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Jesse at pre-show dinner

Jesse and I kicked off the weekend right: with a magic show on Broadway! All I knew about Nothing to Hide before seeing it was that our friend Rick recommended it, it's directed by Neil Patrick Harris, and it had something to do with magic. The two magicians are highly entertaining and I did not stop laughing the entire time - well, except for when I was staring mouth agape at what I had just seen. Jesse and I spent the entire ride home trying to figure out what we really had just seen.

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Culturally, 2014 has been a pretty great year so far. I can't ever take this city I live in for granted. Last weekend I went to The Frick, I've seen a live show, and then yesterday my friend Adam and I went to the Museum of Modern Art. There were a few pieces I was particularly engaged in. Also, Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" is a lot smaller than I imagined.

You can see Adam taking this picture of me taking in some modern art.

My grandmother, probably the person who talked to me about art more than anybody else, had a print of Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World" in her house when I was growing up. My parents, knowing me so well, made a gift of the print when she passed away and it's on display in my bedroom. I've always been fascinated with it, and can still get lost within it. I've also always noticed hands more than anything else when it comes to meeting people, watching movies, etc. and that's probably another reason I am entranced by the painting.

Hope II, Gustav Klimt

There was also a Magritte exhibition, which was far too crowded, but we got in free so I have nothing to complain about. It's just hard to take in paintings when it's hot, people are shoving past, and you can't even see an entire painting. However, there were a few I had the pleasure of taking in 'live,' as it were.

La Reproduction Interdite, Magritte

The Lovers, Magritte

A really great time with Adam. Hopefully I can continue this streak of quintessential New York fun. A renaissance, in the words of Dan Rydell.

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Last night we had friends over to watch the Patriots dominate the Colts. There was even a Colts fan in our midst, which usually seems to bode well during the playoffs - we've shared past games with fans of the opposite team, mostly to their chagrin by the end of the game. Next week Jesse and I will be visiting family in Panama, so we're currently counting on my mom to figure out how to watch the Patriots playoff game from thousands of miles away.

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Today I met up with my friend Amy for brunch, thinking we would see the film Philomena since we've seen nearly everything the theaters have to offer. However, after a hearty meal, we arrived at the theater to find that our phone app was wrong and there wasn't actually a showing at the time we thought. Our only other option was Anchorman 2. We sighed in resignation, and also that we hadn't had a drink or two at brunch. But in we went.

The movie was not up to par of the first, though it tried very, very hard. Very. The film was continuously disrupted for us by somebody in the back who kept clapping at odd times through the movie and mumbling. It was annoying, to say the least. It became more creepy, however, when the clapper came to the front of the audience, right in front of me and Amy, and stood for some time about 10 minutes before the movie was going to end. He just stood there. I couldn't see much of him, but I could see a couple of bags in his hands, a bald, shiny head that was reflecting the limited low light, and that he was fidgeting. I didn't like it. I didn't understand why he was standing there, why he was fidgeting, and I immediately made a mental note of the easiest escape route towards that red exit sign, figuring I'd jump the barricade and grab Amy if things got weirder. Because, in this world we are in today, I didn't know if he was going to pull out a gun. I'm not kidding. He stood there, and then slowly started waving at everybody in the seats while Will Ferrell was making fart noises or something else - I was definitely not paying attention at that point. I wasn't really breathing, either, because what the fuck was this guy doing??? When he reached for his belt I froze and then he adjusted his belt and shuffled very slowly towards the exit. I finally took a breath - somebody with mental problems perhaps, but thankfully not a psychopath. I just read too much news, maybe. But if there's one thing I've learned in New York, it's to always be aware.

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Now I'm back watching football with Jesse, hoping the Chargers can hand it to the Broncos again. It's not looking good in the 2nd quarter. Tonight's the Golden Globes, and I'll be finishing up my best films of 2013 list to post tomorrow!

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Monet's "Snow Scene at Argenteuil"

On Friday I woke up grumpy. I could see the snow stacked up on the windowsills, I could hear the whistle of the cutting wind, and I could feel the cold chilling the apartment. The alert on my phone said: -10 degree wind chills. I could hear it! I could hear the cold.

I grumbled as I put on layer upon layer of clothes getting ready for work. My mood went into certain distress when I could not find the winter fleece socks for my weatherproof boots. After twenty minutes, I went with my weatherproof sneakers instead.

Then I stood on the subway platform for an hour and a half, saw one packed train come and leave the station without a single person getting on or off, felt my feet go numb, and decided to call it a day on that endeavor. At street level I scurried into the neighborhood grocery store and made sure to grab enough food for Jesse and I if we were to be esconced for the entire weekend because of the blizzard.

Working from home in a comfortable outfit, under the blankets on the couch, was dream-like. How perfect! I could get everything done right there, and the wind sounds faded into something more like music as I knew I wouldn't have to face them that day again. Serenity.

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I was not to stay indoors all weekend, thankfully.

On Saturday, an event I was looking forward to at the Frick: the Dutch Masters exhibition. I was in awe of the Vermeers and the Rembrandts; there were many paintings I had never seen in person that I had long ago learned about in art history. But perhaps I’m most enamored of paintings with fictional histories - I do love fiction and I read The Girl With a Pearl Earring over a decade ago, and just finished The Goldfinch. But these fictional accounts also were words upon words of appreciation for these paintings, so when I stood in front of them, it seemed like only then did I understand fully and completely their power and those words. There are swaths of pages near the end in The Goldfinch that are in tribute to the titular painting, and to the enduring legacy of art, to the communication inherent in a centuries-old painting. I was a bit breathless in the throng as I stared at the little bird; maybe my eyes welled up a bit.

I think my love for Donna Tartt's novel The Goldfinch is swelling in retrospect. I gave it 4.5 stars but now I can't imagine what I docked it for. I think now it's a 5-star book... maybe it's one of my favorite books? It's certainly one that stays on the mind, and after seeing the painting, with the atmosphere Tartt so wondrously puts to page in mind, I'm already looking forward to rereading it one day.

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Afterwards, my museum companion Erica and I went to dinner, both carrying prints of Carel Fabritius' "The Goldfinch" and discussing our other favorite piece in the permanent collection, Jean-Antoine Houdon's sculpture "The Dead Thrush." I don't like birds much in real life, but am apparently attracted to them in art. I retreated home to an empty apartment (except for the cats, of course) and in my fervor of needing more ART decided to watch two long-time must-see Criterion edition films, The Double Life of Veronique and Paris, Texas. Definitely good, definitely ART -- my need to devour such satisfied.

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On Sunday I met Amy for brunch in Williamsburg and we lamented how we'd each only been to Paris once but loved it so much and as we looked around the cafe (it has a French name) we tried imagining we were actually in Paris. But -- not even close. One day, again!

I returned home for football playoff games with Jesse. It's always fun to watch games with him, even with the Patriots aren't playing. At one point we were talking about the best films of the year and I was having trouble picking my favorite (I've been mulling it for far too long) and then he said that he still hadn't seen one of my finalists and maybe we should watch it. I never say no when Jesse wants to watch a movie! (I, obviously, am always ready to watch a movie.) So we popped it in and it solidified: this was definitely my favorite movie of 2013. More on that when I divulge my list this week...

I fall without my wings.

I tend to save links to interesting stories and e-mail them out to people to discuss based on its topic. Here are some articles I've been reading from the past few weeks...

HELP US CATCH A KILLER by Michelle McNamara (LA Magazine) -- this is the fascinating archiving of a serial killer from the late 70s/early 80s. He raped 50 people and killed 10 in California. He was known as the East Area Rapist then as the Original Night Stalker -- now he is known as The Golden State Killer. The author has been trying to catch the killer for years, because he IS catchable - they have his DNA and he is most likely still alive. I made the mistake of listening to the recordings of the killer's voice as he left a creepy message. VERY SCARY. I've always been interested in serial killer stories, and this one gave me chills.

WE FOUND OUR SON IN THE SUBWAY by Peter Mercurio (The New York Times) -- this may or may not have brought tears to my eyes as I read it at work. Embarassing when your eyes are all red as you head into a meeting... Great story, and I love how it plays out like an epilogue.

THE CRIME OF BLACKNESS: DOROTHY B. HUGHES'S FORGOTTEN NOIR by Christine Smallwood (The New Yorker) -- I read The Expendable Man earlier this year, and it's GREAT. It originally came out in 1963 and to read it now is astounding in light of that year; I urge you to read the book (it's under 300 pages) and then read this article. But if you read this article first you'll definitely want to pick up the book anyway. If you've already read the book... you are awesome.

THE GHOST WRITES BACK by Amy Boesky (The Kenyon Review) -- written by a woman who ghostwrites for Francine Pascals' Sweet Valley High series. I was in love with these books growing up, of course. A bit of a window into something that makes me nostalgiac.

IN WHICH WE REGRET DIVORCING BEN GIBBARD by Cathaleen Qiao Chen (This Recording) -- TR has the best essays and perspectives on pop culture. Whether it be reviews written by 'Dick Cheney' or insightful pieces on a single piece of music, I love that website. Here's something that made me laugh and wonder.

WHY 'OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL' IS A MAJOR STEP BACK FOR WITCHES AND WOMEN by Elizabeth Rappe (Film.com) -- perhaps this essay more than any other was the reason why the most recent James Franco movie I've seen was Spring Breakers and not Oz. I had higher hopes for Sam Raimi. At least, higher than Harmony Korine, right? Has anybody seen this and liked it?

Speaking of Spring Breakers, yes I reviewed it. It's definitely a movie I thought I would hate, but I ended up kind of liking it? It's not for everyone and can be interpreted several ways, but I enjoyed it. Read my review and let's discuss. Also, join Letterboxd, let's be friends, and let's discuss movies all the time! It's my favorite thing to debate! Anybody else seen Spring Breakers? Got yer dark tannin' oil? Spring break forever????



Photo by Arno Arno via Flickr

Put on a slow, dumb show for you.

Sometimes you need to slow down. This past weekend at the cabin we were up into the wee hours of the morning listening to energetic dance and rock music -- and as people started drifting off to their bedrooms, I decided to provide a more subdued soundtrack so that everyone still awake could decompress. At least, that's what I needed, so I took the controls.

I've been having an extreme love affair with the Pixies the last three years; I'm not sure why, but I listen to them at least once a week. This week I've been waking up to "Bam Thwok!" every day, which is great because that song makes me happy. I still nod my head to it while I'm brushing my teeth even though I can only hear it in my head. But for the slow down, especially after the day we had had, I started with "Where is My Mind?"

Here's the whole list, listenable below on Rdio with the exception of Metric's "Twilight Galaxy," which was unavailable...

01. Where Is My Mind - The Pixies

02. Jesus - Brand New

03. Wonderwall - Ryan Adams

04. If I Didn't Know Better - Sam Palladio & Clare Bowen

05. I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

06. Title and Registration - Death Cab for Cutie

07. Twilight Galaxy - Metric

08. For You to Notice - Dashboard Confessional

09. Call It Off - Tegan and Sara

10. Slow Show - The National

I should note that this morning I decided to listen to Brand New's "Jesus" while on the walk into work  and I was in such a trance I tripped on the top stair up the subway and busted my ankle and knee. The song is mesmerizing and I'm extremely uncoordinated.

What are some songs you listen to to slow down?

Painting: "The Weather Girl" by Alexandra Levasseur

The way my brain works and random links.

Last night was finally a relaxing Friday. I ate Jesse's Thai food leftovers, poured us each a hot cider and whiskey, and settled in. He eventually went to a show in the city, and I watched Nashville and Parenthood, which are two great shows if you don't watch them. Then, since Nashville was created by Callie Khouri, and she wrote Thelma & Louise, and that was directed by Ridley Scott...I decided to watch Prometheus since I'd gotten the blu-ray for Christmas. (Yes, this is how my brain works.) However, my decision to turn off all the lights and snuggle into a blanket on the couch proved disastrous: I fell asleep half an hour into the movie. I awoke two hours later during the credits. Woops. Will have to watch again sometime soon.

Here are some other things in my brain waves this week...

J.J. Abrams officially directing the new Star Wars movie ...as the story that definitely surprised me.

Mainly because he said he never would a month ago, and the fact that because of this I defended my opinion to Jesse back then that why would he mire himself in another franchise with similar fandom? Of course, my number one choice would have been Ridley Scott. Yes, that guy again. I love Abrams, but he has an aesthetic and quality to his films and television shows that is great, but do I want to see two similar-feeling franchises about space? We'll see. I like the levity of Scott, but I do trust Abrams. We'll just have to see.

M. Ward declares new She & Him record ready to release this spring ...as an album I didn't even know was in the works in order to anticipate it!

I'm a huge fan. Liz can attest to this... I mean, we spent an entire weekend together in two cities seeing them play shows. Also, this. So, it's going to be called Volume Three, I would guess?

I'm just going to leave this here right now ...as a story that's really just about technology and our time.

Dating was different in the '90s. I wrote a whole (unpublished) short story on the theme, because something happened to me that was pretty similar to this article. I don't know who's reading, but for those that I've read, I usually begin to admire from afar, forgetting the reasons why I sought you out in the first place.

LETTERBOXD ...as my new favorite internet thing.

Thanks to Michelle for telling me about it and sending me an invite!! Basically, and I've been saying this for years, I've always wanted a site like Goodreads for movies. Goodreads is a fantastic way for me to keep up with my reading and my friends' opinions on books I've read or want to read. Letterboxd does that for films, and it's got a great design. I'm slowly and surely keeping up with my DVD collection blog of personalized reviews, but what about all the Netflix movies and in-theater movies I watch? For Christmas I got a Film Moleskine, which I love, but with Letterboxd I'm able to make lists and keep track and friends can check out what movies I loved or disliked. It's fantastic! DO YOU HAVE IT YET? BE MAH FRIEND!!! I have two invites left for now...

Miniature pencil drawings by Marie Harnett via The Film Experience

Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Fridays are usually my days of rest. I rarely go to one bar, let alone two on a Friday. After a week of work and whatever activities after-work, I love coming home and getting on the couch or going to a neighborhood restaurant for dinner or even just stopping by a nearby bar for a chill evening. However, there were a couple of shows going on, so I prepared for an evening out.

Jesse and I stopped by a bodega on the way to Fette Sau in Williamsburg--I needed a Five Hour Energy to make this work. We met up with Tyler, Diaz, and Meghan at the BBQ joint and waited in line. I was a bit out of my element, as I'm not a big fan of the set-up in the restaurant which is cafeteria style and on a busy Friday night includes waiting around with a tray of meat trying to find a place to sit. Also, they charged me for someone else's side and I didn't realize until I found the receipt later when I was complaining about how expensive my meal was. The pulled pork was good, but I was uncomfortable the entire time eating with a drunk and I think probably drugged young guy next to me. Had to watch my elbows, couldn't hear Jesse across the table, and generally did not like the atmosphere. Most people love that place, so I may just be crotchety. Or just like places that are comfortable to eat.

After dinner we went to the Knitting Factory which is probably my favorite venue because it has a bar that is separated and soundproofed from the stage. You can still see the stage from the bar, but you don't have to hear it. A marvelous concept. They also have a SuperNintendo and N64 hook-up to play in the bar. That night I gave up my plus-one that Jesse had for me to a friend since my heart wasn't into the bands, and I could sit in the bar area with friends. Jiscilla met up at one point and when the Smoking Popes' "Need You Around" started playing in the bar we both sang along in our best bass-y voice and then we discussed how formative the Clueless soundtrack was for each of us.

Diaz & Jesse playing a Street Fighter

Jiscilla

Jesse, Tyler, Lisa and I jumped in a cab and headed up to Greenpoint to check out our friend's band United Nations at the metal bar Saint Vitus. The show was great, but by 1am I was fading fast. I had a very important 10am brunch in the morning as a maid of honor in a wedding, so I needed to sleep.

Tyler & Jesse at Saint Vitus, camera focus not working

Tyler couldn't get it to work for me & Lisa, either

On Saturday, after a delicious "working" brunch with the bride and the other maid of honor, Jesse and I linked up with my friend Jess. We headed to Chelsea to finally see the Haroshi exhibit, which was small but the few pieces were interesting (first picture and below). It was a beautiful day and Jesse and I proceeded to walk around Manhattan running errands and enjoying the weather.

Unfortunately by the evening a terrible headache (and fatigue) took over so I got in bed with Pee Wee and we finished reading Gillian Flynn's Dark Places (review here) and watched Haywire. It was a pretty mediocre story, but I always enjoy Soderbergh's directing.

I woke up on Sunday feeling much better. Jaime called me and we deliberated over where to brunch for five after noon on a Sunday in Brooklyn. It's quite an art to get this right, but we chose correctly for us, Cara, Lisa, and little Lowe. Good food, no wait. We didn't kidnap the kid, though it was fun to have a coloring-on-the-table type brunch.

Cara & Lowe

Lowe is a true artiste

Cara & Lisa

Jaime, Lowe, me (you can see my grays! Eek!)

I arrived home to start getting ready for the football games and the people coming over. I'll just stop talking about my Sunday there, I can't go on about the Patriots right now!

Her cat was clawing the floorboards.

Yesterday the clouds hung low over Manhattan.

My friend Jess and I decided to embark on a New York Saturday on the west side of Manhattan. We took advantage of the cloudy, cool weather conditions and walked the Highline to various galleries in Chelsea. It's a popular destination on clear days and warm days--we rather enjoyed the dead plants and the chilled urban vista.

We stopped by an exhibit entitled 'Suburbia Hamburg 1983' by Nils Karsten, which featured woodcuts of album covers and facts from that old era of punk rock. Then we wandered over to the Jonathan LeVine gallery intending to see Haroshi's repurposed skateboard decks, but it wouldn't open until later that night. We decided to seek out art in other venues of the 529 Arts Building to fill our afternoon.

We climbed back up to the Highline and headed south towards the west village to the IFC Center. We bought tickets to the next showing of the French movie Holy Motors and then looked for an eatery to kill the hour we had before the film. Luckily--another reason to love New York--a nearby restaurant was still serving brunch and limitless mimosas at four in the afternoon.

Why not see a strange, weird, Lynch-ian French film with a couple of mimosas in you?

Jess and I were swept into the world of Monsieur Oscar and his 'appointments.' He dressed in different costumes in the back of a limousine, and proceeded to act as these different characters in different situations--sometimes murdering or kidnapping or consoling his daughter or dying as an old man or simulating for video games, etc. We were never always sure what was really happening during the film, but we talked about it the entire way home on the walk and the subway ride. Was it a treatise on technology? The film business? Reality television? I enjoy films that leave their insinuations to the viewer.

How we perceived reality after Holy Motors:

When I arrived home, I sat on my bed for a few minutes, still thinking about the movie.

Then Jaime texted me and I headed out to Williamsburg to meet up with her, our friend Jenni who was visiting from Boston, Dave, Amber, Mike, and the cantankerous Granville (a profile for another day). It was great fun and ended with attempted dance floor antics. I arrived home only a few minutes past midnight, and fell asleep waiting for Jesse to return home from his own adventurous day in Philadelphia.

I do love New York. I love waking up and not knowing what I'm going to do for that day, but being assured that here, there is always something to do. It's just a matter of seeking it out. And having the right friends around to spend it with always helps.

Havin' a party up next door.

Gwen Stefani via Tim Armstrong!

You know, Tim Armstrong, the lead singer of Rancid? Also in The Transplants? Operation Ivy? Apparently, he took that photo of Gwen. And then he transformed it into a stencil and now two hundred 20x24 screen printed posters are available at Poster Child Prints for $50, signed and numbered! He also made fifty "Artist Edition" prints, each unique and handpainted by Armstrong, available for $150. On the site you can see that he even scrawled the lyrics to Rancid's "Ruby Soho" on one of the Gwen Artist Editions. This is Armstrong's first ever release of artwork, though he'll be releasing more in the near future. I honestly had no idea he was making art.

You all know I keep my ear to the ground when it comes to Gwen news, so, I thought this was particularly interesting. (More interesting, actually, than pregnancy rumors...which she's denying, by the way.) I am acquiring my own print, and will prominently display my all-time girl crush proudly in the apartment! Plus, a first-ever artwork from Tim Armstrong. Pretty, pretty sweet.

Poster Child Prints also has a pretty nice artist roster to peruse - Jim Houser, Tim Biskup, Mike Giant, Taki 187, Love Me, Dalek, Friends with You, and more. I've added their blog to my feed to keep up with it all, too.

Oh, by the way, they went on sale this morning at 9am PDT! Better get on it if you like them!

Anybody else going to get one? Think it's a pretty stellar homage to a stellar woman? I do!