persepolis

I was a total nerd in high school. I was a math geek, a science freak, an art lover and even a book worm. But there were two subjects that I despised: social studies and geography. Frankly, I found them boring and forgettable. And maybe I hated those subjects so much, simply because I wasn't very good them.

Maybe it was just the delivery.

The irony being, I suppose, that now I utterly love maps and traveling (though I'm still pretty bad at identifying places) and I absolutely love listening to public radio on my drive to and from work. The best days are when I'm running a little late and I catch both NPR news and BBC news back to back. I wouldn't say that I'm a history buff, but that I've learned to embrace the hiSTORY part. I guess that's my bookworm coming through.

But that's why I feel compelled to write about this book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which I read last year for bookclub. Persepolis is more of a HERstory as they like to say. It's a memoir in 2 parts—a graphic novel—based on Satrapi's childhood in Iran during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. I just cringed as I wrote that last sentence. These books are almost impossible to ecapsulate in words. The illustrations are brilliant and grant access to a world that is inaccessible to someone like me via any other medium, be it a history book, full-length novel or any media outlet—even NPR. So I guess delivery does make a difference. You just have to read it (see it) to know what I mean. And how timely with so much media attention on Iran these days too. You read the book and then you hear the news and you can't help but wonder about the people. The real people.

Even better, they made a film from the graphic novels. (It was nominated for an Oscar - Best Animated Film - in 2008.) We watched it tonight for bookclub. We do that sometimes when we get tired of reading books.

Again I was blown away by the illustrations, the animations were brilliant. So much was said between the text—I felt like I understood. Like I knew a little more and was a little more hopeful. Art is so powerful in that way.

Satrapi says:

If I didn't know any people from other countries, I'd think everyone was evil based on news stories. But I know a lot of people, and know that there is no such thing as stark good and evil. Isn't it possible there is the same amount of evil everywhere?

If people are given the chance to experience life in more than one country, they will hate a little less. It's not a miracle potion, but little by little you can solve problems in the basement of a country, not on the surface. That is why I wanted people in other countries to read Persepolis, to see that I grew up just like other children. Read more.

So you have to read the book AND see the film. In that order. And then you'll probably want to go back and read the book again and then compare your own personal timeline to hers. It might make you sad, but it also might make you feel some gratitude and hope.

Maybe I won't turn on NPR tomorrow...maybe just for one day. I'll listen to music instead.

at the drive-in

I don't know how long Sunset Drive-in in Colchester, Vermont has been around, but I'm willing to guess that it looks a lot like it did back when it first opened—the only difference being the movies they play. Everything—from the man at the ticket booth bearing a strong resemblance to Richard Keil to the fake wood-paneling at the concession stand and 70s funk background music during intermission—seems to be stuck in a time warp. And who would want it to be any different? That's just part of the charm.

Colin and I went to the drive-in for our date night on Thursday. The place has four big screens and plays 2 different movies on each screen (for $8 a person, that's a steal!). So we had a lot of options, but in the end opted for Screen 1, which was playing Pixar's Up at dusk, followed by Star Trek late-nite. We got there a little early, so we hung out by the swings till sunset and then hit the concession stand before hopping back in the car and tuning in to 94.1 on the radio.

Up started around 9 p.m. I had no idea what to expect since I hadn't seen any trailers for it. 10 minutes into it, Colin and I were both crying, but then just a few minutes later we were laughing and then crying again. We both loved it. The illustrations were fabulous—the use of colors and scale were so inspiring.

After Up, I was a little nervous that our car battery was going to die, so we turned the car on for a minute to recharge.

All of a sudden a commercial for the concession stand came on. This is where that 70s funk music came from that I mentioned before. They wanted us to go buy hot dogs and popcorn and then in the next instance there were pictures of roses blooming and then candy and then shots of clouds in the sky moving very fast (the 70s funk music was playing the whole time in the background). At that point we both looked at each other and laughed out loud. What the heck? That was so weird.

Well, we did go back to the concession stand, so I guess it worked. And since it was such a nice night out, we decided to get Chesters ice cream cookie sandwiches. Mmmmm!

At this point, it was really late out and we both had to work in the morning, but Colin was determined to stay for Star Trek. I'm so glad we did, even though we didn't get home until 1:30 a.m. We both loved the movie. I forgot that I used to watch the old T.V. episodes on the Sci Fi network. I forgot how much I loved that old Sci Fi stuff. Before seeing the movie, I had this idea in my head that it was going to be some over-produced blockbuster garbage. And while it did border on that genre, there were a lot of nostalgic throw-backs and even some story-lines that made you have to think a little bit. I would highly recommend both of the movies!

And I would highly recommend the Sunset Drive-in. It's funny, that the next day on public radio, there was an opinion piece about drive-ins in Vermont. There used to be more than 20 in the state and now there are only 4. We're so lucky to have one in our backyard. So we have to support it! Bring your friends, bring your kids. Go to the drive-in this summer!

david brooks, I love you

What makes for better T.V.—the Oscars or President Obama's address to joint session of congress? I'm watching the latter right now on PBS. (It's the red carpet right now; everyone's waiting for the big guy to show up.) And can I just tell you how much I'm in love with David Brooks? OMG, he just commented on Lady Obama's outfit, which by the way is beautiful. It's too much, he's such a dorky politco. I just can't get enough of him. Okay, Mr. President's speaking now. Gotta go.

col gets interviewed

I interviewed my boy Col for NPR's National Day of Listening. We went snowboarding together on Friday after Thanksgiving and I interviewed him on the way to the mountain, at the mountain, in the lift and then finally at home. I thought the location was very fitting.

Colin couldn't understand why I wanted to interview him. It's not because he has a lot of history under his belt--he's only 32 years old. But we both lead very busy lives and sometimes we can go through an entire week without really talking to each other. It felt good to set aside an hour of time to have a conversation and get to know each other again. He enjoyed it too, I think, and was honored to be asked.

Here are some excerpts from our conversation:

On personal accomplishments:



A favorite memory:



On life influences:

"sangweiving" & national day of listening

It's the night before Thanksgiving. Tomorrow Col and I will drive down to Sugarbush to be with my family and Kev's family. I'll be bringing my favorite Brussels sprout dish from Bon Appetit. Col's bringing the best-ever pecan pie from Harvest Market in Stowe (thanks Burton!). I tell you what, it's been Thanksgiving EVERYTHING at work. I can't believe it's finally here and I'm so excited. It might be my favorite holiday...

And just to let you know: Friday is the National Day of Listening. Storycorps & NPR want to inspire people to ask those around us about their lives and listen to their story. Storycorps even has a neato question generator to help you come up with interview questions. I've decided to interview Colin, my boyfriend of more than 3 years, since he's the one I'll be with on Friday. If all goes well, I'm going to post the interview here on my blog. (Provided he gives the a-okay).

Okay, Happy "Sangweiving" everyone.

loveyoubye

almost as good as the real thing

Okay, so not all of us are blessed with a working fireplace. Colin and I happen to have three fireplaces, none of which we can actually use. But this time of year, when it's chilly and wet outside and everyone's predicting snow (yay!), you kinda want to have the crackling noise in the background to comfort and warm the soul. So, here's our solution: one hi-def T.V. placed strategically in front of an empty fireplace, plus one ambient fireplace DVD from the Netherlands equals something so close to the real thing, it does everything a real fireplace does—it looks like a fire, it crackles like a fire—everything except emanate real heat. But it's got your other senses so fooled, you almost feel like it's warming you up. And with no messy clean-up, I'm thinking this is the way to go. Heck, maybe we'll even save on heat this winter. Just maybe.

d.i.y. dining room chairs

We finally took the plunge and reupholstered our dining room chairs, which were Emi's before they were ours, and I think big Kevin's before that. We splurged on some beautiful tweed fabric from Rags & Riches, but were able to save money and time by reusing the old cushions underneath. (Who knew? At $29 a yard, foam cushioning is more expensive than the fabric itself. Ick.) So instead of buying new foam, we just padded the old ones with a new layer of batting for a little more bounce. Then we stapled on the new fabric—it's just like stretching a canvas really—while listening to This American Life's episode about the financial crisis.

To be honest, reuphostering chairs was a lot easier to maneuver than the report we were listening to (I had to listen to it twice to really understand it). But at least we feel a little smarter, more enabled, and we have a beautiful dining room set to show for it! So here are the pics.

And if you want to hear more about the moving parts behind the financial crisis, listen to This American Life's first collaborative report with NPR: The Giant Pool of Money. It's eye-opening.

Before:

After:

if you do spend it, spend it on local art

I met my friends Beth and Jewel for dinner last night at Flatbread (soooo good!). Somehow or other, our conversation turned to the stimulus package. I told them my plans for keeping it in the bank. Beth had a better idea: buy some local art. She too, plans to put save most of the money, but she's also setting aside a little bit of it to buy two prints from her favorite local artist.

Most people want to buy a bigger TV, a new game console, or go clothes shopping. The economic stimulus package is designed to encourage spending and stimulate our economy but most of the things Americans buy are manufactured overseas. And due to quality issues, most of it doesn’t have much of a shelf life. And a piece of art will last a lifetime. I know it sounds cheesy but it is true.

Please consider buying art and contributing to the artists who will build up the American culture as opposed to taking away from it."

Read her full post (and maybe even buy one of her beautiful handmade Strange Dolls!)

but what if I don't want to spend it?

Am I the only one who thinks the stimulus package is kind of surreal? I keep thinking it's all one big joke on us. I guess I'll believe it when I see it in my bank account, which—according to the IRS—will be no later than May 9.

Here's a nifty Economic Stimulus Payment Calculator that estimates how much you're going to get. Thanks for the tip, Kev!

As for me, it's $600 all the way baby! But let's not bet too excited. I'm going to do what I'm not supposed to do and keep it right where it belongs: in the bank. So long as I'm not spending it on gas, then I guess it's a good thing.

Do you know what you're going to do with the "free" money?

lazy day

When you're going and going and going all of the time, it's hard to take a day for yourself and do nothing—without any guilt. Afterall, there's always something you should be doing. If it's not work, it's laundry. If it's not laundry, it's stitching sweaters or polishing shoes or returning phone calls.

That's the beauty of going away for a few days. When you're away from home, those chores simply don't exist.

Today I had rice pudding and coffee for lunch at the local diner in town. It was heavenly. (No guilt!) And then I spent the rest of the afternoon dorking out on my computer and looking at old pictures from my blog. I put a Flickr slideshow on my homepage. Check it out.

are you living a sustainable life?

Play this Consumer Consequences game from America Public Media to find out how many Earths it would take to sustain humankind if everyone lived like you.

I just played and was appalled to discover it would take 2.9 earths if everyone lived like I do, but then I compared myself to Kai Ryssdal from Marketplace and didn't feel so badly. Much room for improvement...