The Sundance Swagfestival

Twenty-five years ago in the mountains of Sundance, Utah, Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute.  At that time it was intended to be a non-profit organization that was dedicated to the development of indie film artists and the exhibition of their new films. Since that time, Redford has watched his Institute blossom into an international premier showcase for thousands of independent artists from all over the world by ways of the Sundance Film Festival and also the many programs offered to the film makers, writers, composers and so on.  What remains is the original intent of maintaining independence, risk-taking and creative license that guides the work of these films.  But now, swag, the film festival gifts that turn the receiver into a year-round billboard for the giver, have become the primary focus. But first, about the festival... 

Robert Redford, Handsome Devil  

Some great works came out of the film festival that made it to the big screen.  I bet you non- film types didn't know that sex, lies and videotape, (my first taste of James Spader), Clerks, The Usual Suspects (Kevin Spacey), Smoke Signals, Boys Don't Cry (Hillary Swank ring a bell)?, In the Bedroom (Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei), Real Women Have Curves, Napoleon Dynamite (give me back my tots!), Born into Brothels and Super Size Me all started at the film festival.  Many of them took prestigious awards both at Sundance and later some even did the Oscar dance.  Oh the bidding wars that ensued for these films the time between Sundance and Oscar...   I can't wait to see two upcoming films coming fresh from last week's celebrity infested Park City...Friends with Money, which opened the festival this year, stars an ensemble cast of Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand and Joan Cusak (John's sister, cell phone spokeswoman and in my opinion completely underrated). Anyone see her in Better Off Dead or In and Out?  This movie is about three married woman, their husbands and their only single friend. It addresses both contemporary social issues along with personal lives which should encourage money leaving wallets at the box office.

              Jennifer and Catherine at Sundance 

Take a hit of this next movie, the sharp satirical comedy  Thank You For Smoking. Based on a Christopher Buckley novel and starring some unknowns like William Macy, Rob Lowe (his small role is priceless), Katie (TomKat) Holmes and Robert DuVall along with cameos by Dennis Miller and Joan Lunden, this movie follows the spin doctoring of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, played by Aaron Eckart (sassy and used car salesman greasy at the same time) who tries to remain a role model for his 12 year old son, while peddling the smokes.  Cancer sticks to the rest of us.  How is this for a visual?  The main character kidnapped and plastered with nicotine patches.

  

Aaron Eckhart & Cameron Bright of Thank You for Smoking 

The closing film at the festival was Alpha Dog written and directed by Nick Cassavetes.  This movie was inspired by true events about the lives of some California rich kids with nothing to do and all day to do it.  The lead character, Jesse James Hollywood,  is a suburban drug dealer who becomes one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list. It stars Justin (In Sync) Timberlake, who is a stand out in this movie...surprising many that he had the chops to be believable, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone along with unknowns not worth mentioning since people will go to see the aforementioned actors.   

 J. Timberlake, Alpha Dog

Which finally (and thankfully for many) brings me to my point.  Sundance has become the ultimate swagfest!   There are two types of swag:  items that promote a film and gifts that promote a company. Lotions, CD's I-Pods, clothing, walkie-talkies, Reeboks, Ray Bans, clocks, cameras and a $1,300 Hugo Boss winter coat to name only a few of the items.  The receivers of the coat got "swagged" in a major way!  So much for getting artistically nourished at the  festival.  Please let me never see a

pair of Uggs on a celeb again..      Uhhhhggggg!   It is unfortunate to see but big names bring in big dollars to the festival and all of its sponsors, the lodging industry, retail etc.  It seems that Sundance is becoming all about the hawking of products and the trend-setting celebrity culture they want sporting these products and less about the films themselves.  Maybe I'm just envious because I missed out on all of the bling.  Look out Park City.  Look out Steven Carell.  Next year at this time I'll be basking at the Sundance and I'll be looking for my Coach CD case, my Diesel shoulder bag, my year's supply of Kiehl's products, etc...

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Lessons Learned As of Today

 

One does not discover new lands

without consenting to lose sight

of the shore for a very long time.

                                       andre gide

 

 

 

Money cannot buy class.

When a person is in love, it shows.

Being kind is always more important than being right.

I cannot command respect,  I can only earn it.

Life needs to be revealed to me no matter how impatient I am with it. 

People that you never guessed could let you down will let you down.

People that you never knew would be there for you will be there for you.

It is better to forgive than hang onto anger.

Getting your heart broken doesn't get easier every time.  

My life will not improve unless I take chances.

Sometimes all a person needs is someone just to listen.

The only person I can change is myself.

It takes a second to open a wound with hurtful words and maybe a lifetime to heal that same wound if it can be healed at all.

My Grandpa was right when he said "as you get to the end of life, if you have a close friend or two and family that still speak to you, then your life has been a success".

There is no greater feeling than having a child fall asleep in your arms.

The more I live, the faster life goes.

How good anticipation feels.

That even though I came into and will leave the world alone,  I need other people while I am here.

How rich I am with friendships.

That I will not be taking a u-haul to heaven.

That I still  have so  much to learn…bring it on!

Homo-Hip on the Range

  

As I stood in line at the theatre with friends last night to hopefully see the later showing of Brokeback Mountain, (since the earlier time we went to see had been long since sold out) the question was being asked by people behind us in line;  When is this movie going to be shown in the big theatres and on more than one screen?  People had driven all the way from Columbus to see forbidden love and had to leave unfulfilled.  They either were eager to watch man sex, wanted to see what all the buzz was about or they love director Ang Lee and wouldn't miss anything he has put his name on.  Hold your horses.  They could be like us and had gone because of all the above.  This movie is projected to bring in over 100 million by March and some markets won't even show it!  A bucket of popcorn and two hours and fifteen minutes later we left the theatre, our interpretations pouring out of our mouths while alternately stuffing those same mouths with unsalted chips and strong Margaritas.  Si!  

President Bush, a manly man and rancher himself, was asked last week by a supporter at Kansas State U what he thought of the movie.  Totally confident in his own sexuality he responded, "I haven't seen it, I'd be glad to talk about ranching, but I haven't seen the movie."  ( I picture him grabbing himself at this point). The audience laughed before he added, "I've heard about it."  He no doubt secretly owns a "gay cowboy saddle," complete with hair-dryer holster.  Well done W, well done.  I wish we knew how to quit you...

  It's just not natural...

Not that all of the Brokeback jokes will hurt the Oscar chances for this film when there are so many other worthy cinematic contenders.  Have you heard any good Munich jokes lately?  Did you hear the one about Capote?  Walk the Line?  Not so much.

How about this one...from San Antonio TV anchor Chris Marrou:  "Why didn't they just give one of those guys from Brokeback Mountain best actress?".  Don't think that guy went unpunished...Hey Chris, the boss wants to see you...Pronto like!

Clearly, one thing we collectively came up with was how this movie has been fodder for Late Night Comedians citing the "I wish I knew how to quit you"  as the phrase most likely to be the new "Show Me the Money".  At any rate, I could not resist putting David Letterman's Top Ten List up for signs you might be a gay cowboy.  To my gay friends, John Wayne, Kenny Chesney and the cowboy from the Village People,  I apologize.  You know me and my heart.  I am just going for a laugh here...

Ten Top Signs You Are A Gay Cowboy

10.  Your saddle is Versace

 9.   Instead of Home on the Range, you sing It's Raining Men.

 8.   You enjoy ridin', ropin' and redecoratin'.  

 7.   Sold your livestock to buy tickets to Mama Mia!  

 6.   After watching reruns of Gunsmoke, you have to take a cold shower.

 5.   Native Americans refer to you as Dances With Men.

 4.   You've been lassoed more times than most steers.

 3.   You're wearing chaps, yet your "ranch" is in Chelsea.

 2.   Instead of a saloon, you prefer a salon.

 1.   You love riding, but you don't have a horse.

Stay tuned for next time when we see the movie Thank You For Smoking...it looks (cough-cough) great!

Click here: Moviefone: Independent Film Guide: Brokeback Mountain

and for giggles check out this link:

Click here: YouTube - Brokeback to the Future

It's Miller Time!

So U.S. Olympic hopeful Bode "Bodelicious" Miller "loathes excessive media attention"?  For someone who loathes the media so much he sure was quick to believe their assertions that Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds had been flying under the radar with their steroid use.  Uh, is this new news?  No. What is news is the Bodeman has gotten more media attention with his mouth than with his skiing.  Another way he has grabbed attention is his suggestion of legalized doping.  Is this guy for real?  He CRAVES excessive media attention! He DEMANDS it!  Good thing he has not been to the top step of the podium more this winter than he was last season or he could be spreading his ideas through other forms of media besides Rolling Stone, Newseek, Outside and Time Magazines.  (Who did I forget?).

Bode, who met his Canadian girlfriend in an Internet chat room, (not that there's anything wrong with that) went on 60 Minutes not too long ago and revealed to Andy Rooney that he had skied under the influence of alcohol or at the very least, a really killer hang-over.  He then basically went on to say that he would do it again.  Needless to say, he has attracted more criticism about that than my attempts at putting on a decent dinner. The ski commissioner rejected his behavior and declared "The fact is, you simply cannot ski while drunk,".  Well, it appears that not only can Mr. Miller do that, he can do it well. This same attention-hating athlete competed in well over 130 straight World Cup races and is currently ranked 4th in the overall standings. He has two Olympic medals, four world championship golds and 19 World Cup events. On skis, there is no one on the slopes more amazing to watch.  He has given new meaning to the words speed freak.  But when this skiing billboard opens his brash mouth, that's when things really hit the gates! 

   Mr. Bodelicious....

Curiously, two weeks before the Olympics, he is not on the slippery slopeswith his unorthodoxstyle preparing for Turin, but golfing with his brother and shooting his mouth off.  I, for one, will be watching to see how he does at Chamonix or at the very least how good of a tan he got while  he was on the greens. This guy drives me crazy!

Bodemeister, you iconoclast, you!...Just continue your smirking disrespect for the media, pushing buttons and allowing your mouth to run off course.  It all will bode poorly for you.  We will watch your rolling snowball turn into an avalanche ...Or you could stick to doing what you do best...GO FAST! 

Either way, you real man of genius, we salute you!  

 Click here: Bode Miller USA - World Champion and Olympic Medallist Ski Racer

Match Point

So I get a call tonight from someone asking if I would like to go and see the new Woody Allen movie, Match Point.  I figure...why not?  It's going to be a story set around tennis, right?   I like movies, I like Woody Allen, I like tennis, I like the person who has asked me to go...it sounds like a win-win situation.  Not so fast.  Woody Allen serves up a moral dilemma which ends up with the lead character deciding between the destruction of his own life or murder.  Tough choice.  A nice light topic before bed on a Thursday night! There is not much tennis in the movie but the film technique at the beginning that sets up the story is amazing. The tennis ball hovering above the net with the potential to go either way is the film's metaphor.  The subject matter being about the role that luck plays in shaping one's life.  In other words, which side of the net is your ball going to fall?

It was unusual to see a movie from Mr. Allen that was not set in his beloved Manhattan. It was also unusual that Woody was not in it nor was anyone even remotely resembling him or his "quirkiness". The characters are so self-assured even with their class distinctions between them.  But, the film turns dark in a way that only Woody Allen can portray.  

The lead character is Jonathon Rhys-Meyers.  He plays a recently retired professional tennis player who took up tennis to escape the impovershed life he had as a child in Ireland.   He takes a job at a country club, meets Tom, marries Tom's sister Chloe, falls in love with Tom's fiancee (Scarlett Johansson).  He appears to be everything that Woody Allen is not.  Quiet, confident, cunning, manipulating.  One trying to create luck on the back of others.  Johansson's femme fatale, come-on personality scorches the screen. 

Scarlett Johansson,  Matthew Goode and Jonathon Rhys-Meyers 

I will not say too much more as it is truly a thriller.  Even though it was billed as a comedy it was no laughing matter.  There was no sound in the theatre that I was aware of.  Except when I turned to my mate and said "I thought this was a tennis movie?" and he let out a "HA"!  It seems that Woody possibly doesn't find humor in his neuroses anymore and that is either a shame or a sign that he is more content with himself. On a  sidenote, I was considering murdering the dude behind me who nervously was kicking the back of my seat.  He got one glare and it was over.

Finally, it seems that in this movie, through all of the twists and turns, lust, guilt, lies, implications and irony, one question remains.  Why does Woody Allen find it necessary to leave Manhattan, go to England and make a movie about someone else's bad manners when we have plenty of them to go around right here in the US of A?  Just a thought...

Golf Bad, Tennis Good

My cousin Julie told me today that I should give up tennis and take up golf.  Granted, this opinion is being delivered from a close to scratch golfer so she’s a little biased.  I hope she will excuse my reluctance to get involved in the game after reading about the Jack Abramoff scandal and how taking politicians golfing these days is the lobbying gift of choice.  The story goes that lobbyist groups spent a lot of green (pun intended) to fly politicians all over the world to play golf which almost certainly reeks of favors potentially being bought and sold. It's not just that Abramhoff appears to have been buying politicians, the members of Congress appear to have been involved in the sales transactions.  Would you like your receipt with you or in your bag?  As Jon Stewart put it "Gentlemen, start your outrage."       

      Mum's the word, right Jack?...

You never read about political fund-raisers and congressional trips being planned to cross paths with posh tennis resorts.  The biggest scent of scandal in recent memory regarding tennis has been the clothing or lack there of during tournaments. 

     Hello!  Now that's what I'm talking about!

(Maybe Rafael Nadal's clamdiggers?)  To my knowledge there has been no spending of tens of thousands of dollars on costs by candidates and their supporters during a campaign cycle ata tennis club or resort.

Of course it is not newsworthy that money and influence merge on the greens everyday. Business is conducted, deals executed, souls sold, all in the name of golf.  It’s a salesman’s second language and a housewife’s Wednesday morning.  While there is nothing wrong with swinging the clubs while raising funds, everyone should be picking up their own  tab.  This is never a problem on the tennis courts.  The biggest decisions we have to make are who is serving first, who is playing forehand and who is playing backhand.  Oh, and did she really mean to aim that return at your partner's head?  I mean for God’s sake, if they only used the word “love” in golf things might be different.  Can you see Tom Delay out there swinging a Wilson?  Do politicians get any other exercise besides golf?  I bet they all walk the greens too, don’t you think?   No carts involved.

 

Besides the proposed ban of privately sponsored travel another advance has been made since this scandal in the wind.  Representative Nancy Pelosi encouraged fellow politicians to sign a Declaration of Honest Leadership.  Apparently the Oath of Office didn't take.

 

Another reason I am leaning towards tennis is typically most tennis clubs allow both men and women to be members.  Not so with all golf clubs.  Good thing there are no women politicians that golf…that might present a problem.  I am pretty sure that if the women were out on the greens with these men outfitted in plaid pants and cigars, some of these "opportunities" might be squelched.

                                  

On a final note, there is no beverage cart on the tennis courts and we keep score between the players, no score card necessary to keep us honest.  I think I will stick with tennis.  It is much better for the heart.  Besides, the outfits are way cuter.

Truthiness 101

It does not require many words to speak the truth.

        Chief Joseph, Nez  Perce

 

 

Here is the truth about the truth…it hurts.  So we lie.  Whether we are lying to ourselves or to someone else, we do it to avoid pain.  We justify and rationalize the lie so discomfort is removed from the situation.  It could be a simple white lie such as “I made this coffee cake myself” or “that’s one breathtaking baby” all the way up to a bold-faced lie like, “I was not with her, I was at a timeshare meeting in Scranton with Larry.” 

                      

With the advent of instant messaging, e-mailing and text messaging, the face can be removed from the term bold-faced lie.  Now it is just a bold lie.  Truth be told, isn’t that what we all just want anyway?  To feel like we are actually communicating without getting into specifics or having the burden of actual involvement with the person that we are contacting?  Today’s technology allows us to maintain our entire social life just by communicating by phone or chatting on-line.  There is nothing more romantic than hearing someone you care about tell you to “catch them on line, later.”  What happened to actually speaking with someone?  The best part about communicating on-line or by text messaging is there is no voice required.  That makes emotion difficult to read.  We wouldn’t want to involve too many of the human aspects  in a relationship more than we have to now would we?  Thank God we at least have the J icon to make sure we can soften what we have just typed.  Don't want to be misunderstood after all.   (Example:  Ur an ass  :)  ).

 

It makes one wonder how far away we are from just having a chip implanted behind our ear so we can just think something and the recipient will get the message through the chip implanted behind his ear.  Well?  Is it really that far fetched?

 

Until that day comes, with text messaging you can court, arrange a hook-up and subsequent break-up all in the same night.  In some countries, you can even obtain a divorce.  The Internet offers several web sites that offer text messages that are at your disposal when you need to dump someone without actually speaking to them…brilliant!  I can imagine the messages going something like this…”Ur 2 gd 4 me” or “I nvr lvd u” or  “Lft 4 Baltic C”.  In the UK, this has become the preferred route to end a relationship.  And they say the Brits are stuffy!  Bully!  Why deal with the mess of breaking one’s heart in person when you can just delete them from your life (or at the very least block them on the computer).  After all, it is still less messy than IM'ing someone that you  "still love them but you just can’t be with them right now and you don’t know when you can.”  TMI...Too much information. 

 

See above…While ”Ur 2 gd 4 me”may be a lie, it rings much more true.

                                    

                                          

                                               

Landslide

By Stevie Nicks (1983)

Took my love and I took it down                                  
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Till the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life? 

I don't know

Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
and I'm getting older, too
oh I'm getting older too

Take my love, take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well maybe, the landslide will bring it down

Oh, the landslide will bring it down

Stevie Nicks...In her own words...

I wrote it (Landslide) for Lindsey - for him, about him. It's dear to both of us because it's about us. We're out there singing about our lives.
~Stevie Nicks Q Magazine, January 2004   

It was written in 1973 at a point where Lindsey and I had driven to Aspen for him to rehearse for two weeks with Don Everly. Lindsey was going to take Phil's place. So they rehearsed and left, and I made a choice to stay in Aspen. I figured I'd stay there and one of my girlfriends was there. We stayed there for almost three months while Lindsey was on the road, and this is right after the Buckingham Nicks record had been dropped. And it was horrifying to Lindsey and I because we had a taste of the big time, we recorded in a big studio, we met famous people, we made what we consider to be a brilliant record and nobody liked it (laughs). I had been a waitress and a cleaning lady,and I didn't mind any of this. I was perfectly delighted to work and support us so that Lindsey could produce and work and fix our songs and make our music.

But I had gotten to a point where it was like, "I'm not happy. I am tired. But I don't know if we can do any better than this. If nobody likes this, then what are we going to do?" So during that two months I made a decision to continue. "Landslide" was the decision. [Sings] "When you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills" - it's the only time in my life that I've lived in the snow. But looking up at those Rocky Mountains and going, "Okay, we can do it. I'm sure we can do it." In one of my journal entries, it says, "I took Lindsey and said, 'We're going to the top!'" And that's what we did. Within a year, Mick Fleetwood called us, and we were in Fleetwood Mac making $800 a week apiece (laughs). Washing $100 bills through the laundry. It was hysterical. It was like we were rich overnight.
~Stevie Nicks, Performing Songwriter magazine, 2003   

I realized then that everything could tumble, and when you're in Colorado, and you're surrounded by these incredible mountains, you think avalanche. It meant the whole world could tumble around us and the landslide would bring you down. And a landslide in the snow is like, deadly. And when you're in that kind of a snow-covered, surrounding place, you don't just go out and yell, because the whole mountain could come down on you.  Landslide I wrote on the guitar, and it's another one that I wrote in about five minutes. But see, when I'm really thinking about something ~ I mean when something's really bothering me ~ again, the best thing that I can do is go to the music room, or to the office, where I can write. Because once I put it down and I can read it back, and I can think about what I'm saying, then it makes sense to me. When I'm just thinking it in my head, it's going around and around, and I feel like a little child unable to make a real, substantial decision. And we were talking about our lives... the rest of our lives.
~Stevie Nicks, In the Studio with Red Beard, May 1992

    Click the tambourine to hear Stevie talk about Landslide

 

    The story of Landslide... everybody seems to think that I wrote this song about them. Everybody in my family,all my friends, everybody... and my Dad, my Dad did have something to do with it, but he absolutely thinks that he was the whole complete reason it was ever written. I guess it was about September 1974, I was home at my Dad and Mom's house in Phoenix, and my father said, 'you know, I think that maybe... you really put a lot of time into this [her singing career], maybe you should give this six more months, and if you want to go back to school, we'll pay for it and uh, basically you can do whatever you want and we'll pay for it ~ I have wonderful parents ~ and I went, 'cool, I can do that.'  [Then] Lindsey and I went up to Aspen, and we went to somebody's incredible house, and they had a piano, and I had my guitar with me, and I went into their living room, looking out over the incredible, like, Aspen skyway, and I wrote Landslide...three months later, Mick Fleetwood called. On New Year's Eve, 1974, called and asked us to join Fleetwood Mac. So it was three months, I still had three more months to go to beat my six month goal that my dad gave me. So that's what Landslide is about.
~Stevie Nicks, VH1 Storytellers, 1998  

[On her take of the Smashing Pumpkins version of Landslide] I was very honored to have Billy Corgan pick out that song on his own. There's nothing more pleasing to a songwriter than [someone] doing one of their songs. It also led to me being friends with Billy Corgan, and the possibility that we'll work together. Over this song, there's been this incredible connection...he reached out.
~Yahoo Chat with Stevie Nicks, April  28, 1998

 

 

My Belief in Unique

Just arrived home from a quick jaunt to Pedro's with some friends and with a bit 'o Captain's (not Margarita's) still circulating through my veins and the horror of watching some really bad Karaoke still buzzing around in my head, I had a thought I wanted to jot down before that same buzzing head hits the synthetic pillows.  No, it is not if Jessica Simpson had her lips injected with collagen.  It is this:  My Belief in Unique.

Unique /yu-'neek/ 1a. being the only one  2. being without a like or equal.

That is a pretty tough definition to stand up to.  How many of us can say we are truly unique?  Perhaps there is nothing new to say on being unique, only original ways to say it.  There are so many individuals I am indebted to for showing me their insights on being unique.  My mother, my friend Polly, my sister-in-law Jen, Carrot Top, Cyndi "She's So Unusual" Lauper, Bjork, Serena Williams and my friend Kay.  It is not something you can fake.  You either possess the quality or you don't.  Think of the phrases "they are a dime a dozen" or "there is always one in every bunch".

Personally I would rather be the one in every bunch rather than part of a dozen.  But that takes having some cajones and being willing to be thought a fool.  People may be ridiculed for standing out from the crowd but those are the type of people I want to surround myself with.  Be mindful that this is coming from a woman who was doing the "hedgeclipper" dance move to MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" on New Year's Eve.  Not a pretty sight but incredibly entertaining for all who were priivy to this spectable none the less.  Did I lose a little dignity at the time?  Maybe.  Blame it on the Captain and my overindulgence of liquid courage. But those who were in attendance said that it was the highlight of their evening.  Even though I crashed within minutes of my solo!

CARROT TOP!!!  (aka Scott Thompson)   

       Polly running into Lake Michigan, New Year's Day 

Granted the chances of me hanging with Carrot Top or Cindy Lauper are slim, it still stands to reason that being around people who are unique fulfills us in a way that ordinary never will.  For example, what are you more likely to watch on the telly given the choice: Reno 911, The 700 Club or the WE Channel?  It takes a unique person to recognize the merits of Reno 911 as a truly unique viewing pleasure.  Click here: Comedy Central - Shows - Reno 911   If you think I am kidding,  I dare you to try one episode.  There is nothing more entertaining than watching Dangle strut his stuff in his hot pants and white cowboy boots (a must have for any gay police officer) or really anyone striving for uniqueness.  By the way, Dangle wears his shorts that way for manuverability. Fascinating...                       

                                      "Ociffer" Jim Dangle

How valuable is uniqueness?  There are millions of people in this world who would pay millions to have this trait.  Ask any person who feels dull, invisible or lackluster and I guarantee that they wish they could stand out even for a moment.  They may not be willing to do the hedgeclipper but just for a few moments to stand out from the crowd and lose their fear of failure.  Being unique can happen in a flash, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.  None so rich that they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.  It creates happiness in a home, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad...yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen.

Recognize unique.  Embrace unique.  Believe in unique. 

 

The Crossing Guard

 Sometimes there is a person who enters your life and it occurs to you at that moment that they were meant to be there, to teach you a lesson, serve a purpose or help you to figure out what you believe in and how you see yourself in the world.  As quickly as they enter your world they may disappear.

A perfect stranger or someone close to you can emerge and at that exact moment you know that your life will be affected in some profound way.  Such a person entered my life this past fall.  He got my attention with a wave...actually many waves...and not just to me.  It wasn't personal and yet I took it that way. 

Who does this guy think he is??  A perfect stranger standing on the magical corner of Monroe and Glenway, waving at people driving by like he knows them?  Right by Parman's Service Station where they still advertise Lubrication for your car engine and next to Mallatt's Pharmacy which has been there forever and is known for it's Halloween Costume rental and discount wine (my personal favorite). This man puts his life on the line every day at this intersection where making a change from the left to the right lane must be like running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.  Yet, I have a feeling if tragedy were to strike, he would go down waving.

This man dressed in blaze orange waves his heart and arms out five days a week, twice a day.  The interesting thing is some people wave back and some people don't and that is just fine with him.  Some find it a ritual that needs to be attended to and some find it an annoyance that is going to cause an accident (unlike cell phone usage, make-up application, i-pod tuning etc.).  Here's the thing.  I think that this guy is onto something here.  This waving man has started a movement.  To wave or not to wave?...that is the question.  What does it say about you non-wavers out there?  That you are unfriendly, uninterested, cautious, mad as hell or ambivalent? How about us wavers?  Are we living on the edge each day or merely thumbing our noses at the snobs who drive on by looking straight aheadpretending like they could possibly miss the flailing arms and orange coat which stands out like a beacon in the night this time of year.  I wave back because that is the civilized thing to do. This man is reaching out...he is trying to make a connection, a difference each day.  I think he is saying appreciate today and everyday that you have.  You will never be able to experience any given day again.  Let yourself wave back, fall in love, break free, set your bar higher, say hi to a stranger, forgive someone, pay something forward.  Hold your head up high and don't be afraid to wave.  He waves at everyone knowing that maybe 10% of you will wave back but he does it anyway because he has a message.  Believe in yourself and toot your own "horn" for if you don't no one else will do it for you.  Make your life the way you want to and then go out and live it with reckless abandon and with no regrets.  I think his overall message is;  learn a lesson each day that you live...in other words...BE A WAVER!

On the other hand, he could just be trying to stay warm....

 

                    

Lindsay Lohan Admits She Had A Problem? Dang Boy!

As a woman who has lived a few decades, it is fair to say that I have seen many a child star rise to fame only to have a family member, svengali or neglect of their own self preservation get in the way...pretty much any child star from the 70's, 80's and early 90's for example.  Except for MacCaulay Culkin...he's seems to have gotten his act together...KEVIN!

   Putting Kevin (I mean MacCaulay) aside, some surprising (only if you live in outer space) revelations have come out about Miss Lohan in the February 2006 issue of VANITY FAIR magazine.  Buckle up...Lindsay admits she has been fighting "bulimia, drugs and the hideous battle between her convict father and co-manager mother."  Ya don't say?  Thank God for interventions. All one had to do was look at the size of her pipe cleaner arms when she hosted a "Saturday Night Live" episode a few months back to know there was trouble brewing for this little tabloid teen queen.  All this and she's only na-na-na-na-nineteen!  Scotty!  Beam me back to The Parent Trap!  Bring back Hallie and Annie.  She certainly has done a U-turn from her previous denials that there was not a problem.  It's not you it's us, right Lindsay?

The whole photo spread in the mag has her posing and made up a bit like Marilyn Monroe and Bridget Bardot.Oooh la la!  Mai oui!  We know how they turned out overall.  Maybe it's just me but there appears to be a little reality check needed for Lindsay.  She feels she can "really make an impact...people with anorexia...people that don't get along with their parents.  I can change that."  Right.  First, deny everything.  Then go on a major TV program and parody yourself about your appearance. 

Next, align yourself with Nicole Richie (who also is perfectly healthy,  just ask her ex-fiance DJ AM) have an Olsen twin in tow, preferably Mary Kate.  Don't worry, the twisted message from Hollywood will continue with or without your "impact" that thin is all that (along with youth...a winning 1-2 punch.)  

As far as getting families back together once they are out of jail or rehab or whatever, I think maybe she could start with Angelina Jolie who has no relationship with her father Jon Voight (and the poor guy even has an Oscar!)  If she can get those two back together maybe others will follow.  Not to worry though.  Angie at least appears to be crazy in love with her brother.  If that doesn't work, Lindsay could move on to the entire Jackson Family.  They even have claims of childhood abuse for an extra special challenge!

I, for one, believe that she will honor her vow to do charity work even though she didn't show up for a few of her charity committments.  I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt because she is not quite done living her second decade and she is a work in progress.  After all, shouldn't we lighten up on a girl whose revelation is that since her Mercedes SL65 AMG got trashed, she wants to pare down and get rid of her BMW 745 as well and get a jeep to simplify her life.  Houston, we have a problem...

But in the meantime, when she's not busy making a difference in someone else's life, doing charity work, clubbing and dealing with reality... Hey somebody!  Get that girl something to eat!