Archive for Uncategorized – Page 55

Rinse and Repeat…

Manon Lescaut

When the days get shorter and the weather drives us indoors, many of us feel a corresponding pull to the personal interior as well. Productivity increases and it’s somehow easier to sit down and attack that stack of bills or start the book that’s been sitting on the bedside table all summer. It’s also the beginning of theater season as local companies try to lure the audience back inside. When the skies are dark and the windows are streaked with rain it’s easier to get lost in a novel or let the characters on stage transport us to a different place. read more

Winter Survival: Then and Now

Winter Survival Skiing

How do you feel about winter? For people who like the change of seasons it’s a turnaround. With passage of the winter solstice comes the advent of longer days and the promise of spring. For skiers winter is prime time –  a short window that opens in December with Champagne powder and closes in April with spring slush. For bears it’s hibernation time. These days I’m closer to the bears than the seasonal change folks.

When I lived in Sun Valley and later in Salt Lake there was a delicate balance at play. It was cold but when it snowed I had easy access to the world’s best skiing. Wake up. Look out the window. Check the temp. Check for fresh snow and go. When there wasn’t fresh powder I could sip hot buttered rum and read by the fire. It’s all about finding that sweet spot, the balance in life. read more

Picking at Scabs…

Adele

There is an unscripted moment at the conclusion of Adele’s November 17, 2015 Radio City Music Hall concert. After leaving the stage the camera continues to roll as she steps into a backstage elevator. There, she falls into the arms of a companion sobbing uncontrollably as the door closes behind her.

That scene could be a metaphor for the evening – a simple, quiet, unexpected explosion of emotion – that tells us something about the woman with the most luminous voice in more than a generation. She writes her own songs and the lyrics come across as desperate bleeding sores. read more

Past, Present, Future…

Stonehenge

The winter solstice, the end of the year and birthdays all signify the end of something and the beginning of something else. It’s a convergence of the old and new, a time to review the past and prepare for the future. What has this year been like? What about the next one? What’s going on personally and globally – family, health, war, climate change, art, Wall Street, racism, national security, ISIS, politics? Issues large and small. It’s time to reflect and recommit.

I always get a little help with this from the year-end film releases, that seasonal bonanza of films surging into theaters hoping to be celebrated and recognized as the best of the year for the upcoming award season. I’ve been doing this movie thing for a long time and it doesn’t surprise me when I find a link between what’s showing in movie theaters and what’s trending in the real world. Still, given the lag time between the germ of creation and the distribution of a film, the synchronicity sometimes surprises me. This month The Danish Girl, a film based on a true 1920’s transgender story, is in theaters. It’s timely; in the last 5 years transgender stories have become mainstream news. 15 years ago when the story was written and 7 years ago when the director, Tom Hooper, was pitching it to backers it was a tough sale. read more

My Love Affair With Books

Bookcase 2

What do you notice when you visit someone’s home for the first time?

It’s not a trick question. It’s a reminder that first impressions are indelible and shape our perceptions. Do you focus on the décor? Lifestyle? Art? Floor coverings? Kitchen smells? Toys, or something else?

The first thing I notice are books – or their absence. If there are none I get suspicious. If people don’t read I wonder where their ideas come from or whether they have historical perspective on the present? If books are in evidence I imagine a narrative about their owners. Are there lots of them? Are they mostly fiction? Hardcover? Paperback? How are they displayed? Are they new or do they look like college leftovers? All of these things tell me something about the lives of their owners. read more