BEAT RHYMES AND LIFE: A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

This is a fantastic documentary.  The opening music with animation/graphics is captivating and super creative.  The music and  shots of real time NYC hoods (not just Manhattan ala Woody Allen) are the real thing for   people not from NYC.  We saw how hordes of young people spend their time listening, creating, dancing, relating all around hip hop.  This is not kill the cops, bitches and ho's music.  This music is creative, global, inclusive, artistic and so good to listen to. Q-Tip has gone on to make great music and really presents himself as a well informed musician.  Abe, Reed and I all agree....go see this film!!!!

Audition/ Acting class

This morning I auditioned for a film (CONVERSATIONS) by Ken Johnson, a longtime Austin mainstay in theater.  He's a director, producer and film writer.  And he cast me! 

Next stop was to Marco where he once again helps me to improve in this craft.

Liz picked up a PT photography gig which she'll be able to swing with FT work.    Good day for us all.

ATTACK THE BLOCK/Capital Bikeshare

What fun!!!  Aliens come to a housing project in London and the local young adolescent thugs are the heroes who annihilate  these ugly creatures with neon colored teeth and fangs.  Think Goonies grown up, British accents and violent behavior.  Dialogue is quick, smart, music is hip. While the budget is obviously low we loved the household goods that were used as weapons.  Refreshing, smart, well made, funny, don't miss this!

Guess whose kid just secured $4 million to secure 60 new bike stations in D.C.?  You got it.  Josh Moskowitz, our kid who doesn't drive a car is making the capital a better city.  Now if only the politicians there could do the same for the country.  Abe and I are real proud of this kid!

Sharp's Locksmith on W Mary Street

This morning before 8 a.m. I phoned the local locksmith as a door handle fell off and we could not replace it.  (Stop laughing..we tried.) Phil came promptly this afternoon, told me he'd done all of the locks originally on the house (of course he noticed we'd replaced them all...hey, we're New Yorkers). He repaired the door handle, checked another, and charged us $49.50 less 10% for being 62 and over.  Now, back in Park Slope a locksmith walks in the door for $175.  You ask why I love Austin?  Night y'all.

AMOA/ROARING FORK/PAPER MOON at the Paramount

In this heat downtown Austin has always been a great spot. Everything is close and air conditioned.  First I saw the MONA LISA exhibit and the Design exhibit at AMOA which will close in Sept.  I liked them both and really really loved the furniture designs.  Particularly  Gilbert Rohde, a  guy who began life in the Bronx, went on to make furniture for the Miller Furniture Co. in Zeeland Michigan and learned his first vocational skills from Stuyvesant H.S. The furniture designs and philosophy of this furniture company is exemplary, consumer friendly and so supportive of worker's creativity.  

I then met Ria and Amandine for Happy Hour at Roaring Fork: tortilla soup, wine and desserts all around.  Delicious!!

Then I soloed to PAPER MOON, a fantastic black and white film by Peter Bogdanovich.  I had forgotten how much fun this film is.  The audience really appreciated the young Tatum O'Neal.  She and her Dad were so refreshingly real and honest in their roles.   I loved Madeline Kahn whose portrayal of a loose gal and her young assistant are hysterical.  Dialogue is quick and timeless in its humor.

To be honest,  I just loved watching a smart, hip, slick kid called "Addie."

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

This film is cute, sexy, New York at it's finest with great choreographed flash mobs.  Justin Timberlake and Mile Kunis are adorable together.  I allowed myself to suspend belief and actually enjoy beautiful young people running around NY in 4" heels, living in huge apts, having 6 figure jobs and flawless skin.  Abe and Liz saw HARRY POTTER and were thoroughly pleased. Pure entertainment this evening.  We  enjoyed a light night at the theater.

The Four Seasons and 50 cent drinks

Austin Four Seasons is 25 years old this year.  And on the 25th of each month they offer a spectacular way to celebrate.  So at 5PM today in the Lobby Lounge  they offered specialty drinks for 25 minutes at  50 cents.  And our food was delicious as well!!!!  The Lobby Lounge is beautiful overlooking Town Lake  and was filled with business  people in town for a convention.  It was good people watching and a great deal.  Happy Birthday Four Seasons...another reason to love Austin!

SWING TIME at the Paramount

Did you ever realize how elegant and gorgeous Ginger Rogers was?  Did you know that Fred Astaire's tap dancing was only paralleled by Gene Kelly and Savion Glover?  They are a sight to behold, elegant, timely , natural and during the 1930's Depression a relief from hardship.  I am embarrassed that I never appreciated their talent before.  I have learned to watch films with such a keener eye thanks to Austin Film Society Essential Cinemas and Chale Nafus' reviews.

Reed joined us today.  He's back from Midland after spending his Mom's last days with her and tending to her funeral.  He loves 1930's music, film and the era.  He is our conduit to Texas.  He has become our good dear friend.  We come from different worlds, childhoods and histories.  We speak the same language however.  Real words that come unfiltered and from the heart.  It is a gift to have made such a friend.  And he teases the hell out of Abe!  Who could ask for more?

Acting with Marco and Rudi

Back to acting class today after a 2 week hiatus.  Marco gave me 2 scenes, I was able to memorize and deliver with more confidence.  His directions to me were helpful, doable and progress was noted by him.  It is always my pleasure to do a scene with Rudi, a Texas born natural who is real, smart and fun to be with.  Marco sometimes thinks we have too much fun.  I so appreciate this Austin environment that allows this  Bronx born boomer to act alongside a native Texan my age, learning a new craft, laughing along the way, and not feeling an ounce of competition.  A good day in Austin.

Propaganda and New Neighbors

Today I met Liz at Propaganda.  She actually went to a salon for highlights and a trim.  A first for this lover of natural everything.  She saw Georgia who has been a favorite person of mine in Austin.  And this evening we met with neighbors who will be moving into our small complex. Nice, warm young couple.  Creative, related and respectful.  Sweet!

SPACE

I never realized the importance of space for a sense of well being.  Texans are accustomed to wide open spaces.  I think that's why so many people here can save pets..large ones.  Horses, Great Danes, German Shepards, Greyhounds and Burros are some of the pets in rescue sanctuaries that we know of personally.  In New York space is limited.  My last visit to Park Slope and Manhattan was proof of that.  The city is filled with energy, diversity, culture, beats and rhythms,  street and folklore, commerce, multiple languages, heat, trees galore in PS.  But there is no space.   And once you get accustomed to personal space it frees you to be more aware of your own pulse, other people's existence, birds, trees, lizards, crickets, waves of sounds, roosters in the morning, cicadas and more.  It's not perfect here.  Too too many cars and everyone's on a phone while driving.  Each family on our block has multiple multiple cars and that's a problem.  But the space and the beauty of South 4th Street brings an inner calm that I have become accustomed to.  I will never return to a crowded city.  I am happy I began my life and my children's lives in that big salad of a melting pot.  Josh and Liz can go forward and not run to the Big Apple.  They can run anywhere...they can reach for the moon!

Live From New York Day 2/THE STORY OF NIM

After the gym Pam and I headed into the city to the Angelika to see THE STORY OF NIM.    This documentary is the strangest and most upsetting film I've ever seen!!  It portrays a look of life in NYC in the 70's which includes a narcissistic Psych professor from Columbia University who has sex with students and continually picks pretty females to care for Nim, a chimp baby who is cruelly removed from his mom at 6 weeks.  Nim lives in a chaotic household of two blended families where the mother in the family admits to breast feeding Nim and letting him have absolute rule over a West Side brownstone.  An 18y.o. beautiful student is sent into the home and removes him to a lab at Columbia and she ultimately becomes psych professor's latest heart throb.  No valid scientific data is collected, signs are continually taught and noted but no formal research is collected.  The chimp ends up living in a Riverdale estate with a number of long haired gorgeous students who all fall in love.   He's violent, managed at people's whims, seriously hurts people and is used as a photo op by the professor.  He's given booze and pot and one feels they're losing their mind during this film! Nim ends up back at his birthplace which is a jail for chimps, then is sold to a medical lab that uses chimps for drug and vaccine protocols and ultimately is bought by Texans to live on their animal sanctuary.  He's lonely, his advocate Bob maintains contact imploring the owners to bring in other chimps.  His original brownstone crazy Mom visits and of course is treated violently by Nim who bashes her head into the floor (she had me feeling violent as well!)  Ultimately new owners take over the sanctuary and more chimps arrive and Nim ends up a much happier chimp and a papa chimp as well.  Pam and I cried, laughed, held our heads and were so happy we didn't bring the guys!!

After this bizarre film we headed over to DOS CAMINOS for delicious frozen margaritas and Mexican salads.  We gallivanted around So Ho: shopped, laughed, talked about the wedding and were reminded of how close we are even though we're now thousands of miles apart.  I'm home in Austin now.  Life is sweet.  Night y'all.

Live From New York

What a whirlwind it's been in PS.  Last night dinner with Rev Sundaram, my hematologist buddy of 20+ years,  a chance to go back into our 12th St loft when the new owner walked down 12th St just as I walked up.  I walked back into a renovated loft space:still brick walls, 2 windows 20' up; high ceiling and all new high end and high tech appliances.  I was reminded of the life we left behind and reminded of the sprawling space and garden I'll return to with Abe and Liz.

Today I visited 94y.o. Ruth Moskowitz, Abe's Mom.  What a hoot!  For 20 minutes she asked me where I bought my beautiful dress from (of course Lovely) and if I was happy in Texas. We visited her lovely caretaker Lucie on the 7th floor, watched airplanes taking off from LaGuardia from the windows, ate her  lunch with everything dunked in ice cream and I cried when we said good bye.  After all these years I'm still so happy to make her happy. 

Lenny from college took me out to lunch in Queens, I shopped at 34th St Macy's with coupons of course and Pammy and I had a delicious dinner at Il Forno's in PS.  I am so fortunate to have these connections.

I start my day at the Y gym on 9th St and coffee at Naidre's.  The city is overwhelmingly crowded, little eye contact between strangers, no courtesy talk like Austin.  A different world y'all.

LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA

I came to Philly yesterday to attend Craig and Amanda's wedding.  I met Craig when he was 3y.o.  He was non-stop everything:  words, actions, thoughts just came speeding from him.  Walking down 7th Ave in Park Slope with him and Pam was always filled with surprises.  He seemed to find his way into everyone's space!  And there he was yesterday:  an accomplished attorney marrying his lovely long-time girlfriend Amanda Orliner.  Pam and Samantha looked beautiful, Ira gave a speech as always that was honest, real and from his heart.  These are my closest Park Slope friends whom I have known for 23 years and I could feel their sense of contentment  with a job well done.

Today is my 29th Anniversary.  Abe's in Austin and I'm here.  Doesn't change a thing.  He's in my heart.  He's with me always.  Happy Anniversary Abe.

Manuel's on Congress

We've heard so much about Manuel's and had drinks with Reed at their northern location which is very attractive.  We went with Liz to celebrate our 29th anniversary (can you imagine?).  The anniversary is Monday (7/18) but I'm heading back East tomorrow and won't be here.  First I'll be in Philly for Craig and Amanda's wedding (that's Pam and Ira's son). Monday I'll be in Park Slope to see friends and Ruth, Abe's Mom.  It was a nice evening, photos were taken and all 3 agreed.."Polvo's is better."  It sure is.  But it doesn't matter where I celebrated this important event.  When Liz asked us "so what's the secret to a good marriage?"  My response was "be yourself, find someone who let's you be yourself, don't change for someone."  she said "good advice."  Abe agreed.  Buenas noches.

Shame on Y'all

Last week my Body Pump teacher at Gold's Gym handed me a beautiful birth announcement as I left class a few minutes before everyone left.  I exclaimed my happiness for her, kissed the beautiful baby girl and brought it home to show Abe and Liz.  The teacher is a beauty and she is so fit in light of the fact that she's had 3 babies in 3 years.  She has a good life and I'm happy for her.  Today someone in class told me I'd made a mistake.  I wasn't meant to take the announcement.  She had only brought one.  And when she was asked about it she said "Addie wasn't meant to take it from me...what can you expect from New Yorkers." 

This is what you can expect from this New Yorker.  I called her on the phone...told her my error in thinking the announcement was to be taken and how her comment into her microphone made me feel.  She was mortified, denied the comment and was so apologetic. She is getting back the announcement which I  retrieved..  She's been put on notice.  Don't mess with this New Yorker.  Shame on her!

Karaoke at Ego's

What fun!!!  A first for us.  Of course we watched and listened.  It was Karaoke League night with teams competing.  So refreshing to be around performers who sing off key, dance clumsily, are happy, happy and cheer each other on.  A refreshing hour with Austin's young people.  Abe's a trooper for coming along...not his thing at all!

THE FIRST MOVIE/Austin Film Society Documentary Tour

Tonight we headed to the Alamo Ritz to see a film that was made in a Northern Kurdish village in Iraq.  The village of Goptapa was one of many  that experienced the poison gassing that obliterated thousands of Kurds under Hussein's rule.  The filmmaker, Mark Cousins, was born  during the horrific turbulence of Northern Ireland 40 plus years ago.  He lives in Scotland now and his narration is with a blended Irish/Scottish accent that is lyrical and captivating..  He looks through his lens with the eye of a child and he captures the pure happiness and natural joy of the children in this village.  These kids are literate, love nature, know their history, and girls and boys play on equal footing.  They are willing and able to take flip cameras and tell their story.    The filmmaker brings them their first films to view and you share their jubilation  at ET and THE RED BALLOON. 

The Ritz wasn't crowded tonight and  once in a while there were technical difficulties.  So trivial when watching a film that made me even more aware of the power  films have in bringing us closer to a world we know so little about. Even though we hear "Iraq" daily in our conscious lives. Thank-you Mark Cousins for this gift of a film.  Thank-you as well for the beautiful music throughout. And as always, thank-you Chale Nafus for bringing these wonderful films to Austin.

INFERNO (L'ENFER)/AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY

Tonight's film in the Directors Without Boarders series is a doc about a French film.  And why it did not get made.  After hearing Chale's opening comments I knew that we were going to see a film about a filmmaker that Chale loves (his notes he handed out are  5 1/2 pages!)  The doc shows the unbridled and unfocused and unstructured Clouzot driving his actors and crew crazy by his working methods.  The screenplay  is of an obsessive paranoid husband imagining his wife (played by the beautiful Romy Schneider) being unfaithful with men and women alike.  We see the actors working their hardest to meet Clouzot's infinite demands and crew is awakened at 2 a.m. repeatedly to work on Clouzot's latest ideas.  The jealousy scenes with the husband are palpable.  The experimentation with lighting, color, patterns are maddening.  In the end I felt this was a sad commentary about a difficult artist losing a disciplined center needed to create his film.

Audition and La Condesa

I auditioned for the role of Miller, a left wing minister in GODS AND IDOLS.  An audition for a stage reading. A good experience showing me that acting classes really pay off.

Tonight Abe and I ate at La Condesa with a groupon coupon.  LOVELY!  DELICIOUS! GREAT AMBIANCE. 

And tonight I brought home part of my dinner to Liz who is an absolute pleasure to come home to.  Life is good.  Who could ask for more?

QUINTET at the Paramount

OOOH I don't do well with  sci-fi films and I did not know what was going on in this Robert Altman film.  It's post apocalyptic in a new ice age.  The costumes are cool, Paul Newman is always good to watch as is Bibi Anderson.  Abe said it reminded him of an Agatha Christie mystery.  I knew they were playing a game that resulted in gruesome deaths (think throat-cutting).  Abe understood it and liked it.  For further info ask him.

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE/TRIFECTA ON 3RD

Tonight we went to Trifecta, a sports bar with great martinis and good food (think appetizers, pizza and pannini).  Abe got to watch sports and I got to have someone else cook!  Then we came home to watch SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE, with Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich. I'm not much for vampire movies but this movie is so well acted and directed it is brilliant.  It made me interested in seeing the original NOSFERATU.  I enjoyed the image of the filmmaker as played by Malkovich: obsessive, driven, rude, self-centered and in the Malkovich way filled with a comical spirit.  His outrageous behavior always makes me laugh.

THE BOOK OF GRACE/Suzan-Lori Parks

While Suzan Lori-Parks was writing plays in NY she lived in Brooklyn and I always thought of her as Brooklyn's own.  How little I knew until reading her biography tonight.  She spent much of her childhood in Odessa, Texas when her father was stationed overseas.  She attended H.S. in Germany speaking German when her father was stationed there.  Both of her parents were academicians and she spent her childhood reading, writing and fantasizing.  The first play I saw of hers was TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at the Public Theater for which she won a Pulitzer. And tonight in Austin we saw this powerful play set in a boarder town in Texas.  The father works boarder patrol and is one scary guy, his wife is Grace who is filled with grace and humor and his son returns home wounded and angry.  All 3 actors were magnificent in this explosive drama about a family.  And when it was over all 3 actors walked back into the theater in street clothes where Abe, Liz and I sat discussing the play and took hugs, and praise and gratitude from the Moskowitzes of Brooklyn.  A great night of theater.

Acting with Marco Parella

Just got home from an acting class with Marco.  He's a tough taskmaster and it all pays off. 

It's late.  Night y'all.

Liz and the Hong Kong Boys

Liz stopped by with some friends from her Chattaris Program in Hong Kong.  A Brit and a Texan.  Smart, sweet and personable.  It's good to have her back in the USA sharing her world.

The day was filled with gym, biking, gardening and the good life.

EVEN THE RAIN/Austin Film Society

A powerful, complex, film in a film which we both loved.  Shot in Bolivia, directed by a woman, indigenous extras treated with dignity and paid for with materials they need (thank-you Chale for your 4 page print-out). This is the story of indigenous people being exploited by the privatization of utilities when Bolivia's economy was about to tank.  Women defying soldiers and refusing to allow them to take the water from the well they dug with their own hands for their children. A fabulous indigenous actor (non-professional) boldly speaking out when the cattle call is dismissed abruptly and all of the extras are told to leave.  Not only does he turn this around he and his daughter get starring roles!  Tormenting scenes of indigenous people being treated brutally (think Nazis) by the Spaniards in the film being made.  I've missed seeing  Gael Garcia Bernal  (AMORES  PERROS, MOTORCYCLE DIARIES) and was delighted to watch him in a film once again.  This is a moving and important film.  It speaks to our current times of corporate greed and a global call for change.

SUPER 8 at Westgate

Think GOONIES, ET, and everything you loved about Spielberg films circa 1979.  The best part of this JJ Abrams film is the kids!  And no less the kids shooting a film!  Bring them to Austin.  They're refreshingly sincere and real in their interactions with each other.  The monster and the editing about the monster is eh (a Jewish term for not so good).  But who cares?  The best part of the film is the kids.  Liz joined us and all three of us loved the kids!  The theater was packed!  Austinites doing what's right on Independence Day when it's 100 degrees.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!  

Brunch New York Style

Bagels and lox, tomatoes and onions, greek salad made with herring, mimosas and friends from Texas who love this stuff!  Reed, Ria, Amandine, Judith and eventually Liz for good talk,  laughs.  A good day in Austin with new found friends.

BEGINNERS at the Alamo

Ah, a beautiful film about relationships.  A 75 y.o. father comes out after his wife of 45 years dies.  He finds love and a community of supportive men and appears to be happy and fulfilling his dream life.  His grown son accepts his father's journey and seems happy by their new found closeness.  Then the diagnosis comes delivered by a cold matter-of-fact doctor...she's not evil..just business as usual when delivering the final pronouncement of "go home, get hospice, we're not helping you." Christopher Plummer is brilliant as a man who is happy and then finds his life will soon come to an end.  Ewan Mc Gregor and Melanie Laurent play the baffled, struggling lovers, beautifully and romantically.  Abe sighed a great deal of relief at their outcome.  And it was fun seeing Goran Visnjic from my ER days play a very human man who falls in love with this much older man.  And the dog!!!  He speaks in subtitles.  The audience loved it.  It's a lovely film.

Plain Ol' Day in Austin

HEB, Gym, gardening and 10 minutes of RAIN!!!!!  Oh yes rain..of course after  I watered.  Talk with Abe, talk with Elizabeth about transition from HK to Austin.  Grown-up talk..not adolescent to Mom talk.  And a pedicure with my kid!  Now that's a first.  She does not engage in froufrou girly stuff so this was a first.  At a Vietnamese shop where I just love my young Vietnamese friend Tree.  A delight to hear about Viet Nam, it's food, it's weather from Liz and Tree. I came to Texas to hear first hand about Hanoi and Saigon.  A lovely day!