Snow, Snow, Sun

It's not snowing here anymore and it is warming up nicely. I hear that it snowed last night in North Carolina though. Apparently it was thundering and snowing at the same time. I would expect nothing less.

These pictures are from the big snow in Colorado last month. We went to the holiday lights exhibit at the Botanic Gardens that night and must admit snow covered Christmas lights are amazing. I think this is all of my pictures from last month!

Chocolate Lollipops

I know I am extremely late at getting around to posting this, but I still wanted to share these pictures. For Christmas we made chocolate lollipops using this recipe from Ina Garten. They came our really good and were a great project for me to do with my daughter. She was able to be really involved without it getting frustrating because there wasn't anything she could mess up. Plus, she was really proud of them and liked to tell people she had made them.

New Years Resolutions

We just arrived back in Denver about five hours ago. My resolution for the day is to take a nice long hot shower. It will be so nice. Hopefully by Sunday evening I can pack away all the Christmas stuff and unpack from the trip.

As for my New Years Resolution I really want to focus on getting all of my work and career more active in Denver. With all these movies out about Alfred Hitchcock (whom is one my favorites filmmakers so I have been bombarded with questions about him recently) I have realized that I haven't sat down and watched one of his films in a long a time and I think not watching great movies has my inspiration running low. Since I have been working on Strength and Beauty I have been watching a lot of documentaries and that has sort of zapped my creativity because, unfortunately, a lot of docs are very poorly made. They are so reliant on the subject at hand that attempts to really create a story, flesh out characters, or simply create a nicely paced and well edited film fall to the waste side. Though, I would argue that most films made nowadays are extremely poorly edited - but that is a whole other post. So a very important resolution for me is to get back into watching films made before 1960.

In addition to that my other resolutions are as follows:
1. Continue writing in this space on a regular basis.
2. Finish up everything with S & B (master cut, DVD).
3. Write a Dance on Film article I have been gathering notes on for years it seems!

That is about all. There is probably more, but I have hit my threshold for computer time. Though, accomplishing this would really get me to a good creative place I believe. So here goes for a great year in 2013.

(Alfred Hitchcock photo: source)

Day 26: Something I'm looking forward to.

December. For a number of reasons, but mostly I love the holiday season. I love Christmas lights everywhere, my decorated tree, holiday music, lot's of baking, and on and on. Also, I am sort of looking forward to this project being over. It is kind of hard to post every single day and some of these topics start to feel a little repetitive.  I have learned that it is nice to get up in the morning and have something to accomplish that is for myself creatively instead of simply thinking, "what will I do to keep my daughter engaged today?" So I am going to keep up this daily posting (just not on weekends and holidays). Hopefully, it will last.

Day 24: Something that makes me smile.

Going to see the Boulder Ballet's Nutcracker last night with my mom and daughter. Peter Davison is one of the best Drosselmeyer's I have ever seen!

(photo source: Boulder Ballet Facebook)

Day 22: What I love about my job.

I am not sure if I will be able to post tomorrow because it is Thanksgiving. We shall see. So here is my 22nd post. Currently, I don't really have a job. I guess I consider a job for me as a teaching job.

What I do now is take care of my daughter and work on my (almost done) documentary. For this purpose I will consider it my job (even though I don't really like thinking of raising my daughter as a job per say). What I love about being a filmmaker is growing artistically and using the skills I have developed over the years.

What I love about being a mom is being that person that can calm her and that sometimes I am the only one she needs. Sometimes that is a heady responsibility, but mostly I really cherish it. Today is the forty-fourth anniversary of the White Album being released and beginning when my daughter was little and even now, I have sung Blackbird to her to calm or help her to fall asleep. So I thought I would share it today.

And Suddenly It's Winter

The temperature seemed to drop very quickly. Cold weather seems to have taken over North Carolina. All the leaves are on the ground now, even the deep red ones. It was also freezing cold in Atlanta where we visited for Thanksgiving. Usually, we spend the day after Thanksgiving visiting a museum or local attraction and this year we were planning on the zoo. Unfortunately, the weather did not permit for time outside. It was rainy, cold, and gray, putting everyone into moods to match. Somehow we redeemed the day, but shopping. The thing about the day after Christmas is the crowds seem to subside after noon. We only went to Target, Trader Joe's, and CVS, but it was fun and not as stressful as it may have been three hours earlier.

When we returned to Greensboro on Saturday (after a stop in Charlotte to visit Ikea) I rested for the night so that I could get up the next morning to prepare for second Thanksgiving. It has been a long time since I have not had my sister with me to listen to Alice's Restaurant for our Thanksgiving celebration. It is odd to be the only one to know (relatively, it is a long song) all the words and want to dance around. My grandmother did a good job though and we tried our best to get my daughter to dance, which she did for a bit and then got bored. Afterward, we ate Tofurkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and an apply gingerbread upside down cake. It was a very good second Thanksgiving.

On Sunday after we have recovered from dinner we put up our Christmas tree. Growing up I always had a real tree, but my husband really wanted a tree with light already on it. Putting lights on the tree is not his favorite thing to do and he feels passionate about it so I gave in a few years back. I have to admit it does make the Christmas tree easy and it is so nice when you plug it in and the beautiful light fills the room. It's so nice and suddenly it feels like Christmas in just a matter of minutes, with no struggles over the tree. I have to admit I'm starting to appreciate the artificial tree.

As soon as I have film developed I will post some Christmas-y pictures, but for now enjoy the last memories of fall.

Happy Thanksgiving

We are getting ready to head down to Atlanta to celebrate our "first" Thanksgiving. When we get back we will celebrate our "second" Thanksgiving this Sunday (that's when we listen and dance to Arlo Guthro's Alice's Restaurant). Today I made a pumpkin cheesecake and a vanilla sparkling wine pound cake. I just finished wrapping them up and realized I had not taken pictures, hopefully I will remember when I get there.

There are many little things that signify the holiday that are springing up, for instance the radio station that plays not stop Christmas music and an ice rink downtown. I always get excited for the holiday commercials like the Hershey's kisses acting like bells and the one at the rings loud and long. One of my favorites is the Folgers commercial from the 1980s when the son comes home to surprise the family on Christmas morning. In the 1980s and 90s I thought it was lame, but now it's pretty cool because they keep playing this circa 1980 commercial. It has become a tradition. A few days ago I even told my husband I couldn't wait to see it.

Here comes the big disappointment. While watching some television tonight a Folgers commercial came on about a son coming home Christmas morning...but, it is not circa 1980 it is a contemporary family! They RE-SHOT the Folgers commercial! How could they do this to me? And it is so cheesy and unwatchable, ugh. Hopefully, I can find Miracle on 34th St. playing somewhere. Though, with my luck it will be colorized or even worse that awful remake.

To end on a happy note. My daughter and I went to the mall this week to Christmas shop and she saw Santa and he waved to her and it was very cute. She didn't sit on his lap just yet, I wasn't sure if my husband would want to be there, but she looked around the Santa area and oohhed and aahhed a lot. Christmas takes on a new perspective when you have a little girl around. Maybe I won't miss that Folgers commercial too much.

Catch Up/Preparation

Even though I took these pictures before Halloween I think that they are very Thanksgiving-y as well. I always feel sorry for Thanksgiving because everyone tends to skip over it. Christmas is already in the air it seems. Yesterday they were put up wreaths and lights at Friendly Center. We went into Macy's and their trees were up and Christmas music was playing. Of course, I did get a little Christmas spirit when I walked in. I celebrated my birthday this weekend and when my daughter saw my husband carrying my wrapped presents her eyes got all big and she went, "ohhhhh." She loved tearing off the paper. She didn't care too much about what was inside unless it was a CD. She loves playing with CDs. Reading the labels, examining the disc. I wonder if we will be able to keep any presents wrapped with her around.

Look at me, I've digressed from my thoughts on Thanksgiving. Growing up my Thanksgiving was a little different from my friends. My mom is a vegetarian and we never really had turkey. Every now and again my dad would make one, but it was never the centerpiece. When I was really little I remember eating shrimp, but then she gave up seafood. The most important part of our holiday has always been listening to Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant at noon. They play it live on KBCO (the former local radio station in Boulder that now resides in Denver). We drink mimosas, eat bruschetta and dance around. And have done so since longer than I can remember. My husband's family does the more traditional thing where lot's of family gets together and there is a lot of food (including turkey, often more than one, I think, honestly I don't pay that much attention to the turkey).  As all marriages go traditions have to be melded together and my Thanksgiving tradition has become the Sunday after Thanksgiving tradition. And after we listen to Arlo we put up the Christmas. After all, Thanksgiving can't last forever, not like Christmas.

Our Halloween

I remember being excited for the first Halloween where I lived in a house (one that was divided into two apartments). I had lived in apartments up to that point (or went out for Halloween) and had not handed out candy before. The promise of cute kids in costumes was very excited. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed because most of the students had no type of costume at all! When we bought our house and Halloween came around on the calendar I thought finally: costumes. While there were much more cute costumes there were still the costume-less. I wonder when this phenomenon started. Aren't costumes required? Though I have to admit I still gave the kids candy. I'm not going to be the mean lady who won't give kids candy.

This year was different. Every single kid had a costume, pretty much. There was one little boy whose sister, dressed as a princess, told me he was nothing. When I turned my gaze toward him he started talking about his costume, but I couldn't really figure out what he was saying. He was probably three. My guess is his parents didn't think he would be into Halloween, but turned out he was ready. I don't think he counts. There were cute costumes, scary costumes, odd costumes. Plus my parents were on Skype and able to be part of our Halloween. They live on a short street that doesn't get a lot of trick or treaters so they had fun as well. Halloween is much more fun with costumed trick or treaters!

My daughter would run up to the door and look at all the kids as well. It was so cute. There was one other Little Red Riding Hood that we saw as well (though her costume wasn't home made, but still very cute). Earlier that day we took my daughter to Harris Teeter to get some groceries and she was the star, not that she noticed. Everyone kept stopping to say how cute she was, though most thought she was Snow White because she wasn't wearing her hood and was carrying an apple. She likes to get a piece of fruit at the grocery store.

All in all it was a very pleasant Halloween and beginning to the holiday season. Yay!

Little Red Riding Hood

I have been so busy making my daughter her Halloween costume. I think, perhaps, I have gone a little overboard because she isn't old enough to go trick or treating or eat candy. Of course if I didn't have to rip out everything I do two or three times it wouldn't have taken me so long either. On Wednesday night I think I spent a good hour and a half completely ripping out the bodice of her red riding hood dress.

The one thing about making her costumes by hand is an a true feeling of satisfaction when I am through. The last thing I have to do is sew in the zipper it's pinned and ready to go, but I think I will be a little disappointment when it is all done. It has been so rewarding to figure out the pattern, though I don't think I followed it very well. I just made it work. Kind of the same way that Robert Altman uses a script when he makes movie; very loosely, if at all. I used red corduroy to make the hood and it looks so structured and professional.

I have to rolls of film to scan into the computer so hopefully will have new pictures soon. Happy Halloween to everyone! Don't eat too much chocolate...

Back to the Routine

My mom left on Tuesday and yesterday my routine felt all out of whack and I couldn't make it to the computer. I think I (we) are getting back on track; mostly because I am back to having my "me" time tonight. My husband and daughter are passed out. I can use the computer and watch anything I want on TV. Small pleasures.

Today is my good friends birthday. I have known her for about two decades. Long time. On her birthday I can reminisce about bygone years, but since she is older than me I always feel young. The only time being older was a benefit was when she turned 16. That was a good year for her. You'd think 21 would have been good, but she said it wasn't too fun because no one else could go out to the bars with her. She was 30 first and will be 40 first. And some people say a month doesn't make a difference.

Of course it comes back to get me because me other friend that I've known for almost three decades is younger than me by a month and a half. So I'll be feeling old in January.

Happy Birthday Lindsey! Love you.

German Chocolate Cake

 For my husband's birthday he wanted a German Chocolate Cake. Now this is a special request because he usually wants a Carrot Cake. So this threw my for a loop and at first I wasn't thrilled about this cake, but it now is one of my favorites. I used this recipe. If you choose to make it, be aware that it took me 6-7 hours to make it. The were many special directions such as separating the eggs, adding each yolk one at a time, and then beating the egg whites into peaks before adding it to the batter (though I think it is fun to beat egg whites, small pleasures). It would be in your best interest to make the cake the day before you put it all together. Hands down the most amazing part is the filling, which you can see on the top of the cake as well. Excellent.

Visiting Asheville

For the Fourth of July holiday we visited my husband's family in Asheville, NC. It is a very fun, hip, city. It's funny to me that both of our sets of parents live in much hipper cities than we do (my parents are in Boulder, CO). Ironically, we live in the same city where three out of our four parents grew up, hmmmm. Most of these pictures are from downtown because on July 5th we realized that we hadn't visited that area, so we went for a walk.

When I got home I accidentally opened the camera before it was rewound. For some reason I was getting 26 pictures on a roll of 24 and I flashed the end of the roll. I really love flares and light leaks so I thought the end result as a very happy accident.

Flip'n Friday: City on Fire

City on Fire from Chelsea Wayant on Vimeo.

I have had a very busy week what with being in Asheville for the Fourth and setting up the Super 8 transfer yesterday. Somehow I was able to to also prepare a video for this week's Flip'n Friday. I am back to using the Flip Camera and was very surprised with how well it handled low light situations. This piece was a little hard to edit because I had not visualized it in my head as clearly as previous videos though I am pleased with the final version.