Oh sweet baby Jeebus. I had plans.... oh did I have plans. Plans to clean out some (ok at least one drawer in my dresser tonite). Not for any other reason that I need the space for stuff I have hidden all over the place in nooks and crannies that are overflowing with this junk. But I have sat in front of the tv. This should come as no shock to anyone that knows me. I think honestly I might have to turn the tv off right now (it is 9:15) and get to work. It is only one drawer after all. It isn't like I have to pack up the entire house into four boxes and everything else must go right? Right.

So what do I think am I going to do first? Do I hit the dvd drawer/movie drawer? Do I work on the jewelry maddness I have happening consistantly all over the place? What about the makeup shinanegans in the bathroom closet drawer? How about the socks and tights situation of crazy I got going? If I planned it right and did what I was supposed to do I would have had them all done by now. Oh slacker me, I have to turn on the tv, watch some documentary (half assed I must admit) on some 50s documentarian that I thought might be interesting (it wasn't and I don't even remember the name and I just watched it...oy) or Sunday Morning from last week (hello super not so secret design crush Jonathan Adler and your husband Simon Doonan) or how about 10 episodes of Robot Chicken. Yeah not so productive.

But the weekend is almost here. I can maybe attack the crap then. I need an interventionist to come in and shake me to my core I think. Yes my nick name is Zoe and I am addicted to the tv and the internet, I am officially addicted to ... Comcast. Do they offer a nice retreatie rehab center for that? Where is my Promises Recovery Center for that? I want to know. I wonder if my health plan will cover it? What would that coverage rider be called.... Multi Media infatuationistis?

Ah but the tv is turned off. I am about to hit "publish" and get on with it already. Baby steps. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem.

No more email or reader feeds or steevoh for me for the next three hours. Promise. It can't be that hard can it?

Wish me luck and hopefully my clutter will diminished as a result. Lets hope.

My doc day from the comfort of my home.

My In Home doc day included:

The Bridge

Tom Dowd and the Language of Music

Incident at Loch Ness

Radiohead: In Rainbows

and

Henry Rollins: uncut in South Africa

Pretty ambitious sure but well, well worth it. Everything was great.  I have some other films queued up for later even which is magic.

Hi I'm Eden and I want you to ..... oh never mind... I am listening to ABC

I think I have one more week before I can go and do my annual photo journey through Fairmount.  I got this really bizzaro hit on a picture I took a couple years ago. I want to wait for the trees to turn just a little bit more, they are still just a little too green for me.  So hopefully next Saturday I can take my annual walk and take some pictures.  I really do look very much forward to it every fall and spring.   Some lady wanted to use it for her online tour guide for Denver, but got REALLY snippy with me when I said that it was a family monument for the Cheeseman Family at the Fairmount Cemetary NOT a monument at Cheeseman Park.  Whatever.  So my picture will not be posted on her site.  I don't care.  I have hardly EVER been someone that needed "hits" or "comments" or feedback on anything that I do. For the people whose opinions I seek I go directly to the source and ask I don't post anonymously (or semi anonymously like I do here and on Flickr) to get attention.  So there that is.

Mellow weekend, didn't do much. Friday night at Park Meadows picking up sweaters for my Grandpa's birthday I saw the most saddest thing ever.  A bachelorette party trapsing the mall.  I almost took a picture but I needed out of there.  I was getting really uncomfortable.  I didn't like being in the mall at all.  Yeah I said it.  I really didn't.  I felt really anxious and needed out.  But I thought it was really sad that this was the best those girls could do.

Went to First Friday at the Rock The Cradle store with F and some of his friends and ended up at 3 Kings (shut up) but we really did try and go someplace else.  Sat at a booth at Deluxe / Delite for about 10 minutes and didn't get any attention even when one of the guys in our group went to the bar he didn't get any attention... suck it Deluxe/Delite fancy open air bar.  Seriously Dylan... your staff bites.  I hate to call you out by name, you really don't know me... but I have been a patron of you and your husband for years and this was awful treatment.  Nice to walk into 3 Kings and be treated well.  And hear the Clash, Johnny Cash, Kiss and whatever else was playing on the jukebox.  Oh yeah... Iron Maiden... took me straight back to Teletunes days. And for your pleasure to take you back.... (yeah I rocked the air mic at the table...whataboutit?)




Had some great food at Jerusalem and then headed home.

Saturday dinner for Grandpa's birthday. Went to Grand Luxe at Park Meadows... again with Park Meadows... it was good I have to admit. The kitchen though needs to work on their starches. My rice was totally overcooked and nearly chewy and crunchy at the same time. And my grandfather's side of mashed potatoes were cold. But the main was terrific. Not expensive at all which was surprising. For the amount of food you get which is enough for three meals the price is right. I am a little hesitant to write this though, but I am going to anyways... when we were waiting outside (and note it was OUTSIDE) for my Mom to bring about the car, I saw these teensie tiny mice. Honestly they were just scrambling super fast across the walk. It was crazy. And it doesn't bother me seeing the little guys outside, just not inside you know. Anyways, it caught me off guard the first time, like holy shit, did I just see that? Then I saw it again. Not precious cute but cute and fast kind of thing.

Watched this documentary on Horders yesterday and I freaked myself out enough to do a little bit of cleaning out. Not alot and certainly not enough to open up some space but I swear I went through some old video tapes and realized... I am never going to watch Cupid dubbed from a dub with commercials. Shit, I can just watch it on the internet... and now... so can you:



So out of the dregs of storage went 20 video tapes. I gave the tapes to a nieghbor who still tapes stuff (and I might have to on Thursdays since 8-9 is all jacked up with steevoh and three shows on in that hour and Steevoh's ability to only record two at a time). But I don't need all those tapes. One will do just fine. So out they went. I felt good. Also got rid of the jacked up dubs of Twin Peaks. Now that I have the entire series on dvd I am happy. Baby steps but I am really desperate to get a handle on the clutter.

Ok off to continue on my day here at work.  Wrapping up the weekend and reaching out to hit you up with a Happy week wish.... mmmmwwwwah.

So I am sitting here on the couch... so totally couched... beyond couched. I was going to go and see a movie with F but honestly it didn't happen for a miriad of reasons, all which I am understanding about but still it would have been nice to sit in a darkened movie theater watching the dude from ER be Darby Crash.... but... the movie still will showing next week so it's merely postponement but disappointment none the less, lets be honest.

Instead I am watching a string of documentaries one of them on Moog, which is totally awesome I have to admit. Dad brought one home when we were kids. We played it, it was awesome. And in this documentary there is a a spot about theremins. Who knew Robert Moog made theremin's before his synthesizer. Well me now that I have watched this documentary. Anyways it makes me remember renting a documentary on Theremin which I didn't get to see 12 years ago because F and I broke up the night we were going to watch it and being the good guy that he was and is he returned it to Tower with no late fee. Even then he was a good guy. Yeah I said it.

I am amassing a list of movies to get from Netflix. Dear lord I will be joining I fear. The movie appreciation bug is hitting again. I do appreciate the fact that I was standing in the shower the other day and had this "producer moment". It might not work out but the fact that it is stirring is good news. Very good news. I miss it so very much and am glad that it is coming back. Motivation is not a bad thing to have right now.

I also am getting my house cleaned up a little bit too. The constant quest to get the house clean... oy such a chore but glad to have it going. As always. I like cleaning. I know weird, but I do. It is all about results man... visible results.

Anyways... this is me today. Messie but cleaning up.

I am so wide awake and it is crazy but Starz totally came through for me....

Behold kismet: (*** turn down your speakers **** if you are in your cubie) American Hardcore. I didn't even know that this movie existed. How did I not know that this existed?! This is exactly what I needed.

Thank you yet again Comcast and Starz.

The documentary of the day is: Saving Jazz.

There are so many reasons why this is an important piece to me. Not only because Herman Leonard's photos are an amazing exhibition of a time that the American music scene was at its best I believe. Not only because it shows New Orleans before and right after and months after Katrina hit that city. Not only because it shows the culture of the arts in that city that sadly has been damaged potentially beyond repair. Not only because it shows the photographer's process in the lost art of film and developing. But so much more.

Mr. Leonard says that he feels powerless at the hands of the government machine. And to be honest he should. What our government did to every single person that lived there is something that our country should be ashamed of. It breaks my heart a little bit more every time I see something about this tragedy. Honestly I go out of my way to to stay away from politics and discussions of our government but how Washington DC didn't take care of these people who invented the most important music scene to me makes me absolutely sick.

My Dad used to work with the sheriff down there and every year we would get a Zulu coconut. The first year we got it, we didn't understand what the heck that was. But now, it is so important. We have a serious tie to New Orleans.

Why can't our government fix this. What is NOT happening is that nothing going on in a effective way, and its stupid. They are packing up the temporary housing right now and putting people in low income motels, but only for three months. That is no solution. This makes no sence. There are houses to rebuilt. There are lives to be rebuilt. Why is it that Harry Connick Jr , Brad Pitt and the Marsalis family are the only ones that are actively working to rebuild? Is it because they have the money and not the fucking election to worry about? Charity is rebuilding (look up the projects that Habitat for Humanity are doing, hell even the company that I work for sends medical personnel down for 6 weeks at a time because Washington DC isn't) not our government like so falsely promised on that "illuminating" press conference. I think our government should be so so so ashamed.

Parts of my family came through New Orleans when they immigrated. I only found that out recently and honestly it makes me wish for better for the City.

I actually know two gallery owners that seriously I could probably discuss having an exhibition of his work at. I don't know if I will get any kind of response or if it will even be in my price range but I still want to inquire. Its history that can't be forgotten. New Orleans isn't just Mardi Gras and boobs and beads and that shouldn't be forgotten even if our damned government has.

Please visit Mr. Leonard's website and view his photographs and realize what a treasure these images are... then consider buying a book.

And in other,less politically fired up news, I am very seriously taking half a day off so I can go to Denver's very own Mardi Gras parade of sorts... The National Western Stock Show parade is Tuesday, January 15th! Next to when the Shriners were in town this is my favorite of parades downtown. And yes I will probably go and weep a little bit. I don't know why but parades make me cry when I am there in person.

I loves me a good documentary...too bad I haven't made mine....

When I was in film school we did a "side by side" compare and contrast of the two versions of Cat People. And of course as you would imagine, the Natasha Kinsky version was more popular in our class. I am just being honest. Everyone liked it better. And I don't think that it was too surprising at the time. I think the Georgio Moroder soundtrack had quite a lot to do with it. And the fact that Natasha Kinsky was naked in it. It was just more contemporary and being that this was an intro level 100 course, very introductory, what did we know? I am excited to revist the classic on January 14th (well actually just on Steevoh on the 14th as I probably won't actually get to the program until at least the 19th). I think with my broader view and knowledge of film and production and film anthropology now (which my parents paid a pretty penny for me to know about), I will find out if there just might be a different result. And a documentary about the man behind the movie before? Narrated by Martin Scorsese? Sign me up. Le' sigh.

I mean our professor showed us Near Dark as a contemporary masterpiece she also showed us Vamp as yet another modern take on the monster movie. Eh... it was allright. She really tried hard to hold tight to our rather limited attention on those Friday afternoons and did a lot of compare and contrast discussions. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But she really did try.

So in today's email, I get my daily VSL piece of daily information and today's was and is a doosie. I am actually really impressed with Turner Classic Movies and their Val Lewton film festival. I am really quite excited to go home tonite after work and set my dvr for the whole thing. I mean the documentary alone is cool, but 10 movies to back it up? That is way over the top and really impressive. I have to hand it to the programmers at TCM... way to f'n go, you have made a believer out of me, that you are trying to grasp a contemporary viewer. Well done.

Thank you Very Short List, seriously because I won't have had a clue about this and would have totally missed out, just as I have nearly missed out The Jewish Americans . I watched the last half hour of the second portion last night after calling my Mom and Dad's house and their having told me about it. Oops, but what I saw I really enjoyed. But after going to pbs.org, I see that they are re-airing the segments so I can set up the tape. Although the series is NOT expensive at all, I think last night it looked to be $34.99 (but don't go looking for it anywhere because I couldn't find it). Go to the website and check out the resources page... wow... sometimes (well alot of the time...pbs can just curl my toes and I am not saying that just because I produced for them).

I also loves me a really good music video. This not only creeped me out, but oddly amused me.

Please to enjoy:

I stole a tape from Sound Warehouse once...

I will never forget it. I was standing there at the store on Colorado Boulevard waiting for Alex to rent his video and I just decided to steal this tape. I still have it, its in my storage locker. I will never ever get rid of it. One because I was a stealer and two because, straight up its awesome.

I am ashamed to admit that I stole. I mean out here all publically and what not but still, don't steal its bad.

I was standing there in front of the cassettes and was thinking... I need a New York Dolls record. So I took one. About a month later I felt badly so I went to Wax Trax and bought another one (and soley because I liked the cover art, didn't matter, it was great). My Mom might still have it since I gave it to her to prove to her that the guying singing that "hot hot hot" song was really David Johansen and not really someone named Buster Poindexter. So there Mom... punk and glam rock can be cool see?

So tonite I came home after dinner and watched New York Doll which I had dvr'd last week. I wasn't expecting much actually. But I have always been a fan of the Dolls so why not I thought. What a nice documentary. Saved it and will tape it for my Mom who probably won't watch it but maybe she will. I think she will even appreciate it a little bit. And "hi" Donn Letts, he was taped for the movie, I could listen to you talk for hours. But that is besides the point. It was really a well done film. From the beginning to the life of Arthur "Killer" Kane to the reunion and 22 days later. This was a nice man and you could tell by watching the film.

They are playing at the Gothic on February 26th. Its a little insane to think that they are playing shows but it makes sense, given the reception they got in London which was shown in this doc.

On another note I tried to explain the WGA strike and the issue of residuals and that the writers aren't staff usually and aren't paid on salary in most cases but per piece so they ARE due modern media compensation. She doesn't see it my way, or the writers way. But she owns a company which has software writers and the company owns the software and that is how she sees the film industry, but see Mom, it isn't really like that. The writers already get residuals per view, but only for media that is out there on the terms of 10 years ago, not today's media and they want to be compensated for this new media. She still doesn't get it. But she made a good point that the other ancillary employees of any production is hurt, which is true. I would be out of work if I was still out there. So lets heal up this strike already. Negotiate with the studios separately, I don't think isn't a bad idea, I don't think a blanket agreement will happen so go to the studios and make it happen already. Some of my friends are starting to get really really hungry.

thank you Sundance and Steevoh

So today is my Doc Day. I have about 20 documentaries saved on Steevoh and this has been a great way to start the day.

I watched "A 100 Years and a Funeral" which was about Polygram and their film production arm, the rise and fall, based on the book by Michael Kuhn of the same name. It was really interesting because I recall seeing many of the films that came out of their production arm, so it was very interesting to watch the history of the production company.

I also watched "Control Room". It was about Al-Jazeera in the burgeoning days and months of the current Iraq War. It was a very interesting side of the media that I certainly haven't seen before. I don't want to say that I would put a satellite dish up on my patio to get the station, but they showed the truth that the American Media Outlets wouldn't show and that was the damage caused. Having talked to someone recently who returned from Bagdad like a month ago or so I realized how separated we are by what is actually going on half a world away. While there are media outlets embedded into the Army it doesn't mean that we actually are able to see what is going on. And Al-Jazeera shows the death and destruction and damage. It might be pointed but they are showing what their viewers want to see. This was a great film and makes me question journalism in the United States just a little more than I did before I saw it.

"Who Gets to Call it Art" about the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Henry Geldzahler (oops sorry just Henry) and the late 50s and 60s art scene in New York. The interview at the beginning of the film saying that artists make terrible talk show guests really reeled me in. It was really funny because its true. The film shows and actually explained the heart behind the paintings and sculptures. It was really great. Oh and I really dug the soundtrack too. Watching Warhol paint his nails with wite-out nearly flipped me out. Brilliant capture on film. It makes me excited to start collecting art (don't think that is a resolution or anything... you would be wrong, I have talked about what to do with my money now that I don't have a car payment and half of what I spent earlier will go to buying one or two pieces that are important to me a year*).

* and yes I am using an asterisk... shut up I am allowed.... that I think is why I am so excited by the idea of the online galleries offering affordable prints. by up and coming artists, its a blessing for someone like me... thank you 20 x 200, Etsy, flickr and Tiny Showcase. Imagine what these artists could have done then if the internet was as accessible then as it is now?

So today is my Doc Day. I have about 20 documentaries saved on Steevoh and this has been a great way to start the day.

I watched "A 100 Years and a Funeral" which was about Polygram and their film production arm, the rise and fall, based on the book by Michael Kuhn of the same name. It was really interesting because I recall seeing many of the films that came out of their production arm, so it was very interesting to watch the history of the production company.

I also watched "Control Room". It was about Al-Jazeera in the burgeoning days and months of the Iraq War. It was a very interesting side of the media. I don't want to say that I would put a satilite dish up on my patio to get the station, but they showed the truth that the American Media Outlets wouldn't show and that was the damage caused. Having talked to someone recently who returned from Bagdad like a month ago or so I realized how separated we are by what is actually going on half a world away. While there are media outlets embedded into the Army it doesn't mean that we actually are able to see what is going on. And Al-Jazeera shows the death and destruction and damage. It might be pointed but they are showing what their viewers want to see.

"Who Gets to call it Art" about the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the 60s art scene in New York. The interview at the beginning of the film saying that artists make terrible talk show guests real reeled me in. It was really funny because its true. The film shows and actually explained the heart behind the paintings and sculptures. It was really great. Oh and I really dug the soundtrack too. Watching Warhol paint his nails with wite-out nearly flipped me out. Brilliant capture on film.

So please avoid the Nescafe' Instant coffees or any Sumatran Robusta beans. Nestle's main site says their coffees are 100% Columbian, but no way to really know. So why should you avoid instant coffee?

Why? Well its gross but really because its harvest is destroying the natural habitat for some wild elephants. See the second page of the article here. They say that "we have no way of knowing -- from illegal sources". But the sad fact is that they can hold their sources liable for how and where they harvest. I think it is a cop out and shame shame on them for making that kind of statement publicly. Because I promise any corporation is going to know their supply chain when dealing with consumables. Oh wait, maybe not so much, look at the poison train on Chinese toys (lead and phtalates anyone?). As a consumer you can make a slight difference... just don't buy it. Brew your own, it tastes better. You are not an astronaut so seriously you can live without the add water effect on your coffee.

I haven't got any Sumatra from Dazbog in about a year to be honest because they have better origin beans, but I will make sure that I don't from here on out. Its a small baby dent in the issue. And certainly I don't buy instant...lordie. Time for my parents to break out the Toddy for Dad's instant hot coffee (they have an instant hot spout on their kitchen faucet ... fancy).

Lets go green baby

Green Guide from the Sundance Channel. Robert Redford wants you to recycle. OK I kinda do as well.

not much to really add here except:

It is supposed to snow on Friday (again) except instead of blizzard conditions it will come with sub zero wind chill and all the accompanying misery and kvetching.

I actually don't mind the snow. Its a minor inconvienence actually. For the first time in a long time I work close to home, the drive isn't horrible and I am fortunate for that. Fortunate because there is no bus route that wouldn't involve at least two transfers and one really long wait at a shelter for the ride, so at least I can drive in.

The days are getting longer too, which is a bonus, it is truely nice to walk out of the office in the evening and there is still sunlight (even though minimal) in the sky.

Spent 20 minutes in Walgreens tonite waiting for my Grandfather to buy two rolls of papertowel (because there was a coupon for two for three bucks... bargain city). Now don't get me wrong, this gal likes herself a bargain as much as the next person, but to shlep to Walgreens for one thing when the price isn't all that great, was tiresome for me. But then it was really really funny. So funny I am standing there in the middle of the holiday aisle (all dressed up pretty for Valentines Day already) and hysterically started to laugh. It was so ridiculous. Me. The line of people checking out. The lady with her walker trying to figure out if a pencil for 5 cents was a nice present (and I am going to say this... it kinda is I think) and turning around and asking me. The sweatshirts that said "I survived the Blizzard of 2006.... and now that I have considered it... I do sooooo totally want one, because it is completely nuts). It was all so silly. The whole store, the clientele, the merchandise, the coupons. I probably looked like a crazy lady instead of a very tired gal (I am working on about an hour of sleep) who just wanted to go home.

I watched a documentary tonite about Taschen's Sumo book. The information given to me about the documentary was very misleading, it was told to me to be about Helmut Newton's photography style and his development. Not so much. It was actually better. It was more about the book and the perceptions of the pictures from those featured. I would have enjoyed more about the production, but that is just because right now I am very interested in book binding for some reason. Paper production. Printing. Manufacture. It is a passing interest I am sure but of course I wanted more of that. They absolutely BUTCHERED Karl Lagerfeld's subtitles though. He is talking about being in Paris and the Eiffel Tower and it wasn't translated. Really really funny because it was the same way in the documentary I watched about him several months ago. . . stuff was just not translated. Very weird. It looks like a lovely masterpeice of a product though and Taschen is an amazing publication house, and if I had all the money in the world I would have found a way to buy Peter Beard's Elephants. The man is so insane but brillant for them to get a hold of his works and publish them this beautifully... man those 2,500 people that bought them are so lucky. Phaidon Press could be a second runner up on the beautiful book design. I would love to go and hear Chip Kidd speak on Wednesday.

I am going to dream about sewing book signatures tonite... I can feel it.