Growing pains
My parents were divorced and my mom was mentally ill throughout most of my childhood so I didn’t always learn a lot about how to be a “proper” girl or woman — I’m an adult who is still figuring out liquid liner. In a number of ways, I love that I wasn’t forced into a … Continue reading
Suzy’s binoculars and Wes Anderson’s camera
In Wes Anderson’s latest film, Moonrise Kingdom, “emotionally disturbed” 12-year-olds Suzy and Sam run away from their depressing and angst-ridden 1965-era lives to be with each other out in the open air of a New England island. Their plan doesn’t have much of a future, but the brevity of their escape makes it all the … Continue reading
Where have all the Muppets gone?
There’s something so sincere about Muppets. Though made of felt in Crayola colors, they seem to radiate something more human than the human. A stringy ear shake from Sesame Street’s Barkley, a gentle spindly-frog-armed gesture from Kermit, a huffy contraction of the snout from Piggy –these non-verbal cues were so expressive and meaningful and alive. The … Continue reading
A tale of two cheeses
There’s probably few things that are as personal, as idiosyncratic, or as undeniable as what foods we like and what we don’t like. The word “disgusting” derives from the Middle French word for taste (gouster, now goûter), and even when we’re talking about something other than food, it evokes a deep, visceral sort of revulsion … Continue reading
My life in liquid: beverages I have known, loved and exploited
Beverages have represented different things to me at various times in my life, and I find that my drink preferences can be easily broken down into clearly defined eras, each with its own, distinctive needs. Those needs were not always satiated, but boy, it didn’t stop me from trying using whatever was sloshing around in … Continue reading
That’s all there is, there is no more
I haven’t read a word of the Harry Potter series. Not one word. My intentions to do so were fleeting and only arose once the people around me, the ones whose opinions I trust implicitly, began reading and recommending it to me. It all sounded good, but I was already three films deep at the … Continue reading
The death of Superman
I was 11 years old when Superman died. I remember being at a rollerskating rink when when my mother told me. She had been reading a magazine article on the topic, and upon hearing that my favorite hero had “died” the week prior, my heart sunk in my chest. To make it worse, he was … Continue reading
I played in three act structure
I have always had a problem with timelines. The events of my life, particularly my early years, ebb and flow. There are places, people and moments that remain very vivid to me, but placing it in time is another matter. It is because of this that I cannot pinpoint how old I was when I … Continue reading
Stick ’em up
The other day at the gym I looked up from my elliptical to the TV in time to catch grainy video footage of a skinny kid getting body slammed. It was sickening. I gasped in horror and was suddenly fuming with outrage over such senseless brutality. Bullying. I was so upset and could only run … Continue reading
The seven deadly sins for children
Back when I had Netflix I rediscovered the musical movie Rumpelstiltskin (1987) starring Amy Irving and Billy Barty. My sister and I enjoyed it as children and I couldn’t resist throwing it in my queue. It was as I remembered it, but with my adult outlook I found the story to be really awful for … Continue reading
