Radio Show Friday, March 7 8-10AM

Radar Brothers - Happy Spirits
Shout Out Louds - Impossible
Sarah Vaughan - East of the Sun (West of the Moon)
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions - Suzanne
Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again
Ronnie Lane - Kuschty Rye
Super Furry Animals - Carbon Dating
Steve Miller Band - True Fine Love
Butterglory - Waiting on the Guns
Sandro Perri - Everybody's Talkin'
Golden Smog and Roseanne Cash - Seven Year Ache
Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant - Stratosphere Boogie

Do you love Dolly Parton like I love her? I recently watched 9 to 5 which ignited my desire to hear late 70s - early 80s era Dolly. I love her yodel "Muleskinner Blues." But even more than her yodel, I love "Here You Come Again." I have probably played that song 50 times in the car over the past couple weeks. And I cannot wait to get back to the station to play some off the 9 to 5 soundtrack which WXYC just acquired.


2008 has not been kind to me so far. One of the saddest things to happen is that the High Dollar Hot Dogs broke up. Well, I guess we have broken up. I never got officially dumped. But they've stopped returning my calls and emails. I was told that breaking up is what bands do. It hurts a little, but I knew that it wasn't going to work out. In memory of our little band, I played my favorite song that we covered, "Seven Year Ache."

But there is still hope for me and the uke. I told a few folks about my dream to start up the Steve Miller Band Ukulele Cover Band. Several people are interested! But I need to find a good lead uke player, because that surely isn't me. Last weekend I stayed up until 4am playing uke with Mark. We learned the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved." I also want to play Steve Miller's "True Fine Love" with the new band. Do you? Come join! Bring songs! Unfortunately, this band is still very much a dream, but maybe once things slow down a bit, I can bring this band to life.


Last week, I played Sandro Perri's cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin.'" Because of this song, I rented the film Midnight Cowboy. I knew nothing about the film when I put it at the top of my Netflix list. I didn't know that John Voight (who is hot) and Dustin Hoffman were in it. I didn't know that it was the only movie rated X that ever won an Academy Award. I didn't know that it was about a hustler in NYC. I finally got around to watching it last night and it blew me away. I loved it! The little experimental film bits were incredible. I also have a new appreciation for Dustin Hoffman. I highly recommend it.


I am still very much obsessed with Ronnie Lane. Last week it was "Kuschty Rye." This week, it's "The Poacher." I would be playing "The Poacher" tomorrow on the radio, but since it's spring break, I am taking a week off. But tune in from 9am to noon to hear Tim's show which is really wonderful.

The rest of my playlist from last week's show can be found here.

Busby Berkeley and Eddie Cantor

I showed Denise the amazing dance sequences from Kid From Spain last night. It is so very embarrassingly and painfully socially incorrect. But the dance sequences are jaw-droppingly amazing. I love what Busby can do with alot of ladies in a pool and Eddie Cantor. There are no YouTube clips from this film. But I did find this beautiful shot.

With the resurgence in popularity of musicals these days, how come no musical film producer is doing anything like this? Wouldn't High School Musical or Hairspray or Chicago be so much better with some Busby Berkelian Matrix-style dance numbers thrown in? Berkeley did it all with simple tricks like mirrors, reverse film direction, funky camera angles, etc. I want to see a Busby Berkeley number with some Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 3-D effects!

Radio Show, Tuesday August 21 6-9PM

Papercuts - Just Another Things To Dust
Flatlanders - Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown
Petula Clark - Downtown
Golden Smog & Roseanne Cash - Seven Year Ache
Orange Peels - Back In San Francisco
Richard Hawley - I'm Looking for Someone To Find Me
Nick Gilder - Hot Child In the City
Rosalie Allen - Wide Rolling Plains
Mickey & Sylvia- Love Will Make You Fail In School
Tex Williams & Texas Caravan - Won't You Ride In My Little Red Wagon
Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker - Cousin Mosquito #1
Kate Bush - This Woman's Work
Magnetic Fields - All My Little Words
Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
Josh Ritter - Right Moves
The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You
Yma Sumac - Wimoweh

Last Tuesday after this radio show, I went to see Un Duex Trois, the Papercuts and Ladybug Transistor at Local 506. I absolutely loved the Papercuts. I like their record alot. I played songs by them and by Ladybug Transistor trying to plug the show, but there were still only around 40 people at that show.

Over the past month or so, I have searched the library for the Flatlanders CD, with no luck. But last Tuesday, I found it and played "Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown." Naturally, I had to follow it with Petula Clark's "Downtown," which I think only Craven heard all the way out in Oakland, California.

I think that the High Dollar Hot Dogs have officially adopted "Seven Year Ache" into our repertoire. I hope so. I am so addicted to that song. I need to learn more about Roseanne Cash. That song is so great (especially the Golden Smog/Roseanne Cash version) and Elizabeth sings it so heavenly.

The HDHDs finally have a CD of some of our songs. I think it is difficult to listen to, but Ted thinks it is great. I love being in a ukulele band. I think that everyone should be in a ukulele band.

So, only my closest friends know of my obsession with 1980s teenage angst movies... especially ones with John Cusack. Better Off Dead is my favorite movie ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. I want my two dollars. Say Anything is a close second. I think that if John Cusack were to woo me with a boom box over his head, he needn't play any Peter Gabriel. I think that my boom box woo song would be "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos. Dreamy.

My entire playlist can be found here.

Let's Watch Your Home Movies

Tomorrow is International Home Movie Day. It's a day to celebrate your old vacations, birthdays, weddings, or whatever that your family recorded on film. Home movies are my favorite kind of documentaries.

So, go find your old home movies and bring them down to NCSU tomorrrow, Saturday August 11th 1-4pm to view them or just to watch home movies from other folks. It's alot of fun. There's even Home Movie Day Bingo with prizes!!!! Don't miss it!

More information about the event can be found here.

Keepin' It Elevated

Friday afternoon I kinda freaked out a little. I just couldn't figure out why my foot was still just as swollen and just as painful as it was the day I sprained it. So, I called the orthopaedic clinic. The receptionist put me through to the orthopaedic surgeon on call at the ER. I told him that it's been almost two weeks and I cannot put any weight on my foot and it's purple, painful, and swollen. Blah. Blah. Blah. He asked me where I was. I said that I was at work. He said that if I was not keeping it elevated *ALL* the time that I was prolonging my recovery. Sitting at my desk and hobbling around work was not helping. He told me that I must keep my foot elevated if I expected to get better quickly.

All week, I have spent every evening in this chair with my foot elevated in pain caused by working all day. Each morning, I feel better and go back into work where I stay until the pain forces me to go home, at which time I return to this chair. And then the cycle starts again. So, I thought I'd better keep my butt planted in this chair for the weekend. (I'm sad because I didn't get to go meet Charleen tonight, but I just couldn't drive to Carrboro with my ankle like this.)

Today, I spent the day in my chair except for laundry. The only way to get my dirty clothes from my bedroom to the laundry room was by crawling. I crawled the other day, so why not again today. So, I filled up the laundry basket in the bedroom and then got down on all fours and pushed the basket while dragging my crutches behind me. Once I got to the laundry room, I was fine. I managed to do three loads: the last of which is still in the dryer. I had to crawl the laundry back to my bedroom to fold it and put it away. But I did it. Woo hoo!!! (I betcha my Saturday adventure was more exciting than yours!) One thing I discovered while crawling around the house is that the floor in here is absolutely disgusting. As soon as my foot gets better and I get off these crutches, I am going to start cleaning my floors frequently.

Today, I also realized that people can see me sitting in here. Folks walking by are now waving to me. I guess that is nice & neighborly. I kinda feel like a window mannequin. There is a little preschool down the street and the kids seem to love and stop and scream gleefully at the stuff on my porch.... or maybe they are screaming at the weird crazy lady teetering on crutches in the window.

Last night, Denise came over and brought me food from the kitchen. We watched The Muppet Movie together. I haven't seen that movie since I was 8 years old. I just about fell out of my chair when I saw Kermit in the opening sequence playing the banjo!!!! I love Kermit. "Rainbow Connection" sounds like it might be difficult to play on uke. I also watched Louisiana Story this afternoon. I am convinced that Jim Henson and Ricky Leacock are geniuses.

Ukulele Blues

So, for the past week and a half, I have sat here in my polka-dotted chair doing a whole lotta nothing. I go to work until I get the hammering-on-the-ankle feeling and then I return to my chair. I really do like looking out the window. .. the 'hood will be hopping this weekend. I just know it! So exciting!!!!

The banjo uke's been just sitting here on the coffee table along with some song books. I haven't really felt like playing. My pain and frustration squash my desire to do much of anything besides look out the window. I've played a little bit, but not a whole lot... I taught myself "Dinah" but I still need alot more practice.

This afternoon, I finished up The Jerk. I really loved it. It features this great scene where Steve Martin plays a ukulele. (I couldn't find a picture of him with a uke, so I posted this one of him playing a banjo instead.) After the film ended, I went back to the bonus features to learn to play "Tonight You Belong To Me" on the uke. The Ukulele Gal, Janet Weiss, shows you how to play it using the old-fashioned uke tuning in the key of D which is A D F# B. Trying to tune a ukulele is really really hard. Just the teeniest turn of the knob will dramatically change the note of the string. So, I thought... I'm not going to screw up my tuned uke. I'll just try playing the song in the key that my uke is already in, which is C (G C E A). The first note of the song is A6. How in the word is any human supposed to warp his/her fingers into that:


So, I gave up. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel like retuning my banjo uke into the key of D. That way, I can play "Wabash Blues," in the old school tuning, too.

Ya know, the scariest thing about being alone and injured in the house is when I hear something weird in the other room and I cannot go investigate. It sounded like someone was just playing a steel drum in my kitchen... but it stopped. So nothing can be wrong, right?

Rendezvous

This is one of my all-time favorite films. Rendezvous by Claude Lelouch made in Paris in 1978. I wish that the google video was not so pixely, but maybe it's just the limitations of my laptop. I remember the first time I saw it... it was a 16 mm print and it was amazing. It's about 8 minutes long... turn up your speakers for full effect. VROOM!!!!!

Sunday Afternoon TV

Today, I got up very early to get to Chapel Hill to get some work done for my clients. I needed to get there early to ensure that I got a parking spot right out front. Driving hurts like hell. Using crutches is not easy either. But I did it. Neither of my clients' offices are very well suited for a person with crutches or a cast. But I squeezed myself in there and got them all caught up. I feel a huge weight lifted by getting that done.

It's weird how no one would make eye contact with me as I hobbled on my crutches on Franklin Street. I guess people don't know what to do if someone passes by with a physical impairment. That sucks.

When I arrived at the salon, there were some customers standing in there who saw me struggling with the door. They were standing probably 5 feet from the door and they just stood there and watched... they looked at me as if I were some beast trying to tear my way into the salon. Once I got in there and the stylists greeted me, they eased the customers anxiety by telling them that I was the accountant. Whew! Ladies, your purses are safe.

After work in Chapel Hill, I returned home to my all-too-familiar green polka-dotted chair and searched for something to watch on TV. I decided on Terms of Endearment. What a mistake. It seems like a good enough movie, but I didn't need to watch a film about a woman with three kids in a sucky marriage who dies from cancer. Bleah.

So, I pulled out my credit card and joined Netflix. I figure that if I am going to be stuck in this frickin' green chair for the next few weeks, I need to have something NOT depressing to watch. And 95% of the shows on cable TV are absolute CRAP.

First three films in my queue are Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jerk, and Louisiana Story.

You Ain't Going Nowhere

So, yesterday I was feeling relatively little pain so I braved the outside world and drove to Chapel Hill for my radio show. And then I drove to work and put in a full day's work. I ended the day having dinner and drinks at Alivia's with Maggie. I hadn't been to Alivia's yet and heard mixed reviews. Overall, it was great... service was not the best, but my margarita was awesome and the grapefruit champagne pie was delicious. And it was fun to catch up with Maggie. Last night, the Brightleaf area was so crowded that we had to park pretty far away and walk to the restaurant. My foot was feeling kinda tingly during dinner, but overall, I was proud that I made it through the day.

In my head, my goal was to get strong enough to get out of the house and be somewhat "normal" before I ended my Ross McElwee documentary marathon. I was happy that I had reached my goal yesterday... I was out and about and I still hadn't watched Bright Leaves yet. I felt like I had beaten my nemesis: my ankle.

I was wrong.

This morning, I woke to a little bit of pain and headed to the bathroom. As I have the past two mornings, I hobbled without the cast or crutches. (I put the crutches in the closet on Thursday, because I felt like I didn't need them anymore.) As I stepped into the dining room this morning, I realized that I could no longer walk. Putting even the slightest bit of weight on the fractured/sprained foot caused excruciating pain... Pain so horrible that I wished I had filled the pain medication prescription my doctor gave me. I didn't know what to do. The closest dining room chair was at least three steps away. My cast was in the living room. I had no choice but to get down on my knees and crawl the rest of the way. I then crawled back to bed and just laid there and cried.

I finally got up and crawled to the foyer closet to retrieve the crutches. Crawling really hurts my knees. I had to then crawl with the crutches to the closest chair, because I couldn't get up off the floor. After the ibuprofen eased some of the pain, I decided to take a shower. I suffered through it and now I am back in my chair.

So many emotions were stirred up this morning. Mostly revolving around helplessness. I don't like asking people to do things for me. Thank goodness for my dad who offers his assistance so freely. My mom and dad are at a luncheon in Chapel Hill today and are coming by afterwards. I am just waiting for them to get here so that they can bring me a glass of water and a sandwich.

Sitting here in my polka-dotted chair, I think about my grandmother who was pretty helpless towards the end of her life. She had around-the-clock sitters who helped her get up in the morning, made her meals, cleaned the house, etc. I remember that she had a spot on her couch where she would sit every day. There were tissues, the remote, papers, pencils, the telephone, her purse, all the things that she needed placed strategically all around her on the couch. I can't help but think about her while I sit in my polka-dotted chair surrounded by my own things: my purse, my mobile phone, my laptop, my remotes. It scared me to see my grandmother like that. It scares me to be helpless like that, too.

I've been sitting here in silence just looking out the window. I've been watching the breakfast crowd go in and out of the Mexican restaurant. Lots of folks have been walking down to the grocery. There were two guys who were walking by eating some sort of meat jerky out of a big plastic pouch. I'm waiting to see two of my favorite Lakewood characters go by. One of them is this very happy little man with a grocery cart who always smiles and waves to everyone who walks or drives by. There is another guy who pimps out bikes by duct taping car steering wheels and boom boxes to them and then spray painting his creation. He tried to sell me one last year for $75.

I am sad that I cannot go anywhere. I want to go outside. I want to go to the Farmers Market. I want to go to a party this afternoon. I want to go to marching band practice. I can't.

So, I guess I'll admit defeat. I tried to beat my ankle yesterday, and my ankle has put me back in my place. But once I finish Bright Leaves, I'll need to find another DVD box set to begin another marathon. I have a Fred and Ginger box set, but I have seen all those movies multiple times. I have a Busby Berkeley box set, but the stories are so lame, I just fast-forward to the dance numbers and I am not in the mood. Maybe I'll order the Stan Brakhage Anthology or something by DA Pennebaker. Or maybe I'll practice my banjo uke.

The End of Ankle Week

Today, I managed to drive to work even though it was only two residential blocks away. And it didn't hurt. I think I have finally turned a corner with this ankle ordeal. It's still very swollen, purple and stiff and my range of motion is just a fraction of that of my good foot. But I am in much less pain... I love my cast.

I woke this morning and heard the voice of Ross McElwee in my head narrating my morning routine. He was describing the granny rocking chair in my bedroom and the orange wool blanket on my bed. I was thinking... I've got to get out of the house and stop watching Ross McElwee films.

After work, I met my dad at home and we chatted a bit about doctors and what he's cooking these days. He was going to drive me to Whole Foods, but I told him that I wanted to try it by myself. I did it! It was hard... I had to take my cast off to drive the car and put it back on when I arrived at the grocery. Same thing for the drive home. How annoying. But I did it!! Once I got home, I celebrated my accomplishment by eating a sopressata sandwich and watching McElwee's Six O'Clock News. So for now, I'll have to deal with Ross McElwee's voice stuck in my head narrating my life as I hobble around the house on my cast. But this weekend, I am taking the cast off and getting the heck outta this house. My Ross McElwee film series will come to an end.Here is the picture out my front window as seen from from my polka-dotted chair. It's much lovelier in person. I've been enjoying it all this week while I've been stuck in this chair watching McElwee documentaries and eating ice cream.

Hey Charleen! See you next Saturday!!

It's Broken

The orthopaedist confirmed that there is a small piece of bone that was ripped off by the ligament. From the x-ray, it looked like the piece of bone is about the size of a a piece of gravel. (That photo of the x-ray is not mine, but the box is where my ligament ripped a piece of bone off.) He also was surprised by how bad the sprain was and that I was able to put any weight on my foot at all. It was a painful morning, but this cast rocks. My foot feels so much better strapped into this contraption. It's got these balloons around my ankles that can be inflated with a little pump. I'll have to stay in this cast for the next few weeks except when I sleep, shower, or do my exercises. I return to the orthopaedist in three weeks at which time I will possibly begin physical therapy. My ankle feels so much better in this cast, but unfortunately, I cannot drive. Although I might slip my cast off to drive around a little. I am already feeling a little bit stir crazy.

Although I have been continuing my Ross McElwee film series, I turn on the regular TV every now and then to hear about the details of the events at Virginia Tech. It's really hard for me to take in. I feel a bit guilty about blogging about something so insignificant as my broken foot and sprained ankle, but blogging about my sprained ankle is also a way for me to deal with my confusion and sadness. And Ross McElwee's film help remind me that the although there is sadness, we must all find strength to persevere.

Today, I finished Time Indefinite as well as Backyard and Charleen. The more I see of Charleen Swansea, the more I want to know. In many ways, I really admire her alot. She is the kind of strong Southern woman who I aspire to be. Smart. Unapologetic. Insightful. Kinda crazy. And she has a beautiful accent.

Every now and then I receive emails from the NC Film listserv about her documentary film series at the Carrboro Century Center. Her next film screening is coming up Saturday April 28th. I want to go. I'll slip my cast off for that.

In the film, Charleen, we meet Charleen's father in his factory office. Before you know it, he picks up and starts singing a song and playing a tiple! My jaw dropped. I was so excited! I rewound it and watched that scene over and over. I tried to take a picture with my camera phone, but it didn't come out so well.

If I go to Charleen's film screening, I gotta find out about that tiple. For one thing, how do you pronouce tiple?

Ross McElwee Soothes the Ankle

I managed to get to work today for a couple hours, even though I woke to alot of pain. My foot has swollen even more... my toes look like little purple vienna sausages. I can't really drive with my foot & ankle like this, but work is only two blocks away, so I can manage. It's no more painful than trying to hobble to the kitchen and it's alot less painful than trying to take a shower.

I found someone at work to drive me back to the urgent care clinic to pick up some crutches since putting weight on my foot has become more difficult. I thought I was just going to run in and pick up the crutches, but the doctor wanted to see my foot again. She seemed even more concerned about it and was relieved to hear that I actually made the appointment to see an orthopaedist. Apparently, there had been alot of discussion among several doctors about the bones in my foot. It seems like there may be another trouble area. Who knew that tripping on stairs could cause so much damage?

But she said that in all likelihood that the treatment for the fracture(s) would be wearing this ankle brace for a longer period of time or getting a cast. Let's hope that's all it is. Tomorrow, my dad is coming to take me to the orthopaedic clinic and then we are going grocery shopping. Woo hoo!

I have been confined to this polka-dotted chair and ottoman on which I have four bed pillows stacked in an effort to get my ankle elevated over my head. My doctor said that I am supposed to be lying flat on my back and have my leg elevated with pillows. Uh... no. So, instead I sit in my new favorite chair watching TV, working, sending emails, and reading. But the most exciting activity during these ankle days has been watching Ross McElwee's films.

On Sunday right before this happened, I passed Ross McElwee who was napping in the hotel lobby of the Marriott. He was awarded the Full Frame Career Award and during the ceremony, I became more and more fascinated with him. Michael Moore said that there would be no Roger and Me if he hadn't seen Sherman's March first. When I discovered McElwee napping on Sunday, I was dying to take a picture of him with my camera phone. But since I still don't know how to use my phone, I thought if I tried to figure it out, McElwee would probably wake up and tell me to get lost. I keep thinking about McElwee napping on that couch and how funny it would have been for me to capture it on my camera. So I have been going through my DVD box set of his documentaries.

Right now, I am about halfway through Time Indefinite. He is such a brilliant filmmaker. Today, I feel inspired by the way he seems to find beauty in the everyday. I find myself getting lost in his films because each shot seems deliberate yet subtle and contains some sort of beauty or emotion whether it's Charleen describing her house or a shot of the trees above a hammock.

The color of the sky across my street above the Mexican restaurant just now was very beautiful. And the vibrant green of the overgrown bushes outside my bedroom window is one of my favorite things these days.

Radio Show, Friday, April 13 8-10AM

Beautiful South - Woman in the Wall
Bob Dylan - Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
Slim Gaillard - Cement Mixer
Various - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Erasure - Star
Of Montreal - One of a Very Few of a Kind
The Temple City Kazoo Orchestra - Kazooed on Klassics
Shirley Caesar - Soul Salvation
Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
The Chiffons - One Fine Day
Jesse Powell Orchestra with Fluffy Hunter - The Walkin' Blues
The La's - There She Goes

I have things to say about what I played on Friday, but I am too tired to type. My entire playlist can be found here. I've also just emerged from a dizzying weekend at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. I want to write about my amazing time there, but again, I am too tired and dazed to type. Since Thursday afternoon, I have seen 24 films (a new record for me) and sprained an ankle. I should've gone to an urgent care facility this afternoon after I fell down the stairs, but there was a film that I really wanted to see. So I came home, iced up the ankle, took four ibuprofen, convinced myself that it wasn't a big deal and hobbled back to the festival. It was worth it.

I'd post a picture of my disgustingly purple and swollen ankle, but I am too embarrassed about my toenails. I am way past due on a pedicure. That grosses me out more than the purple ankle.

Plantation Sitting

In the mid-90s, I worked in Raleigh with a guy named John who was the caretaker for this HUMONGOUS plantation in Knightdale called Midway Plantation. It was stunning. Catherine Bisher, an architectural historian, described it once as a characteristically restrained example of Greek Revival style with generous proportions and unpretentious portico entrance. (Sometimes I can geek out on some architecture.) Although it had alot of land behind the main house and the outbuidlings, the house was right on the side of Highway 64... which probably wasn't an issue when the plantation was built in in the mid-1800s, but it was definitely a problem in the mid 1990s. But god, it was so beautiful. And the huge old magnolia trees in the yard provided great shade for afternoon get-togethers. I remember thinking that the rooms were enormous... I feel like you could've fit my entire house in one room of Midway.

John lived there with his wife and their two kids. His wife stayed home with the kids and developed beautiful gardens on the property. When their family went on vacation, John would ask me to house sit for them: just feed the cats and water the garden. I always jumped at the chance to do it. I loved it. It felt so decadent. There was one night I was staying there and the wind was blowing really hard and it was storming outside and the house was creaking and I was trying my best to find ghosts, but alas none were found. I did kinda spook myself out though.

Anyway, I discovered today that there is a film about this plantation called Moving Midway. It's being screened at Full Frame this Saturday at 12:15pm. The documentary tells the story of the history of Midway and how the owners decided to MOVE it away from the side of the busy Highway 64 to a new location away from the Raleigh sprawl. I cannot wait to see it.

There are alot of other amazing films being screened this weekend at the film festival. Ross McElwee is being presented with a Career Award and lots of his films are being screened. I wonder how many films I can cram in between Thursday and Sunday. Woo hoo!

RIP Bob Groves

We will miss you, too, Starlite.

Pesto With Gene and Maria

Wow. Wow. Wow. This evening was so amazing. First, I decided to continue on my cooking spree and I made pesto! It was really tasty... I mixed it in with some pasta. This whole weekend was a cooking extravaganza! In addition to the pesto today, over the weekend, I made: vegetarian chili, meat chili, baconfat salad, and fig & anchovy paste. I was definitely inspired being with Lee and Ewald in Brooklyn. And Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything is a huge help, too. I love to cook!

Anyway, after I finished my pesto, I decided to see what the DVR had picked up. I watched a Colbert Report and then I remembered that IT IS GENE KELLY MONDAY!!! So, I turned to TCM and watched some of Singin' In the Rain. Debbie Reynolds is hot. Donald O'Conner is hot. Gene Kelly is EXTREMELY hot. And when they sing "Good Morning" all together, it is sheer bliss. I have this movie on DVD, but it is always exciting to stumble upon one of your favorites airing on TV... it is a special treat.

After that, I ventured out to Local 506 to catch Erie Choir and Maria Taylor. Ms. Taylor blew me away again. She played all my favorites from her album 11:11 but then she did the best cover ever. Just imagine hearing one of your all-time favorite songs sung by one of your all-time favorite voices. Maria Taylor covered "At Last" which was popularized by the great Etta James. This version was stripped down to just Taylor's whispery, delicate voice and her brother playing bass. It was dreamy and chilling and beautiful. It was so moving that I got tears on my shirt. I get chills just thinking about it. Holy cow.

I hope the rest of my evenings this week go as well as tonight. I have some other Gene Kelly movies on the DVR and I have this recipe for sesame noodles with peanut sauce and tofu that I want to try...

Hunk of a Man

I was emailing Skip today asking him what the big deal with cable was. It seems like the 400 channels that are in the Durham Time Warner Cable area kinda suck. I don't see anything that I would ever want to watch. He suggested that I try the Turner Classic Movies Channel. So, I looked up their website to see what was coming on in the next week or so. And as it turns out, Gene Kelly is the Star of the Month and they are having Gene Kelly Mondays on TCM. Swoon!!!

I first fell in love with movie musicals in the summer of 1995, during a Ginger Rogers film series at the NC Museum of Art. When I saw the charming and dapper Fred Astaire swing Ginger Rogers effortlessly around the dance floor in her flowing gowns, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I thought Astaire was the dreamiest guy I had ever seen. I fell more in love with Fred Astaire than I did with Simon Le Bon when I was in the seventh grade or so it seemed at the time.

This film series included Swing Time, Top Hat, Shall We Dance and others. I don't think I had ever seen a musical before and certainly not one on the big screen. And the best part for me was viewing these movies outside (before the museum constructed that big outdoor setup that they have now which makes outdoor moving-watching there a huge pain in the ass). In his love scenes, Astaire's characters are always a little bit shy and awkward and his dancing is flawless, delicate and graceful. I remember telling Craven at the time"Fred Astaire is the kind of boyfriend I want." And this was true... until I saw Gene Kelly.

I think the first musical that I saw featuring Gene Kelly was The Ziegfield Follies. Or maybe it was An American In Paris. I don't remember. However, I do remember my jaw dropping the first time I saw him dance. Gene Kelly is HOT. Move over Simon Le Bon, Fred Astaire, Brad Pitt and hello Gene Kelly. Holy cow. He is an absolute hunk on the dance floor who dances with athleticism and masculinity (in contrast to Fred Astaire who dances more gentlemanly). And don't get me started on Gene Kelly's ass. Oooh! Christa and I have spent several evenings viewing Gene Kelly films and watching particular dance sequences over and over while squealing at the screen. She introduced me to his film Anchors Aweigh in which he has the most sexy telephone conversation I have ever heard.

I highly recommend that you catch some Gene Kelly films this month. Ooo-wee. I know I am.

I Can Cook! I Can Cook!

I have always been embarrassed about my kitchen skills and as a result I have developed a severe case of cooking phobia. It seems that all my friends know how to cook extremely well and invite me over for exquisite dinners and I have never invited anyone over for a meal that I cooked. But all that is about to change! I want to learn how to cook!!!

I have always hated the thought of cooking... I want everything to be exact and cooking instructions have always seemed vague to me. What the hell do these things mean: "medium heat," "golden brown," "until done," "pinch." It drives me nuts. Is it medium heat over the big burner or the little burner? What hue of golden brown I am supposed to be looking for? What's a pinch?

Up until yesterday, I have only known how to cook three things and I only do it when I absolutely have to. My three dishes are: vegetarian chili, deviled eggs, and pound cake. That's it, folks. I tried cooking something new one time a few years ago. It was a roasted butternut squash soup and it was a disaster. Even with my comfort, security-blanket mix CD playing, it was a horrible experience in which everything ended up in the trash and I ended up on the floor in tears.

Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting at work and I found myself thinking that I want to cook myself dinner!!! Now, over the past few months, I have had some crazy ideas, but nothing like this. But after reading Elizabeth's post yesterday about her swank meal, I was inspired. I want to invite friends over for dinner!

So, yesterday when I felt this urge to cook, I decided somewhat randomly on chicken chili. I googled "chicken chili" and printed out the first recipe that I could find. It didn't look too difficult... but it involved alot of chopping which I dread. After I got home from Whole Foods Paycheck with the ingredients and a six-pack, I opened a beer, put on a Devendra Barnhart CD and began cooking. I got all the ingredients chopped and measured beforehand... and I think that helped easy my anxiety. The beer and Devendra Barnhart didn’t hurt either.

I was supposed to pick Sara up to go to the Federal at 7:30, but I ended up calling her to INVITE HER TO DINNER AT MY HOUSE! I was in tears when I was on the phone with her. I have never ever in my entire life called anyone to have dinner at my house that I COOKED ALL BY MYSELF. The chicken chili was amazing considering that I have never cooked meat before in my life. It was actually pretty tasty. The chicken was a teeny bit overdone, but overall, I was extremely pleased with the results. I kept saying “Wow! Wow! Wow! I cooked and it’s good!”

Sara and I ended up skipping the Federal completely and stayed at home and watched AV Geeks DVDs until 2am. We were both too stuffed to make it out of the house! [I was going to post a picture of the chili in progress, but the pictures that I had looked pretty gross... semi-raw chicken doesn't make a pretty picture. So, here is a picture in my cute little apron instead.]

Now, I am ready to try more things. I want to cook dinner for people. I want to use my dining room! Last night, I felt so good. Send me your recipes!!!

Artistic Escapism

Last week, I went to see a work-in-progress screening of Brett Ingram's new documentary film, Rocaterrania (featuring new music by Sharkquest). This film tells the story of a visionary artist who works as an amazing scientific illustrator by day at the NC Museum of Natural History in Raleigh. Renaldo Kuhler is an eccentric guy (he's about 6'5", kinda loud and wears lederhosen and scarves to work), but I really admire him for his self-confidence and acceptance of his freakiness. And I was just blown away by his illustrations of his imaginary country, Roceterrania. He created this place through drawings and journals during a period of time when he found himself isolated on a ranch out west and little opportunity to socialize with other people. His world was really detailed; Kuhler created a couple hundred characters, a goverment, detailed cities and buildings, and even its own language and alphabet.

Sometimes, I wish that I could find happiness in some sort of creative escapism. The closest that I have come to that is a book of found things from my front yard and this blog. Oh, and my radio show.... if you can count that.

But these artists like Bruce Bickford, Henry Darger, and Renaldo Kuhler seem so content with their lives and their work. I wish I could find that same level of personal acceptance. I sometimes think that if I moved out to a little one stoplight town out in the middle of nowhere, I could find that some sort of peace or happiness... that would be my own Rocaterrania. But then again, I think I might go crazy. Or maybe I'm already crazy.

Nighttime Is the Right Time for Playtime

Today was another rough day at work, but I ploughed through. Sara called and invited me over after work. She said that a friend recommended a French film to her and she ordered it off Netflix. It arrived yesterday and she asked if I wanted to see it. She walked away from the phone to find the name of the movie, and it was Playtime! Woo hoo!!!!

I was introduced to the world of Jacque Tati films a few years ago and I immediately fell in love. My first Tati film was Mon Oncle, which is an amazing film in its own right and features Mr. Hulot... this big lanky awkward guy that anyone would love to have as an uncle. Playtime features Mr. Hulot as well... ten years later. This film is beautiful and crazy and captivating and did I mention beautiful? When it initally came out, it was not highly regarded by its critics, but today is considered a masterpiece. Tati constructed three entire city blocks of beautful 1960's modern architecture. And Tati's play with sound and reflections is just absolutely mesmerizing. I highly recommend it and I am so excited to watch it again for the umpteenth time.

I used to have the soundtrack to Playtime on a burned CD somewhere. I wonder where that is. I might need to play some Tati film music this Friday at WXYC.

In the meantime, Sara and Playtime will have to wait for me to take out the trash. Bleah.