Monday, January 31, 2005
We did a tour of the Garden District in the midst of a search for Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. The classic New Orleans cemetery has been the sight of movie scenes in Double Jeopardy and Interview with a Vampire. The difference between New Orleans cemeteries and 'regular' cemeteries is that the buried are above ground versus below and raised up to a minimum of six feet above the dirt floor. So, the gravestones (and bodies) are at, or in some cases, above eye level. We learned that the reason for this practice is due to the fact that New Orleans is six feet below sea level - essentially a swamp. So, you can guess what would happen if people started to bury their dead below the ground - not pretty.
For me, the location was incredibly creepy. I took pictures quickly, while Angelo kept an eye out for dodgy characters, looking to score on gullible tourists. While snapping, I swear I saw the shadows of unruly, day-walking vampires and lurking werewolves, hungry for flesh. Once we got outside of the cemetery, I shuddered, certain the dark ghosts were hanging at my elbows and pulling on my hair.
The pairing of posh, old-school mansions and a creepy, broken-down, above ground burial site was unique. Truly, unforgettable. Lestat was certainly smirking at my curiousity.
The dream, as I recall:
Waking up for my first day of work, I showered, primped, and ate breakfast. Within the first half-hour of waking, my sister drops off my neice, Ella. Ella is three months old. Ella is beautiful and happy, sweetly cooing in her carseat. My sister leaves our place, saying that I promised to babysit her and she'll back by later this evening to pick her up. Now, for some reason (remember, it is a dream) Angelo is unavailable to me and I have Ella to take care of and it's my first day of work. So, I go into work with Ella. I don't know what to do with her once I get there, so I put her in the garden nearby, away from my new boss and the important meetings I need to attend. She starts to cry and so I take her into the boardroom with me and much to my surprise, my new boss embraces her and leads the day with her on his lap. I'm relieved, though confused by all the activity of the new job and Ella being there to take it in. But, it's a good first day nonetheless.
What does it all mean? I don't know and don't really care, but found it amusing anyway.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
New Orleans is mind-boggling, if not other-worldly in the sense that it operates entirely on its own time. It is a living carnival city. Though it is recognized as the tourist centre of Mardi Gras, its identity is truly built on being a Mardi Gras.
Bourbon Street is the definition of Mardi Gras, replete with to-go-bars, gentlemen's clubs (though, in this case, I would beg to differ on the meaning of 'gentlemen'), pearly-beads and feather-masked souvenier stops, and always jazz floating throughout the party-hollering raucous of makeshift kareoke and rock n'roll cover-bands.
The French Quarter is absolutely beautiful, at every corner a tourist postcard shot was waiting to be snapped complete with overgrown plant-life and ornate winding-vine-steely balconies. We stayed at Hotel St. Marie. The hotel was fantastic and by far exceeded our expectations, since the rate was so affordable and directly adjacent to Bourbon Street. We spent a great deal of time walking the entirety of the French Quarter, becoming familiar with the cafe life, the quality jazz opportunities available nearby, and the creole and gumbo veggie restaurant options (Oh the joy of being a veg-head in North America!).
Some highlights in the French Quarter:
Maison Bourbon - This spot, which declares the purpose: For the Preservation of Jazz, turned out to be our music highlight. Previous to our tour of New Orleans, I had envisioned myself, a beverage in hand, at a wee table of a dumpy, smokey, hole-in-the-wall joint, listening to authentic and fantastic jazz. Maison Bourbon proved to fulfill that vision. On our first night, we happened upon this place, maybe a block from our hotel, and listened to the Jamil Sharif band. For the price of an over-priced beverage, one can listen to this talented band in New Orleans, on Bourbon Street. Absolutely amazing! We went to Maison Bourbon every evening, save one night at Preservation Hall. Though the setting of Preservation Hall was authentic and worth checking out, the musicians (on that particular night) couldn't hold a candle to Jamil Sharif and the Maison Bourbon experience.
Cafe Du Monde - As many of you know, I'm all about the cafe experience. I love the cafe, its like my heart is only truly complete when I'm at a cafe. Cafe life, to me, equals inner reflection, dynamic conversation, coffee, a bustling atmosphere, a congregation of people voluntarily disregarding the classes we tend to put on the world population to simply have coffee together, journalling, and the circle of regulars and employees bantering about great and small topics. Cafe Du Monde is the ultimate of all of the above, not to mention, a really amusing uniform of paper hats, black bowties, and cafeteria style service (though a customer does not ever file through the line to get served, rather the waiters and waitress do, who then pay for the order to the cashier out of their own pocket, bring the filled order to the customer, and then the customer pays up to the server). The beignets, which incidentally can be said anyway you like with relative understanding, were obscenely fatty and sweet but wonderful, unique and absolutely neccessary when paired with a cafe au lait.
Flakes - On imdb.com, this movie is called Live Free or Die, though on the movie set it was renamed Flakes. Angelo and I ended up as extras in this movie, which is set entirely in New Orleans. We happened to be wandering by the movie set and stopped to check it out when a crew person invited us to be tourists in the scene. Well, since we were tourists and were wandering the streets as the scene required, we felt capable of the task. Fingers crossed, we intend to see ourselves in the movie when it releases next year.
The French Quarter proved an excellent fit for our N'awlins (don't say it properly, 'New Orleans' it is just outright wrong) adventure.
More highlights to come, including the Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Magazine Street, and more...
Friday, January 21, 2005
What fantastic trip it has been. Onto Industrial Relations in February...
But, for now I'm all about the ten-day countdown. Ten days until I go to work. So, New Orleans, here I come, ready or not!
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
My friend, Jaime has joined the 43 Things 'movement' and provides a decent list to consider. Ultimately, this list is a way to connect with others to share, and become accountable, for doing your dreams. A positive, interactive,online community experience, methinks.
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| I finally saw the critically acclaimed movie, Sideways. What a fantastic and delightful film. I had heard about it over a year ago, because, well, I read those magazines that describe scripts that are bought, stars that signed onto those scripts, and developmental production debacles that occur before the critics even get a glimpse of the finished product (if it gets finished, that is). Sideways is a film by top director, in my books anyway, Alexander Payne. Payne writes with long-time creative collaborator, Jim Taylor. You may remember the movies About Schmidt and Election? Same guys did this one.
Sideways is absolutely fabulous. The cast is cohesive in showing a story about the middle of life. Not a mid-life crisis movie, but a middle-age-type story. I keep thinking about images that tell the story of the four characters - like the mature grapes, the long winding roads, and the subtle, every-angled beauty of wine in a glass. I highly recommend the film. This is what I hope to see more of out of Movieland, USA. Since it is critically lauded (world-wide), one would hope that the public response tells those in Hollywood that this is what we want to see more of. Less horror, more real drama, but really, really funny (self-deprecating, if you will) content please. |
Monday, January 17, 2005
Check out Jer and Tan on 43 Things. By the way, Tan, when you've got that coffee roasted, let me know.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Tuesdays with Morrie affirmed and directed me and my belief about the importance to create one's own culture. As well, Morrie influenced the way I look at death, which he says is something to figure out so that we may, in turn, know how to live.
If you're not one for books, then the made-for-TV movie is a decent reflection of the contents of the book. Of course, the details within the book are by far more influential, intricate, and embody Morrie's sincere love of life.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
I recently watched the movie The Door in the Floor and came to the conclusion that it's about time I blogged about being a wife of a writer. I find it interesting that most of the movies about writers depict writers as destructive, unable to control bad habits (especially alcohol), unkempt, overly-paranoid, grueling over typewriters sown with blank pages who rarely use a back-up system (especially those hard-core typewriter sorts) to ensure that their delicately arranged words are never destroyed or misplaced. Hmmm... is this real? Take a look at some classic films in order to paint a picture of the life of a writer (according to Hollywood and Hollywood screenwriters, I might add): The Shining - a depiction of the Jack Nicholson we all know and love. This movie is more precise in its shots of the kid on the Bigwheel - remember those? This writer was inclined to spit, torment, lockdown parts of the remote hotel facility so his family could not escape and had a thing for big knives. Secret Window - Johnny Depp takes on the 'secrets' of the writer. If you didn't know, all writers do is write about their lives but put the fault on the 'fictional' characters they create (who never reflect themself). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Ahh, another Johnny Depp role. This one I saw near the beginning of Angelo's discovery to become a writer. To be honest, it freaked me out - just a little. Sylvia - one of the rare moments a woman makes it to the list. Gwynnie doesn't really pull this one off. But the trends Sylvia Plath experiences - as the infamous writer of The Bell Jar - are indicative of several writers, these being suicide, depression, preference for pills, and scattered social skills. Celebrity - Kenneth Branagh (my favourite role of his) depicts the Woody-Allen type character in Woody Allen's film. This one shows the decline of a marriage, the need for a mid-life crisis with beautiful women, and the way it really bombs (facilitating the next best-selling novel). This writer never uses a zip drive since he prefers typewriters and well... you can see where it goes from there. Adaptation - Charlie Kaufmann writes about Charlie Kaufmann writing the screen adaptation for the book by Susan Orlean called The Orchid Thief. Nic Cage plays twin brothers, both screenwriters, wonderfully. This caricature of a writer is not too far off the mark - particularly because of the wonderful opening monolouge - though the story is well... you must see it yourself (unexplainable, really). Wonder Boys - Absolutely fabulous. This may be the most realistic writing movie there is. Although it is important to note that all writers in the movie have some sort of odd, socially-offbeat fetish. Hannah Green never wears any shoes other than her signature, red cowboy boots. Professor Tripp likes to write in a pink robe that his recently-estranged wife left behind, smoke marijuana, writes (on a typewriter) despite the fade of old success, cheats on his wife with his boss's wife, and has strange, dramatic blackouts. James Lear likes to lie, write to Judy Garland records (also, at a typewriter) and ponder his peer reviews in dark classrooms. Q writes and constantly finds success - he's really quite square in the lot of writers as a result of it. Barfly - the film version of Charles Bukowski's life. Bukowski was the perfect model of a poet - tormented, real, drunk, poet, poor, ugly, and a lousy version of a lover. As Good as it Gets - Another Jack role, in this case a obsessive-compulsive writer who is very unlovable and rarely redeemable. Stand By Me - Fantastic! Richard Dreyfuss pulls off one of the best writer pics, who' character is looking back at an adventure in his pre-teens as a result of a recent death of a dear friend. This film is based on the story by Stephen King titled The Body. Sunset Boulevard - A classic film by Billy Wilder in which William Holden plays a washed up script writer, looking for an out from a big debt and finds himself in an old Hollywood mansion with an aging silent movie star. A fantastic film noir, replete with drinking, dancing, betrayal, murder, romance, cons, and finnicky psychoses. I could go on, (Girl, Interrupted, Barton Fink, Romancing the Stone, Deconstructing Harry, Bullets Over Broadway, Shakespeare in Love) but you get the idea. According to film, writers are a lot of work, unreliable, and ultimately psychotic. But, I'm sorry to dissapoint you, my writer isn't. As a writer's wife, my daily culture is largely a series of discussions; a constant dissection of movies, books, and television. I also have the privilege of getting sneak peaks of unfinished projects and at times, get to name a character in a story. The only thing that my writer-wife culture does include that, at times, makes it into a movie but merely with a look or a subtle moment is best captured in this quote: "What no wife of a writer can understand is that a writer is working when he's staring out the window." - Burton Rascoe.
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Monday, January 10, 2005
We're off to New Orleans, Louisiana! We have been toying with the idea of capping off my non-work year and celebrating the beginning of my new career - so the spontaneaous result is a five-day tour of the sultry, jazzy, spicey city of New Orleans. We've arranged to stay in the French Quarter and look forward to evenings of warm, cajun-wafting air, sampling a variety of jazz clubs, walking Bourbon Street and the edge of the Mississippi River, and keeping a sharp eye out for vampires (Anne Rice lives there, so you can imagine...). It's a fantastic, wee journey ahead - a marker that reinforces the travel life I value so dearly and want to maintain despite becoming, (do I dare?) a 'citizen' again.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
I watched the MuchMusic feature on U2 titled Dismantled. It was refreshing because Bono was paired with Larry Mullen Jr. rather than The Edge. Though I love listening to the insights that Edge brings to Bono's poetic, yet confrontational, statements, Larry was a startling contrast to the duo. Larry has a teen rebel yell spirit, a firm grasp of where he's come from, and an awe of being part of an iconic band.
Bono, as usual, had some fanastic quotables. The above quote really nailed something for me. It stirred up much of what I touched on in yesterday's post. The more that I am at odds with something within myself, the more I crave the resolve to it and ultimately, it grounds me. I refrain from using the word 'humble', since I don't trend toward it. Although, Bono doesn't either, does he? Notably, after saying the herein-quoted sentence, Bono added "Except we [U2] are great." Ahh... he is a rock star after all.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
For me, India marked an important development in my identity. I know that I often reflect on the impact it has had on me, but it is impossible to ignore the person I morphed into as a result of it. I can safely say that my personal culture has changed because of India. Recently visiting in Manitoba, I spoke with Mom and Dad Eidse about the amount of people that we encountered living horrible, desperate versions of life - particularly the lepers, street/slum children, and the babies - innumerable and malnutritioned. I don't think I have spoken about those haunting, and unfortunately, vast populations much before. It is going to take years to debrief about our experiences there - breaking down the impact it has had and the way to act daily as a response to it.
I can say that I realize now, I can't save the world. Yes, it was an ambitious desire, largely unrealistic and naive I'm well aware - but it was something that I had idealized was possible. I think of the people I saw there, a portion of more of the same all over the impoverished world, and know that I can't save them from misery and hunger. From that, I take on responsibility for my daily intake. With that, I must remind myself, as my bad habit is, that to impose that personal responsibility on others - particularly those that are close friends and family - is not very helpful. This backfires in my face, as it should, since a balanced and solution-suggesting approach to discuss world issues would be by far more beneficial.
In addition to gaining a balanced, solution-searching perspective, I feel the world is smaller. In light of the recent and tragic events in Southeast Asia, I am overwhelmed by the fact that people and places I loved at various, brief moments in our travels, are gone. The areas of Phuket and PhiPhi Don in Thailand, which were swept away, were dear places in our hearts. The people there are affectionate and welcoming like no other. It is heart-crushing to fathom their loss. *Thanks, Tan for your sincere e-mail.
In India, I am so grateful that our friends, Trev and Candace, had moved north a mere 12 days before the tsunami hit.
A year has passed and I am different. Maybe I'm a little more mellow, a little less concerned about defending my non-suburban identity (though I live in one, I realize) since it's my responsibility to make it different. I'm certainly more determined to live deliberately, but that might be because of the power-gels and Optimum Zen I've become addicted to (Thanks Nicky) via marathon training. My culture is shifting intentionally and it sure is interesting.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
I must admit, this is one of the most comprehensive best 100 movies list I've seen recently. I would recommend most of the films that I have seen. If you feel so inclined to discuss any of the films, I'm willing!
Some important items to note, since there is no room for comments on the movies I have finished:
-The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II are the movies that mark the years of my and Angelo's birth. We're a match made in movie-heaven :)
- I believe Casablanca is misplaced in the top ten, it should be immediately behind The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II. The Shawshank Redemption is a little high on the list for my preference, though it should definitely be on the list.
- American History X, despite its difficult content, is one of the most beautifully photographed films of all time.
- Double Indemnity is stellar - a real departure for Fred McMurray (The original absent-minded professor) and displays the true definition of film noir, thriller, crime, and romance gone wrong. Little of the film noir today can come close to the story of Double Indemnity.
- Annie Hall is my favourite Woody Allen film, though Hannah and Her Sisters comes awfully close.
I could go on and on, but I'll wait until someone else does the talking.
Happy New Year!
