love love

"i love love. i do. i love love. i love it for you. i love it for me. i
love it for everyone. i think everyone should be in love."

- the motto of sweet soon-to-be-bride blogger ginny branch

PM film screening

Jules and Jim, one of my favorite films of the French New Wave, is playing tonight at 9:30pm at the Rubin Musem, which I'm told is really cool. Nathaniel Rich, editor of the Paris Review among other things, is introducing the picture.

The film features a stunning Jeanne Moreau as the Bohemian center of a lifelong menage-a-trois between herself and two best friends.

Jeanne Moreau

status check

In case you were wondering how my lettuce garden is growing, it's 4-weeks-old now and huge! They grow so fast.
I should probably start harvesting them or they'll take over the apartment!

In other related news, I still have this huge bruise on my leg from stumbling off (ok...falling off) my bike in Venice Beach. It was a really narrow path!

trip recap

I'm ba-ack! Well, kind of. I've returned to New York, but haven't been able to post because I have been on my feet for the majority of the past 48 hours trying to catch up to speed with life here. It doesn't help that my computer is locked up at the repair shop and I have to use my time with borrowed computers or internet dens wisely.

I had a very eventful Memorial Day weekend. We flew in and out at the crack of dawn, however, leaving me in a tired haze for most of Friday and Tuesday. Otherwise, everything was just great. No family drama to speak of, no car accidents, no disappointments. Since I don't have the luxury of time on my side, I will give a brief account of my trip in list form:

+Brunch at BLD

+opening party at Intelligentsia Cafe in Venice

+beer and bar food with high school friends in Santa Monica

+SoCal tacos at Sky's

+semi-hike at Griffith Park (sat on big rocks & analyzed Disney movies mostly)

+In-N-Out!

+late afternoon drinks in the hills above Studio City

+sunset drive along Mulholland with a stop at a nice overlook

+Fairfax Flea Market (found an Afghani rug for my forthcoming bench!)

+great seats at the Dodgers versus Angels game

+dog park in San Gabriel with the family

+big Chinese dinner at Hop Li downtown

+fun video games and funnier board games

+early afternoon semi-congested drive down PCH

+bike riding on the Santa Monica and Venice beach boardwalks

+big Memorial Day BBQ

Everything in between consisted of family, more family, playing with our dog, sleep, more eating, and mostly driving.

If I can get my hands on our very few pictures, I'll post them.

In other news, B & I have started adventure funds in the form of mason jars so that we can venture somewhere fun soon.!!

Bear with me while I am computer-less. I will be back full force soon.

vacate

This is what I look like right now. Well, in a sense. I have my bags packed and I'm ready to go. Although, I'm not taking that red suitcase with me, which I bought in Texas during a cross-country drive and quickly realized that it holds probably one day's worth of clothing. I've got my bag packed, my purse is being assembled, my iPod is charging, a glass of wine by my side, and my hat on. Not a thinking hat or anything, just a real hat that I plan on wearing on the plane tomorrow. If this post seems a bit inane or I am coming off as a bit loopy, it's because I just finished a long week of work, with another two busy work weeks behind this one. My vacation is finally hours and not days away. Before I know it, I will be in an air-conditioned car being driven on a freeway in Los Angeles sitting next to Sashi, our dog.

Va va voom, Los Angeles, here we come!

irreplacable spark

In between theatrical projects, I often get a little down. After a whirlwind three weeks that saw the collapse of a very dear project, followed by a quick participation in two plays--a one-act and a staged reading, I find myself at this familiar crossroads again. My desire to work is more ravenous than can be fed by any immediate opportunities that lay on the horizon. I grow numb with boredom in my money-earning endeavors while my thoughts race, often in circles, attempting to devise a new plan to achieve my goals. And then something like this pops up and tries to soothe all the little chirping birds in my head:



found here. thank you.

galactic center

This is so cool. It's time lapse footage of the night sky, recently taken during the Texas Star Party. You can see the Galactic Center of the Milky Way (whoa) clearly.

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

thinking about

thinking about summer dresses, long days in the sun, midnight walks home, unruly hair, road trips, fishing trips, bike trips, fun.

shrimp fajitas

A spontaneous afternoon bike ride last Friday turned into a spontaneous Friday afternoon grocery shopping trip (I really wanted to test the strength of my basket!), which begot a spontaneous Mexican-themed dinner for three. My friends Luke and Sean had me over for dinner about a month ago and prepared this dish for me, which left me very impressed! I tried it on my own with a salsa verde twist.

I picked up some tomatillos, which I've been wanting to play around with for awhile, and made a simple salsa verde.
I removed the husks, cut them in half, and put them in the broiler for 5-7 minutes until their skins blackened a bit. After removing them and letting them cool, I used my food processor to blend the tomatillos along with a cup or so of chopped onions, nearly a cup of cilantro leaves, a few slices of jalapeno, a tablespoon or two of fresh lime juice, and a bit of sugar. Voila! A delicious and mild salsa.

I served my salsa verde alongside a Trader Joe's corn salsa and a more traditional tomato-and-black-bean dip with chips while I cooked the fajitas.



For the fajitas, I sliced up an onion, an orange bell pepper, and a yellow bell pepper, and mixed in about 30 or so peeled shrimp. I added a few handfuls of chopped cilantro and the juice of 2 or 3 limes, seasoned with salt and pepper, and let the mixture marinate for about an hour. Then, I cooked the fajitas in a non-stick pan on high heat for about 5 or so minutes. I served the fajitas in flour tortillas alongside the trio of salsas, sour cream, and jalapenos.

Guatemala

My friend Clancy took this trip on a recent trip to Guatemala, where she was working on a documentary about midwives with a certain former supermodel. There is much to adore in this photo, starting with the two midget donkeys and their indifferent riders. I mainly love the colorful outfits worn by the ladies in the center.

Music Moments in film

I am partial to lists. Best Of's, Top Ten's, whatever you got.

This one hit home: Cameron Crowe's Top 10 (Or So) Music Moments in Film

A few clips:
+Cat Stevens - Don't Be Shy (Harold & Maude) **light-hearted, perfect from springtime happiness
+Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (The Exorcist) **so cool
+Aimee Mann - Wise Up (Magnolia) **this scene is unreal... how did he do this?!
+Caetano Veloso - Cucurrucucu Paloma (Talk to Her) **beautiful song, a perfect scene

Two Things

the exterior of Freeman's


double denim

sleeping meatballs

to be free

Emiliana Torrini - To Be Free

This song just burst right back into my life. What movie is this from? I used to listen to this obsessively.

toddler lettuce

My Aerogarden Salad Greens are now two weeks old! They look like mache or sweet microgreens! Click to compare.

once more

Once again, I am very much in love with Maryam Nassir Zadeh, whom I have written about before and have just read another article about. She reminds me of a prettier and more eclectic Jane Birkin in the top photo with the succulents (another obsession!)

my father, the hero

My style icon:

Nikki from My Father, the Hero

I remember seeing this movie in a theater like it was yesterday. I was with my dad and older brother--my mom was on a business trip and my dad had taken us out for the day, somehow convincing Elan to see my film of choice. I was 7, maybe 8 years old. As we're ascending the escalator to the main floor with all of the different theater entrances, my brother spots his then idol standing a few feet away from us with his daughter: Wayne Gretsky. I didn't know who this man was, only that he was important to Elan. He would always yell "Gretsky" and "Kings" (who I believed to be another player) when my dad took us to hockey games. So, when Elan got all riled up to see Gretsky and whispered to me to go say hi to him, I felt like it was the least I could do--he was about to sit through the girliest movie of the year with me. I skipped over to Gretsky, smiling foolishly and asked for his autograph. My doofus brother then followed. And then we watched this movie, which, to this day, I am still in love with. We were both in heaven that afternoon.

waiting out the storm

Waiting out a storm on the Delaware Water Gap from cold splinters. Magnificent!

Flower Stall

Flowers I bought this morning at the flower stall on N. 6th and Bedford. Delphiniums, lilac, and ranunculas. Which to keep for myself? Oh my!

The Most Beautiful Woman in the World

Happy Mother's Day, mama.

Things to Do Before I Die: 2

Expertly ride a bike around New York City.

Today, my wonderful boyfriend bought me a bike for no particular occasion. He also spent several hours over the course of the day jogging alongside me and keeping me from being hit by cars. If it weren't for him, it would be impossible for me to "ride a bike around New York City" at all; "expertly" is something I've got to get to on my own. It looks like the bike above, but with a sweet bell and basket. Possibly the best gift I've ever received. Two home-runs, B!

Things to Do Before I Die: 1

Build myself a treehouse.

Swimming in Pants

Today I snagged a pair of high-waisted linen pants that I want to wear just like this, preferably with a Lover bikini top, all summer long.

a breath, relief

image via the english muse

Exactly two weeks from now, B and I will be in California!

country breakfast

This morning, I found myself awake and caffeinated in Manhattan at 8:30 in the morning. I was expecting to be at work from 8am until noon expecting a delivery, but when the delivery showed up promptly at 8 (that's never happened to be before,) I was reluctant to go back to bed. So, I stopped at the USQ Greenmarket on my way home to pick up a few items for the weekend. Mainly I just wanted more ramps! Then I came home and treated myself to a leisurely breakfast--my first in a tiresome, busy week.

I had over-medium eggs topped with grana padano cheese, served over sauteed ramps, along with a broiled tomato and a freshly bought French baguette. It was exquisite.

seven greats

Skimming through my tattered copy of last weekend's NYTimes Magazine, which has aged well while crumpled up in my heavy bag all week, I was surprised by this beautiful portfolio of 7 wonderful performers who have appeared at the Cannes Film Festival (the segment's theme). Mainly surprised because I highly admire and respect each of these individuals. Bravo, editors, I guess.


Isabelle Huppert - I once saw her perform live at BAM in Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis. Watch her in The Piano Teacher. (p.s. I want to name my daughter Isabelle!)

Uma Thurman


Maggie Cheung - Watch her in Olivier Assayes' film, Irma Vep or, almost better, in Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love .


Louis Garrel - A terribly, good-looking actor.


Bjork - Dancer in the Dark is one of my absolute favorite films.


Vanessa Redgrave


Jim Jarmusch - His first feature, Stranger Than Paradise, is really in my top five favorite films. I think.

sprouts

Look at my recently replanted Aerogarden. The salad greens have sprouted nicely after 1 week.

10-minute tacos

I came home hungry for a snack this afternoon and fixed myself a quick soft taco. I warmed up a small corn tortilla from the corner deli and heated up some shredded pork carnitas from Trader Joe's. Meanwhile, I combined a small handful of cilantro with half an avocado, a bit of lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then blended it all together to great an avocado creme. Put this all together, added some pickled jalapenos and radish slices, and voila! Suck it, Rachel Ray: ten minutes.

**UPDATE**: I also tried a Tusc-Mex version of this tonight with some frozen amarone-marinated steak I had and grated grana padano cheese.

-versary

Today is Cinco de Mayo, or Mexican Independence Day, which is somewhat of a big deal here in New York. An even bigger deal, however, is that it's the fifth day of may, at least on this blog here it is. Exactly one year ago I wrote this for the occasion. Nearly two years ago I wrote this explaining the cultivation of this blog and acknowledging the song that is it's namesake. This blog has always been like a bulletin board for me, where I tack on an assemblage of ideas and inspirations. So, in the spirit of anniversaries, I would like to let you in on a major idea that's been inhabiting my thoughts lately...

I want to go to North Africa. I've caught the travel bug again, big time. It's been two years now since I've travelled abroad (aside from a brief escapade to visit family in Israel, and that wasn't much of an adventure.) I'm conniving an adventurous, backpacking getaway to Tangiers and Marrakech, sneakily trying to rally some troops. Miss Saipua's photos of her Moroccan adventure didn't help tame the bug that's growing in me. Thoughts?! Who's coming with me?

I married Isis on the fifth day of May
But I could not hold on to her very long
So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away
For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong.

Happy Fifth Day of May, friends!

weekend mementos

Kicked off another busy week today, even more hectic than the last. I'm rigidly splitting all my hours this week between catering, assisting, rehearsing, and auditioning. Just what I bargained for. If only it wasn't raining!

Anyway, here's a quick pictorial re-cap of my lovely weekend's purchases! (They're also my last, since I just paid my rent and...aaaaaah, why do I buy so many flowers and dresses??)

On Friday, during my ramparade in USQ, if you will, I picked up a few well-priced bundles of branches that I've been desiring for some time.

Flowers in my bedroom:

A close up:

Flowers on the dining room table (with a sneak peek of my recently acquired Etsy wooden frames):


Then, on Saturday, I received word of an enormous, once-a-year Some Odd Rubies (an obsession of mine) warehouse/sample/doesn't-matter-what-it's-a-huge SALE! I had some cash set aside and eagerly went to spend it all. I won't share everything I got, because what's the fun in that? But here's a sampling:

An adorable, short red velvet dress:

An awesome ESPRIT early-90s beach tote (actually from a nearby fave vintage store...I kept shopping after. Yikes!):


A beautiful Italian vase and a matching Japanese (maybe?) dish from Severely Vintage, who share the showroom and participated in the blowout.


That's all for tonight, folks!

P.S. Guess what tomorrow is?!?!?!