I started the new year and hit the ground running.// It's been a great month and a half and if this is any indicator of what is to come hold onto your hats folks cause things are surely rocking! // I've got some great news to share at the end of the month and until then here's some beauty to tide you over! :)

Trip to NYC was incredible. Great conversations, giggles, shows, art, inspiration. Could not have asked for more !

Presently I cannot stop listening to this song... It means a lot. :)

My Brightest Diamond - The Gentlest Gentleman from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

the gentlest gentleman
~my brightest diamond

maybe next time when i see your face again
i will tell you that i loved you
and if this is to be the end, well hey
thats it, thats it

we have tasted life we have taken all
with a big breath out
and a big breath in
we sang la la la la la la laa

and if it seems that i've been a little down
i will blame it on the fact that you ain't been comin' 'round
i heard nothin' gold will stay
well hey
thats it, thats it

we have tasted life
we have taken (on? all?)
with a big breath out
and a big breath in
we sing la la la la la la laa
la la la la la la laa

you were the gentlest
you were the gentlest
you were the gentlest gentlemen

la la la la la la laa
la la la la la la laa

Yeeesh! It's been awhile!!

Happy Holidays, Christmas, New Years ...insert festive sentiment here... :)

A lot and not a lot has happened over the past 2 months. I have had some revelations, or Kairos moments for you Eikon folks :), that have re-energized me.



I managed to put my life on hold over the last 5 or 6 years
I had more history than I did a story.
Life happened
I grew responsible or defeated
I just stopped living.
My conversations were more about what I did
Trips I TOOK, pranks I PULLED, adventures I HAD
All past tense and I'm not...

Strange when you realise this and even stranger when you are aware it needed to happen.



I needed time... I guess
Time to heal
Time to regroup
Time to learn
Time to change
Welp!..time's up!

I am more than my job
More than my responsibilities
More all that crap from the past

So it's time to pack that bag
Grab my stuff
Explore
Document
Share

I was born for adventure
Roots have grown far too deep
There are stories left to tell
Jokes still to make
Friends I need to meet
Places my lens has not seen

I'm excited
11 months and 2 weeks
How can I fill my calendar with newness?
Wanna join me? ;)

"Today in Amsterdam, they taught me how to wear my body. Today, I learned that even if it's ugly, man, you gotta wear it like a gown." ~ Passing Strange

I took my lucky break and I broke it in two,
Put on my worried shoes, my worried shoes,

Took me so many miles and they never wore out,
My worried shoes, my worried shoes,

Oo-o-o-oo o-oo-ooo, my worried shoes,

I made a mistake that I never forgot,
Tied knots in the laces of my worried shoes,

Every step that I take is another mistake,
I march further and further away in my worried shoes,

Oo-o-o-oo o-oo-ooo, oo-o-o-oo o-oo-ooo, my worried shoes,

My shoes took me down a crooked path,
Away from all welcome mats,
My worried shoes,

I looked all around and saw the sun shining down,
Took off my worried shoes, my worried shoes,

Oo-o-o-oo o-oo-ooo, oo-o-o-oo o-oo-ooo, oo-o-o-oo o-oo-ooo,
My worried shoes,

~Karen O(this is a Daniel Johnston song made popular by Karen O)

I know I know.. you have all been chomping at the bit to see what my top ten lists are. Well here is the moment you have all been waiting for.. but with a little bit of overachiever. I present to you.. my top ten lists... of the DECADE!!!

I'm a bit of a cinephile so it's easier for me to break down my tops by genre and do honorable mentions at the end. The music one may be a bit harder so expect that one within the next few days or so.



Top Drama

Dancer in the Dark (2000)

I love everything about this movie. It's part musical, part drama, and 100% an emotional experience. It is the story of Selma who makes the ultimate sacrifice for her son. Told through her eyes with musical numbers beautifully done that tell the inner thoughts of Selma and those that love her. This was the 3rd in Lars Von Trier's Golden Heart trilogy and all the movies within the trilogy dealt women who were pure in heart and made major sacrifices for those they love. For me this was the first movie I had such an emotional connection with in a very long time. Just thinking about it now makes me tear up.


Top Romantic Comedy / Comedy

High Fidelity (2000)


Plot is simple.. boy loses girl.. boy goes on a quest to find out what went wrong. It starts out that way but there is more to it than that. Based on a Nick Hornby novel of the same name it talks about dreams, commitment, music and love. I loved this movie because it showed a real relationship, things were never cut and dry. Admittedly I am a huge John Cusack fan, he's known for playing the lovable loser but in this film he's not and he does a great job. The scenes in the record stores are my favorite because I know and have been, at some point each one of those characters. It's one of those films that is that great combo of humor and reality.



Top Musical

Across the Universe (2008)


When I first a heard rumblings of this Beatles inspired movie I was intrigued. The more I read about it and when I saw the preliminary images I was hooked. I really enjoyed the adaptations of their songs and really was mesmerized by the visuals. It's a good marriage of plot and using the music to push that narrative along.


Top Carton

Wall-E (2008)


I think this category was the 2nd hardest for me with indie films being the hardest. I love animated films and Pixar has really blown me away with release after release. If I could cheat I would just put all their releases up as my faves of the decade. I chose Wall-E not because I thought it was the best of the bunch but it is the one that has stuck with me the most. The story was so simple and innocent and I just loved watching our hero and this world he created that was just so full of love.


Top Documentary

The Danielson Family Movie (2006)


I think this may be my favorite documentary period. It is this beautiful story about an artist that was too quirky for the "Christian" music scene but too "Christian" for the indie rock scene. It's told from the perspective of different members of the band who also are part of his family. You get to hear about how this man's faith not only influenced his art and music but how his faith is his art and music. This documentary confirmed for me my calling as an artist and challenged me to look at the intersection of faith and artistic expression in a totally different way.


Top Foreign Film

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)


This is another one of those genre's that was actually a lot harder than I thought. I have seen some amazing foreign films over the decade so it was really hard to just select one. I had to ask myself which stuck with me the most and after going back and forth Pan's Labyrinth was the one. This dark and beautifully crafted fairy tale has stuck with me since I saw it in the theater years ago. The visuals were stunning from the depiction of the other world to the bleak time of the General's rule all the way through it was just such a marvelous film.


Top Indie Film

Millions (2004)


The Indie genre is the hardest for me. If there is one genre of film that has impacted my life the most this would be it. My collection is probably about 95% independent films so picking my top was like picking my favorite kid. I settled on Millions because it is by one of my favorite directors (Danny Boyle) and it one of the sweetest stories I have seen in quite some time. A little boy and his brother find a million british pounds and must spend it all before the changeover from pound notes to Euros.The film deals with grief, faith, greed and family in such a wonderful way.



Top Thriller

Stay (2005)


I love movies where things are never really as it seems and this is definitely one of those films. The plot begins with a young man visiting the school psychiatrist looking for help to stop him from committing suicide. This films is full of twists and turns that force you to pay attention to every aspect of the film to truly grasp what is going on. When we watched it years ago the movie sparked a 2 hour long conversation about what it all could mean.


Top Horror

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)


I am a firm believer that Asian horror surpasses American horror films by a mile and this movie is what proved it to me. Instead of going to the American formula there is a psychological take to the scares in Asian horror which leave me at the edge of my seat. A Tale of Two Sisters is about a pair of girls who are starting a life with their father and his new wife, to give anymore of the plot away would not help at all. Just grab some popcorn and try to follow this plot and stay in your seat.



Top Action

The Dark Knight (2008)


Good gravy!!!! I was not a huge action film fan until the new Batman franchise came out in 2005. Christopher Nolan has taken these films and totally made me a fan. The story line, overall aesthetic and the acting were just top notch. Heath Ledger did a phenomenal job and that has been lauded all over,but the entire cast was fantastic from Christian Bale to Morgan Freeman this film was amazing. I cannot wait to see what is next.



So there ya go! The long awaited list, but what list would be complete without honorable mention. Well fret not! 'Cause here they are

Honorable Mentions:

Drama: The Nines (2007)

Musical: Sweeny Todd (2007)

Cartoon: Up (2009)

Romantic Comedy/Comedy: Superbad(2007)

Documentary: King of Kong (2007)

Foreign Film: The Princess and the Warrior (2000)

Indie: Donnie Darko (2001)

Horror: Silent Hill (2006)

Thriller: No Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)

Action: Children of Men (2006)

Lord, I don't want to be critical of how you've put me together, relying on what others think of me for my sense of well being. Make me a woman who is confident that I am lovable, not because of any outward beauty but because you have loved me from the moment you called me into being.

~LaVatta

I could not have said it better myself :)