Blue Like Jazz

As I've mentioned before, the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller is pretty significant to Dan and I and the story of our meeting. So we were excited to hear about the fact that it was being made into a film! A little confused/intrigued as to how exactly it would translate to the big screen, but excited nonetheless. It's a project that's been in the works for a long time now, and is finally scheduled for release this Fall. 

It will be a pretty hectic week so I may be quiet over here....more juicy tidbits and life updates coming soon, though! 

Midnight in Paris.

We had a lovely weekend -- the perfect balance of busyness and rest, fun and productivity (including things like a long leisurely dinner with friends and a headshot photo shoot for a friend - fun!). But I think the highlight for me was seeing this film, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. 

It could have so easily crossed the line into cheesy-ness, but it didn't! So well done and interesting and magical, but without overdoing the magic, ya know? Sigh...made me want to go to Paris so bad. I was there a long time ago with a friend, right out of college, and it really is one of the most magical, romantic places in the world. We were silly 22 year olds who thought/hoped marriage was just around the corner (not exactly!) and talked and dreamed about going back one day with our husbands. 

Well, 11 years later, I am so ready to go back with Dan (with baby in tow), especially after seeing this flick! We'll strap our little boy into his baby bjorn and walk the Seine hand in hand, one little happy family. Hey, why not? :) 

Movie Night!

'Movies by Moonlight' at the Boston Harbor Hotel
I love outdoor movies. Love the magic of cinema mixed with twinkly city lights. Love the openness of it all. Love, love, love. So after hearing about 'Movies By Moonlight' at the Boston Harbor Hotel (which is très fancy pants), we decided to head down there tonight for dinner and a flick.

We were lucky enough to get Tootsie (which I swear I had seen many times growing up, but the only scene that looked even vaguely familiar was the one where Dorothy (Tootsie) dons various sparkly gowns for a photo shoot (which I guess is the only thing my five year old brain could make sense of at the time). Dan, on the other hand, had confused 'Tootsie' with 'Curly Sue' and so was visibly relieved when he saw Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray up on the screen).

Anyway, it was awesome. And ridiculously hilarious. And with a backdrop of the waterfront and boats decked out in twinkle lights, it really couldn't be any more magical. A lovely way to spend a Friday night.

Tootsie

Movie Moments.

looking west from e. 79th
Sometimes walking around in New York feels like a movie. Especially on warm summer days such as today. Beautiful people everywhere, beautiful neighborhoods, balmy summer breezes and a lightness in the air. Then throw in a walk across Central Park and a good dinner with good friends, and it's pure movie-like magic.

And speaking of movie moments in New York, there have been two separate film crews set up in our neighborhood in the last few days. First, a movie called Something Borrowed (which apparently stars Kate Hudson and John Krasinski, neither of whom we saw, dangit) being shot at Isabella's on Columbus Ave., and then today a whole crew set up on 69th Street for the filming of something called "Rubicon" (which google tells me is a new political drama on AMC). Pretty cool.

And speaking of TV/film, etc., I now have a YouTube channel! (okay, that was a weak segue, sorry). Finally some of my live music out there on the world wide web for all to see (eek). Enjoy!

Last night I went to Paris...

...and it was a dream. A beautiful, air-conditioned dream. There was popcorn and junior mints (together...mmmm). There were velvety-soft seats. There was a grand balcony that I got ALL to myself. Not to mention stunning cinematography and a moving story line.

Of course, I am not speaking of the Paris with the twinkly romantic lights that is nearly 4,000 miles away from here (though that would have been dreamy too), but the Paris that any New Yorker can visit on any given day of the week. The Paris Theatre that is. According to New York Magazine, this "posh" single-screen theater is the longest continually operating art cinema in the United States.

This is where I decided to go for my Artist's Date. And that is...you ask? An Artist Date, by definition, is a time for "receptivity, preplanned solitary hours of pleasurable activity aimed at nurturing the creative consciousness." In other words, a fun & delightful date that you set up for yourself and with yourself in order to inspire creativity, loveliness, etc. It was part of our "homework" this week in Julia's class. She warned us that planning something delightful for ourselves might be challenging and that we may fight against it and make excuses. As ridiculous as that sounds, it's true! On Sunday, I realized I had not yet planned anything, and instead of saying "oooh, what fun things can I find for myself!" I whined and toiled on the internet for ideas thinking, "I don't have time for this. And it's so hot. And I don't know what to do. And it's so hot" ... and blah blah blah.

But that Julia -- she knows what she's talking about! My time of solitude at the theatre was beautiful and quiet and rejuvenating and SO what I needed....much more so than going home and watching tv or whatever else I might have ended up doing had I not be "forced" to go on this lovely date with myself. And I can see how making a habit of doing this would lead to more creativity and inspiration. When I left the theatre, the heat had lessened a *tad* and there was actually a SLIGHT breeze, so I decided to walk the 30 blocks home, up Fifth Avenue along the edge of the park. I didn't pull my cell phone out and I didn't pop in my earbuds to drown out my thoughts with music. I just listened to the quietness of the city and smiled at strangers who were out for their late night walks. I prayed and I reflected and I got lost in my thoughts. The reflections weren't art related and I wasn't necessarily struck with any profound creative ideas. But it was still soul-refreshing, and soul-refreshment (I feel) is absolutely imperative in the creative/art-making process.

These Artist's Dates will be required homework for the class over the next four weeks, but I'm hoping that it will turn into a lovely habit that I can carry with me beyond these four weeks...

[oh, and by the way, the class was AMAZING and inspiring and Julia is wonderful, and I am SO looking forward to the next one!]

Xanadu

Sometimes....when I'm working on my art....I like to jam out to some old school favorites -- Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Silly Love Songs, Wonderful Tonight. This week, (YES! I've been working this week! Go me) I'm all about Xanadu. Just CAN'T seem to get enough Olivia Newton-John. And sometimes....when I'm doing something mindless, like painting the rim of a bowl, I like to make up rolling skating routines in my head to songs like "Magic" and "Suddenly" (but I save my most rockin' moves for "Xanadu". Obviously). In these daydreams, my skating moves are always smooth and FLAWLESS, and somehow, I am stunningly beautiful (think Olivia Newton-John circa 1980). If you have no idea what I am talking about, say no more....



EVERYONE needs to see this terribly wonderful film at least once. I haven't seen it since I was about 8, but it's so *special* you never forget it.

weather and other randomness

whew. what a week. we had some 95+ degree heat, a twister in Brooklyn, and some crazy flooding in the subway stations on Wednesday which brought NYC to a screeching halt and caused HUGE problems and delays. it took me 1.5 hours to get to work. i walked. 45 blocks! yikes. there was also another mediocre blind date this week (no one can say i'm not "trying" -- right??) and many late nights with the bowls...after such a muggy and tiresome week, today the weather turned topsy turvy on us and decided to pretend that it's winter. COLD and WET. i find this...confusing...

to celebrate the start of the weekend, my roommate and i went to see Becoming Jane tonight (since our ballet in the park idea was rained/winter-ed out). the first half hour or so i was kinda like, eh...but then, as the film progressed, i found myself fully and completely in it - lost, taken...maybe it is because i felt i could relate on some level (don't we always do that though? take certain aspects of a story and relate it to our own life? or maybe that's just me...) overall, i enjoyed it very much. if nothing else, it certainly piqued my interest in Jane Austen's life -- enough so that i went straight to the bookstore and bought Jon Spence's biography of J.A. -- it will have to get in line, however, for i seem to have accumulated more books than i have the time for. i'm still working on the Emperor's Children. it's not awful. but not great either.

that's all for now. until next time...

Movie Marathon

On Friday night, a friend and I headed down to the Lower East Side to the Landmark Sunshine Cinema , and settled ourselves in for a night movies (well, I'm not sure if two flicks qualify as a "night of movies," but four hours is a long time to spend in one theater!). Sore behinds and cramped legs aside, it was probably the most delightful Friday night I have had in New York in a long time. We saw Paris, je t'aime and Once. I loved Paris, but my heart was stolen by Once. It is difficult to put into words why this film is so amazing. It is a story of two musicians who meet on the streets of Dublin and begin a relationship of writing and collaboration. As a musician, of course I found it to be very relatable and inspiring. But more than that, it is just incredibly raw and real and touching -- which makes sense considering the two leads, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová are actually musicians, not actors, who really did meet in the Czech Republic a few years ago and began collaborating and performing together. As I said, it is difficult to put into words why it affected me so much, but it was similar to my reaction to Garden State. In both cases, I left the theater feeling inspired, sad, nostalgic, fulfilled, hopeful, etc., without really even knowing why. And have I mentioned the music? Absolutely beautiful. KW and I headed straight to Virgin Records after leaving the theater and picked up a copy of the soundtrack. And I can't stop listening to it...

Waitress

I finally got around to seeing Waitress a few days ago, after many weeks of hearing the buzz surrounding this film and (unsuccessfully) trying to squeeze it into my schedule. After all of the anticipation, I have to say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. In fact, it went above and beyond my expectations and is maybe the best film I've seen all year. Funny, poignant, and visually stimulating (beautiful, colorful pies, fillings, custards, cherries, etc. YUM! Made me want to Bake and Eat!), I left the theatre feeling very full and happy.

More I need/want to see:
Once
Away From Her
Evening
Black Book
Fracture