something less polished to fill my head, and The Smiths happily carried me home.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
On books
"No more talk about the death of the novel; the novel will be at your funeral."
-Richard Price
-Richard Price
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow days
... make me miss my brother.
Our brother/sister snow team was epic. We built snow forts out of recycling bins, topped our snowmen with hard hats, and ate only the white stuff before mom pulled us in for hot chocolate and cookies.
Our brother/sister snow team was epic. We built snow forts out of recycling bins, topped our snowmen with hard hats, and ate only the white stuff before mom pulled us in for hot chocolate and cookies.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
In my house Fleetwood Mac was the sound of the ladies with the place to themselves. Chores were done in rhythm. The volume was all the way up.
For as long as I can remember, her favorite song was my favorite song.
My choice Fleetwood:
1. Landslide
2. Crystal
3. Monday Morning
4. Gold Dust Woman
5. I Believe My Time Ain't Long
6. Rhiannon
7. The Chain
8. Second Hand News
9. Oh Well, Part l
10. Say You Love Me
11. What Makes You Think You're The One
12. Black Magic Woman
13. Never Going Back Again
14. Songbird
15. Dreams
16. I'm So Afraid
17. Rattlesnake Shake
18. Tusk
19. You Make Loving Fun
20. Go Your Own Way
For as long as I can remember, her favorite song was my favorite song.
My choice Fleetwood:
1. Landslide
2. Crystal
3. Monday Morning
4. Gold Dust Woman
5. I Believe My Time Ain't Long
6. Rhiannon
7. The Chain
8. Second Hand News
9. Oh Well, Part l
10. Say You Love Me
11. What Makes You Think You're The One
12. Black Magic Woman
13. Never Going Back Again
14. Songbird
15. Dreams
16. I'm So Afraid
17. Rattlesnake Shake
18. Tusk
19. You Make Loving Fun
20. Go Your Own Way
Monday, February 8, 2010
Skating in the Park With Wolves
Friday was the annual 'Skating Under the Stars' event at Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Admission gets you free booze, snacks, (candy cigarettes!) and three hours on the ice. (I managed not to fall!)
Wolf howls were signatured by the DJ, dubbed 'DJ Moonlight' by someone in the group, and due to the presence of the pack, came other ingenious mash ups:
1. He's Just Not That Into You With Alligators
2. Saw With Cats
3. Babar With Down Syndrome
And for good measure: Razor Train, where the doors are – surprise! – razors.
...Stand clear of the closing doors please.
Wolf howls were signatured by the DJ, dubbed 'DJ Moonlight' by someone in the group, and due to the presence of the pack, came other ingenious mash ups:
1. He's Just Not That Into You With Alligators
2. Saw With Cats
3. Babar With Down Syndrome
And for good measure: Razor Train, where the doors are – surprise! – razors.
...Stand clear of the closing doors please.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sunday, part ll
Tonight the streets are ruled by women – there are almost no men in sight.
I'm not in front of a TV, but there is little doubt to which day of the year it is. Pizza shops are empty, but employees are frantic, "Oohs" and "Aahs" thunder out of bars and every window flickers with the light of the same channel.
I'm not in front of a TV, but there is little doubt to which day of the year it is. Pizza shops are empty, but employees are frantic, "Oohs" and "Aahs" thunder out of bars and every window flickers with the light of the same channel.
5 things that happend at IKEA
1. Organized chaos. Efficiency is sexy.
2. Swedish meatballs!
3. "What is this?" "I have no idea." "I want it." "Me too." "Swedish bastards."
4. Kid on the shuttle who squealed "FASTER!" at the driver with getaway zeal.
5. New friends:
organizational elephant
& financially responsible hippopotamus
2. Swedish meatballs!
3. "What is this?" "I have no idea." "I want it." "Me too." "Swedish bastards."
4. Kid on the shuttle who squealed "FASTER!" at the driver with getaway zeal.
5. New friends:
organizational elephant
& financially responsible hippopotamus
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Spotted:
Half of a coconut on the subway, still packaged. It slid out from it's hiding nook as we left West Fourth Street and planted itself in the middle of the car.
Staring was collective. No one said a thing.
Staring was collective. No one said a thing.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
They're remaking The Wolfman
He always told us he was a werewolf.
One night he fell from a ladder on the side of our house, scrambled into the hedge and leapt up wearing the most realistic mask any seven-year-old had ever seen peeping through her pudgy fingers. The fright-tactics never stopped.
He didn't know much about love, but he knew fear, so that's what he used instead.
One night he fell from a ladder on the side of our house, scrambled into the hedge and leapt up wearing the most realistic mask any seven-year-old had ever seen peeping through her pudgy fingers. The fright-tactics never stopped.
He didn't know much about love, but he knew fear, so that's what he used instead.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
chaotic good
Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.
This makes me wish that Tarentino would have directed Casablanca.
"We'll always have Paris." And abundant special effects.
Dream
No other sensation than floating in cool water. It feels great, then begins to freeze until I start to burn. Awake.
I dream so frequently (byproduct of a light sleeper's attempt at rest) that I'm used to every dream ending in something terrifying. There are only a few that are nice, but usually it's in a pretty absurd way. Someday I'll recant the catalogue to a dream analyst for the bad news. Let it come later, when I've convinced myself that I've managed peace of mind.
I dream so frequently (byproduct of a light sleeper's attempt at rest) that I'm used to every dream ending in something terrifying. There are only a few that are nice, but usually it's in a pretty absurd way. Someday I'll recant the catalogue to a dream analyst for the bad news. Let it come later, when I've convinced myself that I've managed peace of mind.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The other night
"How are you feeling?"
"Honestly, I feel like I could connect with my partner more. I'm not really feeling good about it. Some thing's off balance. I felt a heaviness all during yoga today."
In the bakery, a man sat with a woman. Over coffee and snacks, their dialogue was straight from a Woody Allen film – simply a lot of waxing on about the complexity of relationships and ethical dilemmas, all wrapped up tightly in cynicism.
The boy a few tables away broke from his frozen focus to stand and pace. He went back and forth for a while and then balked – a characature Eureka! moment. He returned to his chair, typing, then raised his left hand and waved it in the air as if he were conducting the words on the screen.
"Honestly, I feel like I could connect with my partner more. I'm not really feeling good about it. Some thing's off balance. I felt a heaviness all during yoga today."
In the bakery, a man sat with a woman. Over coffee and snacks, their dialogue was straight from a Woody Allen film – simply a lot of waxing on about the complexity of relationships and ethical dilemmas, all wrapped up tightly in cynicism.
The boy a few tables away broke from his frozen focus to stand and pace. He went back and forth for a while and then balked – a characature Eureka! moment. He returned to his chair, typing, then raised his left hand and waved it in the air as if he were conducting the words on the screen.
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