Long Overdue

Love him or hate him, Kanye West is first an artist. His new video proves it. I'm hopeful you've seen it before but if not, voila.
Please be patient and watch the commercial first. And then push it into full screen.

I Hate This Part Right Here

Everyone I know is in a funk...whether they are sending a kid off to school, tired of the heat, or tired of the rain (all day today!), or bellyaching about going back to work...they are just funky.

I'm the worst offender.

I feel so...sensitive. So delicate and easily broken. I know the anticipation of the busyness and crazed schedule is worse than the reality - I know it! But one can't tell oneself that, it seems.

So how to stay calm in a crazy time. Yes, yes, we all remind ourselves how lucky we are. And boy, we are REALLY lucky. I have some dear friends going through some shit. Sorry for the NSFW but this is legitimate shit they are going through. Like, health shit. The worst kinds. Also financial shit. The recession has affected me in ways that don't seem that high-impact. I mean, we were always frugal and we didn't paint ourselves into financial corners. But there are those that are AFFECTED. I do think gratitude is an important part of every day. One can always turn to The Gratitude Journal app for iPhone ™. Just tap tap tap what you are thankful for right into your phone for daily affirmation and reminders.

The Vision Board app, also featured on the above link, just makes me tired. Look at it! Stickies and pictures of money - blech.



Exercise is a great stress-reliever for me. It is a great energy-producer for my husband. I like to take Body Pump and Body Flow classes at my gym, but lately I've really enjoyed the Wii Fit that my daughter got for her birthday. I was anti-video game for so long and now my day is not complete without doing plank or Ski Slalom or Kung Fu on the Wii. My Mii is plump but lately I've noticed her getting trimmer. Plus, she is FINALLY at a decent "real age" after I was able to find a good center of balance.



As you know, I enjoy the alcohol. I look forward to a drink after a long day...especially if I don't have to drive a carpool later on that evening. My friend Lynn hooked me up with Canton, a ginger liqueur. She serves it with pear vodka, but I find that it is just as delicious mixed into straight vodka for a gingery martini. Hubby pours a splash into his Maker's Mark. Wowza! Ginger is a naturally calming root, too. And mixed with vodka, hell! It's a wonder drug!


Finally, where would we be without relaxing music. I would offer up some of the cool hip indie music I have in rotation, but a lot of it is disturbing or so deliciously rocktastic that it will not soothe you (Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Kanye, Matthew Dear). Some of it is chill. ax. Zero 7 is a favorite of my spouse's and they have a nice new compilation out, Record. On iTunes radio, under the Ambient section, they've taken away my beloved Groove Salad station (it got me through several tropical storms) but you can get it on the sona.fm web site. I also listen to Café Monet and the hilarious Birdsong radio (um, a bunch of chirps. Surprisingly calming!). Jazz-wize, I've been enjoying Nnenna Freelon (Durham's own!) and her latest release. She sang on Mad Men and I didn't even know it! Beach House can be sweet, and they are playing Raleigh in October. (I'll be at a soccer game, so someone let me know how that goes.)



So there you have it - a few ways to relax. Just writing this has been incredibly therapeutic for me, I must say. Of course, I have nothing for dinner and soccer practice in an hour and school starts tomorrow....let me go put on that bird tweet station....

Triumphs

There are three summer triumphs I can think of to write about at the moment. I'm sure there are others....for example, I have actually lost weight this summer despite drinking more than the daily recommended allowance for women over 40. Also, my children went two full weeks without screen time which now qualifies me to nod knowingly as I read John Rosemond's column in the paper. (This is probably worthy of another post, but EVERYONE I know agrees with this guy! And yet, one reads his column and recognizes not only one's own problems and parenting faults, but everyone else's too! I have yet to find a parent who says they don't like him, at least part of the time, but no one seems to really follow his precepts.)

Ok. Back to the three triumphs.

1. My daughter just handed me the copy of Twilight I loaned her, with a bookmark about halfway through, and said, "I don't think I wanna finish this, Mom." !!!! "Why?" "Because the girl just seems so....incompetent."

2. My son, when asked today if he wanted to accept an invitation for a swimming date/sleepover, said, "Nah, I don't think so." !!!! "Why not?" "I'm always really tired and grumpy after sleepovers. I don't sleep all that much and then I don't have any energy the next day."

3. My children, every day since our family viewing of "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure", have imitated Pee Wee Herman. !!!!! "Mad Dog! GRRRRRR" "I know you are, but what am I?" "I'm a loner, Dottie, a rebel."

Take THAT, John Rosemond!

The List

Posting will be light whilst we in my household attempt to cross more things off of our summer goals list. Yes, we made a list. It is written in my husband's illegible script on scrap paper, and posted on the fridge.

So far I would say the big highlight was choosing to go to the Northeast on a (somewhat last minute) jaunt to see friends and chillax. The small highlight would be the classic movies we've screened - only two (what happened to all that movie watching???) but they were both HUMONGOUS hits in the house. More on those later.

Off to some expensive, loud fun park and then to the farmer's market to make some whack recipe my daughter chose.....

Mad Women

I have very few tv shows on my must-see list. Obviously, LOST was a huge priority, and you know, the Bravo habit, ahem. But from season one, episode one, I've watched "Mad Men".

The premise alone was enough to hook me - late 1950s New York! I LOVE a costume drama. What I didn't realize, tuning in, was that I would be getting a dose of feminist history.

For you see, I think the show is really about women. Hold on, don't tune out or throw things...just think about it...if you are a fan, you'll remember that season one turned on Peggy's changing role and affair with Pete (and the subsequent consequences of that affair). Season two had a lot to do with Betty and Joan....Betty arguably the less strong female, but the one who left her cheating, lying husband (albeit to go with another man) in season three. Joan married, but instead of living the dream, found she missed work, was not appreciated at home, and essentially was humiliated and violated by her husband. And now we have season four...back to Peggy (her hair! Finally!) and Joan, both of whom have major leadership roles at Sterling, Cooper, Draper, and Pryce. Lane's wife (SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS WEEK'S) left him. The real Don Draper's wife is the only person Don seems to love. The one woman Don has a legitimate date with keep's him at arm's reach (a feat unaccomplished by anyone else except maybe the retail store heiress...but even she gave in). Betty...well, we'll just see how Betty comes out in the wash as feminism becomes more prevalent.


I read online that this season seems to be the one where Don becomes pathetic and that the world is moving on without him. Watching the excellent opening credits (with the catchy, catchy licks by my fave RJD2), you see a silhouetted figure's office falling away from him and that theory seems correct. But the silhouette is a man. And the times, they are a' changin'.

Working

It's time I admit, after admitting earlier this summer that I 1. love Bravo, and 2. am a suburban mom and 3. have decided that cooking isn't all that bad, that I am a working mom. I'm not really a stay-at-home mom, though my schedule makes it seem that way. And that's a dangerous thing.

For you see, I am free some mornings - mornings that I often fill by volunteering at school or trying to catch up with friends. I am home in the afternoons with my children, making me available for homework help and carpooling to activities. Most of the summer, I'm free. Folks tend to forget that I actually have a paying job with duties that are somewhat important and co-workers and congregants who are relying on me.

If I had to complain a bit about my very flexible schedule, I would say the following: I have had to essentially quit my book club as it meets during a weekly work event, and I'm generally considered the go-to parent as my husband's job is not nearly as flexible. Yesterday, for example, I worked for a good chunk of time, constantly fielding phone calls and texts from home when, say, the power went out due to storms! Or someone wanted to open a new container of nuts! Needless to say, I was a half-ass employee.

And half-ass parent, I should add.

Which is why I quit full-time work just before I had my second child. I felt like I was not doing a great job at either place, home or work. I wanted to be 100% SOMEWHERE. As it turns out, part-time work is really good for me in terms of my emotional health...challenging, fun, adult time, and the money. But part-time work is not recognized by a lot of circles (I'm looking at you, PTAs of both schools!). So here I am again, in half-ass land.

My husband has been generally great, as a lot of the times I work are when he is home (Sundays, evenings). Still, there are the predictable squabbles over logistics, schedules, and who-does-what.

The money I make has enabled us to go on trips this summer and to send each child to a camp...so it's worth it. Right?

In an age when women truly are getting the upper hand, why does it seem like I still struggle to meet all of the expectations and goals I have? I believe some of it has to do with the area where I live. Most moms here don't work full or even part-time...partly the reason we moved here to begin with (I was very lonely in our other neighborhood where no one was even procreating). That tide seems to be changing a bit, especially as children age out of the preschool years.

I keep thinking what if, what if...what if my parents lived here and could help me...what if we made enough money to warrant hiring someone to help with the house, or with shuttling the children....what if I was able to indulge myself a little more with free time or time with friends....

but mostly, I think our situation is working.

Fist World Gratitude

Things I'm thankful for on a cloudy August morning:

Cloudy and relatively cool temps before the heat onslaught today

Air conditioning (see above)

Zyrtec

The thingy I can plug into my iPhone that enables me to play music in the car

The car

The iPhone

Reading glasses in every room

New Yorker magazines in every room

iPhoto's ability to create slideshows from our recent vacation

Our recent vacation

My clogs, worn to ease my aching feet after my long walk at a pastoral field out in the suburbs

The suburbs, and

The free time in which I took said walk.

Embracing the Cooking, Summer Edition

I didn't cook a lot, or didn't cook much in a creative vein, on vacation last week. This week, however, I want to take advantage of summer produce. So we are having:

Baked Pommes Frites

Fresh red-skinned potatoes cut in half lengthwise, then into slices
Put in cold water for a soak
Toss with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper
Bake at 400 for 20 - 30 minutes, turning once
Serve with:

Curry Ketchup

1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp Curry powder
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp finely chopped onion or shallot

No-Gas Gazpacho

Chopped fresh tomatoes (at our newest local produce market, Bickett Market, I was able to get "Cosmetically challenged tomatoes" for a good dollar less a pound.)
Chopped fresh cucumber (maybe one cuke to two tomatoes is what I did)
Chopped onion
One ginormous garlic clove, minced
fresh basil - about a large stalk
fresh parsley
the juice of a lime
a tablespoon or so of red wine vinegar
Hot sauce (your fave)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all this up. Add some tomato juice (I used Clamato). Blend about half of it in a blender, and add it to the chunky bits.

I'll have this with Trader Joe's Crab Cakes, which I'll serve with

Horseradish Mayo

1/2 C. mayo
lots of horseradish
Lemon zest
lemon juice
salt
pepper

and then popsicles for dessert.

I'm posting on an iPad, in the Apple store. Days after Apple announced that the iPhone 4 kinda doesn't work right. But. There must be 50+ people here, including children. Very tech-savvy children who are turning iPads upside down, tapping on iPod Touches, and navigating giant monitors. Elvis Costello is playing but I can only tell from the bass line. It is loud in here.

Everyone seems happy and productive.

We are in training to learn to use iMovie better. And i won't lie - the minute I find a "genius" who isn't closing on a multiple-thousand dollar sale (it could be a while), I'm going to ask if they can get my iPhone case off for me. The new case protects the big crack in my year-old iPhone.

If this place isn't a church, I'm not sure what is.

I made a decision recently. Why? I'm not sure. I did finish the profane, sometimes funny, and ultimately unsuccessful book "Julie & Julia". Maybe Julie Powell's book influenced me? Maybe Nansch and her cooking experiments at Remlerville helped? Maybe being in my 40s? My decision is to embrace the cooking. The cooking that must be done all the time for not only my family, but for the bereaved and the celebrating within my social circle. So what if my stove only has two working burners! So what if my oven was built circa 1959? I can take my time, go to the store without the children (a new and wonderful development!), watch a little Bravo, and enjoy the cooking.

I tried last night with fish tacos.

Fish Tacos a la Whilst

Marinate two large fillets, cut into chunks, in:
olive oil, the sauce from peppers in adobo, a chopped jalepeño slice, cilantro, cumin, and oregano, whisked together
Dredge the filets in meal or flour
Pan fry in a bit of oil
Serve with:
whole wheat tortillas
chopped tomatoes
chopped cilantro
sour cream with lime juice whisked in
guacamole or chopped avacado

And don't forget the cheeps and salsa.

I made that last night whilst everyone was outside rip sticking or whatever, and drinking a vodka martini (because OH MY GOD they had Russian Standard in Atlanta!! Will it come here? Has it come here??? Well, I imported my own from Georgia.) We sat down with candles and some vihno verde - thanks for turning me onto that tasty summer treat, Carole!

It was a good summer night. I did NOT do the dishes.

Why I Love Twitter

Most people dismiss Twitter by saying, "I don't have time for that." Well, I'll tell you what I don't have time for -- reading all of the news, or watching CNN, or actually turning on ESPN to see where LeBron goes on a book club Thursday night. Instead, I open up twitter.com and read CNN Breaking News, @cnnbrk. Or I get a Haiti update from musician Richard Morse, @RAMHaiti. @SarahKSilverman and @ruthbourdain (an amalgam of Anthony Bourdain and Ruth Reichl that pokes fun at foodie culture) never fail to make me gasp at their obscenities. (And then I laugh my head off.) I love my Raleigh tweeps - @jetmars, @pinkpodster, @jrr4 among them, and I keep up with the Triangle culture and music scene almost solely through Twitter since I work Sundays (thus too sleepy to go out on Saturday nights) and raise children (thus too sleepy to go out on Friday nights). @_CCDs is my beloved Carolina Chocolate Drops' chronicle of their climb to fame and fortune, @BUSYBEECAFE always sounds so hip, young and fun, and @AmerDanceFest is enlightening.

I can even keep up with friends who live far away and have world-tripping, fabulous careers!

My own Twitter missives (you can read them in the sidebar) are mostly relevant to me and me alone. I love to "re-tweet" stuff I find interesting and I especially love when someone replies to me. I like to think of myself as a local Raleigh promoter/observer of culture/mommy Tweeter.

And yes, since you asked, writing 140 characters is a hell of a lot easier than writing a blog post!

July

Ooops, didn't make it under the wire to enter in another "nice thing" post in June. Suffice to say, I'm looking forward to a quieter few weeks than the past ones. I'm currently in my nightsuit (a family word), drinking cuppa coffee #3, done with the paper, done with the dishes and doing laundry, and planning our next....

CAR PURCHASE.

Alas.

So we lost a car in the great ice storm of ought-two, then the replacement car we got for that was faulty and has died this week (or, rather, could be resusciatated to the tune of four grand), at some point our beloved 13 y.old Mazda went South, and now we have a used car with 60K and the aforementioned illin' minivan.

Bad car luck.

Shopping has been quick and dirty. Test driving with opinionated children is somewhat hilarious. "Mom, is this the V-6? I think the headroom is not that great, look at Daddy's hair sticking to the roof! Mommy, you want a black car, just like your first car after college!" Finding a car that has great MPG and is affordable is just plain dirty. But I will say car shopping has meant some soul-searching, and I've discovered some truths about our little clan.

First, my daughter will be driving in four years!! FOUR! That's not that far away! Secondly, we do have serious environmental concerns. I actually walked away from a car that would have suited us yesterday due to fuel economy. Third, my husband is a tightwad. Love you honey! Fourthly, we are social people. The car we all liked the best is probably not going to work - because it cannot do the jobs of: carting around my parents when they are in town, carrying our baby cousins + the big kids, carpooling to school and sports, or carrying our bikes if we want to ride the greenway.

We carpool enough that I think it warrants the bigger vehicle, and we also feel like for four years (until daughter is driving) we can justify another minivan/crossover or SUV (as long as it gets decent MPG). Our 2nd car is small and very fuel-efficient, and we will take it on long trips just as frequently as the new car.

Our latest idea is a car that is not a minvan but actually gets better gas mileage than "ole Bessy", and will be a great people hauler for me during the week and a great sports-activity transporter on the weekends. It's not a hybrid - we couldn't afford it - but I'm going to strive to drive as little as possible whilst raising these crazy kiddos and do what I can elsewhere to offset my carbon shoe size.

There, have I justified myself? I'm a suburban mom...it's time I admitted it. And that's a title I'm glad to have. Thoughts/comments welcome!

Summer Movies

Ok, ok, I haven't seen any of the new releases, save Shrek The Fourth or whatever it's called (which I loved, natch, because of the cat). But I have seen a bunch o' movies in the last couple of weeks. We've had early mornings and busy days so I keep falling asleep. Thus, many of these were seen over a couple of days. But I get 'er done.

Zombieland was recommended by a good friend who said she guffawed through the whole thing. Friend, you are a bit twisted. But so am I. It IS funny...it's just GROSS. Vile, disgusting...but the kid in it is going to be a major star. And congrats to Woody Harrelson for making a wonderful life from a walk-on guest starring role in a tv series.



Los Secretos de Sus Ojos won the Best Foreign Language Oscar. It was good, if not transparent...i.e. I felt as though I could read the filmmaker's thoughts. There were beautiful moments and huge human truths...all thanks to great acting. My husband kept comparing it to Almodóvar...but I think a better comparison would be with some other noirish director, like Taylor Hackford.




Invictus is what I'm going to call a family movie. For my two, old enough to deal and curious enough about the world to be interested, (not to mention their sports-fanaticism) this was a great choice. Also? MATT DAMON. I loved it...I think Clint Eastwood has great tricks for subtle exposition. The story is much bigger than the rugby matches shown, and I think the film did a respectable job of highlighting apartheid's horrors while showing the - gradual - improvements in South Africa. For a harsher view of apartheid, see: District 9.



Breathless was part of my annual desire to become more well-versed in film (see: the great Fellini experiment of ought-eight). It's outstanding! I like the strange pacing, the whole look of it, and the freshness. Yes, it still seems fresh lo these many years later. I know just about nothing about Truffaut or Godard, but I can see that this was vanguard filmmaking in its day. We'll be exploring more. By the way, we were able to see this on the Wii! You can stream movies, if you didn't know, through a Wii with a Netflix account. Since my children don't play the Wii all that much it works for us...the picture quality is not stellar but I hear they are working on it.



An Education was not my cuppa. Well, yes it was - it evoked the time period in which it was set quite fully (see: Mad Men; Friday Night Lights). And I'm not immune to the pleasures of Peter Sarsgaard. However, the characters were basically despicable and the plot was predictable. Am I the only one who felt this way? (oh, I guess not.) Maybe it's all Nick Hornby's fault. And what's with the dumb blonde? That was ridiculous.




Shattered Glass was a movie I knew nothing about - but again with the Peter Sarsgaard! This was a well-told tale and a fascinating one to boot. Mindless summer fun with just enough injustice to make you distrust the media. I was especially loving the interactions between the journalist Stephen Glass and his work colleagues. Office politics at the most smarmy and needy!! Recommended for your viewing enjoyment.




Next up: we're going to let the children see Avatar, we're going to go sob through Toy Story 3, and my pre-teen has requested to see The Notebook. (God help us all.)

Things That Made Me Laugh This Week

They will make you laugh, too:

Comic Sans essay on McSweeney's (NSFW in terms of profanity, but SFW in terms of hilarity.)


Colbert's Word: PR-mageddon. The only way to laugh at the oil spill.

The Onion (which is just overall generally very much something that makes me laugh) on the NCAA conference realignment.

This (loved mainly for Marion Cotillard) (moderately NSFW):

Forehead Tittaes w/ Marion Cotillard from Marion Cotillard

Hot

How to beat this heat? Well, there's no beating it. I remember sitting on a porch for over an hour in my childhood, rocking or bouncing in a wrought iron chair, and realizing it was safer to sit there than to play. I remember lifeguarding all day under an umbrella and seeing the bank thermometer read 104 at 4 p.m., then jumping straight into the pool at 5. I remember passing out after softball games in Savannah, revived with Gatorade (I love it to this day), bananas, and a mint-alcohol rub down.

This heat, really, after all that, is just not that bad.

But we've been hot for sure. Here are some of the things my family has done in a muggy June week:

1. Frozen our tubes of yogurt for a quick snack right out of the freezer.

2. Filled empty Gatorade bottles with water and frozen them to take in coolers when we go out and about.

3.Went to the new North Carolina Museum of Art and enjoyed the cool, then jumped in the fountains (where, by the way, one kid got a hell of a cut on his knee - friends don't let friends wear Crocs!)

4. Rented an Alfred Hitchcock movie. We went with North by Northwest as recommended by this site.

5. Pool time at our friends' delightful, landscaped backyard getaway and at our pool club. I took watermelon and cantaloupe balls in a cooler, and cucumber sandwiches with hummus spread. The children were noshing maniacs when they weren't flipping, diving, and throwing the ball.

6. Went to the mall to check out the Lego store, eat an international meal at the food court, and play with iPads.

7. Drove to the beach for a quicky trip, rode in the waves, ate shrimp, and fished in the surf.

8. Did a yoga tape in our arctic den. We used throw blankets for yoga mats.

9. Made banana blueberry ice cream - kinda sorta low fat - very tasty! Low fat sweetened condensed milk, 1 quart half and half, smushed banana, and I added blueberries at the very end of the freezing process.

10. Currently? We are lying around, reading, singing, and playing online Scrabble.

Confession

I've never watched an episode of OPRAH! all the way through. (The only episodes I attempted to watch involved celebrity guests whom I admire.)

I've been very guilty of scanning Internet articles and blogs instead of carefully reading.

But lately, whilst making dinner.....


,,,,,,,


,,,,,,I've been watching Bravo.

Ok, ok, you got me. I'm their DEMOGRAPHIC, right? So why shouldn't I watch? Oh, because it is killing my brain cells. Because I would learn more reading great literature. Because it highlights the worst parts of our culture and society.

True enough!

And yet:


Tabitha! It's so so good. She comes into a hair salon, immediately identifies the good people and the bad people, and then is a complete badass stylist whilst turning a failing business around. I've probably seen three complete shows, and in each one of them, her marketing advice is sound and (supposedly) the business and the bad people mend their ways. Perhaps this show is not so mindless after all.

Then there's the Millionaire Matchmaker.



This one is harder to watch when the children are home, as Patti, the host, encourages her millionaires to "think with (your) penis" and often tells the potential dates to dress more provocatively using words a bit offensive to this pseudo-feminist. A caveat: I quit watching this show once the millionaires select their prey and go on their dates. I'm only in it for Patti.

Which brings us to Padma. Of course I love Top Chef - and this one my whole family can enjoy. New season starts next Wednesday! Padma has given up her cheeseburgers and now has a new baby.




So, you may wonder, what do I think of The Real Housewives? I will admit to watching only the Housewives of New York. Why? I don't know. Probably because, you know, New York! But sheesh these women are annoying and all they do is fight. I tried to watch New Jersey but again: New Jersey. I like the Countess best of the Manhattanites.



Bravo!

Hello June!

June has brought with it a hell of a lot of rain...and thus, many events canceled or postponed, and we haven't gotten to the pool much (oh BOO HOO...Wahhhh!). June has brought a new family member to love - a tiny, sweet precious infant. I shall not rest until I get my hands on said infant...we visit in a few weeks. June means that I made it through Memorial Day weekend in a house full of family with no where to go. June is my daughter's birthday month, the end of school, and camp week when my husband and I get three nights alone.

Much to celebrate!

(Don't worry, I'm still crabby. For instance, our lack of planning means we still don't have a family vacation on the books and now we are in a holding pattern due to soccer. Sports parent purgatory!)

But in the spirit of celebration, I'd like to make June a month of blogging happy times. I'm going to find something pleasant to share with you many times in June (notice I am not committing to every day. No, that would require planning!). June is still a work month for me (July is MUCH slower) so why not do a bit of blogging whilst planning an organ mini-recital?

For today's share moment, I bring you Bill Cunningham's On the Street video feature from the Times online. I am not a particularly spiffy dresser, but I do like to try, and I certainly love white clothes, especially shirts. Bill focuses on white and white's relatives in his video. I can't embed, but do click here and enjoy his feature entitled "Bleached".

Also, some pretty white clothes & accessories I've seen about recently:

Holly Aiken iPad Sleeve





Bobble Pearl and flower necklace at Charlotte Russe (via suburbanbliss.net)



Lands' End Hibiscus Batik slimming one-piece (the real title of this suit was really long and hard to remember).


International Concepts at Macy's ruffled, sleeveless, smocked-waist top.



Clarks Salon Joy flip flop (these might hurt your feet, though I do love Clarks' soles - cushy!)

Found.

I am NOT, btw, one of the haters of the Lost finale. Au contraire, mon frere....I found it satisfying, delicious, and deep. I was excited and happy about the action sequences (though not blown away - and maybe a good thing as the show can be more than a little violent), thrilled and moved by the many reunions (Sawliet!), and satisfied with the ending. Indeed, I felt as though the ending was a lot like my own life-view and spirituality. Call me wishy-washy, but I think there is room for many interpretations of the higher power and souls. Room also on our planet many religions, and for the questioning of your own chosen doctrine. Lost seemed to ensure us that such questioning is ok, but that ultimately we are all in this together and have to find a way to get together. Only connect, like E.M. Forster said, or realize your purpose on earth is to help your fellow man, a la George Eliot. Maybe I'll get my husband to explain how Blake and C.S. Lewis fit into the finale.

Ultimately, I feel better now, not only about the show ending but about a lot of things...the ending was cathartic and comforting all at once.

And people, I am talking about a TELEVISION SHOW!

So in order to convince you that I am not insane and that I have a sense of humor, I present:

The Shirtless Men of Lost:

Lost.

I feel like I did when the 7th Harry Potter book was out and I was only a few chapters to the end. I wanted it over with, and couldn't push myself to finish it. LOST is ending - AS YOU KNOW (good heavens! The media are on overdrive!).

And yet....the media attention is warranted. What was great about Lost for me was more than stuff you might think - including the fact that I have a personal connection with the cast (one that I'm surely proud of but don't need to crow about on the Internet). What's great about Lost is the emotion of it. There were nights when I got all the heft and weight and feeling of a novel - from one scene! There were episodes that caused me to leave the tv room sobbing, and nights when I left laughing. Sometimes huge connections between characters didn't really absorb me at all, and then the tiniest moments would make me leap from my chair.




What may also be big for me about this show ending is how the past six years have been those of my children's childhood. The childhood they are basically leaving at this point. They hated Lost, because it meant shortened reading time, or no glass of water brought to the bed, or that they would have to sneak downstairs to get our attention. They loved Lost for one big reason, and we've let them see some of it because of that...and someday, we plan to watch all six seasons as a family (that day is NOT at hand, and I'm looking at you, John Locke!).





And now, we have a real-life smoke monster heading toward the Gulf, and we have Jacob versus The Brother in the world and within our government's and school board's halls, and as for the island? I really, really want to go back. I have to go back.

ADF!

For some reason, my husband and I latched onto ADF as young marrieds in the Triangle. Then a dear, dear friend came and interned there one summer (read: free tickets) and we were hooked. Not that we haven't seen crap at ADF - it's modern dance after all! The very Summer of the Internship was, however, when we first saw Mark Dendy and he became our favorite. I vaguely remember also getting free tickets from our DJ neighbor and first seeing the fully nude solo piece, "Bardo", front row center. VAGUELY.

Anywho.

Mark Dendy is a native North Carolinian and recently did a site-specific work for the opening of the spectabulous North Carolina Museum of Art's new wing. He's done some notable stage choreography and been a generally good representative egg for our state.

I think Afternoon of the Fawn is my favorite piece of his. Until he returns this summer. Holla!