good things
There are some good things to mention.
Books: "Breach of Faith: The Near Death of a Great American City": Jed Horne -- I have and am going to soon read Tulane American historian Douglas Brinkley's "The Great Deluge," but this was the book I knew I would read first. Jed Horne is an excellent editor at The Times-Picayune and has always carried himself with dignity and integrity -- something I know from first-hand experience. He's also a family friend of Rachel's, but that only exposes my connections. Essentially, this is the first book by a newspaper man who is a longtime resident of the city. Unlike Brinkley's book, Horne focuses on the history before Katrina and the stories that have collected since Katrina and Rita. Please go out and buy it. Show publishers that there is an immediate desire for books on Katrina. We need as much sustained exposure as we can get, but also, you're getting a reporter and a local's perspective on the tragedy. Be prepared to get chills and cry during the first chapter.
Music: "Taking the Long Way": Dixie Chicks -- I have been a fan since 2000 thanks to Natalie Maines' singularly wonderful voice and the heartfelt harmonies she shares with Emily Robison and Martie Maguire. This album is another great one. Not only is "Not Ready to Make Nice" a song that should be a battle cry, "Taking the Long Way" feels like my new unofficial theme song. It reminds me a lot of the Indigo Girls' "Fill It Up Again." There's a lot of songs like this (including the Dixie Chicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away") that should end up on a good road trip mix tape. I think that's in the making. All I know is that this was the perfect album for my 8 hour bus ride to Brattleboro, VT last month.
Movie: "Scoop" dir. Woody Allen -- As my mother and RJ have pointed out, Allen has returned to his highly underrated "Manhattan Murder Mystery" to pool ideas for "Scoop" --- and to great success, this film is a treat. Don't go looking for Johansson to be the femme fatale of "Match Point" (don't get me wrong --- I think she was robbed of an Oscar nomination), but drink her in as a breath of fresh air in this miserably muggy summer. Her enthusiasm and humor are so enjoyable that I might need to see it again if the lousy weather of the past week returns.
Food: Al di La, Brooklyn -- Next time you want to go someplace special, try Al di La. Tim and I went here for a Sunday night date last week and we want to become regulars. Would that we could make this happen. It was one of the most memorable meals of my life. I had gnocci with swiss chard and ricotta with a fish based soup with fresh mint, cracked red pepper, grape tomatoes, bead-like pasta, cockles, and garlic to start. The restaurant has charming wine bar around the corner which is a great place to wait for your table -- because you will wait, but oh food is never worth it like this is. Have a glass and relax. Wish you could stay longer. Oh and it's within walking distance of my apartment.
Art: Marianne Brandt, "Tempo, tempo!: The Bauhaus Photomontages of Marianne Brandt" -- RJ and I went to see this exhibition on Friday. We went for the Unknown Weegee exhibition, but as much as we liked it, we were completely besotted with this fascinating exhibition. Looking at it, you see the tension and transgression poised on the verge of WWII. The construction forces you to consider where women and men found themselves at this unique point in history and it offers so many questions and perspectives that are still relevant today. How do we identify ourselves within the context of an ever-evolving media? How do we code foreigners? How is communication possible? What are all the filters that we're subjected to -- how can we identify them and parse through them? There's much to ponder.
Books: "Breach of Faith: The Near Death of a Great American City": Jed Horne -- I have and am going to soon read Tulane American historian Douglas Brinkley's "The Great Deluge," but this was the book I knew I would read first. Jed Horne is an excellent editor at The Times-Picayune and has always carried himself with dignity and integrity -- something I know from first-hand experience. He's also a family friend of Rachel's, but that only exposes my connections. Essentially, this is the first book by a newspaper man who is a longtime resident of the city. Unlike Brinkley's book, Horne focuses on the history before Katrina and the stories that have collected since Katrina and Rita. Please go out and buy it. Show publishers that there is an immediate desire for books on Katrina. We need as much sustained exposure as we can get, but also, you're getting a reporter and a local's perspective on the tragedy. Be prepared to get chills and cry during the first chapter.
Music: "Taking the Long Way": Dixie Chicks -- I have been a fan since 2000 thanks to Natalie Maines' singularly wonderful voice and the heartfelt harmonies she shares with Emily Robison and Martie Maguire. This album is another great one. Not only is "Not Ready to Make Nice" a song that should be a battle cry, "Taking the Long Way" feels like my new unofficial theme song. It reminds me a lot of the Indigo Girls' "Fill It Up Again." There's a lot of songs like this (including the Dixie Chicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away") that should end up on a good road trip mix tape. I think that's in the making. All I know is that this was the perfect album for my 8 hour bus ride to Brattleboro, VT last month.
Movie: "Scoop" dir. Woody Allen -- As my mother and RJ have pointed out, Allen has returned to his highly underrated "Manhattan Murder Mystery" to pool ideas for "Scoop" --- and to great success, this film is a treat. Don't go looking for Johansson to be the femme fatale of "Match Point" (don't get me wrong --- I think she was robbed of an Oscar nomination), but drink her in as a breath of fresh air in this miserably muggy summer. Her enthusiasm and humor are so enjoyable that I might need to see it again if the lousy weather of the past week returns.
Food: Al di La, Brooklyn -- Next time you want to go someplace special, try Al di La. Tim and I went here for a Sunday night date last week and we want to become regulars. Would that we could make this happen. It was one of the most memorable meals of my life. I had gnocci with swiss chard and ricotta with a fish based soup with fresh mint, cracked red pepper, grape tomatoes, bead-like pasta, cockles, and garlic to start. The restaurant has charming wine bar around the corner which is a great place to wait for your table -- because you will wait, but oh food is never worth it like this is. Have a glass and relax. Wish you could stay longer. Oh and it's within walking distance of my apartment.
Art: Marianne Brandt, "Tempo, tempo!: The Bauhaus Photomontages of Marianne Brandt" -- RJ and I went to see this exhibition on Friday. We went for the Unknown Weegee exhibition, but as much as we liked it, we were completely besotted with this fascinating exhibition. Looking at it, you see the tension and transgression poised on the verge of WWII. The construction forces you to consider where women and men found themselves at this unique point in history and it offers so many questions and perspectives that are still relevant today. How do we identify ourselves within the context of an ever-evolving media? How do we code foreigners? How is communication possible? What are all the filters that we're subjected to -- how can we identify them and parse through them? There's much to ponder.
posted by lequincampe at 11:54 PM
2 Comments:
where is the bauhaus show? i always say i'm going to get to new york to see the art more often, and now with a roommate who wants to as well? perhaps it will make it happen. :)
At the ICP which is on 6th avenue at 43rd street. It's actually a photomontage exhibition. Check out the link in the passage! You can go there and also go to the main branch of the library and go to the map room afterwards as it's nearby!
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