Back "On Top"

 I’d given up reviewing ANTM because my interest was waning 

and the show has been on forever, but I am still watching.  

And last week was just full of good stuff, like:

Tyra’s ensembles.  She looked so very chic in her puffy-shouldered black, and let’s not even get me started on that gorgeous gray single-buttoned cat suit?  Emphasis on the suit; it was one piece but the top was a blazer. Shut up!  Someone is glad to have her body back.  PS, Tyra, thanks for toning the hair and make-up way down.

 No Miss J?  Who could ever replace Miss J?  It can’t be done!  These were my thoughts, but lo and behold!  André Leon Talley.  Honey, it’s a wrap. I may actually learn something from this cycle, especially the way he likes to throw French and fashion terms about all willy-nilly.  Alasia had better be glad he’s there, or she wouldn’t be.  I sense Nigel is feeling some kind of way though; he’s not the big man on the catwalk anymore.

Raina.  Her picture – swoon.  

Not touching her eyebrows during the makeovers was a stroke of genius on Tyra’s part.

Ren.  This has happened before, and I’m just as aggravated.  She bemoans being a part of the competition, but when in the bottom two she let someone else go home.  Gabrielle really wanted to be there, but you didn’t speak up. Boo on you.

 

 Jessica.  Stunning. once she learns what she’s doing, that one will be a major threat.

 Simone. I’m not going to sleep on her either.

 Krista. Body and bone structure are amazing. Still waiting for you to impress.

 Alasia.  She is beautiful, but she’s still a child, 

and right now that is overpowering my perception of her.

 Angelea.  How are you so hard-edged in person and so soft and feminine in photos?

In Praise of Late Blooming

I had my first kiss when I was 17 years old, and it was pretty much perfect.  In fact, I still breathe deeply when I stop and think about it.

I first discovered Santana when buying 11 CDs for $1 (or whatever the promotion was).  I had the disc (it was a “Best of” collection) for maybe 2 years before I opened it one night in my dorm room and let it wash over me; the experience was riveting.  No, I wasn’t high, but that would have been awesome I bet.

HomeBoy lobbied for years that I read The Godfather and The Sicilian.  When I finally got around to it, I devoured nearly everything Mario Puzo that I could find.

What do these events have in common?  I think it’s that the experiences were delayed for me and perhaps that made them all the more amplified and meaningful. 
 
Growing up, I don’t recall ever being in a real rush for anything – especially to be a grown-up.  I wasn’t the fake-ID-using, get-older-relatives-to-buy-me-liquor, needy-for-“romantic”-drama, hand-on-my-hip, sassy type.  I was present for a few risky games of truth or dare, but I was pretty much chaperoning.  I’m not what you would call an “early adapter”, but I don’t mind. Kissing and handholding and “making out” were enough to keep my head in the clouds when so many teens my age were visiting clinics and worried about multiple partners.  Discovering early rock and roll kept my faith in music when pop stations were dead to me.  And what more can I say about Puzo except “there is no frigate like a book.”

…The point! The point, Teresa!  What is it, and get to it…

I guess what I’m getting at is this – I’m in favor of slowing down.  Being connected to younger people allows me to see what a rush they are in, and it isn’t always good for them (or for any of us, really). Yes, life is short, but there’s something to be said for the ripening process.  We are in a rush to experiment with so many things early in life, but we may better appreciate and understand those very same things if we experience them later.  I’m not saying take everything slowly. Dreams, ambitions, goals – run!  Go get them!  But as for the other stuff, I think those things will come when the time is right. And if we wait, they could be sweeter and more memorable than we ever imagined.

Maybe we’d have a different perspective on aging, if we didn't think the “best years of our lives” were behind us.

Is there anything you're glad you waited for?  

Anything you wish you would've done sooner?

Dear Daylight Savings

Suck it.

A Touch of Madness

It started out innocently enough. Last week while on the phone with my mom and one of my sisters, the subject turned to movies. I told them how excited I was about Alice in Wonderland and joked that I even considered making a "mad hat" just for the occasion. After all, one can't have so many favorites in one project and not commemorate. (Those favorites being Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Anne Hathaway, Helena B-Carter and the tale of Alice, of course.) We all got a good laugh out of it, and then the topic of conversation changed again. I thought no more of it until the next day.

At work I looked around my desk at all the random doo-dads and trinkets. I knew why they were there - to add a bit of whimsy to my space, some fun and silliness. "Ha!" I thought to myself, "Could you imagine putting those things on a hat? How curious." I came home, and while taking off my jewelry, I noticed more little things on my dresser: various pins and buttons, a pocket-watch that still needs a chain, a fuzzy lapel pin that looks a lot like a Tribble.

"Well, I do seem to have the materials, if I were so inclined..."

Thursday night found me with all manner of delicious nonsense spread out across my coffee table.

"But you love that hat," HomeBoy said.

"None of the changes will be permanent," I assured him, "I'm only using hat pins and tape."

I had forgotten how much fun arts and crafts can be. Fixing and fastening, arranging, rearranging, positioning just so... I really did enjoy myself. And, in true childlike fashion, I couldn't wait to show it - "Look what I made!"

The silliest part may be that I'm not at all embarrassed. At no point did I feel like I was too old to do such a thing. To be honest, I am quite relieved to find I am capable of such nonsense.

Speaking of Oscar Nominees

(this awards season fixation will be over on Monday, so indulge me until then will you?)

I am so excited about the trajectory of animated features, and I look forward to a large-scale return to 2D animation. Don't get me wrong, the magic that CGI can create is, well, magical, but there is a beauty in the quality of hand drawn cartoons that I've only come to appreciate lately. Disney did it with The Princess and the Frog, and now Irish underdog, Tomm Moore, has popped up and landed in the category for best animated feature film with The Secret of Kells. There's an article in the Times about the feature and it's director. More importantly, there are stills. People! These beautiful, vibrant stills will take your breath. Add to the amazing art this story that Moore tries to keep as close to the history as possible, and you can't help but hope that this is the tipping point for animation. I know I do.

Here's the official U.S. trailer:



And the promotional trailer: