Concrete and Sky

Music and Books

It has been a good week off although I have been asked if I can come in tomorrow to work for a little while to get started on a  few things. I think it will also give me an opportunity to talk about a few of my concerns before totally moving forward. I am sure everything will keep moving forward as planned but I need to feel really confident about everything.

I have taken an opportunity this week to get out of the house here and there and enjoy the nice weather we are having. Tuesday I went to Central Park for the first time with a photographer friend.  It was a lot of fun and so interesting to see all those historic places that have been shown on the big screen.  I even went back again yesterday afternoon to have lunch with my husband. The sun was shining so I also packed a towel, my iPod and a book and spent some time relaxing in the park.

I gave up on reading Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral.  It just seemed a little contrived and cliche.  I am now starting to read Desire Lines by Christina Baker Kline. I thought I would try another novel by this author after enjoying The Way Life Should Be.  I will report back.

I have also been listening some new tunes and some bands you might want to check out:

Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a Sound
Allex Lloyd - Distant Light
Beth Waters - Beth Waters
Cold Play - Viva la Vida
Newton Faulkner - Hands Built By Robots
The National - The Virginia EP
Miranda Lee Richards -  Light of X

a week off

I have a week off before starting my part-time job next week. It is nice to have time to focus on creative projects and have some time to just enjoy.

I am going to work on my photography portfolio. This is basically me picking out 15-20 images to display in a portfolio book. I actually bought a really good book to help with the process. This will help when I go to sign up for courses that will start this Fall.  I am pretty excited about putting this together.

I need to do other things like get to the doctor.  I am probably going go out shooting with a photography friend for a little while tomorrow. I am excited about getting to cook some food this week as well. Last night I made crab cakes with a cucumber + mandarin orange salad.

I have a few magazines and a new book to start reading so I hope to find some time to do that as well. It is going to be rainy off and on this week so it is also a good week to be indoors!

I will keep you posted on my progress.  I also need to post some things about film, music and other tidbits.  More on that too this week.

insider: New York

I am continually adding to my list of things to do in New York and this week I decided to focus on Central Park. It  is one place that I really must go take photographs of but it is also host to some great activities.  There is much more than my list below but here are a few of the things on my 'to do' list:

Walking Tours

The Central Park Conservancy has about ten different walking tours that highlight different parts of the park.  The tours are free and take place year-round, rain, or shine, except in extreme weather conditions.

Self Guided Walking Tours

The Central Park website offers guides and podcasts online for two different self-guided tours:

Art + Architecture

Family Tour

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Film Festival 

In the month of August the Central Park Film Festival screens free movies.

I have my eye on Working Girl and Moonstruck!

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City Parks Foundation

This nonprofit organization to offer programming in parks throughout the five boroughs of New York City.  The Summer Stage program takes place with activities in Central Park.  Here are a few things that sound fun and most of them are free (and there are many more!)

Richard Price + Charles Bock - authors speak about their work on Thursday, July 31. This event is free!

We know I am a fan of live music so it is likely I will go see this show on Monday, Aug 4th.  The tickets are $30:
The National
Yeasayer
Plants and Animals

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Shakespeare for Adults Workshops

This free workshop focuses on This workshop focuses on acting, text, speech, poetry, and New York Classical Theatre's unique performance technique, Panoramic Theatre.

The recommend bringing a picnic dinner to enjoy after the workshop and before the free roving performance of George Bernard Shaw's play, Misalliance. 

This sounds like too much fun! Weekends in August starting at 5pm and free.

Film

The Kite Runner (adaptation of the book by Khaled Hosseini)

I debated about whether or not to watch the film without having read the book, although it had been on my TBR list for some time.  But it was there waiting and I decided that I would step into the story through the world of film.

I know that to include everything in the book, the film would have to be much longer than 2 hours. I imagine they did their best to include things that were important to the story because the film felt like it was whole. I was touched and drawn in from the very beginning.  The story of two young boys, friends and an unknown bond they share across a lifetime is terribly moving. The cinematography is stunning and the soundtrack makes the emotions being portrayed on the screen more compelling.

A story of friendship, family, loyalty, love, loss, forgiveness and redemption. I was reading reviews and someone mentioned a quote that perfectly described how the movie made them feel at the end..."it is a deep feeling of longing for someone or someplace, which is very sweet but also tinged with an inescapable sadness" (definition provided years ago by Antonio Carlos Jobim).

I felt very much the same way after watching this film and hearing this story.  I highly recommend seeing the film.

As for me, I will definitely go back and read the book.  I have also added his latest novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, to my wish list.

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Hancock - We decided to go check out this film yesterday. I am a big Will Smith fan because his movies are always entertaining and he has a hugely likeable screen presence. I also liked the idea of a darker movie about a super hero. The movie was a good Sunday matinee film but there are things lacking. Good performances all around but it all seemed a little disconnected so the screenplay was definitely below par as perhaps some of the special effects. I think it could have been better.