Z & Imani’s Bean Pie – it was awesome!

Started feeling sick on Tuesday night while out with Stacy @ Takito. Took a half day off Wednesday and the whole day off Thursday and went to my doctor’s office where my doc’s nurse practitioner said I had a viral infection. Friday we woke up and our heat was out and since I didn’t want to use any more PTO, this forced me to go to work and stay away from everyone so I didn’t spread my infection. Magic Parlour @ Palmer House. Baby polar vortex started. Mac & Cheese Cookoff, where there were only 3 vegetarian entries, so I went to lunch @ Antique Taco with Jason. Afterwards, I quickly went to Empty Bottle Farmer’s Market and I returned to a house that was thankfully warm once again! Z convinced me to briefly leave the house to go to to Quesadilla and then we came home and I reprinted the b-side card.

Films watched 3rd week of the year:

Silver Linings Playbook
Trance
Stuck in Love
Dredd

I had seen SLP once before and thought the same thing, man, Hollywood thinks people with mental illness are wacky – this is such a ridiculous portrayal, but sure, the film is fun to watch. Trance was quite good and vexing. Stuck in Love was the recommended by Netflix movie that popped up when I logged into my queue and it was just perfect to have on while I was balancing my checkbook and tidying up. Dredd, wow, it was pretty damn bloody and just so-so.

In TV this week, I finally am caught up with True Blood and Glee and Z and I finished Dexter. I was actually mostly OK with the ending except for the fact [ SPOILER ALERT IF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND SOMEHOW HAD NOT YET FINISHED WATCHING DEXTER ] that he threw Deb’s body into the sea where he threw TERRIBLE CRIMINALS. He took her body away from all of the other people who cared about her and threw it in with the criminals. Also, a lumberjack?! How unoriginal. Where do you go to disappear? With the WOOD! Derp. So, now on to Treme!

Songs: Molina featuring Lawrence Peters

This week: Polar vortex closed my work’s office for two days. Made my very first from-scratch pie – pecan. Watched a whole bunch of True Blood. Had lunch with Jess L. Decided to finally buy a Kindle – went with the most basic model. Celebrated Emily’s bday with brunch at M. Henrietta. Celebrated Eliza’s bday @ her party. Songs: Molina tribute @ Hideout.

In all the years Jason Molina was alive and playing shows, I only know I saw Songs: Ohia once in October 2012 with Damien Jurado. ‘The Lioness’ is one of my favorite songs of all time, even if I wouldn’t call him one of my favorite bands or singers. I had missed the first tribute and I asked friends who had seen it if they were going to play ‘The Lioness’ and they all said no, but they ended up playing it and it was crushing. Seeing his former bandmates and friends pay tribute to Molina by playing his songs was extremely moving. Not all the singers were great, but emotions ran high in the room anyhow.

It has been nice not having such stringent resolutions to follow. I am reading so much and it is a great feeling. As I thought, I am not watching as many movies as a result, but it’s okay. Am really enjoying spending quality time at home with my boo, my dog, and my ‘hog these days.

Films watched 2nd week of the year:

Weekend (2011)
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies *

* documentary

Weekend was a great film with lots of uncertainty and sweetness and the soundtrack was good.

Man, Mary Pickford was COOL. This documentary was truly eye-opening. What an admirable lady. After finishing the film, I read the Wikipedia entry on her and the film does not delve into her alcoholism, but she was truly a trailblazer.

Closet doors do not need to close

I used the first week of the year for a lot of unwindulaxing and practicing hygge. We rearranged our bedroom, went through clothing for Brown Elephant trying to unclutter our life like in this article – you have to be unapologetic about it. Gifts that were given years ago and never used, things we meant to sell on Craigslist but never did, VHS tapes, Sega Genesis, a pile of Dwell magazines I always meant to read = Brown Elephant. Now these things will have the potential to make some money for the Howard Brown Health Center! Dog collar, old leash, toys Tilda didn’t like = PAWS. I signed up for Unroll.Me and I am already a HUGE fan of the time saved by just that! I am trying to make my life less cluttered physically and digitally and even just in the first week, I have felt much more happy at home.

2013 Resolutions:

• Update the La De Blog once a week.
• Watch one documentary and one foreign film a week.
• Make something great once a week. [inspired by my friend Erica’s lovely make great blog.]
• Go to at least one new to me restaurant a month.
• Read at least one book a month.
• Continue getting fit.
• Continue buying “Made in the USA” as often as possible.
• Every Wednesday will be Vegan Vednesday!

I did good with my 2013 resolutions, but when I make too many, or restrict myself too much, I cannot keep up with all of them. The ones with lines through them were ones I was not able to commit fully to. This year, I will still likely watch a documentary a week, but this year I want to concentrate more on reading. Cinema and television shows have taken over much of my free time the last couple years.

Having Vegan Vednesday strictly on Wednesdays was easy except for a handful of times:

• when my office would order lunch and nothing vegan for me and then I was angsty and hungry
• when Kirstie & Jason brought home fresh buttery croissants and cheese from Paris and had a party on a Wednesday
• when Christmas fell on Wednesday

Having some flex to my resolutions will help me keep them. Here’s to another god-damn new year!

2014 Resolutions:

• Update the La De Blog once a week
• Read 30 minutes a day
• Continue getting fit
• Continue buying “Made in the USA” as often as possible
• Floating weekly vegan day
• Photo a day on Instagram

Films watched 1st week of the year:

Follow my Voice *
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Casa de mi Padre
Face/Off

* documentary

Follow my Voice is a documentary about the making of the Hedwig & the Angry Inch tribute album (and the kids at the Harvey Milk school it benefited). Hearing this brought back so many great memories of driving with Karyn & Terence singing the soundtrack to one of my absolute favorite films. I hope to see it in the theatre one of these days. Wish I’d gone with Karyn back in the day. The Great Gatsby does not deserve any words other than me to say it is not worth your time.

Christmas Malörtament made by Eliza

This last two days of the year: Lunch with Arline @ Urban Belly. NYE @ Shanleys, where Malört-dog was born and apparently I started a band with Tim C.

Films watched 52nd week of the year:

Despicable Me 2
Deceptive Practice *
Dreams of Dust ** [ Burkina Faso ]

* documentary

No reason that it was only D films for the last week of 2013. Last foreign film of 2013, Dreams of Dust, was incredible. Glad I ended it on a high note. I am very glad I embarked on this project and I highly recommend others to do it also; one film from a different foreign language country per week. You can do it! I’m going to post a wrap with all of them in one post soon, so there is a guideline if anyone else decides to tackle this journey.

Despicable Me 2 was not as good as the first, but it was exactly what I needed at the time Z and I watched it. Deceptive Practice was fun and Ricky Jay is freaking amazing. I would LOVE to see him perform one day. Magician Bucket list!

Little Jerry Seinfeld; my brother Steve & his girlfriend Stewart’s dog

So, everyone says our first Christmas as a married couple is important. It’s funny because Donovan wrote this in her & Dillon’s holiday card to us. Z and I have been together nearly 8 years at this point [ on 4/2 ]. No additional fanfare, but the presents Z picked this year were especially awesome, especially the garlic grater dish from Karin Lorenc – this thing is amazing and I’ve already used it three times.

Last week: Picked up maple pecan Hoosier Mama Pie. Flew to DC. Christmas Eve dinner @ 2941. Christmas Day – the last official Vegan Vednesday of 2013 fell on Christmas day, so rather than having my mom be frazzled or being frazzled myself, I ordered a vegan dinner from Whole Foods and it was pretty good. Anchorman 2. Library of Congress/drinks @ Round Robin Bar with my parents. Galaxy Hut/Bakeshop with Peter. Lunch @ Harmony with Les. Dinner with rents @ Walker’s Grille. Hung with Shannon & Nick @ Hut. Lunch @ Landini Brothers/Saving Mr. Banks with my parents. Flew back to Chicago. Our own little Christmas exchange. Kimmi’s bday lunch @ Old Oak Tap & party later on.

Films watched 51st week of the year:

We Steal Secrets *
A Christmas Story
Anchorman 2
Christmas in Connecticut
Saving Mr. Banks
Munyurangabo ** [ Rwanda ]

* documentary
** foreign language

I thought Munyurangabo was spectacular. Tiny Mix Tapes has a great review here, better than anything I could write. It was absolutely one of my most memorable films of the foreign film from a different country every week.

I was looking forward to Saving Mr. Banks, but I ended it up liking it more than I thought I would. My friend April calls Tom Hanks America’s Uncle, and he keeps that title playing this role. I’m pretty sure Disney Disneyed up ole Walt in this, but as a film it was really great; an intriguing story with a lot of heart and P.L. Travers’ played very convincingly by Emma “Oscar is my middle name” Thompson. She deserves it.