louise on the left (coast)

absorbing anna The abbreviated edition : “Anna spoke not only naturally and intelligently, but intelligently and casually, without attaching any value to her own thoughts, yet giving great value to the thoughts of the one she was talking to.”   Keira Knightley and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in  Anna Karenina And then she fell under a train. Everybody was very sad. - - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina _____________________ absorbing anna: This blogger's  addendum: Except Anna's children grew up with a half of them still a part of her, and half of her a part of them, and this part would remain alive and shine brightly beyond all despair, hardships or even time. Like her, they would follow their own truth, but would be carried along with an invisible strength   -- a courage which only springs from having been loved by someone with such an open and loving heart.  T hey would know how to follow the faintest echoes of her lingering warmth and laughter al

…and to all a good night.

". . . for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself."   - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. "There is probably a smell of roasted chestnuts and other good comfortable things all the time, for we are telling Winter Stories - Ghost Stories, or more shame for us - round the Christmas fire; and we have never stirred, except to draw a little nearer to it."   - Charles Dickens,  A Christmas Tree. Our cold, quiet Christmas of 2012

Today we will think about joy and light and being here in the present. Today we will choose finding joy even when darkness is all around. We are not choosing light because we do not feel pain, darkness or despair. No, we choose joy because it is what keeps us eternal. And in this bleak winter month we are required to do this with even more tenacity. Our lives challenge us to keep joy alive, however it is what anybody who ever loved us,  who ever walked this earth that we loved would demand we do.  They would demand  we choose joy, not despair. So listen to me, no matter how dire the news is, you trust the universe, okay?   And you find your joy. Because, because -- love is all you need -- Love is all you get. Are you listening to me?  LOVE IS ALL YOU GET. Don't squander it. Love really is what makes the world go round.  Not anger.  Not mean.  Not insecure.  Not fear.  Not money.  Not bitterness.  Love.  Love is what makes the world go round. Love and joy is al

So, work brought us up to Los Angeles yesterday to spend a bit of time in the always hip Smashbox Studios. There I was lucky enough to discover someone else spinning a dj list with precisely  my taste in music. I was forced to go make conversation asap and discover just who and what we were listening to for the day. The dj was very gracious and shared some of their extremely terrific playlist with me.  Naturally, I had to share it, here, as well.  (Too wonderful not to share the wealth.) Oh, one of the many thing's left off this list are selections from  a music duo from  France , called  Air. Hearing them is what got my attention to begin with. Never can get enough of them. However, yesterday he introduced me to even more tunes I loved but had not heard before: Such as  XXYYXX, etc.   So, a large muchas gracias to the awesome, Mr. Aaron, along with his stellar team at BeachMint. --  Rock on.

Not much to say other than the problem is beyond obvious. My heart aches endlessly for those in headlines at this time. The only panacea I can offer is a promise to make tomorrow safer. And God bless your souls on this dark day.

hammock

Discovered these guys a few years ago and really ready for them to be discovered on a larger stage, they're wonderful.

They've got one of those impossible names, XXYYXX -- But, me likey very much.

My mother has this thing about sending both my girls a new advent calendar every year.  It's very sweet.  This year she sent them early on, in November, 4th Class, USPS. This is how they looked when they arrived late yesterday (12/10/12) Part one: The good news is that both advent calendars finally arrived and brought us much joy -- however thought I'd let folks  know that postage upgrades appears to be worth it. Part two:  Behold our two wonderful advent calendars which survived the crushing blows of the USPS! One is a wonderful Andy Warhol calendar and the other is a NYC advent calendar filled with little windows which each show a little famous NYC iconic image in a pop-up NYC ice skating scene. Both courtesy of my mother who always knows where our hearts are!  Thank you!!!

I grew up seeing The King Of Hearts on more than one occasion -- and remember being told it was "pure genius." Not sure if I'd call it  pure genius by today's standards, but it was a one-of-a-kind, enchanting cinematic fable.  It was even something of a cult favorite for a while, although now it seems to have dropped off the radar.  Today nobody's even heard of The King of Hearts.  The campy charm of this wacky anti-war tale is probably lost on today's audience.  Times change. What has always been unforgettable for me is the appeal of Alan Bates and Geneviève Bujold who light up the screen in this absurdly innocent, romantic confection.  Which is why it's become one of my personal favorites -- even if it's far from pure "genius."  

Renée Perle and her times as seen by Lartigue Music from soundtrack to 1988 film The Moderns. When I was a teenager someone gave me prints from early 1920s VOGUE covers and I plastered my walls with them. They followed me from dorm room, to dorm room and back home during the summers. Then, later, they followed me to college where I guess they just fell apart from so much thumbtacking… I never knew there was an actual "real" woman who inspired the covers. But, of course there was. (There always is.) She was a muse -- and her name? Her name was Renee Perle. There are always muses and they are so often overlooked. A creative crime, really, considering they're usually more interesting than the artists who celebrates them. Everything is alchemy. In this case it was Perle's long, cool grace which cast a unique spell on the talented artist, Lartigue, whose advertising images of her inform our ideals of marketing beauty to this very day. Pretty cool fash

my cellphone her casting address & an hr btwn Eng. Lit and Pre Cal on a bday in downtown los angeles note: guard dog in baby carriage under dangling spoons wind chime This is what we do

I just read a salacious piece from an interesting blog called This Recording , entitled  ANGRY MAN,  by Alex Carnevale , about the so-called "real life" of Roald Dahl. It was interesting, but was it really all true? Carnevale's post basically states that uber successful children's author, Roald Dahl, the creator of classics such as  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  and James and The Giant Peach , was no more than a racist, bigoted, womanizing, pedophilic, raging, not to mention extremely cruel son-of-a-bitch. The piece has another title as well:    In Which We Consider The Macabre Unpleasantness Of Roald Dahl Naturally, I found this piece impossible to put down.  But as everyone knows, good non-fiction cannot live by salacious grandeur alone.  Facts are good, too.  As in this case, I suspect there's so much more to The Long and Winding Tale of Roald Dahl than has yet been told.  Somebody very clever should tell it.  Complicated people are usually ver

all those moments will be lost in time like tears in the rain time to die it's too bad she won't live but, then again, who does? Featuring the perfection of: Vangelis Ridley Scott and Sean Young who was transcendent once she got out of the way

This kid's got it goin' on. "VOGUE BOY": ME AT NINE, PERFORMING TO MADONNA IN SUMMER '91! from Robert Jeffrey / Angelo de Vries on Vimeo .

It's the holidays. A time when so many of us hang lights, wrap gifts, send cards, play happy, jolly music…Only thing is, it's also a really hard time for another demographic. It's the season where many people get severely depressed. I want to talk about how depression can really take down some of the most creative, lovely, warm people you could ever imagine. You would be shocked if you knew just how many of your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors all quietly try to keep their inner "black dog" of depression from taking over their life. Almost anyone is capable of succumbing to a variety of mood disorders under duress, but the top of the line is depression. Speaking of the "black dog," take, for instance, wonderful Vermont folk artist, illustrator, author, Stephen Huneck, who sadly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He was only 60 years old. He loved dogs so much he created the famous Vermont Dog Chapel. But, s

Meet Steve. He's a visual artist I have been a fan of for some time now. Lots of people have posted his images, but I'm not sure they've always identified who actually created them, which rather irks me. We all deserve recognition for the cool stuff we do -- especially if our work's good enough to be poached for Facebook and Tumblr accounts. So, here's a few pieces by visual artist, Steve Lambert, whose work I randomly adore. (Lambert   has his own website, here.   It's good.  Go there.) After first discovering his images via Tumblr a few years back I quickly became one of his most ardent fans. The blue version, I guess.   Earlier video of one of his 2009 shows in LA. Steve Lambert solo show walkthrough from Steve Lambert on Vimeo . Here's a link to a good article about Lambert from Laweekly a few years ago  If you don't have time to read all that -- this part is pr

These are my peeps.

health  peacekeeping creative freedom humor children family the kindness of strangers food beauty for this i am grateful i am grateful for eternal love stronger than withering sun or rivers of ice for honesty so brutal the only road out is through mercy for the grace to keep eyes on the horizon while holding hands smaller than my own and still wanting to   after having come this far for this i am grateful

I heard it 's snowing back East. An early cold, wet, messy snow storm right where Superstorm Sandy just finished ravaging things. Well, that's not fair. If life were fair I'd be able to bring each of you a warm cup of (allergy-free!) hot chocolate, but I can't. All I have to offer this minute is a video-hug to say we want all of you warm and safe and sound just as soon as possible. You're our peeps, America. West, East, Red or Blue. We love you. Now please stay warm. "Love Is Making It's Way Back Home" from Erez Horovitz on Vimeo .

VOTER GUIDE FOR ELECTION DAY,  TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2012 Tonight I was watching CNN and I realized I should post a fast and easy voter guide to take the polls on Tuesday. IF THIS VOTER GUIDE SEEMS VERY BASIC, THAT WAS MY GOAL. Elections are complicated. I chose to make this as clear and easy to understand as possible.  I wish I could make it even easier. These are my suggestions for voting if you care about keeping schools and public education strong, our nation safe sound, our people healthy and protect civil liberties.  This is the best way to vote if, like me, you are a Progressive Democrat in Orange County, CA who cares about public safety and a strong eduction. VOTER GUIDE FOR ELECTION DAY,  TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2012 Yes: President Obama Yes: Diane Feinstein Congressmen/woman choices: District 38:  Yes: Linda Sanchez District 39: Yes : Jay Chin District 45:  Yes: Sukhee Kang District 46:  Yes :  Loretta Sanchez District 47:  Yes :  Alan Lowenthal Dis

Last week I heard this duo on NPR sing excerpts from their new album "Wreck and Ruin" and I actually had to pull the car over to finish listening to every note, lyric, every word they uttered. What's really astonishing is that this couple is both  married with kids  yet write the kind of songs you'd expect from a much more diverse writing team.  They manage to convey so many different facets of love and strained relationships that it's difficult to imagine this wellspring of insight into heartache could stem from one simple, solid marriage.   Check out NPR's interview with Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, here .  Even if you don't love country-folk 100%, all you have to do is watch how these two really look in each other's faces when they speak to know they are alive on every level: Musically, spiritually and best of all, romantically. They're an inspiration.

Apparently Jimmy Kimmel has a seasonal Halloween prank encouraging parents to film telling their kids they ate all their candy. (Uh, does he even have kids?) But this year Kimmel's prank unexpectedly turned the table "on mean." Meet, Madeline, who could teach us a thing or two about compassion, kindness and just plain moving on when something goes wrong. I'm so in love with this child's reaction. While I don't endorse pranking kids (ever) it's clear this mom's done something very right to raise such a sweet child. Watch:

Check it out: