A Break (Sort Of)

A few weeks ago some of my family members were basically having a discussion in the comments section of one of my posts on Facebook. They were both in the same place at that time so between twenty to fifty feet away from each other. They were home and choosing to debate something on my Wall. instead of in person. Back and forth, back and forth. 

That’s it. I need to disconnect, I thought. Even if it was just in the tiniest way possible.

Live and let live, I suppose, just not on my wall, please. I decided that night that I did not want to do this. My dude is, luckily, not on Facebook, or any social media. He loves not knowing what people are up to unless he actually talks to them. i think that idea sounds astonishingly neat. And such a simple thing to obtain! I have this blog, and an Instagram account (and Twitter, which I really never use anymore), so it’s not as though I wouldn’t have an outlet at all. For the most part I simply wouldn’t be giving people an outlet to speak their minds under my name (on my Wall).

I was also, in part, impressed by that chick Essena O’Neil, who said she was breaking her addiction to social media after earning quite a good living while modeling from it. I’m a tad bit confused about how she’s going about quitting social media because isn’t a blog sort-of social media? But that’s another conversation.

I realized I was getting a little too into how many likes my link posts and political ramblings were getting. They were often critical, and even more often knee-jerk reactions. I think that passion would be better redirected to this spot. At the very least it would at least have to be more thorough and thought out. 

So, on my train back to the city, I finally took one little step towards disconnecting and I deleted the Facebook app off my iPhone. For the rest of the train ride, I couldn’t mindlessly scroll through my feed and I read my book (The Knockoff, loving it!). 

I just want to experience that thrill of sitting down with a friend and having them tell me what’s going on in their life and not already knowing all of it because we’re Facebook friends and I checked their feed on the way to brunch. And it’s also a major time suck. 

My “Wall” will never, ever be a primary form of communication with family, or friends, or anyone. It’s not as though I deactivated my Facebook, but this was one little tiny step towards disconnecting and it felt good. 

Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

I read this book in a little under two weeks. It’s really a quick, easy, and joyful read. This is a totally different book from Eat Pray Love or Committed. I think she was trying to inspire people to create cool shit not, even if it never makes you any money. And I think that’s awesome.

Mornings in Morningside

Because I ran myself ragged yesterday (in the best of ways), I decided to take this morning off from the gym and instead spend 20 minutes or so drinking a Hungarian coffee (coffee with almond extract, cinnamon, and whipped cream) and reading (current read: Spinster)  at The Hungarian Pastry Shop. 

It wasn’t the suffocating 90* that it is currently and there was practically no one else sitting outside. There were hoards of Columbia students having just moved back into the neighborhood this past weekend already making it their morning routine to grab coffee on the way to their classes though. My neighborhood feels incredibly packed and busy again, but in a good way. Not in the same way that Times Square feels packed. I shudder to think that I almost moved into Hell’s Kitchen. 

I think this week I have to make it my priority to take it easy in the mornings, sip coffee outside, read, and go to yoga after work. I probably won’t, but it sounds nice.

First Two Books of 2015

I finished Radical Acceptance (I read Tara Brach’s other book, True Refuge, in 2014) a week ago and picked up Loving-Kindness, by Sharon Salzberg, right after and just finished it a few minutes ago. 

I was lucky enough to go to a meditation gathering lead by Sharon Salzberg just last Sunday. It was a very cool experience. Her talk heavily centered around equanimity.

Both of these books are very much about Buddhism and meditation. Both offered mind-opening explanations for dealing with things that inevitably come up in life. if you have any interest in either of these topics, I’d say you should go pick up these books now.

Next up? 21st Century Yoga. Namaste 😉 

Last night Kristen and I took in a performance of Act One at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Adapted from Moss Hart’s autobiography of the same name by James Lapine, Act One told the story of Moss Hart’s upbringing in the theatre. I haven’t read the book yet but I think I’ve seen a few copies lying around the office so I’ll have to borrow it soon. 

Santino Fontano was young Hart and he was fabulous, as he usually is. Tony Shalhoub was excellent as an older Moss Hart and the exceedingly strange George Kaufman. Andrea Martin was hilarious and heartwarming as Moss’ aunt (who is basically responsible for his life in the theatre) and Kaufman’s wife. And who doesn’t love an a supporting role played by the marvelous Chuck Cooper? Yeah, not a soul.

Albeit it being a bit long (it was almost 3 hours), it was an educating and entertaining night at the theatre that any theatre aficionado should make a point to see this season. 

Tickets were provided by the production but not in exchange for any review. 

Money: A Love Story…. what I’m currently reading. I’ve never read any books on money management but better late than never.

Are you on GoodReads? If you are, add me!

Last week I was invited to see A Time To Kill, the new drama based on the novel by John Grisham and adapted by Rupert Holmes. I knew very little about it, other than the fact that Sebastian Arcelus and Tonya Pinkins were in it and that it was a courtroom drama. I invited my dad because he’d actually read the book many years ago and likes John Grisham.

To say the least: I loved it. It was about a man (John Douglas Thompson) who hires a very unseasoned lawyer (Sebastian Arcelus) to represent him after he kills, in front of the court house, the men who raped and brutalized his 9 year old daughter. This being Mississippi, and the defendant being black and the slaughtered being white, it was going to be a nearly-impossible case to win.

It held my attention through out two full-length acts and the performances were fantastic. Little did I know that I was seeing a bunch of stars onstage too. The story was so gripping and absolutely compelling. I held my breath when the verdict was being announced.

Among the cast was actor and former senator Fred Thompson who appropriately played the judge for the case with strength and conviction. Patrick Page as the district attorney was tough and charming, if not a little arrogant. Seasoned actor Tom Skerritt played the always-inebriated Lucien Wilbanks with humor and sympathy. A personal favorite of mine was Ashley Williams, who I recognized from Something Borrowed, played the assistant to Arcelus with a quick tongue and a marvelous knowledge of prior law cases. 

And then there’s Sebastian Arcelus. An actor who I first saw onstage in 2002 when he was understudying the role of Roger in Rent. In later years I saw him in Good Vibrations and then Wicked, but he never quite got to show off his acting skills like he does in this play. He played the role of the defense attorney Jake Brigance with conviction and determination and such depth. I was really blown away. 

Holme’s storytelling combined with direction by Ethan McSweeney, lest we not forget this fantastic cast, make for an excellent night at the theatre.

“Where We Belong,” by Emily Giffin

I’m only up to chapter 4, but it’s incredibly compelling so far. Emily Giffin hit the Bryant Park Reading Series this afternoon with Katie Lee to talk about her newest book, Where We Belong.  She seemed like an incredibly down-to-earth person as she talked about being a writer, the book, what she did before she was a writer (“I was a lawyer in the MetLife building so I’d often come here [to Bryant Park] to escape my day.”), and took questions from the audience. 

To be honest, although she’s my favorite chick-lit writer, I’d never been dying to meet her (unlike how I was just dying to meet, say, Adam Rapp). I didn’t have anything against meeting her but it just wasn’t high on my list of Things To Do. I loved her books, and that was enough for me. But I had time today so why not, right?

After 45 minutes of talk-back, a line formed and Giffin signed books and took photos with fans. I decided at the last minute to get a picture with her.  One man brought all of her past books for her to sign, heh. Why didn’t I think to do that?! Just kidding. We took a picture together, she signed my book, and she told me she liked my iPhone case (it’s a black and white photo of John Lennon – major points for her in my mind!), and that was that.

I’ll let you know what I think of the book once I finish it!

What I’m Reading Right Now: The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau and HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett. Chris Guillebeau gave away a bunch of copies of his newest book, The $100 Startup, and I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen few. It’s been incredibly inspiring thus far.

HTML & CSS is an awesomely written book that I was given yesterday for my birthday because I’d mentioned that I’d wanted to re-familiarize myself with HTML and finally learn CSS. I got through the first 250 pages last night and became reacquainted with HTML and now I have to dive head-first into learning CSS, which I have absolutely no experience with. I’m a bit scared, but this book is fantastic so I have no doubts that I’ll learn how to use it easily.

I highly recommend both of these books.

Camp Wanatachi

Camp Wanatachi is the timeless tale of what happens when two teenage girls fall in love at bible camp.

Last Friday I watched a reading of Camp Wanatachi at the 3LD Arts & Technology Center on Greenwich Street in the Financial District.  My first time to 3LD, I was very delighted to find a an arts center so far downtown near where I lived for three years.  Directed by the gifted Matt Cowart, music and lyrics by Natalie Weiss, and orchestrations by Conrad Windslow, this was first seen at last summers Fringe Festival.  The reading was quite impressive.  An orchestra comparable to that of a Lincoln Center production with sound effects that advanced the plot, combined with a cast to be reckoned with, you would never know they put it together in only a week.  

The cast was comprised of only seven booming voices and comedic timing to  boots.  Those voices were Amy Gironda, Laurel Harris, Alice Lee, Carolyn Mignini, David Andrew Morton, Natalie Weiss, and Cortney Wolfson.  The stand-out of the cast was Cortney Wolf as the hyper-sexualized almost-lesbian newcomer to camp.  She came across as confident and carefree, with an awesome range for belting.

The reading was only about an hour and a half of the full production, but I have to admit, it felt a bit long.  I hope to see what they can do with this production in the future, because although I don’t think it has commercial potential, I definitely found it entertaining.  

Please visit this site for more information about Camp Wanatachi and future productions.