01.29.07
Last night Molly planned a TV date for us that included viewing The Naked Brothers Band movie on Nickelodeon Teen Teen Nick (says Molly, gosh mom quit embarrassing me) and the consumption of delicious baked apples, made earlier in the day (core apple, stuff with as much butter, brown sugar, cranberries & walnuts as possible and bake at 375 for 1-1.5 hrs depending on how soft you like them), then warmed up in the microwave. YUM. If I’m discovering this movie late, I apologize; I see it was released in 05, and I don’t know how I missed it. INGENIUS, hilarious, sweet and seriously rocking. If you have kids, or ever were a kid, do not miss this flick
I think most kids either want to be in a rock band at some point or at least hang out with kids who want to… and this movie (as well as the series which is coming to Nick soon) treats you to a mockumentary style send-up of those heady days. The film, by Polly Draper, stars her two sons Nat and Alex Wolff, ages 9 and 6 respectively. For my money, Alex, the drummer who wears a do-rag, steals the show. When asked how they boys came up with the band’s name they answer: Well, we liked playing music. And we were naked. And we’re brothers. The humor is sharp and deadpan, and the music is sweetly adorable.
My 1960’s suburban version of this story was hanging out in the garage across the street where some “older boys” practiced in their band, Steel Tangerine. Leader, Brad, was super sexy and we all had crushes on him. The Tangerine played at my bat-mitzvah party (incuding their 20 minute cover of Innagaddadavida Baby), a major throwdown held poolside at the Columbus, Ohio, Howard Johnson’s where the indoor pool was housed under an enoroums clear bubble. I kid you not, I am not making this up. Unfortunately, at that very party, the star of the show (moi) got into some serious trouble, but that’s another story for another time.
Another movie we’ve been into is Dinsey Channels Jump In, which is really just their “urban” (read: the actors are black and the film is shot with grittier [for Disney anyway] grafittied city rather than squeaky clean suburban sets) version of the ubiquitous and mostly intolerable Highschool Musical. Jump In is much better, and chronicles the trials of a rather lame all-girl double-dutch team whose boring routines are saved by Izzy, played by Brooklynite teen Corbin Bleu, who we think is trés awesome (see above) . Grown-ups will reasonably enjoy the movie once all the way through, but during successive viewings (if you have children you know they can watch stuff like hundreds of times until you want to kill yourself) bail out until the last scenes of the big double-dutch competition, which are wild and incredible to watch. Go Corbin! It’s Disney, so it’s not possible to call this film hip, but it has its moments.
Then there’s the über hip Pancake Mountain starring a puppet named Rufus Leaking (above), not a movie, but a local DC-cable TV show that is available on DVD and really worth the bucks. Filmed at cool live music venues around town when bands are here to play shows, PM features dance parties for kids ages 3+, skits, and lots of goofy fun. And the band line-up is most excellent, including Subways, Shonen Knife, and the Go! Team, to name just a few. Molly and I attended the taping of the Go! Team show at the Black Cat, and it was fun. Fortunately, ear plugs were handed out… I’ve NEVER in my life heard music played so ear-bloodyingly LOUD. Please, if you take your kids to rock shows, be a smart mommy and bring ear plugs; it’s actually even more dangerous for their hearing than for yours.
Subject: Modern Art, Molly's Mom
01.27.07
Before reading this post, please know that Molly, age 8 at the time, took all of these gorgeous farm photos with a disposable camera.
Each Fall, we spend a day visiting with our rescued friends at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary–400 acres of heaven located a stone’s throw from the bustle of city life. We have our faces painted, roam the grounds, eat fabulous vegan food, and have all kinds of opportunities to snuggle up with the hogs, pet the goats and sheep, and (scroll down) hold a chicken… all while tens of thousands of dollars are being raised to support this dear place.
On those warm sunny days, I often think of one of my favorite childhood books, E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, the first work of literature that that I remember touching me deeply with its terrors (Farmer Arable and his errant son Avery dispassionately wielding their axes and shotguns at the baby pig!), joys (much of the rest of the story) and sorrows (death, particularly) regarding love, friendship and the cycle of life.
Reading the book again with Molly, it resonated in newly profound ways… still about love and friendship and life and death, but also politically, as well as a treatise on the sheer power and potential salvation of the written word (um, not to mention advertising, which is essentially my chosen profession).
If you haven’t read this book don’t read this next pp. At the end, White writes of Wilbur the pig’s love for his dear friend Charlotte the spider (who essentially saves his life but does in fact die): “She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
Some pig! Terrific! Radiant!
No, I am not trying to work a radiantly pregnant-at-50 look in this photo. For goodness sake people, I’M HOLDING A CHICKEN. Even the boy behind me knows how alarmingly special this is. But, I really do look pregnant, don’t I? Trust me. I’m not. And if you’ve never held a chicken, it’s well worth looking pregnant for, so there.
Subject: Molly's Mom, They Call It Work
01.25.07
I’m not going to say much about this, hoping the photos speak for themselves. Just received the new So Charmed boxes and velvet bags and they are SWEET. Kinda tough to get a good shot of, but the boxes are a slightly sparkling granite black, with SC logo embossed in matte black; the bag is rich black velveteen with logo stamped in silver. Still waiting for the smaller boxes to arrive and then will start shipping jewelry in these groovalicious wrappings. Magenta faux cheetah fur not included, sorry. That’s a bean bag chair here at the designfarm office!
Subject: They Call It Work
01.24.07
Living here in DC means living at ground zero in so many ways and when I’m feeling superficial (which as you know is quite often), fashion tops the list. Fashion in DC pretty much sucks. Unless you like sensible pumps and Ann Taylor Loft. (Ok, so I actually did buy something there recently, guilty as charged! It was a very low shopping moment indeed so please, I beg you NEVER to mention it again).
For example, have you ever noticed the totally hideous colors worn by political women, be they elected officials or wives of same? At last night’s televised State ‘o Union soiree, it was just the usual dreadful sea of garishly over-saturated reds, blues and a spattering of other silly crayola hues that I’ve heard described as “jewel tones.” Is there a meaning to this? Is it like some patriotic thing? Does bright red from head to toe mean you’ll kick some ass if anyone messes with you (or your husband)? ICK!
Yet there, in the midst of all the scary bright predictable hues was Nancy Pelosi. Along with being a superhero, she’s super attractive (note I didn’t say “for a woman her age” b/c we women of a certain age are sticking together, right Nance?) with a smile that can light up the Hill, and that’s saying something; trust me on this one. Watching her up there on the old podium made me feel so proud and hopeful, politically, and fashionistically.
So, to get to my point… I think it was verrrrrrrry purposeful, savvy, and quite gorgeously hip that Nancy opted out of that whole Power Red thing, selecting instead a very pretty, minty cool, palest green suit.
Can you say: Breath of fresh air? Yeah, dudes. Nancy is so minty cool.
Subject: Uncategorizable
01.24.07
Modern Art Makes Me Want to ROCK OUT
I don’t have the wherewithall at the moment to write any cultural reviews of movies, books, art, etc, which is what I want to do with this space, but I do want to explain the name of this subject area because it’s the BESTEST song by the BESTEST band. If you haven’t heard the first offering by UK band, Art Brüt, run don’t walk to your nearest amazon.com or itunes or whatever and buy the freaking thing b/c it rocks so hard it will make you want to shout and dance and jump up and down vertically, like you used to when you were young and hung out at rock clubs. I know b/c after practically lasering holes in the disc with my car CD player, I went to see them at the Black Cat, drank a bit too much, and jumped vertically up and down like I did when I was young and hung out at rock clubs. I’m sorry if it’s not the prettiest endorsement, just go out and buy the record. I named a subject after it! Molly and I go wild dancing to this record! Here, here’s a link.
PS: OMG… well it appears the Art Brüt boys have a new one out… heading over to itunes as we speak. Review to come.
PSS: Modern art really does make me want to rock out. Really.
Subject: Modern Art
01.24.07
When I finally stopped obsessing over my new blog it was just before 9pm and I scooped Molly upstairs to my room in an attempt to force her to watch the State of the Union Address with me partially out of some misguided attempt to raise a politically involved or at least aware child, but mainly b/c I wanted her snuggly company as I knew that watching our man in the WH would be oh so much lovelier with her warm adorable self cuddled next to me. She was super pissed off at having her cartoons interupted (btw, the answer is yes, she had done ALL of her homework + practiced violin though not without a HUGE battle prior to gluing her eyeballs to the TV set) so during all the pompy circumstance leading up to W’s entrance she stuck her tiny nose in a giant-sized copy of Little Women, having graduated suddenly from books that have pictures to books that might never end (YEEHA!). When the Man entered the hall, she turned her attention TV-ward and asked: “Are there any democrats there?” To which I answered: “Yes, honey, the democrats won loads of elections and took over the House and Senate so there are lots of them there, why?” and then I waited and watched as a slightly evil little smile danced around her eyes and mouth. You know the kind, right? Where you sense that your own sweet little darling princess is thinking of something akin to… oh, say, a deadly chemistry experiment in the kitchen that could theoretically wipe out life as we know it on planet Earth, or at least in Takoma Park, MD.
Freezeframe. In the 1/2 second I had before she answered my “why?” all sorts of things started playing in my head because I was certain she was going to come across with an answer involving bloody assassination and I started freaking out about what I’d say, and how I’d ethically and morally say it without my own sense of evil glee coming through as I muttered: Molly, that wouldn’t be… uh, nice.
Then she says: “What if someone calls him butthead?”
That’s my girl. :)
PS: Molly stayed awake ignoring the President, reading Little Women, whilst I fell asleep. Only to find myself awake at 2 am, all energetic-like, but hey. Now I have something marginally (debatably) useful to do in the middle of the night!
Subject: Molly's Mom
01.23.07
So, you know I have two jobs right? One is my day-job as owner of a small but hugely fabulous design studio called designfarm, the other is my nights&weekends gig as one-woman jewelry subverter, owner of www.so-charmed.com (So Charmed). Oops, make that three jobs. The whole mom thing? Regardless of the number of hours you think you spend on this, it’s FULLTIME. In fact, the mom-gig is pretty much always on overtime, if you ask me.
designfarm is located in a real office building, which, due to the first actual wave of winter-like weather, including snow and freezing temps, experienced a water main break causing a 1.5 day lockout. Evacuation yesterday at 1pm (NO YOU MAY NOT even run upstairs to get your stuff) and continuing through the day today.
Work at designfarm ground mostly to a halt, work here at the So Charmed World HQ (my converted garage studio), kicked into high gear. Radio blasting away and the beads were flying. Here are some fruits du jour… yeah, I’m heavy into the cakes!
I’ve been working on this crazy series called Let Them Eat Cake that put to good use (I think so!) these totally amazing little Asian miniature cakes, both whole and slices. I could make a fourth fulltime job out of just collecting miniature foods, this stuff just really gives me mondo pleasure. Hopefully you can see why. Featured also are tiny little sterling silver guillotine charms… because too much sweetness gives mommy a toothache.
I love this little collection of charms and goodies, the first in a series of these, all of which will likely be one of a kind. My studio is SUCH a mess right now, with all the lovely surfaces covered in supplies and papers and magazines and beads, and CRAP. Yet somehow, out of the crap rises something that (hopefully) gels together.
Molly is learning how to bead so she can help out when the orders for the new work start flying in. Child labor laws be damned, time for this kid to earn her freaking keep. Unfortunately, she has the patience of a gnat and can thus do about 5 beaded charms before becoming bored to tears and running off to some other activity. Snapped these pics just a moment ago, as Molly was backing out of the studio going: “Mom, it’s ok, you just hang out here and blog as much as you want.” Which means that she is upstairs glued to the tv set, brain cells dying by the dozen… bad mommy, gotta run.
Subject: Molly's Mom, They Call It Work
01.23.07
Subtitle: An Everyday Washington, DC Experience
Speaking of cake (see previous post), winter finally arrived here in the nation’s capital and with it came the annual hoards of right-to-lifers-I-mean-fruitcakes, having descended upon our sweet city in order to celebrate-I-mean-protest the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I happened to be on the subway on my way to a client meeting, having what can only be described as a pretty blue Monday, when what should I see but dozens and dozens of fresh (if incredibly blank) faced youth and their leaders… a couple of priests in fully bizarre regalia: Those black religious looking coats with the white nehru collars… what do you call those? AND… strung around their necks these horrific life-size fire-engine-red stop sign-shaped placquards, which read in big white lettering: STOP KILLING BABIES.
I wasn’t sure what to do. Feeling the heat rise up my neck and into my face, with a sick feeling sloshing around my stomach, a weird suffocating sort of claustrophobic and hard-to-breathe feeling, which I suspect is the way it naturally feels when one’s freedom(s) is/are threatened, I began to formulate many brilliant, if illegal, plans for counter-insurgency ranging from quiet argument (is this what you think Jesus REALLY wants you to be spending time doing?) to loud argument (F-YOU, YOU FREAKING IDIOTS) to vandalism (with magic marker, how about: YOU STOP MAKING BABIES?!) to outright violence (ugh, I am loathe to admit and will thus spare you the details, simply call it: Welcome to Jodi’s Abu Graib).
In the end, I just sat there, feeling sick and smothered and hot and itchy-scratchy in my wool coat. I tried to think about people in my life who I know feel the same way as the protestors, people who I love and to whom I want to express nothing short of complete tolerance, and upon whom I wish no harm (yet, can’t I still keep my freedom to choose? Please?).
So, I kept my big fat atheistic secular humanistic Jew mouth shut. Of course that didn’t make me feel so good either and only served to make my stomach REALLY hurt.
A lose-lose situation if ever there was.
Subject: Uncategorizable
01.23.07
Here’s a sweet piece of triple layer strawberry chocolate kiwi cake from one of my latest works of jewelry art to welcome you (and me) to My So Charmed Life, ahem, the blog. I don’t know about you, but cake just makes me feel better when I’m nervous and this whole blogging thing has me all twittery and jittery and excited. So… here goes… I’m bloggin’ on with my bad self. Cake and all.
Subject: Uncategorizable
