SUMMER!!

"The White House Is Big!"

It was a year of intense work, but I made it, we all made it. Here's the trailer for White House Down in case you haven't seen it yet. The movie comes out today:

I could not have survived without our amazing team. Most importantly? We laughed. A LOT. That got us through. Here are some highlights of what we laughed about. 99% of you reading this won't understand, but dammit, I had to put in all down so in future, we'll remember and laugh again.

--Martin! IT'S...YOUR...MOTHER!

--The Hobo Stays!

 

-- Ron Mexico

-- Hair needs to breath. Hair.

-- Ghostbusters, whaddya want??

-- I was in the MIDDLE of something, Ray!

-- Knell before Zod!

-- Chatum

-- You're a malfunction! (followed up closely by:)

-- Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!

-- Do you feel it? The connection?

-- "Also, Additionally"

-- I'm gonna MISS him!

-- Boba Fett?

 

and so many more that I can't remember right now...

This is random, but I am pleased with my creativity toward the end. Wrap gifts wrapped in the most convenient paper we had around:

Here I am on our very last day. Saturday (that's right, Saturday) June 1.

Champagne in the parking lot. Or the "Prison Yard" as we called it.

I hope the movie does well and I hope you all stay for the credits because all of those names (and many more that didn't make the cut) are people who worked their asses off. Oh and I hope you enjoy the movie too. It's fun. And the Visual Effects Kick Ass! Email after you see it and I'll surprise with what was real and what wasn't.

 

 

 

 

Excellent Break Up Songs

I think I have heard Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" about ten times in the last three weeks. On the radio, in stores, doctor's offices, random places. It's haunting and sad and awesome. I was watching the video today (because I had been steered to a Star Wars/Gotye mashup version and wanted to see the original...) and I realized what a truly awesome breakup song it is. (Doesn't hurt that Gotye is easy on the eyes...ahem.)

 

Luckily, I don't need a break up song in my life anymore. But man, if I did, the above would really be excellent. It's got downbeats and slow depressing parts, but then there are the parts where you can really shout out the lyrics. That's what you need in a good break up song.

I have had two major break ups in my life and luckily there were two AMAZING songs I had to help me through. The first was from the late 80's. Okay, in reality this song didn't make it big until 1990. But I swear it came to me in the Summer of 1989 becuase that is when I knew my first real relationship was over. Truly over. First major heartbreak. So along came Sinead with "Nothing Compares 2U" and the healing began.

 

This song has what you need -- slow parts and shouty parts.

Then in 1995, another big break up. But I was angry this time. So the universe gave me Alanis. Thank you Alanis! I was working freelance and was doing a lot of driving across LA (Westwood to Burbank to Downtown for various shoots and screenings) and having "Jagged Little Pill" on my CD player just made the anger better. This whole song (practically) is a shouting song. Bonus: you get to say "fuck".

 

 

What are other break up songs? To qualify as truly great, there have to be shouty parts!

Dreamy!

I saw this in House Beautiful Magazine and oh man, I dream of having a room like this some day in the not too distant future!

Learning To Eat With A Spoon

This is an almost daily occurance. And every time, I think of Laura teaching the calf to drink from a bucket in Little Town On The Prairie: "In the end, some of the milk was inside the calf."

Harper's First Music Class

Yesterday we went to Toddle Tunes for Harper's first music class. There were only two other kids there (normally there would have been about eight, but it was a quiet afternoon...) and it was quite fun. First they just put out a bunch of instruments to bang on while everyone is gathering and one of the teachers plays the piano. And it's loud and it's awesome.

THere are two teachers and one of htem starts out with a guitar and we sing some standard kid songs (Wheels on the bus, etc) and some not so standard kids songs: The Rolling Stones "Sympathy For The Devil". The kid tie-in is that they toss out stuffed animal owls and we all sing the "who who" part and play with the owls. (They do change the words a bit as well...)

Then another couple of songs and then they bring out other instruments -- a glockenspiel (not a xylophone because a xylophone as we learned yesterday is made of wood ('xyl" being the greek root for "wood") so a glock is made of metal.) And the big stand up bass. They play each instrument and the kids each get one then we sing "Doe a deer" and everyone (parents too) play the mini-glocks. Then they bring the big glockenspiel out as well as the bass into the play area the kids each get a turn playing them. For the bass, they lean it low so each kid can put one hand on the bass itself and their other hand on the bow as the teacher plays. It's LOUD! And Harper was better with the low key glockenspiel than the bass.

Here everyone got a turn putting their ear on the bass. But Harper was not quite ready...maybe next week. (we signed up for six weeks.)

But then at the end -- the best thing ever: BUBBLES! And more piano playing.

It was good to be out with others in an organized setting. Harper hasn't had much of that and I'm excited to get her out and experiencing a few new things.

Next week: Dance Class!

Little Free Library

Okay how cool is this?

It's a couple of blocks away on a smaller side street. It's a whole organized thing -- check it out:

Little Free Library

I realize I've been far away from the series of tubes this last year (does anyone say "series of tubes" any more??) so this might not be news, but I love these little free libraries. Yes, yes, books in all regular libraries are free, I know. But there is something so micro community and sweet about this kind of book sharing, makes me happy down to my actual book, actual page turning core.

Here's what made it even cooler: I've been cleaning out shelves and closets and bedside tables, etc. and yesterday, Harper and I took a few books to leave in the box. I browsed first and found "The Warmth of Other Suns" which is a book I've had in my "save for later" section on Amazon. Awesome! Now I don't have to wait any longer. (Well, there are about a jillion other books on my bedside table, so there will be a bit of a wait...) 

Hooray for books!

 

 

Oh My God! They Tagged Kenny!

On my morning walk -- a new bit of graffiti. Not the norm...made me laugh.

Spring Planting

Last year I literally had my hands full with a new baby so putting in a garden was not so high on my priority list. But this year, couldn't wait to be done with the job and get planting! Harper and I planted yesterday and our bounty is soon to come: tomatoes (3 types), romaine lettuce and basil. I also planted sunflower seeds along the wall there (the 2 foot tall variety). Can't wait to eat lots of ceasar and caprese salads!

National Donut Day

Yesterday was National Donut Day. We didn't remember until about 6:30 pm. Donuts for dessert! Harper had 1/2 a donut hole to celebrate.