Day 04: A friend I adore.

Ever since I have been back in Colorado I have had a regularly scheduled Wednesday coffee date with my friend from high school, Anne. It is amazing to have someone to talk to about your weekly problems. She makes things feel easier. Plus, she is pretty awesome she is an artist and is finding a way to make it all work. She creates, sells, and shows beautiful pottery; she maintains Etsy sites and blogs, teaches art to children plus raises her own daughter. I am pretty lucky to have her as a friend (for about two decades and counting; when did I get so old that I think about things in terms of decades?).



As I write this I am also thinking about a friend my daughter adores. My friend from grad school is visiting from North Carolina this week for the Denver Film Festival. His name is Chris and my daughter insanely adores him. I usually get asked on a bi-monthly occasion as to whether we can go visit Chris or invite him to our house; seeing as he lives in Winston-Salem, NC, it is a bit hard to honor that request. On Friday, his first full day here, all morning long all I heard was: "Where's Chris? Is Chris calling us? Is he going to be here soon? Are we walking to where Chris is? Is the phone ringing? Is it Chris? When do I get to see Chris?" Chris. Chris. Chris. Chris.

(top photo by Anne)

Day 03: Something I never leave the house without.

The only thing that I never leave the house with would probably be the clothes on my back! I almost always have my purse, but if I can get away with leaving it I will; even if I almost always regret it (though that does not keep me from leaving it again if I think I can get away with it). This is a short post because I feel as though I am always trying to leave the house with the least amount of extra "things" as possible.

Day 02: A favourite movie

Filmmakers, Film majors, Film Critics and the like would all probably agree that being asked for your favorite movie is a pain to say the least. I have learned to not think of films in terms of liking them or disliking them. For my students (and when I was a student) this was always the hardest thing for them to grasp. To be able to truly let go of your personal preferences can be very hard and very introspective. In all honesty you never truly do you will always have a personal inclination to one film over another. I have learned to separate what I think of as great pieces of filmic art and pure entertainment. Though, I will say for me to watch a film it at the very least has to be competently made or else no one will want to suffer through my commentary.

I like to think I have always had pretty good preferences on films. When I was younger I saw Dead Poet's Society (1989) in the theater and I thought it was the most brilliant film ever made. While my opinion of that film is not quite so high anymore, I still think it is a rather good film. This summer Bunheads ended with a Dead Poet's reference: "O Captain, My Captain." It left me in tears and I don't think it was due to the brilliance of the show, because while that show may have been entertaining...

So what is my favorite film for the purposes of this blog post? I was hoping that as I rambled through this post a movie would pop into my head, but it hasn't. I used to have this list that I would rattle off when asked this question, but I don't really want to list that. While I have been writing this a few films have floated into my head such as: The 400 Blows (1959), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), and Cleo From 5 to 7 (1962).

Perhaps, I should just say that a favorite movie of mine is Dead Poet's Society. Even though I haven't watched it in years, the image of Ethan Hawke standing up on that desk still brings tears to my eyes. I believe being able to move a viewer to an emotion is a sign that something is working in a piece of art. It is magical to know that you made something that made someone smile, laugh, cry, or even think. And, for over two decades, this film has made me know what it is like to be moved by a film.

(Photo 1 Source, Photo 2 Source)

A Place I'd Like to Travel

I am failing miserably at remembering to post on here. So I am going to try to follow along with this lovely blogger and post everyday in November. We shall see how I do.

(Picture Source)

If I could travel anywhere I would go to Paris. I know that is not exactly unique or anything, but I have only barely been out of the United States (Cabo San Lucas - and they get Los Angeles television so...). Among other things I would love to see a ballet at the Paris Opera. Paris is the birthplace of ballet, which is only one reason I have always been so enchanted with it. I also am very inspired by the French New Wave and one aspect of that movement was location shooting. So, I already feel very familiar with Paris in a 1960s kind of way.

If all goes as planned I will be back tomorrow.

Ballerina Cupcakes

I will take advantage of any opportunity to make cupcakes. Before we left for North Carolina I had a really small screening of the film at my parents house and knew it was the perfect time to make cupcakes. Since I hadn't made any since moving to Denver I was itching to give it a shot in high altititude with a different oven.

I chose to make dulce de leche cupcakes with a lime and coconut icing. Of course they had to be pink. The frosting was supposed to look like a tutu, but at the last minute I realized that I did not have a ruffle frosting tip that I was planning to use. C'est la vie; I still think they look pretty good. The recipe came from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, which has some of the best recipes for cupcakes ever. Of course, you have to remember that just because they are vegan that doesn't mean they are healthy. For some reason it is easy to think vegan equals healthy, but there is a lot of sugar in these guys!

My cupcakes were a hit and I am thinking about making some more for my next test screening.

Arriving in North Carolina

We flew into Raleigh on Thursday and immediately hopped on I-40 to get to Chapel Hill/Carrboro for dinner at Carrburritoes and then headed to Greensboro to spend the next couple of nights with my grandmother. It is amazing how a highway can evoke such memories. So much so that I had to try to capture the feeling of the light on the road. I am not sure if my phone really does it justice, but here it is anyway. I wonder how many hours I have spent driving back and forth on this road? This particular highway covers the entire US, starting in Wilmington (where I was born) and ending in California. I have always wanted to drive the entire length of it one day. We shall see how that goes.

Vacation Shopping

Currently I am in North Carolina for both a vacation and also because I did a test screening of my film in Charlotte yesterday. I will have to post about that later. Today I am relaxing in Asheville and thinking of expanding my jewelry collection. Recently, I have been wanting more bracelets, but have realized I don't have any.  Asheville is a very artsy town and perhaps I will be able to find a handcrafted one here. I have been checking out Etsy so that I can make an educated purchase. I kind of want bangles like the ones above, but am thinking it may be better to start with something more subdued like this or this. We shall see.