Letters of Note

Let's bring back letters. Real, hand-written, heartfelt, witty letters. As text messages and emails increasingly become our only mode of communication, (an iphone to actually call someone? Don't be silly.) may I suggest the need to slow it down and go old-school. Because frankly, mail has become a depressing cycle of bills & ad flyers, and we need to make it fun again. I have been making an effort to drop a card or two in the mail now and then, and it makes a big difference.

 Therefore, I was elated when a blog entitled "Letters of Note" was recently brought to my attention. Here I found "an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Scans/photos where possible. Fakes will be sneered at." Notes from Woody Allen to Diane Keaton? Ramblings from Hemingway? Yes, please. So, what are you waiting for? Get reading! (And writing). See a sample letter from Woody to Diane below:

Beet Head,
Humans are clean slates. There are no qualities indigenous to men or women. True, there is a different biology, but all defining choices in life affect both sexes & a woman, any woman is capable of defining herself with total FREEDOM. Therefore women are anything they choose to be & frequently have chosen & defined themselves greater than men. Don't be fooled by THE ARTS! They're no big deal; certainly no excuse for people acting like jerks & by that I mean, so what if up till now there were very few women artists. There may have been women far deeper than, say, Mozart or Da Vinci but contributing their genius in a different socially circumscribed context. Note how I switched from pen to pencil at this moment because in Lelouch's film, A MAN & A WOMAN, he switches from color to black & White—So I underline my point using the same symbolism—Very clever? OK, then, very stupid. ~ Woody

White House Correspondents Dinner 2012

dinners are always hilarious, and this year was no exception. 
"Jimmy Kimmel got his start on The Man Show—that’s what we in Washington call a congressional hearing on contraception."—President Obama

"Some people say journalism is on the decline, you've become too politicized, too focused on sensationalism. They say you no longer honor your duty to inform America, but instead actively try to divide us so that your corporate overlords can rake in the profits… I don't have a joke for this, I'm just letting you know what some people say…" ~ Jimmy Kimmel

Earth Day 2012

Happy Earth Day! Let's take better care of our home.

Road Trippin'

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

 There is something about spring & summer that always makes me want to jump in a car and take a road trip.  Perhaps it was all of my childhood summers spent driving through Alberta, Montana & Wyoming, en route to Colorado, but it has become an annual tradition. High on my list are a grand tour of The American South, and the infamous Route 1 on the California coast. Maybe even write or film a story or two. If you have any recommendations on either adventure, I would love to hear from you! Happy trails, my fellow road trippers.

Shoe Dreams

“I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.” While cleaning out my camera's the other day, I came across some footage I had taken at Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum last summer. Aside from the fabulous shoes on display (+ a special on my favorite 1920's era), we were taken down into the archives, where thousands more shoes from around the world, from all decades & cultures, where tucked away. (Including ones worn by Marilyn, Elvis and Elizabeth Taylor!)

Quote

“This life is what you make it. Not matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.”
~ Marilyn Monroe

Be Inspired (to travel)

My wanderlust has come back with a vengeance. This is nothing new. I was born this way, and I constantly battle the need to pack a bag and head out on a new travel adventure. So whenever I see other people compelled to do the same, get out there and explore, and perhaps make a difference, they have my undivided attention. The first video was made by a couple of young men who received money to shoot video for Nike, but realized it would be better spent traveling the world in 10 days, and shooting that instead. the second, is the trailer from the boys at "The Buried Life" who set out to cross a bunch of things off of their bucket list, and ended up changing peoples lives along the way. Be inspired! Get out there and see things for yourself.

HBO + AMC + Showtime

I'm not much of a television person, but HBO continues to rock my world. They keep elevating the content quality.  It's bad enough I got sucked into a "Game of Thrones" marathon weekend, and now am totally addicted, but there was also the recent "Girls" trailer, and now Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Newsroom’. HBO, AMC and Showtime are continually uping their game, between the previously mentioned shows as well as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter and True Blood. Kudos to the writers, and producers who take chances. Because let's face it, nearly everyone else (I'm looking at you, major networks) are failing spectacularly. (Apologies to "30 Rock", "Modern Family","Friday Night Lights", "Nurse Jackie" "Sons of Anarchy", I must exclude you from this). And when can we ban reality tv, already? Ugh.

Sleep No More

After countless rave reviews from friends and critics alike, and months of waiting for a coveted ticket, my friend and I finally attended "Sleep No More", an interactive theatre piece at the McKittrick Hotel. After grabbing a much needed cocktail in the 1920's themed bar, we donned our white masks and started to make our way through the dark & haunted hotel. You can either wander the various themed floors & rooms alone, snoop around, or follow any of the random actors who play out scenes (in silence) and dash from space to space. You can create your own, anonymous experience so I don't want to give too much away. Buy a ticket, be brave, and step into the unknown. You won't regret it.

 

From the New York Times review: "Those pushy Macbeths may be backstabbing social climbers, but you must admit that their new digs are to die for. The Thane of Cawdor and his wife have moved into a deserted hotel in the hinterlands of the West 20s, and my dear, what they’ve done with the place. Don’t be surprised if it shows up soon on the cover of Architectural Digest, bloodstains and all.  Punchdrunk, a British site-specific theater company, has taken over three abandoned warehouses on West 27th Street to enact the sorry sights of the murderous Macbeths’ career in a movable orgy titled Sleep No More. And the resulting adventure in décor — a 1930s pleasure palace called the McKittrick — suggests what might have happened had Stanley Kubrick (of Eyes Wide Shut and The Shining) been asked to design the Haunted Mansion at Disney World, with that little old box maker Joseph Cornell as a consultant."   

Girls

This looks promising. Aside from 30 Rock, there are few funny, quality television shows with a strong female lead. Some have tried, many have failed. Let's see how executive producer Judd Apatow fares with his new show "Girls" on HBO. Plus, it's set in NY (even though I can see many of you eye-rolling over the fact that it is yet another show about a 20-something living in Brooklyn. Bored To Death' and 'How To Make It In America', anyone?). Read NY Magazines great interview with Lena Dunham, star & writer of "Girls".