Month: November 2011

My step-mother lost her youngest child, a daughter who was only 41. I don’t want to go into any specific detail or name names because not everyone loves to talk about their lives to the whole world as I apparently do and I don’t know where they stand on this.

I wasn’t close to her daughter. I was already away at college when my father remarried, and we’ve never lived near each other. But I was always charmed by her. Some people just seem more present, more alive, and she was one of those people. I remember one summer she swam until her hair turned green and she kept on swimming. I love people who get so into and enjoy what they’re doing like that. She was full of mischief and humor, so I’m sure she was a handful, but again, I enjoyed this about her. I don’t really need condolences, but her mother and her brother and sister and husband and children (and all her friends and family) do. RIP, step-sister.

A picture I took on Bleecker Street.

Like most people, marathons move me to tears. Why are they so affecting? Yes, the striving and the trying, but still. It’s running a long distance. As far as accomplishments go that has to be pretty much at the bottom, with curing cancer and other life (or planet)-saving efforts at the top. Maybe because it’s a personal achievable thing, and it’s taking place right in front of us in real-time? Unlike say, lab work or crunching numbers to come up with some useful statistics.

I went to my first marathon in Boston, in the 70’s, and for some reason I stopped going to them a couple of years ago. Why? Even though I can’t explain it, it’s still one of the most feel-good things out there, and for those of us watching, it’s effortless. We only have to show up, stand there, cheer and bask.

Maybe I will go.

This woman’s outfit caught my attention. I like it overall, but what caught my eye were the scarves she tied around her wrists. I’ve never seen that before. That’s her thing. (Someone is going to come along and say, “What are you crazy? Everyone is doing that now.” I can be quite oblivious.)

This Post Contains Spoilers

I don’t know why Once Upon a Time is getting the better reviews. I just watched the Grimm pilot and I prefer their premise. I’m still enjoying Once Upon a Time, but only because the actresses playing Snow and Emma are so good. I’m liking it less because the Evil Queen/Regina, who is such a big part of it, doesn’t feel real. She is a tired stereotype of evil, and not at all scary.

The thing with killing her dad would have worked better if they had held off on that for a while and allowed us to to get to know the two of them better. A few seconds of sweetness from him and a few seconds of tears welling up from her were not enough. We weren’t attached yet. It was a missed opportunity.

Grimm just seems a whole lot smarter and fun, and like it’s going to be full of surprises. The set-up gives them more freedom to be inventive, and to have fun. The main character, a homicide detective named Grimm, learns he’s descended from a line of Grimms who can see all these fantastic, supernatural creatures that others can’t. The creatures are drawn from the Grimm fairytales, except they’re modernized, which isn’t happening in Once Upon a Time. It’s Buffy meets Supernatural. Lots of possibilities here, but who knows which will emerge as best in the end. It’s too soon to tell, but I already prefer Grimm.

Poor Buddy. You can feel his pain in this shot. All that tension and longing. I’m sorry Buddy. You can’t have him.

I’ve been following Eric Whitacre’s tweets to prepare for our interview in a couple of weeks. I just learned that he’s writing something called Songs of Immortality. So yeah, my kind of songs. Can’t wait. He also posted a link to one of the pieces he’s listening to for research. It’s this moving and not a little spooky composition by Bartok. I can see why he’s listening to it.

A picture I took one night on the way down to Zuccotti Park.

Remember how I was agonizing about whether or not to drum in the Halloween Parade this year? Well, I found a post I made on Echo in 1997, before drumming in the parade for the second time.

“I’m drumming in the Halloween parade. I probably won’t be able to get any work done, I’m so excited about doing this. I drummed last year for the first time but I was such a beginner I didn’t really get to enjoy it. I had to pay such intense attention to what I was doing I was oblivious to my surroundings. Plus my arms were in agony because I wasn’t used to playing for hours at a time yet.”

“This year I’ll be able to look up at the crowd, be aware that I’m marching on 6th Avenue, notice the other people in the parade with me!”

I remember that first time so well. I’d only been drumming for a couple of months and I wasn’t very good. I kept my head down the entire time, staring furiously at my drum, as if that would make me drum any better. I basically missed the whole thing. I could have been anywhere. This year was the total opposite. I walked down 6th Avenue with my head up, taking in my surroundings while drumming away, la-dee-da. It was my 15th year!

A left-over sign on 6th Avenue, telling people if you march in this parade you might be on tv, because NY1 is filming the whole thing.

This was the first picture I took on Halloween. The wig caught my attention.