And the award goes to...

I'm not actually a person who is an avid fan of award season. I don't watch the Grammys, Golden Globes, whatever. Which is odd, because I grew up with a brother who produced an awards show, which I attended for many years. The Bay Area Music Awards (the Bammies!) were like a family holiday.

Normally I wouldn't have written anything about the Academy Awards, which is the only one I consistently watch, because I feel that their productions are a bit redundant, but this year! Wow! And if we're honest, nothing was really different than any other year up until the end. Let's explore anyway, wanna?

Dude is kind of creepy, right?

• First things first. HUGE congratulations to Zootopia (and my friends who worked on it). It is not only beautiful animation but has a timely story. I was pretty sure Kubo was going to get the award because of how the Academy normally seem to do things, so I was extra pleased. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it. 
• It was really touching to see Jennifer Aniston tear up mentioning Bill Paxton at the head of the In Memoriam. It was lovely that she paid respect to his passing. This year the In Memoriam was a tough one anyway, so I get it. I even teared up. PLUS, apparently, they added someone who's alive? I'm sure that poor woman is channeling Monty Python and the Holy Grail right now. "I'm not dead yet!!"
• While I was pleasantly surprised by Jimmy Kimmel (I'm not a huge fan of his in general although I do love Mean Tweets), I thought he went too far with his Matt Damon thing. A couple times would have been plenty (playing the music over his presenting was funny). A comedian should know when to pull back on a joke, right? Or am I just being oversensitive on Matt's behalf?
• Two things I enjoy about watching the Oscars with my posse are 1) the whole Red Carpet extravaganza. Beth and I turn into brutal (but fair, I think) fashion critics. Some of the women and men on that red carpet seriously need to look in a mirror before they leave the house (I'm not naming names, Casey Affleck and Dakota Johnson).  And 2) Oscar Bingo. Beth always prints out Oscar Bingo where you have to "spy" certain things they call out like "Leonardo DeCaprio presents an award" for instance. Todd won this year, but if only ONE STINKIN' PERSON had thanked God directly (many skirted around it) and someone wore some fucking reading glasses I would have been IN! (Remind me some day to tell you all about the Paris Bingo we created when we were there. Naturally it included seeing someone walking with a baguette.)
• This year was also all about racial equality. It's nice to see the Academy recognizing and correcting their glaring oversights. Everyone can grow, right?
• So. The elephant in the room. The elephant that stampeded through the room. There we were, finally at the end of a typical award show. I thought I had actually correctly guessed another Oscar winner (Best Picture) when, lo and behold, everyone behind the La La Land producer, who was in the middle of his acceptance speech, started looking extremely uncomfortable and that one poor PA was running from person to person showing them the envelope. GAH. What a massive fuck up. The first thing I thought of was one of the Bay Area Music Awards when Faith No More were kind of being dicks, throwing things around the stage and being just generally stupid while accepting an award. My brother was pissed, but man, Faith No More has NOTHING on PriceWaterhouse. The La La Land group were gracious in the extreme and the poor Moonlight folks got absolutely robbed of their time in the spotlight. To add to the mayhem, Warren Beatty (who had kind of sold out Faye Dunaway by making her read the winner to begin with. He clearly knew something was wrong!) felt the need to redeem himself and explain. Sure, we all needed an explanation, but it felt a bit like "Not my fault! They did it!!" Without a doubt, someone is going to get fired for this. I guess Warren just wanted to make sure it wasn't him.
• **I was watching something just last night that pointed out that the above debacle is NOT unprecedented!  In 1964, Sammy Davis Jr was handed the wrong envelope for either Music Adaptation or Music Score (I'm not clear on which one). He handled it really well, actually, saying "Wait 'til the NAACP hears about this!"  Heh.

If there is any kind of silver lining on this, my thought would be that people will probably remember for a long time who won the Best Picture of 2016.

(My drink and snack pairing are as follows: a couple bottles of pink bubbly and these cookies (beware, you will eat more than just one because they are delicious but you probably shouldn't because they are rich!):  http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/03/01/salted-caramel-dark-chocolate-cookies/)

My takeaways:

#1 - I can say from experience that award shows in general are much more fun if you are attending vs watching on TV.

#2 - I did like the opening of this year's Academy Awards - Justin Timberlake coming in singing. Beth and I noticed that many of the moves were steps we do in Zumba and were a bit miffed that no one called us to perform. Hmph.

#3 - Those cookies in the recipe above are even better the next day. Just sayin'.

xoxo...hashtagSueslife

Seriously. Creepy.

She really DID turn the world on with her smile

I was really hoping not to have to write any RIP blog posts this year, but I guess that's crazy talk, right? I'm "of an age" so naturally the celebrities I cherished when I was a young whippersnapper are getting to that point in their lives. But really. We didn't even have a month before we started this macabre journey again.

January:

RIP John Hurt. From Kane in Alien to the wand merchant Ollivander, he was a remarkable actor.

RIP Miguel Ferrer. Almost always the bad guy and real life cousin to George Clooney. At 61, WAY too young to die.

RIP Mary Tyler Moore.  Oh, Mare.

MTM's death hit me pretty hard. My parents loved The Dick Van Dyke Show and we all loved The Mary Tyler Moore Show. After reading so much about her these last few weeks, it got me thinking about how much that show influenced girls of my generation. So, I dusted off my Hulu and started at the beginning of the series.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 - 1977)

Mary Tyler Moore was an accidental feminist, I think. On the Dick Van Dyke Show (btw, as a play on his name they used to call him Penis Von Lesbian on set, heh) she insisted a young wife in the 60s wouldn't exclusively wear dresses, sometimes they'd throw in a pair of capri pants. So even though the network balked, Carl Reiner was like "Okay, cool. She would know what women want to wear."(clearly I'm paraphrasing) So she wore them sometimes. And it was ground breaking.

I read an article with Dick Van Dyke saying that he had an immediate and total crush on her and the biggest compliment he got about the show was that people thought they were really married. So sweet.

Her solo show started in 1970, after she had done a Dick Van Dyke special in 1969 and everyone remembered how wonderful she was. At this point she was on her second marriage - to Grant Tinker - and they started a company, MTM, to produce the show. From what I gather, the company name was less about being run by her and more like how you'd name your boat after your wife. Well. Okay.

So Mary plays a character that was single - not divorced just single. This was a specific decision because there was some worry that it would appear she was divorced from Dick Van Dyke and they wanted to make sure a) no stain on the immaculate Laura Petrie and b) the show was its own entity.

Mary does all sorts of great things on the show. She wears pants. She has a good job and fights for equal pay (there is a whole episode where she finds out her predecessor made $50/week more than her because he was a man and confronts her boss about it. She gets equal pay by the end of the episode. Not bad for a half hour work.). She has relationships with men (although by today's standards it's like she's a nun) and is on the pill. Even though she's a bit wishy washy (which is 100% part of her charm) she stands up for what she believes in. These storylines and ideas were largely due to the fact that - another first for 1970 - 1/4 of their writers were women. These writers could tap into how women were actually feeling about the current issues which made the show resonate even more soundly.

Way to go, Mary!

While I was watching, I had to keep this in the context of the year it was made, because if this was a contemporary sitcom audiences would be like, "Seriously??" I wasn't even 10 years old when this first came out, so it's almost impossible for me to know how women felt about Mary Richards. While this show was a huge leap in the right direction in 1970, we have to understand that they still wanted to get good ratings, so, in actuality, they only put a toe into the swirling pool of women's issues. And they got great ratings.

When I was young, Mary Richards absolutely influenced me. She had an exciting job, held her own with a bunch of news room guys, had an awesome and quirky best friend and an adorable apartment. Now that I'm here in 2017, I see that although some things have changed and many have the appearance of change, we aren't quite as far as we thought we might be.

For instance:

• I'm proud of Mary for fighting to get equal pay (especially in the TV news business!!) but it's disheartening to think that so many years later I still have personally dealt with this issue.
• I'm happy that Mary loves her best friend Rhoda no matter what size she is, but they do talk about her weight all the time and it's disheartening to think that half the commercials on television right now are aimed at overweight women and ways they can lose weight. And do we even want to mention that Valerie Harper, who played Rhoda, was actually thin, just wearing billowy stuff and eating in every episode? So thanks for the additional body issues, TV.
• I have a love/hate relationship with Phyllis. She is divisive and competitive with other women (sadly, this still happens all the time). She constantly lords her marital status over Mary and Rhoda. That's the hate part. But Cloris Leachman plays her with an interesting depth and she does get a comeuppance later in the series. That's the love part.

I'm going to hand it to the show, too, for the thoughtful, relatable male characters they created. They keep Mary's position as the only woman in the news room as a respected and important part of the team (even though she does seem to get people coffee an awful lot).

• Lou Grant is a curmudgeon and has no issue saying that Mary is underpaid simply because she's a woman. He grows in each episode, though, as Mary points out the error of his ways. In fact, in the first episode he tells Mary she has a "great caboose" but as we all, including Mary, are about to have a big issue about this, he starts talking about how his wife's caboose is better. All right then. Ed Asner (I gather he was very progressive in his political and ethical beliefs, which is, in fact, not that unlike Lou at heart) plays him with adorable humor and deep nuances. He's really great.
• Murray Slaughter is Mary's best friend at the news room. Played by Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing!), we experience an excellent example of a platonic friendship. Murray's wife has one moment of worry about his relationship with Mary, but it's resolved quickly. I love their friendship.
• Ted Baxter. The ultimate buffoon. He's hilarious and pathetic. He wears the most colorful, ridiculous ties and blazers that always look amazing on him. He's the comic relief and the straight man. His character is so well written because by rights, no one should like such a pompous, dopey guy. But Ted Knight plays his vulnerability with a deft hand and eventually you just love him.

I know I have to think about this show as baby steps. For MTM in 1970, this probably felt like they were scaling Mt Everest and now it's more like a crack in the sidewalk.

Interestingly, MTM and Grant Tinker eventually divorced and it came out that he was actually extremely controlling. Whatever he was at home, he was smart enough to have his finger on the pulse of what TV viewers wanted to see. America's sweetheart, Mary Tyler Moore. Even when she has a message, she's cute as a damn button!

(Drink pairing ideas: if you want to be like Lou Grant, you can buy Scotch and water, which creates 3 different drinks! Scotch. Water. Scotch and water. Voila! Or if you want to be like Ted Baxter you can have a Creme de Menthe Frappe. Ha!)

My takeaways:

#1 - I went down the 70s TV rabbit hole and queued up a bunch of episodes of The Bob Newhart Show. Howard Borden (played by Bill Daily) = comic genius. I'm a sucker for the television of my youth.

#2 - MTM wears the BEST outfits, particularly in season 1. Her wardrobe was all done by Evan Picone (back then, really cool. Now sold at JC Penney) that year and they are stinkin' adorable.

#3 - I didn't know this but Mary was a fierce animal rights activist. <3

xoxo...hashtagSueslife

Unpresidented

Unsurprisingly and in a show of solidarity, Autocorrect is unhappy with the title of this blog.

In an unprecedented move (to un-president the current one), I became an activist - I attended the SF Women's March. I have been so inspired reading about all my family and friends who have attended the event in DC and in their own cities around the world. I'm really glad I did this. Not only did I feel part of a very important movement but it made me think on why I was marching.

I'm not happy with the state of our government right now and I continue to get more agitated and scared as each page on the white house website gets deleted and each time we are presented with our new, bizarre-o gas-lighting reality (alternate facts, anyone?). So that's one reason I marched.

I also marched for all the wonderful women in my life. From my littlest grand-niece (and the two on the way!!) to my mother's sister, I march for and with them. I couldn't help but think about my aunt, who I have written about before. She never married; she worked in a man's world. She didn't let any bullshit stop her, even though the bullshit was strong in her time. She had great jobs, lived in Greece for many years and lived her life on her own terms. I chatted with her the Sunday after the march and, interestingly, she doesn't really see herself as any kind of pioneer. She just thinks she lived her life the way she wanted. I understand that she made her way within the confines of her era and I love her spirit; I always strive to emulate it.

So I walked. Thankfully, it was truly a peaceful demonstration. I was worried about this. Not about the marchers, mind you, but about anyone who might not agree with why we were marching. When I was in college, my dormitory got teargassed (it was a prank) and honestly, I think I have a little teargas PTSD. It was a horrible experience; one I would never want to live through again. So I thought about exit strategies and my group all kept eyes on each other the whole time. We were a good team.

Even though the bullshit continues, I was honored to march in the pouring rain with so many likeminded people. And, sure the rain was cold and uncomfortable, but being an activist shouldn't be comfortable, should it?

All the President's Men - released in 1976

This movie has been rattling around in my brain from the moment the Cheeto started braying about "fake news" and keeping certain news agencies out of press conferences, etc.

I was probably 11 or 12 years old when I read this book. I remember the Watergate scandal

occurred when I was about 9 and I was (oddly for me, honestly) fascinated by it. I probably just thought of it as a weird conspiracy, but having a president resign because he was a minute away from being impeached was a big deal even for a non-political kid. And considering it was barely a decade after Kennedy was assassinated, I can't even imagine how uneasy the political climate must have been. 

Woodward and Bernstein were like heroes to me. The movie came out when I was about 13 and that year my friend Sharon and I dressed as the reporters for Halloween (she is blonde so she got to be Woodward, I was Bernstein). We just wore jeans and maybe button down shirts and carried notepads and pencils around with us. We also made press badges out of our junior high school ID cards. I wish I had some photos of those costumes. We were clearly a little obsessed.

The film is directed by Alan J Pakula (Sophie's Choice) and the screenplay is written by the amazing William Goldman (who wrote the actual Princess Bride book!). It's SO 70s in it's style but a few things stood out to me. One of the first things we see in the film are full screen letters being typed onto a page (the date, June 1, 1972) and the sound of the typewriter is extremely loud. Definitely setting the expectation of what is important to this story. The film ends with the television showing Nixon being sworn in for his second term in office and Woodward and Bernstein in the background typing the story that will bring him down. It's beautifully filmed. 

The premise of the book and this film - that the press, at risk of their own safety, will do whatever it takes to ferret out a story like this amidst everyone from the top down trying to stop them - is as timely as it is riveting. There is an amazing line delivered by Jason Robards playing Washington Post executive editor, Ben Bradlee. The boys are just about to go to press with the nail in Halderman's coffin (which is the start of the house of cards crumbling - and yes, that will be my last metaphor for this sentence). He says, "Nothing's riding on this but the first amendment of the constitution - freedom of the press - and maybe the future of the country". No shit, Ben. No shit.

(My drink pairing for this film is a Manhattan. Big in the 70s, plus we are gonna need good stiff drinks for the next four years.)

My takeaways:

#1 - Sometimes I surprise myself with what I read as a kid.

#2 - I've been re-reading the Potter books the last few weeks and am horrified/fascinated at the similarities of the politics in the books and in our reality. I'm currently reading Order of the Phoenix and Hermione reminds Harry and Ron that Dumbledore told them "we are as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided. Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust."

#3 - Maybe I'm like the Benjamin Button of reading. All the President's Men when I was 9 and the Potter series in my 40s!

Here's to you, my friends! Fight the good fight.

xoxo...hashtagSueslife

Shit I binge-watched in December

So I'm back to working for a living. Which is simultaneously great and a drag. Not surprisingly, my kitten is having some issues with this (Cosmo is used to my comings and goings but in Finn's short life he's had me around for a significant chunk). Adorable: in the middle of the night he carries his toys onto my bed so we can play. Not adorable: a couple nights ago I found a poop in the doorway to my bedroom. I think he was trying to trap me in.

My three months off were fantastic (duh). Weirdly, each month ended up having a bit of a theme. October was all about deep-dive cleaning/organizing. November was consumed by travel. December devolved into one big, long television binge-fest. Honestly I couldn't have been happier with how my December turned out. I barely saw any humans with the exception of the folks at my local grocery store (they probably know me pretty well, actually) and the woman who taught the Pilates Circuit class I attended all month. This class was interesting, actually. It's at a ridiculous time for anyone who works a normal job and it started the first week of December (oddly, I had been thinking "oh, in December I want to get back to taking Pilates" and then I got an email around Thanksgiving that this class was starting a block from my house. The gym offered a 10 class discounted pass for the holidays and I had exactly 10 classes I could take before I started work. Serendipity, baby.). For the first several classes I was literally the only person in the class - I was getting private lessons from the teacher at an insanely discounted price. She was a trooper about it (I would have been bitter) and by the end of my stay there were at least 2 or 3 students per class.

I guarded my December time jealously, knowing that in only a few short weeks I'd need to be social and "on". Here's the thing about me. I think I totally read as an extrovert because I can talk to anyone but I can go days without making actual contact with any humans and feel good about it (social media and email help, but still). I think that makes me an ambivert. Or maybe I'm an extrovert with my moon in introvert. I don't know.

So similar to my Shit I Watch on the Plane posts, here is my offering of what I binge-watched while I was home in December.

Department Q films -

The Keeper of Lost Causes - released in 2013

The Absent One - released in 2014

Conspiracy of Faith - released in 2016

This was a really random Netflix find. I love a gritty mystery movie. I don't always love subtitles (these films are Danish - they call them the Nordic noir series) but I had some time on my hands so I was willing to suffer through them. I'm really glad I did. 

Basically these films follow Detective Carl Mork who is a great cop with a bad attitude. He really is crusty as fuck. He gets shuffled into a cold case department because of said attitude, Department Q, with a Muslim partner, Assad. There is some tension around their differing religious outlooks early on, but Mork realizes that Assad is also a great cop, just with a better attitude and a prayer rug.

They solve some truly bizarre cases and always just in the nick of time. I love that kind of film. I'm not sure if there are plans in the works to make more films, but I hope so and I highly recommend these.

Thumbs up!

(I should be suggesting glögg as the drink pairing here, since I watched these in December. But it's January now, so enjoy a nice refreshing Carlsberg or Tuborg! Skål!)

Paranoid - released in 2016

This is a British/German TV series (funded by ITV and Netflix), again a crime drama (you will notice a bit of a trend here) that is touted as a conspiracy thriller. I read one article that says it's how NOT to do a conspiracy thriller, which I have to agree with. Honestly, until I looked again at this article I had kind of forgotten what happened in this series. It jogged my memory that they did such uninspired things as having anonymous notes sent to the police with messages like "Look into Angela's past". 

While I was watching it I quite enjoyed it...because of the performances, maybe? Or I was a bit bored and had all the time in the world to watch TV? It stars Indira Varma (Ellaria in GoT) who I always enjoy and the rest of the cast was good as well. But it can't be a good sign that less than a month after I watched all 8 episodes I couldn't even give you a  general synopsis without looking it up. Sigh.

Thumbs middle, leaning a bit downward.

(My drink pairing for this series is a Guinness and a slice of German Chocolate cake. Let's combine cultures and carb load.)

Travelers - released in 2016

This is a Netflix (partnered with Canadian TV) original series that is about time travel. I think you all know how much I love the time travel trope (I write about it all the time!), so this series was right up my alley. The conceit of this show is that folks from the future can inhabit bodies in the past at the moment of their deaths. This creates some interesting issues if the intel on the bodies is a bit faulty (drug addicts, mentally challenged folks, etc) so the storylines become a bit more nuanced and meaty. 

The travelers come to "now" to fix things for their future world. Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) is the main time traveler. I really want him to succeed because I feel like the last series he starred in (Perception) should have done better but didn't achieve the notoriety of W&G. Maybe he needs to play a gay guy again? 

This series KILLED me because there was a huge cliffhanger at the end of the last episode and as of now I can't find any confirmation that they may make another season. Gah.

Thumbs up!

(I'm gonna stick with beer for my drink pairing since I love a good theme. I'm giving you #3 on the Top Rated Beers in Canada list because I like the name: La Fin du Monde. A bit alarmist, perhaps, but it rolls off the tongue.)

Law & Order - 1990 - present day

Original

Criminal Intent

SVU

Between the three versions of this highly successful, long running franchise I had the option to be in the world of the NYPD pretty much all day, every day. And some days I was. I spent many, many hours with Briscoe, Green, Gorem, Eames, Benson and Stabler - not to mention the constant parade of ADAs (predominantly husky voiced women). 

It's incredible to me that I could watch these shows for hours on end and rarely see a repeat. What kind of magic IS this??

I'm pretty sure I have enough hours logged to be a full fledged detective. Now I just need to decide if I want to specialize in deep psychological stuff or special victims. It's a tough decision to be sure. I'd go for ADA but I'm pretty sure my voice is too high.

Thumbs up!

(Let's stick with the beer theme and make the drink pairing a Boilermaker. Shot of whisky in a beer. Quick and easy, just like investigating and trying a case in an hour episode.)

My takeaways:

#1 - I watched a couple of other series, but not in their entirety. I watched season 10 of Supernatural (they are now on 12, so I'm still way behind) and season 2 of iZombie. Love them both.

#2 - Upcoming series to watch: Luke Cage, OA (maybe), A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Magicians.  Any other suggestions?

#3 - I'm not really a beer fan, so I apologize in advance if my choices are shitty.

xoxo....hashtagSueslife

Good riddance, 2016.

2016 has just been a heaping pile of steaming shit.  

We lost so many amazing people this year it felt like an avalanche. And we gained...well, everyone has their own opinion on who we gained so I'll let you fill in your favorite descriptor (insert raised eyebrow here).

Last year in February I wrote a post entitled "January sucked" about the passing of Alan Rickman and David Bowie. Then so many more in the ensuing months (Gene Wilder, George Michael gah!!). It was like sand slipping through our collective fingers. There was really no way to get a handle on it. But to end the year with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds - only one day apart? What the fuck??

These two really did me in. If I was asked to do a top 10 favorite movies list, you all know that Singin' In The Rain and Star Wars would top that list. I've written around these two movies so many times in this blog (I doubt I'd ever "revue" either film because I unabashedly love them both so much.  It would be like a one word post: Love.); they both have been a part of my life for so long.

I feel terrible for the two remaining family members. I can't imagine what Carrie's daughter Billie is going through, losing her mom and grandmother within a day of each other. Carrie's brother Todd, though, seems the most tragic. I saw him interviewed and read some things he's posted. He talks about Debbie telling him she wanted to be with Carrie after Carrie died. What does that do to you, when your mother says that about your sibling?  Is he feeling like "Why am I not enough to keep you here"? He talks about their beautiful love story but does he think "Didn't you love me as much, didn't we also have a love story"? 

I have been mourning the loss of these two women and it's obviously not because I knew them but because they both represent portions of my life. Debbie = watching musicals with my mother and Carrie = my adolescence. I guess when celebrities that you feel a connection with pass away a bit of your youthful idealism goes with them.

A little over a year ago, when The Force Awakens came out, I wrote this about Carrie Fisher:

Princess Leia Organa

I really, really loved Carrie Fisher in Star Wars.  She just seemed like the most amazing woman.  I knew she was fairly young, her mother was in one of my all time favorite films (Singin' in the Rain...in the early days of Star Wars I remember that the talk shows, etc, kept talking about how Carrie's breakout role had her playing off of two men, just like Debbie's.  I felt pretty mature because I knew what they were talking about), and she was so clever and witty in interviews.  I wore gold hoop earrings for like a year because I saw Carrie Fisher wear them.

Star Wars isn't the only iconic film Carrie has been in (When Harry Met Sally..."I want you to know, I'll never want that wagon wheel coffee table."  Classic!).  She works a ton.  She's been in movies and TV shows, has done some voice work, is a great writer and created an amazing one-woman show called Wishful Drinking which I was lucky enough to see in Berkeley when it came around.  And her dog's name is Gary.  Gary Fisher.  So good.

I've always (and still do) wanted to be friends with Carrie Fisher.  When I was young I wanted to be just like her.  In retrospect, I'm sure my family is pretty glad I'm NOT just like her.  I don't think I have enough in savings to go to a really good rehab.

Because I couldn't let go quickly, I watched a couple Carrie vehicles (I just couldn't do Singin' in the Rain or Star Wars...too much sad!).

Wishful Drinking - HBO released in 2010
As I stated above, I had seen it years ago live. Watching it again, though, was almost like a balm to soothe my aching heart. She's so engaging, witty and brutally honest. We know she's a strong woman but the beautiful thing is how she also let's us see her immense vulnerability. And the flow chart of Hollywood inbreeding is nothing short of brilliant.

Postcards From The Edge - released in 1990
I saw it back in the day (I read the book when it came out as well) and I really wanted a dose of Mother and Daughter together. I know what it's like to have a mom as a best friend. It's wonderful and difficult. Having that mother be a movie star...I can't even imagine. Anyway, the film was great largely due to the terrific screenplay written by Fisher. She so accurately captures their immense love coupled with absolute exasperation. It's her truth. Meryl Streep played the Carrie Fisher character. Obviously her acting is always flawless but goddammit I'm tired of her singing (This might be the first film she actually sang in, though. Oh wait, I have the Internet to tell me if this is true. Nope, not even close. She sang in like 3 movies prior to this.). Shirley MacLaine plays the Debbie Reynolds character. I tend to forget, because one has to sift through ALL her crazy, what a fantastic actress MacLaine is. Wowee.

(My drink pairing for any of the above is a nice glass of ice tea. Carrie struggled with addiction so let's honor her hard work.)

And really, the hits didn't stop coming up until the last minute. RIP William Christopher who played Father Mulcahy on MASH. 2016, you can fuck right off.

Here's hoping 2017 treats us all much more kindly. Wishing you all health and happiness in the New Year!





xoxo...hashtagSueslife

It actually IS a wonderful life

Its a Wonderful Life was on the other night. I haven't seen it in a long time so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Deep in my film school bones, I know it's a great movie. Frank Capra, James Stewart, Clarence the Angel. But watching it again...it really IS a great movie. Frank Capra pulls emotion out of people in an almost Spielberg-esque manner (in other words, I assume Capra was one of Steven's inspirations?). It's really funny, too. Jimmy Stewart's delivery is well timed and snarky. I like it! And if you look really close, you can almost see a bit of Drew Barrymore in Lionel Barrymore's face. True acting royalty.

Watching this film got me thinking about my own life. I really do love my life. I don't mean this to sound all Pollyanna. I have issues, everyone does. But here are things I know: I am blessed with amazing people (both family and friends) in my life, I live in the city I've always loved and am so lucky to be consistently working yet get this absolute gift of forced time off. As soon as my kitten settles down, things will be close to perfect (let's not discuss the "baklava incident").

At Thanksgiving I was able to go back to Boston for a week and visit with my mother's side of the family. I wanted this post to be a shout out to my fabulously crazy Greek family (I include the non-Greeks here as well because as you all know, we absorb you if we love you).

The first time I met this group I was 3. I don't remember that time. 

The second time I met this group I was 15. This trip is burned in my memory. My mother took me out to visit her family for 6 weeks over the summer. it had been several years since my brothers had moved out, so I was basically raised like an only child. I lived in a relatively quiet household (Turkish dad... he didn't like hullaballoo) and I was very used to being alone. Well. I walked into something that I had no idea even existed. First, there were so many girls! I lived in a house full of dudes so meeting a bunch of women (all in their 20s and 30s at the time) that were related to me was MIND BLOWING. Seriously. Plus they were hilarious and boisterous and fun! I was plied with pink champagne and side trips to Salem. I was hooked.

I hadn't visited with that family in quite a few years as our lives all got busy working, raising children, etc. Our last remaining relative of that generation is our aunt, Ronnie. A few years ago it was time for her to move out of the apartment she lived in for over 30 years. She has no children so I volunteered to go to Belmont, MA and help with the move and cleaning out her apartment (I terrorize my niece, Laney, by telling her that someday she will have to do this for me. I'm taking precautionary measures by making many trips to Goodwill now). I'm so glad I did because not only was I able to help my aunt but it jump-started my relationship with my cousins. So now I go back and visit every year at Thanksgiving (I may or may not insert some Greek guilt here about my cousins coming to the West Coast to visit now and then) and every time I'm there my Grinch heart grows three sizes bigger.

While I was watching George Bailey's town rally around to help him, I kept thinking about my recent trip and what my family is all about.

• My cousin Cynthia and her husband Joe (honorary Greek) open their home and heart to me every year. When I am there I get the best meals (Cynthia is an AMAZING cook!). We lay around (covered in two dogs and one cat) and watch a ton of Hallmark movies. Well, Joe doesn't watch that many with us. And we laugh. A lot. She is like the big sister I never had. I love spending time with them.
• Like brief sightings of a rare bird, I get sporadic visits with Cynthia's delightful daughter Caterina. I love this kid. She is gonna do great things, mark my words. I love spending time with her.
• My gorgeous cousin Elaine is ridiculously generous with her time (with everything, really) when I am there. I get to see her nearly every day and she drives me all over the place (Massachusetts drivers are a bit scary, so I haven't ventured into renting a car or anything). We have great conversations, even when we don't agree on things. I love spending time with her.
• My cousin Maria is one of the strongest women I know. Even with some severe medical issues, she remains extremely independent. I love spending time with her.
• My cousin Cathy and her family hosted a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner this year. She is the ultimate hostess. We had a fantastic meal, then the men (far outnumbered in this crowd) went to watch football and the women stayed in the kitchen and had a massive dance party. It started with some Greek dancing (duh), then morphed into everything from We are Family to Paradise City. Even Aunt Ronnie danced from her chair. It was one of the best times I've ever had. I don't get to see Cathy's family every year as they travel quite a bit, so this was a particular treat.
• Also at Thanksgiving I got to sit a a table of 3 generations of Caragianis women (Ronnie, myself and my second cousins Caterina and Christina) listening to tales of my aunt's life. She moved to Los Angeles when she was 19 to work for "Mr. Statler" at the LA Hilton in the 50s. She lived in Greece for 10 years in the 70s where she was CEO of a car rental place. Then she worked for a long time at a famous local Boston restaurant, Jimmy's Harborside (http://www.libertywharf.co/home/history/) that often had folks like the Kennedys in attendance. And now she's the "ambassador" at her assisted care facility, welcoming all the new tenants.  She also started a Poker Club, teaching a bunch of her neighbors how to play. It's a dime a game. The best part of listening to these stories was watching the young girls hear them for the first time and realize was a complete badass their great aunt is.

And that's just a few. There are so many more stories. Every day with that group is a treat.

Look, it's a shitty, scary time in our country and in our world right now. This is the first time in my life that I even thought I might need to be an activist. I think it's up to each of us, though, to remember what it is about our lives that make them wonderful. What fills your heart? Remembering these things and making new memories is the only way we are gonna get through these next few years. Right?

Pair this post with a big glass of Ouzo and enjoy some family pix.

These two started everything - my YiaYia and Papou (with baby Uncle Chris and Aunt Stacey)

5 of the original 6 in the 80s. (L to R: Aunt Ronnie, Aunt Pat, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Stacey, my mom)

Aunt Ronnie in 1952 working at the Statler Hotel (dancing with a co-worker!)

Aunt Ronnie now with my cousin's new puppy. She LOVES dogs!

Cousins dancing!

In case there is any doubt Cynthia and I are related.

Happy holidays everyone!

xoxo...hashtagSueslife

Travelog or Shit I Watched on the Plane v2

Hi gang! Wishing you all a happy and harmonious Thanksgiving!

As you know if you've been reading my blog, I'm currently not working. I made the decision to travel a bit while I'm off work and take advantage of being a freelancer. I always envied people who would work a few months then take a significant amount of time off to travel. I did the "Sue is a worrywart" version of that. I went to Chicago for a long weekend at the end of October (blog post pending on Chi-town movies) and most recently (like I got home a few days ago) I went to Malaysia. I'd been to Kuala Lumpur (KL) once many years ago and had always wanted to go back and check out the beaches. My dear friend Rachel and her boyfriend Stefan are currently traveling the world and agreed to meet me there for this trip. (You can read Rachel's post about our trip here: https://rachhitstheroad.com/2016/11/15/penang-with-friends/) Another friend, Dave, also signed up to join us so we had an instant party.

We had a great time. We traveled around Penang, which is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of the Malaysian peninsula. There is honestly not a ton to do there but lay around by the pool or beach (sadly the ocean has a ton of jellyfish and even though Dave valiantly volunteered to pee on any of us if we got stung, we stuck to swimming in the pools) and eat amazing food. Malaysia has a big Chinese and Indian population, so the food was varied and fantastic.

Before I get into the shit I watched on my various flights, I thought I'd share a bit of my travels with you guys.

• The first leg of my flight was SFO to Hong Kong. It left at midnight and I had a middle seat (poor planning on my part) in between an Indian woman who spoke a bit of English and a Chinese woman who spoke no English but talked anyway at top volume and employed elaborate and energetic pantomime to communicate (later, the Indian woman indicated to me that she thought the Chinese woman might be hard of hearing. I think she was right.). At one point I was searching for a movie to watch and stopped on one selection to read the description. The Chinese woman started talking at me and waving her hands. I said "oh, you want me to watch this?" and she finally reaches over and selects the movie to play. This is a two part procedure, so she CLEARLY wanted me to watch. I had to laugh and said "okay, I'm gonna watch this one". She looked very pleased.
• I flew in the day of the election, so we followed the results the next morning. We started drinking necessary gin and tonics at 11am.
• I know for me (and I think for Rachel, too) it was nice to be with like-minded American friends since we were so far from home. I really felt the distance, watching the debacle from Penang.
• We saw two EPIC thunderstorms. One was in Kuala Lumpur and one was in Batu Ferringhi (and yes, I constantly worried that Romulans or Klingons would attack us). We sat outside (under cover) for both of them and, being a California drought girl, these were two of my favorite moments. I think Stefan (a German) thought I was crazy to be so excited about rain, but seriously it was gorgeous.
• We got very creative.
• We thought of a name for Dave's first born (although I don't believe there are any plans for a first born any time soon): Noodles.
• We named two street dogs and one street cat the same name (Malaysia is clearly not big on neutering animals): Balls
• We discovered a new disease: Hand Tourette's. This is when you uncontrollably flip people off (can be done in several languages).
• We met super interesting people.
• We got some lovely coconut ice cream milkshakes in Batu Ferringhi. There was a "charming" little urchin who apparently knew the shop owner. He was drinking something out of a bag (I saw several of these around, our drinks came in a huge palm tree glass. Sigh) so I smiled at him and asked "What are you drinking?" He shot me considerable side eye and said "Something else." Wow.  Yummy milkshakes in silly cups

• One night in Georgetown, Rachel and I were having a drink in a bar called Junk. Contrary to it's name, it was a nice little bar with great drinks. We went there twice. This time we were sitting outside and suddenly the bartender told us someone inside was buying drinks for the whole bar. The someone in question was a guy named Sonni. Yes, with an I. Sonni apparently was a Malay man who was living in Singapore. He was sitting with two Brits (Luke from London and Connor from Cornwall (I REALLY wanted Connor to look like Poldark and while he was pretty darn cute, he was no Aidan Turner)) who he had just met that night. They had multiple buckets of beer and packs of cigarettes in front of them, all courtesy of Sonni. I asked Luke why we were all getting free drinks and Luke's theory was that Sonni was a drug dealer. We ended up sitting with them for a while and making Stefan come join us because a) safety and b) he just had to see this. By time we left, Sonni looked like he was going to pass out on the bar. Good times.

Now to get on to some Revues:

USA to HK:

Secret Life of Pets - released in 2016

Last time I did a "shit I watched on the plane" I talked about Sleeper Films, which are movies that make you fall asleep. Unfortunately (because you all know I love me some animation) this was one of those. To be fair, I was taking a midnight flight so I was super tired, but it still didn't keep my attention. I'm willing to give this movie another try, though.

Thumbs middle.

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie - released in 2016

This is the movie the Chinese woman chose for me. I doubt I would have chosen it for myself but it kept my attention. I watched the show intermittently so honestly I was left a bit "meh" about this one.

Thumbs middle.

HK To Singapore:

The Boss - released in 2016

Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Bell are in everything this year. I know this movie didn't get good reviews, but I really enjoyed it. There is no doubt that it has a simple. overused plot (it's a Grinch storyline) but McCarthy and Bell are both charming and funny and the kid actors were good too. Simple storylines tend to work best on multi-leg flights anyway, so it was a perfect plane movie.

Thumbs up!

In Kuala Lumpur

The Nice Guys - released in 2016

We had an fantastic hotel in KL for one night, so instead of hoofing it around town (we had also lived through one of the epic thunderstorms and gotten soaked on our way to tour Petronas Towers) we decided to have a movie night and bask in our amazing hotel with the perfect view. This movie stars Ryan Gosling (hey girl!) and Russell Crowe. We weren't sure if it was supposed to be a comedy or not, but the bottom line is neither of those guys do comedy particularly well. Also, it takes place in the 70s, so it felt a bit like it was trying too hard to be like Boogie Nights. Meh.

Thumbs middle.

View from my bedroom in KL!

Singapore to HK:

Bad Moms - released in 2016

The bad moms are played by Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell (see, she's EVERYwhere!) and Kathryn Hahn (who is hilarious!!). Again, simple plot - basically Mean Girls with adults. But it's irreverent and funny (I LOL'd) and super easy to watch on a plane. I think this was my favorite thing I watched on this trip.

Thumbs up!

HK to USA:

Emerald Green  - released in 2016

This is a German fantasy film (possibly YA?) about time travel which is why I picked it (I love time travel!). It is clearly a sequel and by doing a little research it appears that its the third movie in the Red Ruby trilogy.  Its about a girl who is part of some kind of time travel society. It concludes the story, but I was able to still piece some of it together (even with subtitles!). I enjoyed it (although it's very much like a book series I just read - The Chronos Files series) and will see if I can find the other two films so I can get the whole story. 

Thumbs up!

Central Intelligence - released in 2016

I so so love the Rock. He can really do no wrong! Including being in movies with Kevin Hart.  This movie is cute and again with the simple plot. I was tired and jet lagged yet I still was able to figure out the plot twist very early on. What made up for the simplicity was the fact that the Rock is always able to infuse some heart in his films. And he has such a good sense of humor - as evidenced by the fanny pack, love of Sixteen Candles and the unicorn t-shirt. Also, Melissa McCarthy has an adorable cameo (because she's in everything).

Thumbs up!

My takeaways:

#1 - I flew Singapore Air and I highly recommend them. My favorite long distance airline is still Emirates but Singapore Air is a close second. Clean, comfortable and on time!

#2 - I really enjoyed seeing more of Malaysia. The beaches are lovely and the people are even lovelier.

#3 - For some reason, I'm having a hell of a time with jet lag. So while I'm likely to be napping all day, if anyone wants to chat between 3am - 6am, I'm available!

xoxo....hashtagSueslife