Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

For the past four Fridays, I have driven to Durham for the Sketch-N-Shoot at 305 South, an “anti-mall”. It’s easier to show what happens than it is to explain. Basically, models show up, and we take pictures of them. Here are mine:

There’s a Flickr group now, too, so you can see everyone’s photos.

This month, several of my pictures are featured in the newsletter, including one of the owner, James. His wife has contacted me about getting a large print made of it to put in their living room as an anniversary present. Shhhh! It’s a secret, so don’t mention on Flickr. He might see!!

In other words, quit watching Britney, and watch one of the good performances for a change!Managed to get it into an MP3 format for more enjoyment options. Go me!

If you don’t know and are not noticing the lyrics, they SCANDALIZED the world in 1984. I definitely remember turning this song down when my parents were around! Oh, but What. A. Song. And this version is out of this world.

For one of the first times in a long, long time, I sat down on my couch, turned off the room lights, and watched a movie from beginning to end. Something about “the anxiety of impendingness” makes this kind of settling very difficult for me.

I had been wanting to see Stranger Than Fiction for a long while, but the reviews I had read and heard via word of mouth were only so-so. Shannon loaned it to me and said that it was “cute” and “not too heavy.” For me, this was so much more. I don’t know why, but it really spoke to me. I thought it was a beautiful story, the kind of magical realism I really love; plus, perfectly cast with a minute focus to detail that I found so lovely, in a sort of Amelie kind of way. The OCD/mathiness of the main character’s world is depicted in golden sections and formulas popping up whenever he brushed his teeth or took a step. As his fairly cardboard character becomes more human, these numerical graphics dropped out, paralleling his emotional metamorphosis. So many wonderful things I could talk about: the change in Emma Thompson’s character when she meets her main character face to face is so powerful; the scenes in the bakery; on the bus; at the university… So many wonderful things. I knew right away that the music was Britt Daniel from Spoon (a band I love and intend/expect to love even more). Perhaps this quirk was specifically the right quirk to interface with what I needed this night, at this time in my life.

Thanks, Shannon, for the loaner. And also thanks for the soft foods you brought over for my ouchy post-root canal jaw. Lately, you and Brian just win!

My mom keeps asking if anyone else took pictures of me in my tiara, and yes… I must admit, I’ve been carrying this thing around since I finished my test on Thursday. You know… just in case! This particular tiara moment was captured by Logiblue (aka Oliver, aka Robbo, aka Robb or Rob… take your pick!)

I highly recommend checking out all of his pictures though. He’s one of my favorites on Flickr and has a real knack for making images look cinematic, despite his recent insistence that he is “losing his cinematic mojo”.

—
Everyone likes a tiara (Oliver, Josh, and Alice):

Reminder to self: Life is directed by forces and events I may not understand or even be aware of. Chance occurrences often manage to alter even the most structured of lives. While life can be unpredictable, the outcome is always change; sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. My path through life is never a ride down a perfectly straight highway. Sometimes, I may even experience hairpin turns or complete reversals of direction. Despite my plans, “the Universe” has its own agenda from which I cannot escape participation.

Can you tell I added the Tarot application on Facebook?! I’m not a believer in the mystical magic of Tarot, but I do love the wisdom of the individual cards. When I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life (separation and divorce), I found it very centering to compare my current thinking and emotions to the symbolism found in the cards or card spreads. Even when it was wrong, it was helpful (“No, that’s not quite right. It’s more like this.”). This particular bit of wisdom has been brought to you by the letter F. No, that’s not it. It was actually brought to you by the Wheel of Fortune card.