Good Finds

I've been searching lately for good finds in all categories: health, beauty, gadgets, restaurants, recipes, you name it. This weekend was an interesting one for good finds, as rather than me seeking them out, they found ME. And the best thing about discovering good finds is sharing them with people, so without further adieu...

1. The Creative Habit, by Twila Tharp.
What's this? A book made the top of my good finds list?! Whatever is the world coming to? :)

Seriously, this book is incredible. I can't stop reading it, absorbing it, thinking about its contents, and despite the assumption that it should only be read by people in creative careers, the suggestions and exercises included in the book will benefit people in all fields. For those who don't know, Twila Tharp is a renowned choreographer who has worked on countless ballets, movies, and Broadway shows. She even conceptualized and created Movin' Out!, the Tony Award-winning show based on the works of Billy Joel, something I hadn't known before reading the book. Josh checked out this book from the library over the weekend after hearing about it over a year ago, and after reading the first two pages I was hooked. I really need to post some of the questions she includes in her "creative autobiography," which is supposed to help the reader discover their creative origin and personality. Very, very interesting stuff. I've already discovered so much about my own creative personality that I didn't know before, and I'm only on page 95.

2. O'Connell's Restaurant in Old Town, Alexandria.
A friend of mine and I decided to grab a bite over the weekend in Old Town, somewhere I hadn't visited for pleasure in a very long time. Because we are both incredibly indecisive people, it took us a long time to choose a place and stick with it. Thanks to a bit of happenstance, we landed at this delightful Irish pub. I tend to order unusual stuff at restaurants, just to try it. Lucky for me I have pretty good epicurean instincts because the meal I ordered was simply divine. It was called, "chick pea and wild mushroom casserole," and it was cooked in a creamy Parmesan sauce. But before our meal came out, we ordered an antipasto (something I didn't know they had in Ireland, but whatever). Delicious! I let my friend eat the pork items (as I don't eat pork or beef), but the Irish wine cheese and the chevre were so incredible, and the haricot verts in vinaigrette with mustard and pear jams were so flavorful topped onto the Irish soda bread. Giving the meal a perfect finishing touch was the Irish hard cider (damn, I wished I had caught the name), which tasted more like a light and crispy, appley champagne. Very, very good restaurant.

3. Light Blue Eau de Toilet, by Dolce & Gabbana.


I had just finished my bottle of perfume from a Christmas gift from my parents, so I was casually looking for a new summer scent when I found one that sounded interesting on Ulta.com. It had notes of citrus and flowers (right up my alley) and the reviews on Ulta.com were all favorable, so I decided to give it a squirt while I was running errands yesterday. WOW. This will be my summer scent (and possibly my fall scent, my winter scent...). Even Josh--who is not a fan of perfumes and colognes--nearly toppled over after smelling my wrist. It's fabulous. What's even more fabulous is I found it on Perfumania.com for 10 bucks cheaper-- hey!

4. Yankee Candles at JC Penney.


Yes, I admit, I am a fan of the Yankee Candles. Typically I buy them at either an official Yankee Candle store or, the next best thing, Bed, Bath & Beyond. Much to my surprise, JC Penney sells them at reduced prices. They can be found over by the catalog order area. They were having a special on selected scents through May 31st, so I picked up a huge jar candle in the Garden Sweet Pea scent for less than 20 bucks (ordinarily they're close to 30). The only downside to this is their selection is small, but if you're there and they have what you want, it's a steal.

Personal Style

More and more, I am finding myself envious of others who possess (and explore) a sense of personal style and I can't help but wonder how their style was created/born/developed.

Me? I feel like I have no sense of style whatsoever. I know what styles I like, what colors I like, and I'm starting to improve my coordinating skills, but it's a lot of work. It certainly doesn't come naturally to me like I feel it does with others, and still, more times than not I miss the mark completely.

I remember how simple it was back in the 90s when I was a young girl, coming-of-age in the time of grunge, and oversized jeans, flannels, and steel-toed boots were en vogue. Oh how much easier things were back then! The just-rolled-out-of-bed look was not only fashionable, it was considered sexy (huh?!). But then, once I graduated and moved back home to find a job and usher myself into adulthood, I realized that dressing like a scrub wasn't going to help me. I had to admit I was (and start dressing like) a woman. It was harder than it sounds.

I had to buy dress pants and blouses and heels (ack!), and the older I got, the dressier I had to dress. Suits and jewelry and handbags, oh my! Not only does it take a tremendous amount of work, it takes money. It was almost like I was taking all of the money I was making at my job and pouring it back into clothing... for my job. Pretty soon, my work clothes overtook my closet and my casual clothing supply started to diminish.

And beyond clothing, my hair and makeup became yet another focus of my sense of style. Luckily I enjoy makeup, but hair is quite another story. Also, as a product of my gene pool, I began greying prematurely so trips to the salon became frequent and VERY expensive. Between all this fuss over my "look" and trying to spend my hard-earned money more conservatively, my sense of style has had to take a backseat. It's become more of a chore than a celebration of self and it shows.

I know of people who have a FANTASTIC sense of style and they manage to spend very little money expressing it, so I can't use lack of funds as an excuse anymore. I think it also comes down to laziness. I am lazy about my looks these days. I was telling a friend this weekend that I feel like I've lost the "sparkle" I once possessed when I was younger, and I don't like that. We shouldn't let ourselves lose our luster, and it really isn't a matter of clothing or makeup or trend-following. It's an inner joy and light that tends to dim as we get run down with the hardships and monotony of life. It takes more effort to retain that light than to let it darken.

There is a "blogazine" online from a young woman whom I admire greatly. Her name is Xenia. She is a Russian transplant who has carved a niche for herself in NYC adopting many, many titles: model, freelance makeup artist, musician, club kid, stylist, and most recently, makeup line creator. She has so much fun searching for unique finds and expressing her ever-evolving sense of style. One glace at her blog and you can see how much joy she takes in creating her "looks." It's worth a gander. It's also worth a re-evaluation of your own sense of style, and perhaps a little more effort and bravery into the realm of style. Try a new eyeshadow color, or wear your hair up in a side braid one day. Don those hot purple flats, naysayers be damned! (I'm saying these things to myself, don't'cha know.)

Theatre Show Choices

Since I seem to be having a wealth of downtime here at work today, I suppose I'll write about local area theatres and their show choices (or lack of).

I was just checking the upcoming show calendars on some of the local theatre websites and, I gotta tell ya, it's slim pickins out there. I realize that the ultimate goal is to get butts in the seats and make money, but c'mon people. What new and exciting things can be brought to overdone shows like Guys and Dolls, Oliver!, and Bye Bye Birdie? Nothing. Would you want to pay $20+ bucks to watch the same show done the same way by the same actors? (Because, as anyone in local theatre can tell ya, the circles are extremely incestuous.)

It's so bad out there that at least two of the local theatres I researched are doing musical SEQUELS (I never knew there was such a thing): Alladin, Jr. and Cabaret II. WTF??

It doesn't stop at musicals, either. I think I saw at least three theatres listing Love Letters and two listing Doubt in their 2009-2010 seasons. Sad, sad, sad.

People in local theatre seem to only want to perform the tried-and-true shows, whether they're classics or "new classic" contemporary pieces. Admittedly, I can't stand most classic plays. Their subject matter, manner of speaking, and overall themes are outdated and irrelevant to me, and many actors these days (present company included) don't know how or can't pull off the very stylized movement and dialogue in such plays. And generally speaking, much of the subject matter is pretty fluffy. In one of the last shows I designed, the main "problem" in the story was that the father hadn't been baptized.

*blink*

*blink*

*cricket chirp*

Exactly. Like, who cares? I suppose it helped to enhance the jolly-good, clean fun of the play-- a play which is touted as, "...the longest-running play in Broadway history..." It's a good family show. But I like my entertainment with a hefty portion of meat (and a little grit don't hurt).

The most recent show I have had the pleasure of designing is far from fluffy. In fact, one of the cast members asked me last night if I liked the show (performances aside), and I honestly couldn't answer. Like? The show is based on the true story of a New York Jew living in Atlanta in 1913 who was accused of raping and killing a 13-year old girl, was tried and sent to life in prison, and was subsequently kidnapped and lynched. And it's a musical. It's uncomfortable and racial and sad. The music is haunting. There is no happy ending. Do I like the play? You know, I do. I can say with confidence that I do. It has SOUL, and showcases the very-relevant subject of racism and prejudice in this country. And it was written in 1998, so even though it takes place almost 100 years ago I can understand what the characters are talking about because it doesn't feature the slangs and colloquialisms of a forgotten time. It's real to me. It's gritty and meaty.

More local theatres should take a cue from this theatre and throw caution to the wind in favor of artistic substance. Art doesn't take talent; it takes balls.