5 things I love this week

January 3-9, 2010

	the posting of one photo + one thought. I am the first to admit my own verbosity, especially in written form, but I love the idea of posting just one thing. One photo, one idea. There is great power in this for me, and I’ve been completely inspired this week by Habit, a group blog of single photos posted daily. I’ve made this a goal for 2010: to nail down my thoughts to one brief statement, whether it coincides with my photo or not. It’s a new take on chronicling life, and I like the idea that in 5 or 10 or 25 years I’ll be able to look back and remember, or maybe just look back and see the artistry. I really want to find the power and beauty in mundane things.
	Leftovers. A photo blog. Continuing that idea of singular photo + brief statement, this site features one woman’s chronicle of what she eats. I’ve been doing this myself from time to time in my own quest to post one photo per day, but the idea of capturing meals every single day is just quirky enough to inspire me. And I’m often moved by the power and brevity of what she writes in tandem with the photos. Very, very cool!
	All-around praise for my dearest friend. Already in 2010, my friend Cerella D. Sechrist has seen her first book published after half a lifetime of working to make this dream a reality. That the reviews for her book have been full of glowing praise just thrills my heart and makes me as proud as a big sister (which is often how I feel about her anyway). She is precious to me, and her book, Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is a delight in every way. Congratulations, girl! You deserve every bit of praise!
	The Puppini Sisters. Taking modern songs and recreating them in boogie woogie style is absolutely brilliant! I’ve never had so much fun listening to beloved songs. If all music was completely made over in this style, I would never be bored with what’s on the radio!
	Mercy tv series. I’m always willing to try out new television shows if the premise if appealing or the cast features favorite actors, so when I first began watching Mercy back in the fall it was simply a trial run. I was intrigued by the premise of a woman returning from the Iraqui desert to rejoin civilian life as a nurse in a New Jersey hospital, as well as the additional romantic element of a doctor returning from Iraq and moving to her town just to continue an affair they had begun during their tour of duty. I loved the main character of Veronica from the moment she came to life onscreen, and I was enchanted by the doctor and his desire to change his life to be near her. What I never expected was falling in love with every other character that supports the story, nor to find each week’s storylines better and better, filled with humor and sadness and layers upon layers of emotional depth. I found myself really looking forward to new episodes each week and becoming invested in the outcome of Veronica’s love life. That aspect is made more complicated by the fact that she has been married throughout her tour and during the affair, and when she returned home and was faced with two men vying for her affections, she became torn between the two of them. I, too, have been torn between the two of them. The doctor, played by James Tupper, who I first discovered on Men in Trees, is charming and sweet and very much in love with Veronica, and the idea of a man changing his entire life for a woman is the stuff of fantasy. But the husband, as played by Diego Klattenhoff, who I also discovered on Men in Trees, is ever more endearing in his emotional investment with Veronica despite a vast array of flaws as a husband. I find myself rooting for both men as they compete for Veronica’s affections, making the drama even more palpable to watch.   The character of Veronica is refreshing, as well. She is sarcastic and dry and blunt with both her friends and her patients, but she is also written as one of the best nurses in the hospital. Her personal life constantly interferes with her work, and her family of misfits make her own post-war and post-traumatic stress woes seem highly functional. Hers are certainly the best written lines on the series, from her use of the term “Doctor Ladypants” to describe a rival for the affections of Tupper’s doctor/lover, to telling her husband that she “saw this pig and thought of you” when presenting him with an entire full-grown roasted swine as a birthday gift. Veronica is snarky and clever and battered, but she is one of the best characters on television today. So I root for her and look forward to Mercy each and every week. I have no idea whether it will survive to a second season, but I am thankful for something different in the medical genre of television.      James Tupper, Taylor Schilling, Diego Klattenhoff (image via NBC.com)

5 + 1 things I love this week

July 19-25, 2009

	Online tutorials. I’ve learned more this week about basic Photoshop tasks than I ever did on my own. And having videos at my fingertips to show me step-by-step processes is invaluable. Yay for technology!
	This little green avatar that gets randomly assigned on Typepad blogs and the fact that I seem to always get assigned this very one. It’s obviously my favorite, what with the color and the little daisy design, but how cool is it to always get the same one!
	Abandoned places of New York City. Using his own photographs, artist Nathan Kensinger is telling the stories of once-glorious buildings and locations of NYC. It’s, at once, sad and moving. These are truly visions of days long gone.
	How mulling things over for a few days can sometimes bring epiphany. When I watched the movie Hide earlier this week, I was struck by the realization that I couldn’t actually write a blog post immediately after viewing. The ending confused me so much that I honestly didn’t know where to begin, and though I enjoyed the movie, I couldn’t quite form coherent thoughts on what I’d seen. Waiting a couple of days brought new insight into the reasons I love films that feature prominent violence and unstable characters, and much of what I realized had not been written out or even considered before. I love the fact that I continue to learn new things about myself, that I continue to see new levels of my own psyche and can even surprise myself when attempting to put my thoughts into words. That happened with my blog post on Hide and it was supremely satisfying to me.
	Finding favorite celebrities on Twitter. Three of the stars from Leverage are now tweeting — Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, and Christian Kane (the last two only because Beth Riesgraf pestered them about it… ha!). Love this kind of insight into how the actors go through their days. And Kane’s profile picture is simply awesome!
	Clayne Crawford. I’ve recently become extremely enamored with this little-known actor and have begun working my way through his filmography as best I can. What I quickly discovered is that I’ve been watching Clayne Crawford, enjoying Clayne Crawford, for years now in various one-off episodes of many favorite tv series. He’s been on a handful of CSI‘s, Cold Case, and most recently on Life as the memorably named Eval. He popped up earlier this year in a single fight scene on Leverage (thanks to his real-life best pal Christian Kane), and I even watched him on Roswell back in its day, though I can’t recall a thing about it. He’s appeared in small roles in films like The Great Raid, A Love Song for Bobby Long, Swimfan and even A Walk to Remember. I’ve seen him again and again and again, made note of how enjoyable he was at the time, and then promptly forgot to look into his career. But that’s all changed now. Now I’m pursuing it. Now I’m watching every moment I can find to get to know this actor better. I had the great treat this week of seeing his 4-episode stint on Jericho — which left me wishing I had watched the entire series, it was so good — and I have found a handful of film titles to add to the queue. I can look forward to his work as a feature player in the upcoming movie The Forlorn, again with Christian Kane, about the journey taken by the Donner Party. And he has also just been cast in the next season of 24, and that just makes me kinda giddy. I hope this all means that Clayne Crawford’s star is finally rising and that I’ll have more opportunities to see him develop his talents. The more I see, the more I love this charming Southern boy with the lazy Alabama drawl. And those who know me will tell you: that’s the most surprising thing of all.
Christian Kane photo via Christian Kane’s Twitter page. Clayne Crawford photo via CinemaRx.

5 things I love this week

July 12-18, 2009
 

	Fancy Fast Food. The website tagline says it best: “Yeah, it’s still bad for you, but see how good it can look!” Never before has fast food been so… gourmet!
	The Philanthropist. This show was a winner with me as soon as I saw its premise: billionaire playboy gets an up-close-and-personal look at the ongoing tragedies in Africa and sets out to do whatever he can to make things better. That itself gets me in my heart, and the casting of James Purefoy in the lead role and Jesse L. Martin in a supporting role appeals to the fangirl in me. I’m loving it more and more each week, and find so much joy in seeing favorite Brits on American television. Keep ‘em coming, network guys! TV is so much better with these talented actors.
	The series conclusion of my beloved Prison Break. Yes, the series ended in May but I opted to watch the season all at once after its final airing. I wanted to savor this, to let it linger and increase anticipation, knowing that this was truly the end. I’d followed every moment for four years, suspending all belief to allow the stories to wash over me without judgment or expectation, and I’d suffered through a misstep Season Three in hopes that the writers would redeem themselves in the end. And as I watched the final hour I was happy to see that they did. Prison Break was fully satisfying in its final moments, even with the death of my favorite character being the last word. I’m always saying that I don’t care as much for happily-ever-after stories, so I cannot complain that this series didn’t give it to me. I was shocked by the ending, shocked by the death, but I hold the series as an all-time favorite and respect that the producers and writers chose to go out as they did. It hurts, but the series is better for not taking the easy route and wrapping it up with a bow. I will truly miss Prison Break but am grateful for the cast of actors who are now on my radar. I can’t even imagine what will take its place in my obsessive little heart but I’m dying to find out.
	Warehouse 13 on the new ::ahem:: SyFy network. At first I thought this would be a really cheesy science fiction series that had little appeal to me, but the premise seemed to be a cross between a quirky crime drama and that government warehouse from the Indiana Jones movies so I decided to give it a try. It’s actually more like The-Librarian-cum-Bones, as the warehouse is full of history’s greatest treasures and the two federal agents in charge (one quirky and believing, the other straight-laced and logical) spend their time tracking down strange phenomena and retrieving the items that must be kept from doing harm in the world. After two episodes, I’m officially intrigued and entertained enough to stick with it, and I’m loving that familiar faces keep popping up as guest stars (so nice to see you, Tricia Helfer!). Warehouse 13 is the perfect kind of summer entertainment — easy, breezy, silly fun.
	Taking a week off and not having any responsibilities pecking at my brain. In two weeks I have to return to the regular working world of telephones and schedules and coworkers and to-do lists, but this week I could just “be”. And oh, how I loved it! Far too much television, an insane amount of sleep, All-Star Week, and the return of Leverage (Parker, how I’ve missed you!). All in all, this week was the perfect kind of vacation… the type with nothing to do.

5 things I love: MLB All-Star Game

1. The crazy awesome beard of St. Louis closer Ryan Franklin. Oh, and his pitching was pretty good, too.
2. The return of Josh Hamilton and his continued joy, amazement and gratitude at being where he is in his life.
3. President Obama’s visit to the players’ locker rooms and the sheer reverence given him by the players themselves (especially Ichiro’s wide smile while asking for an autograph and Derek Jeter’s quiet responses to the President’s questions). It was also very cool to see Mr. Obama enjoying the night as a pure fan.
4. The continued domination by the American League in this Mid-Summer Classic, in which they once again secure home field advantage.
5. Discovering new players that I’ve never known before. This year it’s Joe Mauer, power-hitting catcher of the Minnesota Twins. Since when does a catcher hit like this? And just how tall is this guy anyway? He towered over Jeter, even! But he played a good game and he seemed to enjoy every minute.

It’s the MLB All-Star Game that reminds me, year after year, why I love this game so much. And how well it can be played. Mid-summer classic, indeed.
 

5 things I love this week

July 5-11, 2009
 
1. These photos and the stories being told by my friend Becky, whose family is making a life in South Africa. I am equally proud and envious, as she is living out one of the dreams that has lingered in the corners of my mind for a decade now. These sunsets are just one reason.
 
    
source::The Fudge Five
 
2. Cereal Box Storage Bins. The instructions, which feature a bit of sewing, terrify me but I love love love the idea of using what you have to create something beautiful, functional and fun!
 
3. The Uniform Project. That one woman wore the exact same dress every single day for one year is astounding. That she made it look fresh each and every time is truly inspired. And it’s all for an extremely important cause. This certainly has my mind whirring!
 
4. The Power of Story, Part One. Angie Lucas, of Yeah, Write, had an encounter with a neighbor that proves how important our personal stories are and that it’s never too late to begin writing them down. If you’re not inspired by this man’s efforts, then I would ask you this: “Do your children, grandchildren, family and friends know all the stories of your life? Will they wonder just who you were and what you loved and what influenced you in life when you’re no longer around to tell them?” Everyone has stories to tell. It’s time to start sharing yours.
 
5. The Power of Story, Part Two, by David Masters (reprinted from Write to Done)

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King Shahryar of Persia loves his newlywed wife more than all the world. It is his greatest happiness to meet her every wish, and to treat her with the finest jewels – diamonds, rubies, and sapphires – and beautiful silk dresses.
 
Shahryar’s Queen, however, is in love with another man. For many years, the Queen and her lover have a secret affair.
 
When King Shahryar finally discovers his Queen’s infidelity, he is furious. Breaking down and losing his mind, he has the Queen executed. As revenge on his former wife, he decrees that all women are unfaithful.
 
He soon marries a new bride, but has her executed the next morning, before she has a chance to cheat on him. He marries again, and again executes his new wife the next day. He repeats this pattern until his chief advisor can find no more women for him to marry. The only single woman left in the whole kingdom is the advisor’s own daughter, Scheherazade. Reluctantly, the chief advisor agrees to let her marry the king.
 
On their wedding night, Scheherazade tells the king a story. At the climax of the story, she stops her storytelling, and refuses to continue. The king is determined to discover the ending to the story. He begs her to finish, but she will not tell the ending.
 
The next day, the executioner knocks on the king’s door, as has become custom the day after each wedding. The king sends the executioner away. Scheherazade’s execution can wait until tomorrow; he must first hear the end of her story.
 
That night, Scheherazade finishes her story. The king is satisfied, and will have her executed the following morning. However, while he is plotting Scheherazade’s demise, she begins another story. Again, she stops telling the story at its climax, and refuses to continue. Again, the king holds off her execution so he can hear the ending to her story. And again, that evening, when she finishes the previous story, she starts another.
 
For 1,001 nights Scheherazade captivates the king in this way, holding his curiosity each night with a new story.
 
During these years of sharing stories, the King has fallen in love with Scheherazade. He can no longer imagine having her executed. Scheherazade, too, has fallen in love with the King. Together, they live happily ever after, with a reign of justice and truth, always listening carefully to the stories of their subjects.
 
“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” ~ Rudyard Kipling