Busy bee

This week has been exceptionally busy. I've thought about posting a number of times, but truly couldn't find three minutes for it. But amidst the chaos, I had a few thoughts...

...on the creative power of open windows: when it was spring for a few days earlier this week (!), we had our windows open, and the sounds of our street trickled into our home: music from passing cars, laughter, chatter between neighbors. I felt like I was coming back to life after being entombed.

... on the creative power of exhaustion: I performed with my all-female improv troupe The Shower on Thursday night - a lovely hour-long break sandwiched between after-hours work sessions. I almost bailed on the show because I had so much work to do, but when I found out our 8-member troupe was down to 4 that night, I lugged myself there... and the 4 of us who performed ended up having a blast. I'm usually all hyped up before a show, and in general, energy is good for a performance - but somehow, being completely stripped down energy wise translated into a more grounded show.

...on the creative power of yoga and journal writing: Mid-week, I suddenly realized that despite how busy I was, I wasn't freaking out about it... and it occurred to me that when you practice centering activities most of the time (for me, yoga and journal writing), the effects of that practice can sustain you during times you need it most.

Then the spell was broken on Friday when the full effects of the busy-ness hit me. I'm craving time for yoga, my journal, art-making, play. I have a fantasy of having a crazy-cool artist's studio in my home - a room full of all kinds of colorful supplies: buttons, stickers, feathers, paints, markers, glitter, imagery, knick-knackery...wouldn't it be wonderful to have a haven like that, where you could escape for even 5 minutes during a hectic time?

Come to think of it, I don't know why I couldn't create that in some fashion. Hmm...

Do you have a studio in your home, or another kind of space that's there just to inspire or nurture your creativity?

DC Independent Film Fest

Ok, so it's minus the glamour of Park City, but it's still a film fest, dammit. Half the people I know in this city love independent film, so why were the DC Independent Film Festival screenings half empty last weekend? FOR SHAME. I have to imagine that you, like me, didn't even know the festival was happening...so now that you do, get thee to the University of DC, where all the screenings are taking place. And if you need to get your celebrity fix, word has it that Kiefer Sutherland will be on the scene Sunday night (I'm not sure why...).

Some films playing on Sunday (the day I'm planning to go) that look interesting:

The Toll (animated mockumentary - short)
"The Toll is a 5 time award winning computer animated mockumentary and a character study in the guise of a student project created by fictional film student Harvey Stevens. Harvey delves into the realm of not-so-fantastic myth to interview a troll who lives under a bridge. The troll is, for lack of a better word, evil. He's aggressive, uncouth, temperamental, and has a nasty habit of eating people. His pet is a malicious cross between a dragon, a pug, and a Cuisinart. Yet strangely, the troll wants acceptance from the society he preys on, and sees the young filmmaker as an opportunity to clear up the 'misunderstandings' that have always plagued him."-DCCF Web site

Carousel of Memories (documentary)
*Note, the image above is from this film
"For generations of Washingtonians, a ride on Glen Echo Park’s Dentzel carousel is a treasured memory. Since 1921, visitors of all ages have been drawn to the magic of this enduring gem. Their recollections evoke the carousel’s many roles over time: from an amusement park ride, to a symbol for the civil rights movement, to an endangered work of art." -DCCF site


9 Digital Poems: Notes from a Restless Mind (shorts)
"9 Digital Poems, Notes from a Restless Mind is an attempt to bridge styles of writing with styles of media. To combine what I know about traditional poetry, scriptwriting and contemporary filmmaking techniques. The films are searching to provide for themselves a sense of acceptance to living in very troubled times. I hope people see the optimism through all the gloomy clouds that my thoughts travel under. The videos were scored by Mike Fonte and Helen Schneider. Their music was an integral part of the writing process. I raise my cup to them."-Filmmaker Paris Bustillos

Have you seen any of the films that are playing this weekend? Any tips? Let us know!

More on the festival here...

DCist Photo Show

My friend (and fellow improvisor, and Brookland blogger) Jaime took this wonderful photo, titled "Going Home," which will be featured in the DCist blog's first-ever photo show. There's an opening night reception at the Warehouse Arts Complex this Friday, March 9, at 6:30 pm; the show runs through March 16.

The Washington Post sums the show up thusly:

"More than 35 local photographers, chosen from more than 200 who submitted their work to the news blog DCist, are featured in an exhibition at the Warehouse Gallery. The collection not only showcases new talent, but also goes beyond the image of Washington as a mere tourist destination by capturing the city's cultural and architectural distinctiveness."

Links to view all the featured photos online are available here.

See more of Jaime's photos here.

Back on solid ground

That's what it feels like, at least, to be back in DC after a week in NY. Hubby and I (and Cosmo) had a blast, but man does that city know how to suck the energy right out of you. I think we were over-ambitious in the amount of activity we tried to squeeze into a single week, but still - there is just so much to do, always, that stimulation is like a constant drumbeat.

Favorite New York moments:

• Running through fresh snow in Central Park
  
  
• A proper diner breakfast at EJ's on the Upper West Side
  
  
• Soaking up the Village from various coffee and sandwich shops, and exploring Toy Tokyo
  
  
• Alex's and Tanya's wedding at their friend's house in Brooklyn - Boerum Hill to be exact...free-flowing champagne and shrimp cocktail out the wazoo...
  
  
• Eating antipasti with Karen and Harris
  
  
• Bonding with Corey and Betsey on the long ride to Jersey
  
  
• And all the moments in between, when it was just me and hubby, walking, on the subway, getting coffee at the corner grocery...
  

I slept the whole way home yesterday. Last night we ordered sushi and watched Family Guy re-runs. Then we slept in our own bed (heaven!), and this morning, I drove hubby to work, and walked Cosmo, and climbed onto my couch for a day of working on my laptop. It's good to be back.

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -- Lin Yutang

Pianos and Scaryville

The other night we saw Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears play at a bar called Pianos on the Lower East Side. I turned to hubby at one point and said, "They remind me of one of the plays that main character in Rushmore would put on." If that doesn't mean anything to you: they were just intensely original, with balls-out flair and flourish. Every song was a story (including one about an old woman who got revenge on the teenage boys who used to torment her), and the music was dramatic to match... learn more about them on their MySpace page and at bryanscary.com.

Side notes:

• When you search for "pianos" in Google, this bar is the first place that comes up. I find that fascinating. I guess piano music and history is of less interest than hipster hangouts.
  
  
• The bar is in what used to be a piano store...they left the sign out front, hence the name. I like that.