Hello Again Friends!
So this blog has been going through a bit of an identity crisis-granted mostly in my head (scratch the mostly and jot down entirely)- but for as much as I think about blogs (often), I haven't gone a' blogging in almost a year. The hiatus was unexpected and certainly not planned but every time I sat down to write, I suddenly would feel lost and without focus on what exactly the purpose of my entries would/should be. Plus I got a puppy and any free time was spent trying to contain the madness that is a 40-50 lb Australian/German Shepherd/Mutt/??
In conclusion I am back.
Postings will follow when it isn't almost 3am and I don't have to wake up in 3 hours.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Lilies of the Field :-)
Watched: Lilies of the Field, 1963.
I find Sidney Poitier inherently awe-inspiring. Every moment is a true, authentic reaction. His acting is joyous in a way that my generation rarely seeks to explore.
Plot? Essentially, through sheer pressure of personality, the Head Mother of a sect of German immigrant nuns convinces the main character, Homer, to stay and build a church for the impoverished patrons.
For a film released during the Civil Rights Movement, race is subtly dealt with in a respectful manner. Race is also used as a source of humor. One of my favorite scenes involves Homer (Poitier) teaching the German speaking Nuns what color a record is. "The-record-is-black...I-am-black" Homer explains carefully. "...I-am-black" the table of white nuns reply faithfully.
An under appreciated, remarkable film.
I find Sidney Poitier inherently awe-inspiring. Every moment is a true, authentic reaction. His acting is joyous in a way that my generation rarely seeks to explore.
Plot? Essentially, through sheer pressure of personality, the Head Mother of a sect of German immigrant nuns convinces the main character, Homer, to stay and build a church for the impoverished patrons.
For a film released during the Civil Rights Movement, race is subtly dealt with in a respectful manner. Race is also used as a source of humor. One of my favorite scenes involves Homer (Poitier) teaching the German speaking Nuns what color a record is. "The-record-is-black...I-am-black" Homer explains carefully. "...I-am-black" the table of white nuns reply faithfully.
An under appreciated, remarkable film.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
A few wintery weeks back, I was tagged by the wonderful Trains and Sewing Machines
(I'm a huge fan of her and you should be too!)
1. Growing up, I always felt like I was torn between two groups of friends:
(I'm a huge fan of her and you should be too!)
7 Things You May Not Know About Me
1. Growing up, I always felt like I was torn between two groups of friends:
The Start Group
(Corey, Me, Cody, Al, Paul, and Martha circa 2004)
and
The Central Gang
(Molly, Beth, Sarah, and Me circa 2009)
and
The Central Gang
(Molly, Beth, Sarah, and Me circa 2009)
Cody. Since he has been my best friend longer than anyone, I suppose he deserves a small ode:
I have been best friends since 2nd grade, so the history between us is really too much to recount but what matters is that he continues to be someone in my life who I can trust infinitely. He is the most hysterical, intelligent, and sarcastic person I have ever met. He's challenging and infuriating but amazing all the same.
The two groups were once the same (relatively) with Al, Martha, Molly, Sarah, Cody, and I all attending the same Jr. High.
Then High School came.
Cody, Al, and Martha went on to go to the public high school in town. Sarah, Molly, and I enrolled in a private school. This schism eventually lead to the addition of Beth and later Louis (Molly's boyfriend) into the Central group as well as the addition of Corey and Paul into the Start gang.
Throughout High School I often felt pulled into 2 directions because of how dearly I held both groups of best friends. With busy schedules, often events overlapped and I couldn't always find a way to attend both commitments. Obviously this lead to hurt feelings and lots of apologies. But in the end I was able to count all of those pictured above as my very, very best of friends. I consider myself to be pretty lucky for that.
2. When I was in 6th grade, I was selected to go to Dennison University for a Summer Camp for Girls called Camp Be Wise. The camp is essentially made up of advanced Math and Science classes. My academic performance in grade school actually allowed my school counselor to secure a full scholarship for me to go.
So yes, I went to a Math and Science Camp. And yes, I am that big of a nerd. Ironically, Math came to be the bane of my existence but I'm still pretty down with science.
3. I have watched all American Film Institute's Top 100 Films (both the 2008 and 1998 lists)
Summer of 2008 was filled with multiple films a night. While this seems like it would be a great dedication of time, it actually worked out rather well. During this time I was working as a Student Assistant for Graduate Student Housing on campus and also worked as an Office Assistant. For some reason, campus did not have enough Office Assistants to work all the buildings so I was able to get tons of 12 hour over night shifts.
4. I was stung by a bee on my first day of kindergarten.
My mom ended up being called in and as she was trying to put a band-aid on the ouchy, I started to tap my foot. When my mom questioned me, I retorted "ugh... Mom...I'm missing Clifford's Birthday Party!"
5. From the time I was 12(ish) until I was 18(ish), I worked at an independent bookstore called Thackeray's Books. Why was I able to work when I was only 12? Nepotism- my Mom worked there too. It closed when I was 18 because corporate book stores moved in :-(
R.I.P. Thackeray's
6. My Grandma was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada!
7. I was a vegetarian for a number of years. I think about going back to that lifestyle from time to time.
:-)
I have been best friends since 2nd grade, so the history between us is really too much to recount but what matters is that he continues to be someone in my life who I can trust infinitely. He is the most hysterical, intelligent, and sarcastic person I have ever met. He's challenging and infuriating but amazing all the same.
The two groups were once the same (relatively) with Al, Martha, Molly, Sarah, Cody, and I all attending the same Jr. High.
Then High School came.
Cody, Al, and Martha went on to go to the public high school in town. Sarah, Molly, and I enrolled in a private school. This schism eventually lead to the addition of Beth and later Louis (Molly's boyfriend) into the Central group as well as the addition of Corey and Paul into the Start gang.
Throughout High School I often felt pulled into 2 directions because of how dearly I held both groups of best friends. With busy schedules, often events overlapped and I couldn't always find a way to attend both commitments. Obviously this lead to hurt feelings and lots of apologies. But in the end I was able to count all of those pictured above as my very, very best of friends. I consider myself to be pretty lucky for that.
2. When I was in 6th grade, I was selected to go to Dennison University for a Summer Camp for Girls called Camp Be Wise. The camp is essentially made up of advanced Math and Science classes. My academic performance in grade school actually allowed my school counselor to secure a full scholarship for me to go.
So yes, I went to a Math and Science Camp. And yes, I am that big of a nerd. Ironically, Math came to be the bane of my existence but I'm still pretty down with science.
3. I have watched all American Film Institute's Top 100 Films (both the 2008 and 1998 lists)
Summer of 2008 was filled with multiple films a night. While this seems like it would be a great dedication of time, it actually worked out rather well. During this time I was working as a Student Assistant for Graduate Student Housing on campus and also worked as an Office Assistant. For some reason, campus did not have enough Office Assistants to work all the buildings so I was able to get tons of 12 hour over night shifts.
4. I was stung by a bee on my first day of kindergarten.
My mom ended up being called in and as she was trying to put a band-aid on the ouchy, I started to tap my foot. When my mom questioned me, I retorted "ugh... Mom...I'm missing Clifford's Birthday Party!"
5. From the time I was 12(ish) until I was 18(ish), I worked at an independent bookstore called Thackeray's Books. Why was I able to work when I was only 12? Nepotism- my Mom worked there too. It closed when I was 18 because corporate book stores moved in :-(
R.I.P. Thackeray's
7. I was a vegetarian for a number of years. I think about going back to that lifestyle from time to time.
:-)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
"I'll Love Like Robert Taylor, Be My Greta Garbo."
Camille 1936
AMAZING Film! Reminded me a great deal of Moulin Rouge/ La Boheme, though it is based off of the 1852 novel and play La Dame aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas, fils.
I've never found Robert Taylor attractive before for one reason or another but his role as the loyal, true, and ever devoted Armend made it hard to ignore his charm. Armen
Noted as Garbo's favorite film, her performance is restrained yet delicate and subtle.I simply cannot rave enough about what a must see this film is. I'm left without words to describe how wonderful it is. Go watch it for yourself! :-)
Monday, February 15, 2010
Valentine's Day? Try a 4 Day Valentine-extravaganza!! Jon took Thursday and Friday off to give me what I wanted most for Valentine's Day: quality time together. With my visit to Toledo and his trip to Florida, we haven't exactly spent a ton of time with each other.
Wednesday: our first night of trying out the Sarah advised method of shopping: actually picking out recipes beforehand, planning out our meals for the week, and THEN go grocery shopping. Previously my method was more the "Oh this Baguette dish looks cool to make!...we don't have any of the ingredients? ...Well, Spaghetti it is then!" After spending a solid half hour trying to figure out what Kale looks like, 2 phone calls to Sarah, and 2 full hours running aisle to aisle, we finally left Kroger's around 11pm.
Thursday: there is nothing like waking up to the low hum of the heater instead of the alarm clock. Since it was Jon's first day off, he played Aion while I read/watched tv/played with kitties. Our plan for the day involved checking out a local fine jewelry shop and cooking. A few weeks ago, I found an ad for The Village Jewel in Alive magazine and thought it looked like it may provide competition for Grandeview Mercantile's collection of engagement rings. Their website featured "Toby- the Closer", a cat that selected his favorite pieces from the shop to showcase. I found another section where Toby explained the pros and cons of different metals/alloys. Amazing. Needles to say I was sold.
Walking in the door of The Village Jewel, we were greeted by the most welcoming, cheerful man I've encountered on our engagement ring adventures. His name was Mitch. We explained that we were just looking and explained that we were open to all different types of antique rings but preferred art deco. Gina, Mitch's wife, came out and organized the platinum, white gold, and palladium rings into one case. From the back of the black velvet rectangle came a blinding sparkle...
:-)
( Actually it looks entirely different in person)
The ring is palladium with a transitional cut and 32 side stones. Close to 2 carats. Made in the 1940's.
We met Toby, talked about theatre in Columbus, about pushy sellers, and the merits of buying a valuable antique ring, etc. There's nothing better than having an experience where you actually want to do business with good people.
Later we went to Eddie George's and met Ryan for dinner and to watch the Cav's vs. Magic. Ryan's friend Steve and Matt ended up showing up too. All in all a good night.
Friday: Went to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse with Matt, Ryan, and Ted. The dinner was delicious but the service sucked.
Got home and watched the Opening Ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics.
Oh...and Jon took a trip to The Village Jewel :-)
Now before any preliminary excitement starts. He has not proposed officially yet and it still needs to be resized but...
Saturday: By far one of the best days I've ever had and completely reaffirming. In the morning we stopped by The Village Jewel to get the ring resized.
My only request was to check out the Clintonville area. By the end of the day, I had fallen completely in love with the entire region: one independent, unique shop after another.
First we visited The Curiosity Shop. They offered reworking and repair on everything jewelery related as well as a large assortment of interesting necklaces. A good place to keep in mind for when I have the funds to get the 1940's watch from my Great Aunt Annie fixed.
Then we headed to two antique shops...both names escape me now of course. The first store offered amazing finds but the prices were a little redic. The other shop was super cheap but didn't necessarily have great quality items.
By that time we were pretty hungry so we stopped at this delightful, cheerful hipster restaurant called Cornerstone Deli and Cafe. One of those relaxed, non-pretentious finds that makes my heart happy. Turkey for me and Philly Steak for Jon.
Headed to Mad 4 Mod where Jon found a 3 piece light wool suit. After mentioning how we would have to get it tailored, the boss knocked off $30.00 !!!! Needless to say, they will become a staple on our shopping rounds.
Next we went to a bookstore that I've always wanted to check out called Areopagitica Books. Though light on fiction, I found plenty of poetry and nonfiction for staggeringly low prices.I ended up getting a book of Keating's poetry and selected letters. The best part is that the previous owner has countless penciled musings. Only $2.50
Our final stop was Rags O' Rama for their $1 sale. My finds: an emerald green banana republic blouse and Ralph Lauren Jeans (I hate jeans but somehow there are times where they are necessary...unfortunately ). Jon found a tweed jacket...it's pretty sweet.
Once home we made a Crostini dish with spinach, garlic, and white beans- sooo yummy!
Sunday:
Sleep. Get up. Watch Olympics. Nap. Play with cats. Make dinner.
Valentine's Day extravaganza!
Wednesday: our first night of trying out the Sarah advised method of shopping: actually picking out recipes beforehand, planning out our meals for the week, and THEN go grocery shopping. Previously my method was more the "Oh this Baguette dish looks cool to make!...we don't have any of the ingredients? ...Well, Spaghetti it is then!" After spending a solid half hour trying to figure out what Kale looks like, 2 phone calls to Sarah, and 2 full hours running aisle to aisle, we finally left Kroger's around 11pm.
Thursday: there is nothing like waking up to the low hum of the heater instead of the alarm clock. Since it was Jon's first day off, he played Aion while I read/watched tv/played with kitties. Our plan for the day involved checking out a local fine jewelry shop and cooking. A few weeks ago, I found an ad for The Village Jewel in Alive magazine and thought it looked like it may provide competition for Grandeview Mercantile's collection of engagement rings. Their website featured "Toby- the Closer", a cat that selected his favorite pieces from the shop to showcase. I found another section where Toby explained the pros and cons of different metals/alloys. Amazing. Needles to say I was sold.
Walking in the door of The Village Jewel, we were greeted by the most welcoming, cheerful man I've encountered on our engagement ring adventures. His name was Mitch. We explained that we were just looking and explained that we were open to all different types of antique rings but preferred art deco. Gina, Mitch's wife, came out and organized the platinum, white gold, and palladium rings into one case. From the back of the black velvet rectangle came a blinding sparkle...
:-)
( Actually it looks entirely different in person)
The ring is palladium with a transitional cut and 32 side stones. Close to 2 carats. Made in the 1940's.
We met Toby, talked about theatre in Columbus, about pushy sellers, and the merits of buying a valuable antique ring, etc. There's nothing better than having an experience where you actually want to do business with good people.
Later we went to Eddie George's and met Ryan for dinner and to watch the Cav's vs. Magic. Ryan's friend Steve and Matt ended up showing up too. All in all a good night.
Friday: Went to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse with Matt, Ryan, and Ted. The dinner was delicious but the service sucked.
Got home and watched the Opening Ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics.
Oh...and Jon took a trip to The Village Jewel :-)
Now before any preliminary excitement starts. He has not proposed officially yet and it still needs to be resized but...
Saturday: By far one of the best days I've ever had and completely reaffirming. In the morning we stopped by The Village Jewel to get the ring resized.
My only request was to check out the Clintonville area. By the end of the day, I had fallen completely in love with the entire region: one independent, unique shop after another.
First we visited The Curiosity Shop. They offered reworking and repair on everything jewelery related as well as a large assortment of interesting necklaces. A good place to keep in mind for when I have the funds to get the 1940's watch from my Great Aunt Annie fixed.
Then we headed to two antique shops...both names escape me now of course. The first store offered amazing finds but the prices were a little redic. The other shop was super cheap but didn't necessarily have great quality items.
By that time we were pretty hungry so we stopped at this delightful, cheerful hipster restaurant called Cornerstone Deli and Cafe. One of those relaxed, non-pretentious finds that makes my heart happy. Turkey for me and Philly Steak for Jon.
Headed to Mad 4 Mod where Jon found a 3 piece light wool suit. After mentioning how we would have to get it tailored, the boss knocked off $30.00 !!!! Needless to say, they will become a staple on our shopping rounds.
Next we went to a bookstore that I've always wanted to check out called Areopagitica Books. Though light on fiction, I found plenty of poetry and nonfiction for staggeringly low prices.I ended up getting a book of Keating's poetry and selected letters. The best part is that the previous owner has countless penciled musings. Only $2.50
Our final stop was Rags O' Rama for their $1 sale. My finds: an emerald green banana republic blouse and Ralph Lauren Jeans (I hate jeans but somehow there are times where they are necessary...unfortunately ). Jon found a tweed jacket...it's pretty sweet.
Once home we made a Crostini dish with spinach, garlic, and white beans- sooo yummy!
Sunday:
Sleep. Get up. Watch Olympics. Nap. Play with cats. Make dinner.
Valentine's Day extravaganza!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Emolicious!
Excuse me...got a case of the emo's.
"Save for a few of those late night episodes,
Missed opportunities, and "I Don't Cares,"
There's not a lot that I feel obliged to share or talk about.
...
This may sound bad, and don't take it the wrong way..
I love you, however,
You hold me down
...
You're the failed attempts I never could forget.
You're the metaphors I can't create to comprehend this curse that I call love"
"Save for a few of those late night episodes,
Missed opportunities, and "I Don't Cares,"
There's not a lot that I feel obliged to share or talk about.
...
This may sound bad, and don't take it the wrong way..
I love you, however,
You hold me down
...
You're the failed attempts I never could forget.
You're the metaphors I can't create to comprehend this curse that I call love"
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