Babel (2004)

Poet Barbara Hamby knows something of the world's languages and the mess they make for people seeking understanding through translation and interpretation. Her poem "Six, Sex, Say" runs through the etymology of words based on geographical pronunciations.

I know if I were doing drugs I would think this was possibly the key to unraveling the universe

She pokes fun of the misunderstandings that would stem from these words spoken or heard from bordering neighbors of differing accents. What mayhem the tower of Babel caused for us all! The poem she wrote that I wish I had written is "Ode on My Mother's Handwriting". Hamby winds through the alphabet of penmanship and personality. As she does, I see my mother and I see myself.

Would that every infant could nestle in the warm crook of her c's, taste the sweet milk of her d's, hear the satiny coos of her nonsense whisperings, making the three-pronged razor of her E easier to take, the bad girl, i'm ashamed of you, disappointed, hateful, shame, shame, shame

all the way down the final 26th:

Why am I still her acolyte... because in the curve of her zed is my Zen master, my beginning and my end

Hamby's poetical anectdotes move through Paris as easily as her 1977 Toyota and it is a pleasant dance.

The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry (1999)

A friend and fellow poet borrowed this volume from the library. It turned out that "outlaw" means hard on the eyes, the ears, and any puritanical sympathies laying about in my own mother heart ("Just Say NO to Family Values" John Giorno). Poems about condoms, AIDS, and drugs...about the deafening silence leaving us lonely in the clattering, babbling city scapes. I fluttered through pages of poetry at random today knowing I don't have time to contemplate 685 from cover to cover and I found that most did not want to be contemplated or picked apart. These poetic snapshots are like the stamps on the letters of modern history - colorful and functional. They seal the story of this one blink-of-an-eye moment without pretending to be timeless. Yet, some of them are:

Love is the silence out of which woman speaks - Stuart Z. Perkoff

My heart is graffiti on the side of a subway train, a shadow on the wall made by a child. - Maura O'Connor

all the levers and lubricants needed to pry a last bit of suffocating soul from grey bondage - Dominique Lowell

We know the ego is the true maker of history, and if it isn't, it should be no concern of yours - Larry Rivers & Frank O'Hara

To live as I have done is surely absurd - Jack Micheline

Some people guard their lives like a eunich guards the harem door - A.D. Winans

And so it is, that even the outlaws trying not to be timeless, attempting only to capture a moment, condensed into so many words, speak and I feel - assaulted, betrayed, bemused, intrigued - why not open my own mouth? Why won't you open yours?

Peace on Earth

Last night, amid the glittering, animated Christmas lights - Mickey and Minnie, Tinkerbelle, Three Wise Men, Santa with a few Reindeers in Training, and the "Naughty or Nice Detective Agency" - there was a message of Peace on Earth (complete with doves) followed by an M4 Sherman military tank shooting KEP at a random target... likely the teddy bear climbing up a nearby tree. At first, I was struck by the irony of this message.

Do we really have to have the most fire-power to ensure peace on earth or at least in our corner of the planet? Is peace a planet without war or murder or theft or rape? There may be some places where this sort of proactive assertiveness in training and owning weapons is required and chokes out the criminal element in the area because it isn't worth the possible consequences. Does choosing to be a pacifist make a person an easy target for crime? Is it asking for individuals with power in mind to take what they will and hurt who they can if the rest of us do not stand, weapons ready, and say, "That is the line... you shall not pass."

And what of definitions... What is peace? Is it just the "normal, nonwarring state of a nation" or is it the "state of mutual harmony between peoples" or is it "serenity, tranquility, and stillness"? It is difficult to accomplish a peaceful state of being when one does not know the meaning of the word. Personally, I'd like the world to strive for the middle definition. The first is the bare minimum of existence - not at war does not translate immediately into "at peace". The last is, for me (a lover of music, dance, music, growth, and change) not an ideal state to remain indefinately. However, mutual harmony - knowing that I will sing different notes than you will but that the song will be pleasing to everyone because we both give our best effort and quality to each note - would be beautiful.

I just don't know if I could sing into the barrel of a gun.

Santa Claus

In our house, Kris Kringle doesn't come to visit. He's so very excluded from the celebrations in fact, that my sister refuses to spend the Christmas holiday anywhere near cousins for fear that her little ones will be infected with the BAH!Humbug virus. It isn't that I have anything against the old guy. I just hold a few other ideas more precious.

So, the other day my sister came across an interesting concept. A woman at her elementary school said she was so glad that Christmas had been commercialized because now, nearly everyone can enjoy the day off. It's an interesting take on things - a spin that hadn't been spun before in this head of mine. I suppose that we could commercialize enough Holy Days in December that we could take the entire month off if we really put our minds to it as consumers. The United States of America is full of a wide range of religious and pagan traditions - kwanzaa, chanukah, winter solstice, etc. Talk about National Unity! A whole month devoted to shopping, playing in the snow, gift giving, and decorative lighting.

All together now: We BELIEVE!

Dressin' in Drag

This photo features Jude Law as Minx in the movie Rage. (A movie wherein the entire plot is told through narratives in different perspectives... VERY interesting methodology. However, I didn't get to finish it before it was sent back to Netflix and may revisit it another day.)

If a guy were to look you in the eyes and say, "I wanna dress in drag." Would you honestly see a problem with that? Women have been living an androgynous freedom since the cry of "equal rights for women!!" ran like lightening through the nation. It was a hard fought battle and the victories have come a little at a time, but, what's so wrong with the other way around?

Currently, most of our cultural entertainment is pushed to adore and adorn the female body. Magazines, catalogs, self-help books, and even music (like John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland") make goddesses of the entire female gender. Of course, this means that as women we may feel pressure to fit some model of perfection. But, if we don't, we're free to cut our hair ultra short, go without a bra or mascara, and smoke cigars like a cowboy all while being applauded by many as courageous, independent, and free spirited.

Now, I will admit, that Jude Law is sexy on the big screen. Those blue eyes of his (especially as a widower in The Holiday) could make a girl melt to the floor. But, as Minx, I am not attracted to him... In fact, I would be more than a little wierded out if he tried to kiss me. This is probably because I am not attracted to women and not, in any way a judgement about his character or respectability just because he looks better in black hair and lipstick than I do.

When I was younger, my sisters and I used to dress up our little brothers - the hair, the make up, the dresses (the works!!) Maybe we overdid it. Maybe we curbed the curiosity for all things floral, satin, shiny, or lipstick because neither of them feels inclined to dress in our culturally labeled "feminine" outfits. Although both like to be clean and one enjoys a regular manicure.

I think that pushing the boundaries of cultural norms is a great way to re-evaluate the purposes behind the rules and the stigmas that go with them. How many men would be better nurturers of children or run a more efficient household if given the opportunity? Of course, honesty and respect for others when doing so are necessary as well. So, put away the little white lies, don a pretty lipstick, and pout for the camera. Just be ready to accept your partner's denial of the usually hungered-for kiss.

My New Fragrance

Noir: "black", "suggestive of danger"

Vanilla: a tropical, climbing orchid of the genus vanilla bearing a pod-like fruit yielding an extract used for flavoring food, perfume, etc.

This new fragrance collection from Bath and BodyWorks is completely captivating. Entering a mall during the Holidays and in the middle of a buy 3 get 3 free sale is nearly a show of insanity. But, there I was... surrounded by far too many choices. Too many fragrances can leave a person dizzy, especially considering the accidental lotion splatters to my nose and the fact that I cannot clear "the palette" with coffee beans. I avoided the citrus fruit, "happy" fragrances that act as an assault against my senses. I walked toward Coconut and tempting titles like "P.S. I love you" until I found this one and couldn't get enough of it.

Noir may be criminally dangerous in the French cinema, but who wouldn't be hypnotized with notes like these: madagascar vanilla, black plum, dark berries, bergamot, gardenia, carnation, tuberose, whipped toffee, cinnamon, cashmeron, sandalwood, and musk?! I honestly had to look it up because I couldn't have distinguished all of the scents individually on my own. Vanilla Noir is a beautiful recipe and I hope it's available to purchase for a looooooonnng time.

The Lake House (2006)

Although there is not one word of technical terminology for worm holes, time warps, alternate universes, or even the power of a spiritual connection to make destinity a reality, this movie is one of the most believable experiences I've ever had outside the standard rules of time. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves play Kate and Alex, two people exchanging letters through the lake house mailbox... two years apart in their own realities.

The structure of the house on the lake, built by his father, is a subject of criticism for architect Alex. He says the house is about "control and containment" and wasn't built with the intention that a person "connect" with any of the beauty surrounding it. For example, there are no stairs to the water it is perched over, but its walls are all made of glass. This "look, but don't touch" mentality dominated his relationship with his father and Alex longs for more. His time at the lake house brings him an understanding of his father and himself.

As a doctor, Kate is always "hands on." However, the demands of work mean that she must lock her heart against her patients suffering (to a point) so she will be able to heal them more efficiently and let go when someone dies. She escapes to the lake house on her days off, following the counsel of a senior doctor, "...get as far away from this place as you can. Go somewhere you feel most like yourself..." It is in this peaceful place, jutting out above the water, that Kate is able to find herself. But, it is in the mailbox that she finds her heart.

One of the things I love about this movie is the letters. The intensity, the humor, the personality of both characters comes through in their words. They are seperated by two years. They haven't seen or smelled each other, but love is built between them. Our culture values physical attraction far too highly... these loves are like the difference between the red flame and the blue one. The blue burns slower and more deeply.

Each of these characters is kind and thoughtful. They give gifts that are meaningful to each other beyond the words that they write and these are beautiful acts to witness and inspire the audience to live with love, every moment that we can. "What if you get to the end of your life, and there is no one waiting for you to come home?"

Outsourced (2006)

Hollywood has been the source of so many cinemographic memories, I can understand it being hard to just let go of the "let the professionals handle it" mentality and step into the Film Festival Camp to see what independant film makers are up to. Outsourced is one movie that will have you changing your mind.

When Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) is told his company is moving to India and that he will be training his replacement, he stumbles between concern for his coworkers, wondering how they will "fool" their patriotic customers, to his own stock options... very realistic.

The director chose realism in dealing with much of this movie, we don't once see even a panoramic shot of the Taj Mahal. Mis-matched shops, crowded streets, fabric draping from doors and windows... even an incident with drinking ice made from the Ganges (bad idea - interesting toilet). "Mr. Toad" (as Todd is known to his Indian coworkers) spends his nights training the new call center manager and having his eyes (and heart) opened to a whole new world. Asha, his beautiful and talented Assistant Manager who suggests that he needs to "learn a little about India" keeps him on his toes asking questions about the culture of the United States and faking a standard American accent.

Like great curry, everything about this movie leaves a pleasant flavor in your mouth - don't miss the colorful Holy day, the Kamasutra Hotel, or the flooded call center floor on a Saturday afternoon. (As a bonus: you may even learn how the Monkey Pulls the Turnip.)

Blonde Ambition (2007)

Sometimes, at the tale-end of a long sick day, you choose a movie for a couple of laughs knowing there won't be any depth to it... The brightest stars in this flick were Jessica Simpson's lips. Her character, Katie, wore the thickest, shiniest, cherry-red lipstick in nearly every scene of the movie. I am aching for an interview with her make up artist to find out the secret to keeping lipstick from schmudging teeth!

Simpson was surrounded by talent in this film: Luke Wilson, Larry Miller, Willie Nelson, and Penelope Ann Miller all could not help pull off this odd-ball story. There are far too many holes (including the one Ben and Katie fall into TWICE) in the script to make the story-line believable and everyone of the characters is OVER played. Even Nelson and Wilson's understated personalities are just overdone.

The most believable scene in the film is when Katie asks Ben if she can unbotton her pants to make room for her half of the New York style Pizza Pie they had inhaled together. Of course, this moment is quickly and efficiently squashed when Katie jumps up to "my FAVORITE song" and insists that Ben learn an unrecognizable line dance to an indistinguishable country song in the living room... thank heaven the un-enclosed toilet begins to gurgle in the corner and Pa-Paw (Nelson) knocks on the door.

Lean On Me (1989)

Morgan Freeman was the 'HNIC' (his own words) in this movie playing the role of Joe Clark - an actual educator taking back the public education system for children and their futures. The real Principal Clark is featured in the picture above. He was willing to go to extremes - like expelling 300 students whose criminal records or drugs, weapons, and violence had contaminated the schooling of the 2700 other students attending Eastside High when he arrived and chaining & locking all of the exit doors from the inside of the school to prevent their re-entrance during school hours. He instigated peer tutoring programs and raised the expectations his students had for themselves above anything that anyone in their community had ever believed them able to achieve.

The opening credits of this film are rolled to the tune of "Welcome to the Jungle" by Jon BonJovi... and a jungle is exactly what Eastside High had become. Of course, it is possible that Hollywood exaggerated the garbage and grafity to make a point even before showing the disturbing and frightening behavior of the students. "Treat them like animals and that is exactly what you will get!" Chides Mr. Clark as he takes over the school and begins making changes to the administrative structure.

As a parent of several students, my first thought was "homeschool." My children would never be allowed (or forced) to attend a school that put them in danger or that disregarded their humanity and treated them with disrespect instead of dignity. One mother in particular had me feeling a little bit crazy angry. One of her sons had been expelled without warning on the first day due to a miscreant history. Suddenly, she had all the time and energy in the world to spend in making Mr. Clark's job harder than it had to be - even getting herself appointed to the school board and trying to have him dismissed from the Principalship. Where was she when her son was having so many difficulties before? I am opposed to the attitude that it is the school's responsibility alone to raise and educate our children for us. This woman obviously believed that very strongly to be true.

Of course, Mr. Clark wasn't perfect, but he was willing to be corrected when he was in the wrong because his heart was in the right place, and that made all the difference.