Twelve Lords A-Leaping
Blog of Lists
I have decided that I will write a blog every day during the month of December. I have not blogged since JULY!!! What is up with that? I have stopped and started 18 different blogs and not finished a one. And an historic election came and went and me, political baby, didn’t even blog about that!! What is up, sister. Maybe it’s my UCLA class that’s keeping me busy writing and that it is I can tell ya but I’ve only been taking it since mid-October so that’s still no excuse. In any event, this will be my first blog for December and then until Christmas and then after Christmas and then until New Year’s Eve and then after that and then….well.
Everyone does their end-of-the-year favorite things/lists/bedtime stories/positions, et al., ad nauseum so I think I’ll give my two cents.
Terrific films I’ve seen this year so far:
Tell No One
I’ve Loved You So Long
Rachel Getting Married
Frozen River
Yes, it’s a short list but so far means that I haven’t yet seen any films coming out in this month yet and I can’t wait for Valkyrie (not). These films really stayed with me after I left the theater. They are terrific stories about character, redemption and human resilience and survival. They tell a story. Hooray for these original stories and terrific writing and acting. And hooray for independent film. Finally, hooray for the French. Those people can really make the flicks. Who’d’ve thought considering the whole Jerry Lewis thing. The first two films are French with subtitles.
Terrific books I’ve read this year:
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson.
Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck
The Gathering by Anne Enright
Out Stealing Horses by Per Patterson
Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert
I did quite a lot of reading this year. I was bound and determined to read more classics that I have not gotten around to in the last twenty years. I was also bound and determined to buy one book at a time and read it, then buy another one instead of buying five books and reading two. Oddly enough, the first four novels were about main characters in solitude or leading solitary lives or travels. Another common theme was grief and learning to assimilate heartbreak, loss and change. These were not to be read at a quick pace. No page turning for plot here. Yet, I couldn’t put them down. They’re themes and stories that resonated and stayed with me long after I put the book down.
Terrific music I’ve listened to and bought this year:
Another Country, Tift Merritt
Raising Sand, Alison Krause and Robert Plant
Children Running Through, Patty Griffin
Live, Karla Bonoff
I have to admit this is a very limited category for me. I tend toward the female singer/songwriters. But, hey, if it’s good, it’s good. These are the crème de la crème, terrific female songwriters who thru the years have written and sung quality stuff.
Terrific Theater I saw this year:
Tosca
The first time I’ve been to the opera in 20 years. Now I see what all the fuss is about. And to think I used to learn whole operas in voice training. I loved the music but couldn’t put two and two together about how to appreciate it. It’s amazing and this particular opera was astounding and heartbreaking.
I was working on my solo show this year and that prevented from seeing a lot of theater. Never again. In 2009, I shall be doing show after show.
Mediocre books I read this year:
Skylight Confessions, Alice Hoffman
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
I love Alice Hoffman but the greatest last book I read by her was Blue Diary which was terrific. This one just had one too many angels, wings, symbolic stuff coming off every page. I get it, we get it, angels, wings, symbolism, suicide by leaping off a building, whatever, and now back to our story. I always wanted to read Ann Patchett fiction after I read Truth & Beauty which was Ann Patchett non-fiction and pretty good, I finally bought this novel. The ending was a little too happy and contrived and I saw it coming which is odd for me since everything gets by me and I wouldn't know contrived from contrite. Well, now I do.
Mediocre films I saw this year:
Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull thing. I’m sorry, aliens? This is what we waited 15 years for? Another alien story? The ONLY thing great about this flick besides anything Harrison Ford was KAREN ALLEN. Yay, for the filmmakers. It’s about time. No more female du jour. They are so boring.
Sex and the City. Did I say this flick? And I’m a huge fan. I enjoyed this film immensely but it’s all a bit too much with the clothes and outings and Park Avenue digs and all that. Are these babes really making all that much money? I make a good dollar doing what I do but I shop for sales and still look great. Well, I think so anyway. In my jeans. In my pajamas. In the end, I’m a sucker for happy endings and that was one good thing about this flick. That and all the husbands, boyfriends who were so underused as to be insulting.
That’s it so far. Until tomorrow….
I have decided that I will write a blog every day during the month of December. I have not blogged since JULY!!! What is up with that? I have stopped and started 18 different blogs and not finished a one. And an historic election came and went and me, political baby, didn’t even blog about that!! What is up, sister. Maybe it’s my UCLA class that’s keeping me busy writing and that it is I can tell ya but I’ve only been taking it since mid-October so that’s still no excuse. In any event, this will be my first blog for December and then until Christmas and then after Christmas and then until New Year’s Eve and then after that and then….well.
Everyone does their end-of-the-year favorite things/lists/bedtime stories/positions, et al., ad nauseum so I think I’ll give my two cents.
Terrific films I’ve seen this year so far:
Tell No One
I’ve Loved You So Long
Rachel Getting Married
Frozen River
Yes, it’s a short list but so far means that I haven’t yet seen any films coming out in this month yet and I can’t wait for Valkyrie (not). These films really stayed with me after I left the theater. They are terrific stories about character, redemption and human resilience and survival. They tell a story. Hooray for these original stories and terrific writing and acting. And hooray for independent film. Finally, hooray for the French. Those people can really make the flicks. Who’d’ve thought considering the whole Jerry Lewis thing. The first two films are French with subtitles.
Terrific books I’ve read this year:
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson.
Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck
The Gathering by Anne Enright
Out Stealing Horses by Per Patterson
Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert
I did quite a lot of reading this year. I was bound and determined to read more classics that I have not gotten around to in the last twenty years. I was also bound and determined to buy one book at a time and read it, then buy another one instead of buying five books and reading two. Oddly enough, the first four novels were about main characters in solitude or leading solitary lives or travels. Another common theme was grief and learning to assimilate heartbreak, loss and change. These were not to be read at a quick pace. No page turning for plot here. Yet, I couldn’t put them down. They’re themes and stories that resonated and stayed with me long after I put the book down.
Terrific music I’ve listened to and bought this year:
Another Country, Tift Merritt
Raising Sand, Alison Krause and Robert Plant
Children Running Through, Patty Griffin
Live, Karla Bonoff
I have to admit this is a very limited category for me. I tend toward the female singer/songwriters. But, hey, if it’s good, it’s good. These are the crème de la crème, terrific female songwriters who thru the years have written and sung quality stuff.
Terrific Theater I saw this year:
Tosca
The first time I’ve been to the opera in 20 years. Now I see what all the fuss is about. And to think I used to learn whole operas in voice training. I loved the music but couldn’t put two and two together about how to appreciate it. It’s amazing and this particular opera was astounding and heartbreaking.
I was working on my solo show this year and that prevented from seeing a lot of theater. Never again. In 2009, I shall be doing show after show.
Mediocre books I read this year:
Skylight Confessions, Alice Hoffman
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
I love Alice Hoffman but the greatest last book I read by her was Blue Diary which was terrific. This one just had one too many angels, wings, symbolic stuff coming off every page. I get it, we get it, angels, wings, symbolism, suicide by leaping off a building, whatever, and now back to our story. I always wanted to read Ann Patchett fiction after I read Truth & Beauty which was Ann Patchett non-fiction and pretty good, I finally bought this novel. The ending was a little too happy and contrived and I saw it coming which is odd for me since everything gets by me and I wouldn't know contrived from contrite. Well, now I do.
Mediocre films I saw this year:
Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull thing. I’m sorry, aliens? This is what we waited 15 years for? Another alien story? The ONLY thing great about this flick besides anything Harrison Ford was KAREN ALLEN. Yay, for the filmmakers. It’s about time. No more female du jour. They are so boring.
Sex and the City. Did I say this flick? And I’m a huge fan. I enjoyed this film immensely but it’s all a bit too much with the clothes and outings and Park Avenue digs and all that. Are these babes really making all that much money? I make a good dollar doing what I do but I shop for sales and still look great. Well, I think so anyway. In my jeans. In my pajamas. In the end, I’m a sucker for happy endings and that was one good thing about this flick. That and all the husbands, boyfriends who were so underused as to be insulting.
That’s it so far. Until tomorrow….
posted by Maria @ 8:36 PM
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