frida, taymor, and goldenthal...

so, i am sitting here at my house...wine glass in hand (with a decent cabernet), script in hand (working on a cutting for an upcoming project), listening to elliot goldenthal's soundtrack for frida as i work...an unbelievable movie. a movie directed by one of my heroes...julie taymor...who i fully intend to be when i grow up.which reminds me of the movie...i grew up hearing all about friday kahlo from my mother, who worked with several people associated with the menil and other private collectors around town. every time i would hear the artist's name spoken, it was almost with a hint of jest...the self-deprecating artist whose self-portraits defied our notions of beauty, of self, of identity... i remember, when my mother brought home a book on kahlo's work, looking through it with a degree of horror. granted, i was only a child, but i found the images haunting, disturbing...


i had little reason to re-examine her work, so for years, my conception of frida kahlo was a negative one. but how thrilling was it to see taymor's movie and her brilliant imagery...to finally have some insight into kahlo's state of mind when she painted those pieces, the pieces ingrained in my mind as a child as the stuff of horror films...




and how funny that my absolute favorite place in mexico city was the area in which she lived... coyoacan.



thank you, frida kahlo, for being the visionary you were...and julie taymor, for being the woman capable of illuminating her...i no longer look at these works with disgust, but rather, appreciation for their honesty and rawness.

a challenge to my friends...

i don't know why i've been so freakin' happy lately, but it's just as if everything is starting to make sense. for today anyways. and one thing i think is true: positive energy begets positive energy. anyways, your manic friend is hopin' this feelin' lasts...

but i thought i would share something that happened to me today...so, i am walking down the street during lunch and i see this guy in a business suit. he's young and polished... glasses and shined shoes and library books in hand. well, i look at him, just as i would look at anyone passing me on the street, and he flashes a grin a mile wide at me . it wasn't a flirty smile, but rather, a happy-to-be-alive sort of grin...but it was so big and sincere that it almost stopped me in my tracks. so, naturally, it put a big smile on my face. and the next person i saw on the street saw my wide grin and smiled back at me...which made me smile even more. and as i was walking through the tunnels, i simply could not wipe the goofy look off my face...and each person i would pass would exchange a smile with me. this is NOT NORMAL. the downtown tunnels, like subway stations, are a place where one can disappear in a sea of expressionless faces. but on this day, person after person would smile back at me... and as i am thinking about this, the next person i passed said 'hello, how are you doing today?' and it wasn't at all a typical, half-assed greeting...it was a genuine question. and of course, i responded 'fine! and you?' but the thing is, she wasn't the only one...i counted at least 10 people who said hello to me in the tunnels. complete strangers. again, not normal... but wonderful! shows me one thing: how much effort does it really take to spread a little happiness around? not much. so, i challenge you all (not to suggest that you might not be inclined to do this already) to smile at the next 10 strangers you encounter...to say hello to them all. you never know who's day might be turned around by that tiny gesture.... it's not a big deal. and this story may seem insignificant to you. and perhaps it is. but it made my day.

and my lunch destination? a little cafe called la dolce vita. how appropriate. :)

divine humor

ah....the byzantine chapel. the one at the menil. if you haven't seen it, you must make plans to do so. immediately. simply beautiful. the frescos are lovely, but the place itself is magical. in my opinion, much more so than the rothko. i walked in and the only light in the room was that coming from the two candles flanking the pews....excepting that on the frescos themselves. the rest of the altar was simply glowing...an other-wordly translucent white halo against the stark black of the walls. i walked in and sat in the back pew and just stared. and stared. i felt almost paralyzed. i couldn't take my eyes from the fresco just above the altar. from where i was sitting, you only saw the image of an angel...an angel staring back at me with a face of sublime peace and gentleness. did i feel like the angel was looking at me? yes, i did. which is why i sat there silently for what must have been a half-hour. and in that time i felt so calm and satisfied.

how can one deny the existence of the divine? it was in the air...in the birds singing outside the chapel...the water dripping off the leaves in the trees outside...the glow of the altar...even in the squeak of the shoes worn by the people walking by my pew. i don't know exactly what that means...but i feel it is true with every inch of my being. i sat there and stared and couldn't help but cry...just a little. but not tears of sadness, but those of joy. of appreciation. i thought of my family...of my friends...of my life...and i just felt so very grateful and blessed. and content. with all of life's trials, could it be any sweeter than this?

and then, someone's cell phone rang. one of those generic nokia rings. and the woman, embarassed, rushed outside...rifling through her purse to grab and silence the offending device. and it put the biggest smile on my face. and instead of being annoyed, it made me laugh. here i am, having this intense moment when someone's cell phone rings....breaking the mood. but not really. isn't that what life is? isn't it the little surprises and problematic occurrences that make it that much more fun? i think so.

after watching the woman rush out of the room, i looked back at the angel looming above in the fresco....and i couldn't help but notice a hint of a smirk on her face.