Trevor, Maya and I are big fans of Thanksgiving. We see it as the kick off to the holiday season, and we don't put up our tree or otherwise acknowledge Christmas in a big way until after the turkey and pumpkin pie leftovers have been stowed in the fridge.
We're planning on decorating the house this weekend, which calls for some good background music. I didn't have a lot of Christmas music on iTunes, so I downloaded some new things.
I have mixed feelings about Zooey Deschanel. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoy her personal style, and despite being so very twee, I think she's quite charming. I genuinely feel that she's really just a big weirdo. And I tend to be drawn toward weirdos. On the other hand, sometimes there are aspects of the girly schtick that can get a little old. I'm not one of those women who think that ultra-femininity is the end of feminism, but I'd like to see her exhibit a bit more range in her choice of roles. The wide eyed manic pixie dream girl is a bit limiting. I'd really love to see her in a role where she's a complete character, not a character seen exclusively through her paramour's gaze. Despite my mixed feelings about her acting, I do love her singing voice and the music of She and Him. I'm a sucker for early sixties style hooks.
All that is to say that I thoroughly enjoyed She and Him's Christmas compilation, A Very She & Him Christmas It's incredibly mellow, more for relaxing with a fire or a book than being chased around with mistletoe at a company party.
If you share my love of the 60s girl group sound, you'll love A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector, from the originator of the Wall of Sound, Phil Spector. This compilation has been a hit since it was first released in 1963. It features my favorite girl group, the Ronettes, as well as the Crystals, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans singing mostly secular holiday favorites.
I also grabbed A Very Gaga Holiday, a four song EP featuring live recordings from Gaga's Thanksgiving special. It's only got one actual Christmas song, "White Christmas," but she sings it beautifully.
I'm going to look around iTunes and Amazon for some more music before the weekend, but I think this is a pretty good start. Now I just have to figure out where I stashed all the decorations last year.
Today's guest post is by my cousin, Marissa. She's only two years older than me, and was raised by my grandparents a mere 30 miles away, so she's always been the closest thing to a sister I'll ever have. Since her memories of our earlier family Thanksgiving celebrations are a little more clear than mine, I asked her to reminisce about our gatherings.
I'd also like to remind everyone that in addition to being Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is also the National Day of Listening. People are encouraged to set aside time to record the stories of their families, friends and communities. You can do this any way you wish, be it written, video, or audio.
I hope everyone in the States has a happy and safe Thanksgiving, and a delightful regular Thursday to everyone else.
When April asked me to write about a typical Brown Family Thanksgiving, my first thought was that we haven't had a typical Thanksgiving since Daddy died, Mama had her heart attack, and April moved to Wisconsin. That is what happens to families, they grow up and apart, which to me is sad. Our children are missing out on the closeness that we experienced, back when we believed and thought things would never change and people never moved away or died. But here it goes.
The day before Thanksgiving, we would go and pick up Karen, Jason and April and bring them to the family farm. My dad would go out in search of fresh garlic that grew out under the peach trees. He would get a whole lot of it and clean it and then chop it up into a bowl. I can still remember his showing us how to prepare the turkey. He would put tons of garlic and butter all over the turkey, inside and out. Then, as if it were an after thought, would say, "Oh I forgot something." He would then put some garlic under each wing, saying, "Got to give it a little underarm odor."
Another thing he would do was put six pecans on the breast, three on each side. Then the turkey would be put in the oven before we went to bed so that it could slowly roast. We would awake to the smell of roast turkey, but it was for later in the day. not for breakfast. When Daddy took the turkey out of the oven, he would set it on the table, pull back the foil that it was encased in, and eat the pecans. After that, Daddy's job was done and Mama would begin making the other dishes.
I am not sure when I began making green bean casserole, but I believe it was some Thanksgiving. What year, who knows. All I know is that I was very intrigued by the French's fried onions that the recipe called for. I had never heard of fried onions in a can. The first time I made a green bean casserole, I made sure I had my recipe and all my ingredients, and I followed that recipe to a T. However, it didn't turn out like the picture, and when I tried it I discovered the amount of pepper the recipe called for was too much. I was upset, but Mama said, "What does it matter if it's not perfect? If they're hungry, they will eat it." I don't think I have followed a recipe's directions like I did that day again.
We have a large family, and when we are all together it can get loud, with everyone trying to talk over the other one. This would provide April and I with the perfect opportunity to steal some food from the kitchen. While the adults were preparing the food to be served, yelling and waving knives around, we were busy sneaking ham or deviled eggs, maybe even a roll if they had been set out. If we didn't get caught we would just laugh when whoever was making the deviled eggs would say, "Hey, there were more eggs here than that!"
I remember the first or second year that I had been dating Paul, when I was eighteen or nineteen, for some reason the kitchen was empty for a moment. April and I went in and were having a free for all tasting everything. Paul walked in and saw that we were taste testing and grabbed a deviled egg just as Aunt Angelia walked into the kitchen. She said, "Those eggs are for lunch, how many did you eat?" Of course April and I, being the fine upstanding young ladies that we were, slowly slipped out and let Paul get in trouble. I believe that was also the year we realized that the pies mama would make the night before and cover with foil and left sitting on the counter were never checked so all those years we would be just salivating wanting some of mamas pecan pie we could have had some and no one would have been the wiser.
But back to when we were younger. After a very loud and filling dinner, we would go outside to work off some of our energy by playing on the ditch dump or walking down to Bay Ditch. It was usually just us kids, which could prove to be very interesting. After we got back from our walk we would go in the kitchen to eat again. Usually there would still be some of the grown folks in there and we would listen to stories about when they were younger or what is the world coming to and where have you kids been. As we got older those special times like that in the kitchen weren't as frequent because we had other things to do. If I had known that at some point in my life we wouldn't all be together every holiday, I wouldn't have taken those moments for granted. I would have clung to those moments like an alcoholic clings to a bottle. Because everything is different now: We get together at Christmas, but not all holidays. But as I heard on The Waltons the other night, families grow older and apart.
I would do anything to have those family holidays back and I would never be in a hurry for them to be over. I would spend my time listening to all the things that were just so boring at the time, and I would be the last one to leave, never the first.
I know that the last thing the internet needs is more photos of bloggers' oatmeal. But I had just woken up and was lacking inspiration, so here you go. Steel cut oats with raisins, and hot tea with milk and honey.
9:38 AM
The day started out blustery and cold. We hadn't started raking yet, because one of our trees was still clinging desperately to its leaves.
10:28 AM
Trevor started prepping a layer cake he was making for a coworker's child's birthday. Three layers. Chocolate, cheesecake, chocolate.
11:49 AM
After a Quiznos run, I had ambitious plans involving house cleaning and organizing. However, a food coma set in and Maya and I ended up getting sucked into a few episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series.
12:52 PM
Trevor took Maya to her volunteering gig at the community theatre. I did some writing and practiced songs already written.
2:27 PM
So then I kind of fell asleep on the couch, and woke up to a gorgeous afternoon.
3:57 PM
I decided to listen to some music and go for a walk. I love this cute little neighborhood barber shop.
4:07 PM
I took quite a few pictures, because the light was so lovely and the leaves were having their last hurrah. You can check out the rest from the walk here.
5:57 PM
A Sunday ritual for Maya and me is to watch Saturday Night Live on Hulu.
6:55 PM
Hot chocolate time.
7:44 PM
I was at a loss for what to take a picture of, so I took a shot of my mantel so I'd have a reference for putting things back where they go after the holidays.
I ended up going to sleep soon after. It was the first day of the time change, after all, so it felt later. All in all a pretty great Sunday, even if I didn't really get anything done.
I've always been a public transportation kind of girl. This is really funny, considering that I grew up in a town that was almost completely car dependent. My hometown didn't get a city bus system until a year before I moved away, despite a population of over 60,000 spread out over 80 square miles. I think part of it was that my mother doesn't drive, so we always had to figure out ways to get places that didn't just involve hopping in the car.
When I went to London, I used the Underground almost exclusively, and the L is my preferred method of getting around Chicago. I haven't really delved into using the light rail in Minneapolis, but I'm usually only there for day trips or to go to the airport.
It follows, then, that I am a big fan of the New York subway system. I know a lot of people are afraid of it, but I don't find it any more alarming than any other part of the city. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and use common sense. Angie and I were joking about how people have this view of the subway as some sort of Mad Max meets Soylent Green dystopian nightmare, with people running around with severed heads on pikes and hoards of feral children roaming the tunnels. And we're not naive. Shit happens on the subway, but it also happens on the street, even in the nice parts of town.
I'm no expert, and I know that if I lived there it would probably lose a lot of its charm, but here are five reasons why I love the subway.
1. It's Cheap
The subway is the most economical way to get around, other than walking or biking everywhere. A one week unlimited Metro Card is $29, and you can use it on the city buses and the subway. Single rides are $2.25, so the unlimited card pays for itself after only 13 rides. A cab ride from La Guardia to Angie's apartment in Harlem is about $25 including tip when traffic is good. If you take public transit from La Guardia, you do have to start out on the bus and then switch to the subway, but if you pack lightly, it's not hard. And you're saving a meal or two worth of money.
2. People Watching
I've mentioned before how much I love watching people. It's even better on the subway, where you can sit and observe people for longer periods of time. A great bonus is that if they're wearing headphones, you can discuss them with your friend even if the person is sitting only a few feet away. Angie and I did this with a super cute guy who was sitting near us. We were both a little in love with him, until he pulled out a bottle and spit his tobacco juice in it. Instant turn off. Sorry, cowboy.
3. Down Time/Fun Times
I know everyone says this, but it's totally true: The pace in New York is mind boggling at times. It can feel like your day goes by in a an instant, half of it spent just getting from one place to another. The subway is an awesome place to just sit down and hang out with your friends, especially if you have to get from one end of Manhattan to the other. There's no cell reception, so you're just kind of captive. When you're by yourself, it's a great time to read or write, or just sit there and zone out with that thousand yard commuter stare.
And of course, the ride back up the island in the wee small hours of the morning is usually great for shenanigans.
4. Subway Dancers
Every time I visit the city, I'm always hopeful that we'll get to see some dancers. There's an express D train that runs from 125th to 59th without stopping, so it gives kids plenty of time to dance and collect money. The group we saw on this trip included a little girl, which was a first for me.
I'm always sad if I'm out of cash to give them, since I always enjoy it so much. Busker money is something I always try to budget into my trips.
5. Random Celebrity Sightings
Yes, some celebrities take the subway. Angie's seen a couple while riding, but I hit the mother lode on this trip: Jake Gyllenhaal. I was getting off at Columbus Circle, and noticed a cute guy. Then I noticed that said cute guy was Jake G. He was just chilling, waiting for his train. I took a quick creeper pic as I was passing by, trying to be surreptitious. I mainly did this so that I could cause my friend Liz to have a heart attack. She digs him. A lot. It's seriously him, I swear. It was really cute when a girl bumped into him, then realized who he was as she was apologizing. She just got this goofy smile on her face and walked on, looking back a couple of times, dazed, in love. He's really dreamy, with those silver dollar eyes.
Being involved in theatre means that over the years many of my friends and coworkers have moved to New York. Unfortunately, though, the nature of the business also means that it's hard to meet up with people, even when I'm in town. Very often, I'll want to hang out only to find that the only time I have available is when my friend is in a show, or that they're not even in the city because they're on tour or working at a regional theatre. So I was thrilled when my friend Ian was able to meet me for a walk in the park on my last full day in town.
We decided to meet at the Columbus Circle entrance to the park. I got there early, so just chilled by the monument, watching people. Ian was right on time, and we set out toward one of his favorite spots in the park, Bethesda Fountain.
I worked with Ian at the Commonweal Theatre Company in 2007. He was one of my best friends in the artists' residence, but as it usually goes, we haven't kept in the best touch since our contracts were up. As it also often goes, though, we were able to pick up almost where we left off and had a great time. I love show friends!
As we approached the fountain, there were some buskers singing arias in the lower passage. The acoustics in there are astounding. I love that you can't go anywhere in that city without coming across someone sharing their art.
This fountain is so ingrained in pop culture that it is so strange to learn that it was dry for a period of time, and that Bethesda Terrace was nearly derelict in the 1970s and 1980s. All the stories of New York during that time period sometimes seem like works of dystopian fiction when confronted with the beauty of the city today.
We spent the rest of the walk wandering the trails. When I'm surrounded by settings that are so idyllic, I sometimes have to wonder if it's real life or if I've wandered into a movie. How is the light so beautiful, and the weather so perfect, and the people so friendly? Why are things happening as if on cue, like the passage of the three men in the rowboat, or the music of the aria singers? It's a reminder that art is inspired by life, those golden moments when everything comes together so perfectly.
And then all too soon, we left the park, because we both had places to be and people to meet. We emerged almost twenty blocks from where we entered, on the opposite side. It was like being in a different movie, or a different episode of the same show, this one set on Madison Avenue at 5pm, where tourists wait in line to get into Abercrombie and Fitch, and everyone just needs to get where they're going as fast as they possibly can.
We cut over to Park Avenue to escape some of the madness, then made our way back to Columbus Circle, where we had to part ways. So I sat down again by the monument, waiting for Angie to meet me after work, people watching.
I mentioned before that the main purpose of my visit to New York was to help Angie through the biggest week of her musical career so far. She was scheduled to play a CMJ Music Marathon set, premiere her video for "Right Into You," and perform at the Bitter End with the blues cover band Big Pedro and the Little Red Roosters.
CMJ
The CMJ set was at R Bar the second night I was in town. It was the first day of the festival, with an early time slot, so we didn't have the greatest draw. However, her set was fantastic, and she drew several people in from the front bar. I'd say it was a success. She got some great contacts and exposure out of it, so we're hoping to build on some of that in the coming months.
photo by Matt Shanley
I wasn't able to get any good shots myself. I've gotten a lot better at low light photography lately, but I couldn't find a good way to contend with all that red. So I focused on enjoying the show and networking. Here's a video of my favorite Angie song, "Just By Being You."
You can check out the other videos from the performance here. Thanks Isaiah from R Bar for taking these vids!
Video Premiere
On Friday, we headed to Gizzi's Cafe for Angie's video premiere. Gizzi's has been so great to Angie. It's basically where she really started playing out. It's got a great atmosphere and fantastic food. Plus, there's never a cover for music.
If you haven't seen it yet, here's the super cute video for "Right Into You." You can read about the styling choices here.
Angie also played an acoustic set with Curtis Schmidt on guitar and backing vocals. Here's another of my favorites from her, "All in My Head."
That night, I was fortunate to borrow Angie's roommate Catherine's flash and diffuser, so I was able to get some decent shots. I'm definitely going to invest in one of my own as soon as I can.
We actually got there early enough to eat dinner first! Score!
The Bitter End
Saturday, Angie was performing as a guest vocalist with the blues cover band Big Pedro and the Little Red Roosters at the Bitter End. This is a pretty significant venue to play. A lot of artists played there early in their careers, including Neil Young, Lady Gaga and Joni Mitchell.
I didn't take any pictures that night, but they did get a recording off the sound board. Check out Angie working it the hell out on Aretha's "I Never Loved a Man."
I was so glad that I didn't leave the city until Tuesday, because that whole week was so fast paced that it just flew by. It was one of the best weeks ever, though. It made me remember why I love show business.
Angie also has a blog, and her latest post includes a killer playlist. Check her out!
One last thing, if you want to help Angie get her first record made, please check out her IndieGoGo project and consider either giving a few dollars or sharing the campaign with your friends. Supporting independent artists is so important! Damn the man, save the Empire!
